surprises, duped and something new

Friday, 23rd Nov 2007

When I read in the papers that England did not qualify for Euro 2008, my first reaction was laughter! I was walking up the stairs to my office and just burst out laughing. Ok, it was more like a loud chuckle. I cannot believe England did not make it for Euro 2008, did not even qualify! What with the Premier League and all, you would think they’ll sail through in the qualifying. They have enough talents to go around. Mind-boggling…

Their inability to qualify reminded me of an article I read that commented on the commitment of the English players to their national team. There’s no money in playing for your country so most of them put emphasis on playing for their clubs much more. It’s all about money and those who say that money is not everything, are those who have loads of them! So I guess them not qualifying should not come as a surprise. It was inevitable that it would happen and apparently it has, sooner rather than later.

I must say that their presence would be missed because English footballers always draw some good crowd and gossips - WAGS and all… World Cup 2006 was a good platform for such activities. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their shopping sprees and how they were distracting their boyfriends/husbands from training.

The power of distraction of a woman – there’s nothing like it! Hahaha…

Saturday, 24th Nov 2007

It’s my sis’s birthday today so I brought her out to the Pavilion since she has not been there yet. It was her pick for lunch and since she’s obsessed with this Korean star called Rain, it was a no-brainer that she picked a Korean restaurant – Restaurant Kung Jung.

The place looked subdued enough. After looking at the menu, we opted for barbecue so we were shown to a different section of the restaurant that had a middle-of-the-table barbecue pit.

There were several side dishes that come with the barbecue. In proper Korean style, what you are meant to do was to wrap the barbecued chicken/beef/fish in lettuce leaves and fill it up with whichever side dishes that you like. Interesting...

My general take? Nice, quiet private dining with a little sizzle... :)

(Picked up my N95 and repair was at no charge since my phone is under warranty. Great! Yes, finally, I’m back to up-to-date technology.)

8.30pm Peter Pan

Aduh!

Paid ~RM500 to watch a blown-out-of-proportion expensive, very expensive indeed, primary plus secondary kids school play production. DOH!! (Homer style!)

Istana Budaya should not have charged that high for this type of play. Aya, got duped!

Paid good money to watch this production and what a waste. Hun and I were trying hard not fall a sleep by the end of act 1 and the whole of act 2 since it's all children jokes and jests. Should have expected that since it is PETER PAN.

The best part for me was the flying; well, actually, flying on harness la. Who doesn't wish they can fly sometimes?

Sunday 25th Nov 2007

Dinner at this place called Marché (pronounced Mar-shay meaning market in French). I’ve walked pass this place a thousand times but never considered going in at all. There must be some new wind that blew tonight that prompted us to give this place a try.

What a cute concept. It really felt like walking into a market – an indoor market. We sat deep enough inside amongst the hustle and bustle of the market that it felt like we were not in fact at a mall. The staffs were yelling orders and encouragement to try out their different dishes and drinks. The sounds and smells, smoky and loud, sizzling cod, salmon and prawns, brick pizza oven, colourful displays of fruits and vegetables, added to the whole ambiance of a marketplace. Unexpected that it would be such a pleasant experience. Surprises like this are welcome anytime.

latest read - The Five People You Meet In Heaven

Wednesday 21st Nov 2007

The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom

I was skeptical about reading another Mitch Albom book since Tuesdays With Morrie and For One More Day left little effect on me. I don’t see why they have been raving about the author so much. With The Five People You Meet In Heaven, I can say that it’s the only book from Mitch Albom that I like so far. Maybe the others need another read through but I’ll have to leave that to some other day. Other books are calling out my name to be read.

While reading, I gathered some excerpts that I like from the book. Here they are:

[pg34] Heaven can be found in the most unlikely corners

[pg 35] People think of heaven as a paradise garden, a place where they can float on clouds and laze in rivers and mountains. But scenery without solace is meaningless.

[pg 49] Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know.

[pg101] All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.

[pg126] Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to define them – a mother’s approval, a father’s nod – are covered by moments of their own accomplishments. It is not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories, and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.

[pg155] People say they “find” love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and it is never the same for any man and woman. What people find is a certain love.

[pg164] Love, like rain, can nourish from above, drenching couples with a soaking joy. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must nourish from below, tending to its roots, keeping itself alive.

[pg173] “Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that’s all. You can’t see their smiles or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around the dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it.”
“Life has to end,” she said. “Love doesn’t.”

[Last words] …: that each affects the other and the other affect the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one.

Yes, indeed, we are all stories on this blue rock.

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Hun’s leaving for Melbourne again soon, for a month! Lonely days… Sighh… So we’ve got to make up for the impending lost of time together by meeting more than usual these coming days. Gosh! Feel like slumping down on my desk some days.

I think I should seriously plan to go over to Melbourne; make a vacation out of it. But what about work? Well, we’ll see how it goes.

Anyway, Tuesday 20^th Nov, rushed home after sorting out some stuff at work and of course, when you’re rushing, there’s always going to be a traffic jam. Naturally, right? Turns out Hun got stuck in a jam too. Dinner was at Luk Yu Tea House, Starhill at my request since I adore the Dim Sum there. The only place I’ll go for Dim Sum. By the time we finished, it was late. So I didn’t get to walk around.

Wednesday 21^st Nov, what a mad day at work; rushing here and there and preparing for the ns2 workshop that I’m suppose to conduct for one session tomorrow which reminds me that I need to look at the slides again before retiring tonight. I mean, even if you don’t really like what you’re doing, don’t make a fool out of yourself, right?

Today, I feel like shooting some pool. So, it’s The Social, Bangsar. Surprisingly their nasi goreng is quite yummy....
[upon returning from dinner] Hmm... bizarre in a surreal kind of way... You know how an incident can make or break someone's perspective of someone else, well, this is definitely one of them.

Thursday 22nd Nov 2007

1. Hun says that I'm in a bubble and that I have floated away to a point that I am taking things for granted. He says it's because I'm absolutely pampered and spoilt beyond redemption! Gosh! Is there such a thing? Am I??
But to be truthful, he's got a point. I hope it will not be something bad that will bring me back down to earth. Floating around feels kinda good. But the drawback is that sometimes you lose perspective of real life and it's making me really scatter-brained!
Keyword for today: perspective!

2. You know you are not at peace when you wake up in the morning and still feel tired.

3. Workshop was ok although at some moments, I myself was not sure what I was saying. Ha ha ha... Since participants are novices, so it was mostly just logical frying (goreng!). Ha ha ha...

Cadaques Orchestra

Sunday 18th Nov 2007 8.30pm
Toyota Classics 2007
Cadaques Orchestra from Spain

To start of, FUH - YOH!

The recorded voice of Sean Ghazi is nothing, NOTHING compared to him singing live. Well, it was his singing as P Ramlee in P Ramlee The Musical that captured my heart.
But this is the first time I’ve heard him as himself, being a new fan and all. Gosh, how much I’ve missed!
When is he going to have a show at No Black Tie or An Evening with Sean Ghazi again?? Sighh…

Now, after having heard MPO many a times, this 21 member orchestra was really low impact. Not to mention the location – Auditorium Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam. The seats were so uncomfortable and creaking, ok!

To be fair, Dewan Philharmonic Petronas and MPO are in a different league entirely. So I should not compare. But cannot help it la…

So when they started, the sound quality, I say man, took me awhile to allow my ears to get used to it. I expected this big surround sound bang but instead, got a teeny tiny jolt only. Oh well…

But once I lowered my expectation, it’s not so bad actually. The pieces were quite cute and entertaining, very Zorro-like sounds.

It’s my first time listening to a Tenor live. Not bad but I must say, not my cup of tea. Maybe because I have no idea what he’s saying. But voice wise, ok la.

The first half of the show was only half hour long. I think there was something wrong with the sound system because the Tenor’s voice was not clear at all and my sis and I were seated at the very edge of the right-side of the stage with the speakers right in front of us.

Second half went just as quickly but when Sean stepped out, there was a big applause. So I see, the people are there for him more than anything. Good good.

Then Sean sang.

Oh WOW! I had to pick myself up after hearing him belt out a total of five songs – three as scheduled (Semalam, I Have Dreamed and Getaran Jiwa) and two on encore (Smile and I Have Dreamed (for luck!, he said. Hahaha...). Smile! What a coincident! I was talking about it yesterday. He sang Smile to just the piano. Nearly shouted “Encore!”. Thank God I didn’t.

Of the five, I was stuck breathless by Getaran Jiwa. Brain freeze man, again! Sean’s rich voice is perfect, absolutely perfect to carry its tones. And from such a little package! I’ve been hearing it repeatedly on his Semalam CD but hearing it live, totally unexpected that it would sound even better! Surprises like these are welcome anytime!!

The drawback of sitting on the right-side of the stage was that I had Sean’s back singing to me 90% of the time. Thank God for the heavenly voice. His back pun, his back lah!

Got Sean’s signature and picture to be added to my collection. Haha!

______________________________________________________

Note 1: At the wee hours of Sunday morning, Hun’s gone to Terengganu to catch Pak Lah, again. He said it was a good meeting. Hope it’s all worth it.

Note 2: Got my binoculars back! Thanks Sean.

Note 3: Voice recorded Sean’s whole performance but my Nokia 7390 is one that is really pretty to look at but absolutely rubbish! The recording was horrible. What a waste… Added note: My sis video recorded the first three numbers. Whahaha!... Spectacular!

Note 4: The Agong (Tuanku Mizan) and The Sultan of Selangor (Sultan Sharafuddin) were present... Erm, mencemar duli...

Note 5: My sis and I were berangan-ing outside the hall where there were some really pretty flowers. And while I was posing, this fella with a professional-looking camera took my photo too. He said he was from Women’s Weekly, or was it Her World? He said it’ll be in his magazine. Yeah, sure, highly unlikely!

MPO - Swan Lake

Friday 16^th Nov 2007 8.30pm

Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
Carl Davis conductor
Tchaikovsky Swan Lake (Op.20)

Prima ballerina - How many times I’ve looked at a picture like this and wished that that was me?

Or even this, to suddenly arouse a longing to be part of ballet?

At a tender age of 6, I told Dad that I want to take up ballet. I cannot recall what sparked the interest in me at that age. I only remember that it was me who wanted it.

The first day in ballet class, I had no ballet slippers yet so I had on my stockings and I was ready to start in the clothes I was in. There were many other little girls there, appropriately dressed for class – the thighs, the leotards, the slippers, the hair in a bun. I took it all in. The room was not big. It had polished wood floors, one wall full mirror and opposite it, a tinted glass wall looking out to the streets below. But I never looked out. The feeling that I had at that very moment, the feeling that this is where I want to be, I can remember it so well even after almost 25 years has passed from that very first day.

Ballet - my first love.



When I bought tickets online for this MPO presentation, I thought that it was just going to be the scores from Swan Lake.

Turned out they have this big screen at the front and showed a recording of Swan Lake. BALLET! Watching ballet on big screen, I could hardly keep myself from jumping out of my skin! I was thrilled!! Surprises like this are most welcome anytime!

Apparently this is the 3^rd installment of such a show i.e. MPO plays the scores while the big screen displays the play the scores are for. The previous ones were Nutcracker and erm, can’t remember what the other was.

The moment the film showed the curtain opening and there stood the ballerinas, I was lost! I totally lost the plot. It’s not about listening to the orchestra anymore. I was engrossed, entranced by the spectacular dancing of the Bolshoi Ballet ensemble…. And brought back to reality by the occasional coughing and sneezing of the audiences!

The elegance of ballet and the beauty, the strength and yet the gentleness, the precision of execution of the steps, the expression through it, the lines, the footwork, the extension of the arms and legs, the pointe shoes, the pirouettes, the grande jete, the movements, so light yet strong, so free yet controlled, everything about it…

I was afraid to blink lest I miss any part of it. Some of it was so beautiful and perfect that I think I had a brain freeze! You know, your eyes take it in but the emotions that it brought was so overwhelming that your body feels numb, in a state of disbelief. And your eyes just keep taking it in…

God, I love ballet!

… Oh yeah, by the way, the orchestra was good.

Saturday 17^th Nov 2007

I finally gave my Semalam album a break from spinning non-stop since I bought it. Put on Westlife’s Allow Us To Be Frank CD which I just bought.

After allowing it to play for maybe three times over, favourite song so far -

Smile (Music: Charles Chaplin, Lyrics: Geoffrey Parsons & John Turner)

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrows
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through
For you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear maybe ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

Then, suddenly I had the urge to listen to Buble next. Now I’m stuck with
Lost (Michael Buble/ Jann Arden/ Alan Chang)

I can't believe it's over
I watched the whole thing fall
And I never saw the writing that was on the wall
If I'd only knew
The days were slipping past
That the good things never last
That you were crying

Summer turned to winter
And the snow, it turned to rain
And the rain turned into tears upon your face
I hardly recognized the girl you are today
And God I hope it's not too late
It's not too late

Cuz you are not alone
I'm always there with you
And we'll get lost together
Till the light comes pouring through
When you feel like you're done
And the darkness has won
Babe you're not lost
When your world’s crashing down
And you can't bear the thought
I said, babe you're not lost

Life can show no mercy
It can tear your soul apart
It can make you feel like you've gone crazy
But you're not

Though things have seemed to changed
There's one thing that's still the same
In my heart you have remained
And we can fly fly fly away

Cuz you are not alone
And I am there with you
And we'll get lost together
Till the light comes pouring through
When you feel like you're done
And the darkness has won
Babe you're not lost
When the world’s crashing down
And you can not bear to crawl
I said, baby you're not lost

I said, baby you're not lost
I said, baby you're not lost
I said, baby you're not lost

Evening: Zombie shopping at Mid Valley. Soooo sleepy… But got a dress none the less!!.. Hahaha…

my Coach

Tuesday 13th Nov 2007 2.20pm


...Better post this before my meeting at 2.30...


This morning I was driving to work and thinking about how fortunate I am.
November last year, it was such a feeling of despair, sorrow and utter hopelessness. Life then was just terrible. Plain terrible.

How things have and can change?

Last night, my sweetheart and I went out for dinner at Pavilion. It was not my intention to shop. Just wanted to spend more time with him... and of course, dinner.
Walked into Coach and my dear sweetheart got me a lovely Coach handbag. For what reason?
He says just because I wanted it!
Oh yeah! And a pair of sunnies too!

So this morning, having my brand new gorgeous handbag by my side, a memory from childhood came to mind.


See, embarrassing it is to admit, as a teenager, I felt so deprived of material things. I know, I know. It sounds so materialistic and superficial but I was a kid! I didn’t know any better.



So anyway, the memory, it was of little me (ok, not so little la.. teenage me) desperately wanting a new school bag because mine was erm..., yucky looking and, AND quite old.
I got it years and years ago at Globe Silk Store ok! It was just ugly! Simply ugly!
I asked Mom and she replied with a few questions: "Is it torn? Can it not be used anymore?". Of course the answer to both questions is no.
Lacking the tact to weasel things out of my parents which by the way, my younger sister is an expert at, I was stuck with it till the end of my high-school days.
The misery!
Being in a school where kids were from well-to-do families and me being the middle-class kid, was tough! Emotionally tough. You just don't feel like you fit in.
I looked at kids with envy at all their branded stuff strutting around and feeling so good about themselves. How lucky they were to get what their hearts desire.

Look at me today. Lucky, lucky me!

It's not so much about the bag but the fact that I found someone who loves me so much that he is willing to give me everything my heart desires.

When you find someone like that, hold on tight with BOTH HANDS!

_______________________________________________

Found this short article from The Sun Tuesday Nov 13, 2007, pg 26, by Dr James Dobson @ Focus on the Family

Stop that comparison

Someone once said that comparison is the root of all inferiority. How true that is.
When you look at another person's strength and compare them to your own weaknesses, there is just no way to come out feeling good about yourself. Young people are especially vulnerable to the game of comparison.
A while back, I was speaking to a group of teenagers at a conference, and I'll never forget the question posed by one young man.
He said: "It seems that everyone has more to offer than I do. I envy the guys who are better looking than I am or more athletic or smarter. I just don't measure up. How can I deal with my own insecurities?"
The problem he was describing is a common one among young men and women. Even at a young age, our self-image are shaped by how we stack up against our peers.
It's not how tall we are that matters - it's who is the tallest. It's not how fast we can run - it's who runs fastest. It's not how smart we are - it's who is the smartest.
Thus begins a pattern of self-doubt that often becomes all-consuming during adolescence.
The answer I gave that young man is one that many teenagers need to hear: when you pit yourself against the best and brightest, you are merely setting yourself up for failure.
Mental health begins with an acceptance of life as it is and a willingness to make the most of the unique strengths and talents you've been given.
When that is achieved, comparison with others is no longer a relevant issue.

my weekend...

Friday 9^th Nov 2007

What a fun outing today with my office mate Su Mei. It’s the first such outing for the both of us.

I got two pair of shoes from Lewre and two dresses from Robinsons. Shopping babeh!! I’ve fallen in love with what Robinsons can offer in terms of dresses. My new fav place for dresses!

I was out from 10am and only arrived home at 7pm. That’s 9 hours of shopping (!!) plus traveling and eating. I didn’t think we would take that long. Since leaving at 10, I was worried I might not get there at the agreed time of 10.30. But surprising, I made it exactly on time including parking time! Talking about parking, for all the places to park, we ended up parking opposite each other. Talk about fate!

First impression of The Gardens was just ok to me. In terms of build, I prefer Pavilion KL. I’m hoping that once the garden that is supposed to be at the top floor of the building is ready, it would offer something different and unique. As it is, the layout is much much more impressive than its sister Mid Valley of course.

Saturday 10^th Nov 2007

Haircut + For One More Day – Mitch Albom

I finished reading For One More Day by Mitch Albom while waiting to get my hair cut this morning. I have been procrastinating finishing this book for over a week. I have no idea why I did that since it's such a thin book and an easy read. Anyhow, I don’t know why but the book didn’t have the “umph” impact on me. The same goes for his other book, Tuesdays with Morrie.

It is no doubt a good story on how you would be able to look at things differently, make better choices, not take things for granted and appreciating the things and the people around you, if you were given the chance to see things from a different light and realized the consequences of our action. It is all about treasuring what you have now. I get the message.

I liked 3 things about the book:

1. How Chick Benetto’s mother wrote notes to him and left them at the right places for him to find, which I find very sweet

2. The anecdotes based on a list of “Times My Mother Stood Up for Me” and “Times I Did Not Stand Up for My Mother” and of course the list was longer for the latter

3. A letter Chick’s mother wrote to him on his wedding day to Catherine –

“…Here is what you are going to find out about marriage: you have to work at it together. And you have to love three things. You have to love:

1) Each other

2) Your children (When you have some! Hint! Hint!)

3) Your marriage

What I mean by the last one is, there may be times that you fight, and sometimes you and Catherine won’t even like each other. But those are the times you have to love your marriage. It’s like a third party. Look at your wedding photos. Look at any memories you’ve made. And if you believe in those memories, they will pull you back together.”

That’s a new way at looking at a marriage!

Chicago The Musical, 8pm

I went with my sweetheart for this one. Coming back from Melbourne, he bought me a gorgeous g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s necklace and a 4GB iPod Nano! Yippie! How nice. Love you Hun!

Now back to the show.

It was my first time to the Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. And boy! Was it HUGE! All the musicals I’ve ever been were at Istana Budaya.

Upon entering the hall, I straight away felt that it was too detached to be used as a stage for theater. Maybe it was due to the fact that I was sitting in the upper tier. But had it been Istana Budaya, even the upper tiers do not feel this detached. I was way up there that every time the person in front of me moved his head, I need to readjust myself since he’d be blocking a different part of my view of the stage. Next time there is a show there, I am sitting nearer to the stage now that I know how big the place is.

The show was a little over 2 hours long. All in all, the show was just ok to me. No “wow!” factor. There were no set change and minimal costume changes. The voices were strong, clear and sometimes a bit too hoarse for my liking. But thinking back, I suppose since the show is “a story about murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery – all those things we all hold near and dear to our hearts” (ha ha…), the hoarse voices were needed to bring the right feel.

...Hmm... too far up to make up the set and casts...

Upon reaching home after Chicago, I took it upon myself to try out my brand new iPod. Since I have no idea how an iPod works, it took me 3 hours to realize that it’s not just simply drag and drop. You need iTunes to do that. DUH! 3 hours for me to figure that out!! Not feeling too smart…

Just to console myself, at the end of it all, I did get it working and working well.

Sunday 11^th Nov 2007

A chill out day with my sweetheart. Played pool and just lazily walking around and window shopping. It was a nice perfect Sunday evening for me. It was cloudy and drizzling lightly at times. Some would prefer a sunny evening. Not me! I prefer the cool days.

I surprised myself that I can still hit the ball. Hahaha... Have not held a cue for maybe more than 5 years! Though, my aim is still horrible!

Fun... Definitely playing pool again real soon...

more quotes...

Never regret anything because at some point, you wanted it.
_______________

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.
_______________

If you do not get out of the box you have been raised in, you would not understand how much bigger the world is.
_______________

Those who love at first sight are traitors at every glance!
_______________

If you believe in love at first sight, then you'll never stop looking.
_______________

Life is not measured with breaths we take. It is measured with moments that are breath-taking.
_______________

Trying to forget someone you loved is like trying to remember somone you never knew.
_______________

They laugh at me because I am different.
I Laught at them because they are all the same.
_______________

At the end of the day, faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't expect it. It's like, one day, you realize that the fairy tale maybe slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it's not so important, happy ever after, just that it's happy right now.
See, once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you, and once in a while, people may even take your breath away - Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy
_______________

The best thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return - Moulin Rouge
_______________

Sometimes, the hardest thing and the right thing are the same - The Fray
_______________

Boundaries don't keep people out. They fence you in - Grey's Anatomy
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3rd viewing of P Ramlee The Musical

4th Nov 2007 1pm

:-)
Yesterday was my third screening of P Ramlee The Musical - 3rd Nov Matinee. This time I went with my office mates, Dr Chua and Dr Khairul. My rave review about the musical might have had something to do with their decision to watch it even though only RM180 and RM200 tickets were available. We went for the RM200 tickets in the end coz that meant better seats. I should apply to be Sean's publicist at Baby Grand. I think I'll be great!
They were utterly impressed by the vocals of Sean Ghazi whom I was also raving about endlessly at work. Ha ha... Dr Chua purchased Sean's CD Semalam and later in the evening SMS-ed me that the CD is excellent! Siti could not make it for this extra show and was replaced by Nadia Aqilah Bajuri. Thank goodness I had a program book for I would not be able to tell who's who.

I brought my binoculars this time since I want to be able to see the facial expressions of the actor/actresses this time round. That's the whole point of theater. Thank God I brought one since sitting in Grand Circle 2 is waaaay too far. I could hardly make out their faces. But the sound and music were much clearer and defined from here. Can't have everything, huh? Next time, no more sitting there. Downstairs is better without a doubt. Speaking of binoculars, I cannot recall where I've dropped or placed it. Sighh...
Anyway, with reference to the two shows I saw, unfortunately, this show felt like it was kinda rushed and the ensemble feel a bit un-ensemble. I didn't know it at the time but I thought that this matinee show was going to be the last show but it was only after meeting Chedd (a.k.a. Sukardi) after the show that I was told the last show was that night! No wonder it did not feel like the casts were giving their all! Explains a lot...
Act 1
Little Azizah was played by Rachel Wesley and I must say that Lynn played little Azizah better. The two earlier shows I went featured Lynn.
Sean's rendition of Azizah was amazing and as an opening song, it really shows Sean's brilliant voice and ability to slur the letter "r" in the word "syurga".
Nadia played Azizah and because of that, there were physical contact between Ramlee and Azizah in this show. I think that helped with conveying the true feelings and affection between Azizah and Ramlee.
Then of course, the train, THE TRAIN! Spectacular! The visual of the train travelling in a tunnel is quite impressive. Kudos to the set producers. The ensemble here is really nice.
The comic relief of P Ramlee's marriage to Junaidah (Atilia) still cracks me up especially the look on Sean's face! Also the wailing of Junainah...! Hilarious... Atilia's singing takes my heart away. The power and sincerity in her voice is incredible.
Then comes Sean's solo of Hujan Di Tengahari. Zero props, just him under the spotlight. Audiences then begin to take notice of how spectacular Sean's voice is and his ability to give such a heart-wrenching interpretation of the song especially at the end with one octave higher.
"...Ku sangka panas hingga ke petang, Rupanya hujan di tengahari."
Gives me goosebumps thinking about it now. It was so emotionally charged.
Act 2
Truth be told, Melissa as Norizan can't sing but the break-up scene between her and Sean always steals the show and you can feel the audience totally absorbed by the moment.
The breakdown of Ramlee after the fight scene with Sean's singing of "Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti" is something amazing. So sorrowful was the singing, you really felt for P Ramlee who was devastated by another failed marriage and was again so alone.
Next came to me the highlight of the show - scenes between Saloma (Liza Hanim) and P Ramlee. The casting is just spot on! The chemistry between Liza and Sean is perfect. They are able to play off each other amazingly. "Senandung Kasih" brought about more laughs.
But the biggest laugh was the shooting of "Gelora". Everyone was in stitches with the flirting between the two. The mix of reality flirting and film shooting was genius. By that scene, everyone was in love with the musical.
The ensemble performance on the closing down of Malay Film Production was quite long and draggy in my opinion.
The closing scene between P Ramlee and Saloma with Sean singing wearily "Air Mata di Kuala Lumpur" was again heart-wrenching. You do get a bit teary-eyed at that moment. Then, you will smile a little smile when the scene ends with them calling each other "Remy" and "Sally" affectionately.

Such a beautiful production. I'm sad that it's over for this season. I bought the storybook of this production and there are some good photos of the cast and ensemble.
I can't wait for the release of the music CD! I find I'm humming the songs constantly...

By the way, "Hujan Di Tengahari" is featured in Sean's album Semalam but at a more upbeat tempo.



Earlier entries at http://hazlindakim.multiply.com