a day in the life of tiara

Launch of Enfiniti Academy of Musical Theatre and Entertainment Arts on Saturday 9th April, 2011

2011-04-10T15:33:00.004+08:00

Yesterday marked a really special day in my life. Like the birth of a new baby. Something I've been waiting for for 5 years, to happen. The launch of Enfiniti Academy Of Musical Theatre and Entertainment Arts.

Our events team put together such a classy affair at our new Enfiniti Black Box Theatre (thank you Team Enfiniti <3<3<3 Love you guys to bits!), and we had a really good attendance by friends from the media for a Saturday evening, considering f1, Sarawak elections and even Akademi Fantasia is all going on at the same time! Really appreciate you guys making the time :-)

It was quite an emotional moment for me somehow, I found myself choking at the beginning of my speech, I guess it was quite overwhelming after the long, long wait. And having to keep so many secrets for so many years, even from my closest media friends! Staying under the radar just to avoid having to say "I can't talk about this just yet". It felt wonderful though. And the people that mattered were there. Friends and family and those that helped make this happen.

I like saving postscripts of my speeches for the record, and for posterity, also for those of you who couldn't be there, this was my speech at the launch:

Like they say, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. But teach him how to fish, and you feed him for life.” This is what we hope to do, at Enfiniti Academy of Musical Theatre and Entertainment Arts (or ENACT).

This is for me, a dream come true. For the last 5 years, I’ve been dreaming of setting up an academy, to train and inspire the finest artists, performers and entertainers of tomorrow,

This is for me, a dream come true. For the last 5 years, I’ve been dreaming of setting up an academy, to train and inspire the finest artists, performers and entertainers of tomorrow, for the industry I love, the world of dreams, hopes, imagination beyond infinity.

This is the legacy I hope I can leave behind someday... but for now, I want to LIVE that legacy everyday, for the industry I love, this world of dreams, hopes and imagination beyond infinity.

It feels just like yesterday that I talked about this with Steve and Pat during the rehearsals of the FIRST season of Puteri Gunung Ledang the musical. I came home and shared it with my husband Effendi who said: “You should ABSOLUTELY do it!” And every day since then, he has been pushing us to think about what it should stand for, the logistics, and he’s been pushing us to move it, and make it happen. And here we are, today…

I’ve always been very passionate and vocal about my belief that the indicators of richness or development of a country, cannot be measured merely by how many tall buildings there are. It’s also about the richness of its culture, its liveability, the creative expression, the life and soul of the country.

It’s not going to happen overnight I know, but I DO know that today, with the launching of Enfiniti Academy of Musical Theatre and Entertainment Arts (or ENACT), we are one step closer towards achieving that goal.

I’m hoping that we will attract the most committed people who will come to work in ENACT, with ENACT, people who will share this vision and mission.

We’re very lucky to have found the absolutely talented actor-director Joanna Bessey, who is Course Director of the Academy. And all of this last week, so many others have come forward, talking to our Group VP of Operations, Izan Satrina, offering to impart their knowledge and skills to the next generation of artists.

This is going to be a wonderful opportunity, for all those people who have always wanted to grow this industry.

These people could be local home grown talent, like Joanna, Pat Ibrahim and Suhaili Michelin, or may come from industries that are richer and more experienced than ours by hundreds of years.

Wouldn’t that be wonderful – the world coming together, in the name of art, here at Enfiniti Academy!!! And why not? In our world, the world of performing arts, we speak in a common language, that transcends political and social boundaries!

We aim high, we aim for the stars. That’s the spirit and character of Enfiniti Vision Media. And I think there’s no reason to be humble about this.

Our shared vision, with the academy, is to actively create greater national awareness & appreciation of the Arts, and to focus on the growth of the Malaysian Arts Industry so it becomes a more vibrant & viable sector of the economy.

As a company, we want to engage the Malaysian & regional Arts Communities, to cohesively promote Malaysia as an Asian Arts Hub.

Enfiniti aims to create a whole sustainable eco-system of the arts.

We stage musicals that are most recognized for quality and production value in this country, and we will now continuously produce the artists and performers who make the shows come alive.

Very soon, through our events arm, Kit Kat Klub Events, headed by the talented Azimy Wan Ahmad, we will have non-stop events along the soon-to-be-launched Encorp Strand Red Carpet Boulevard, which will require talents galore, every week of the year.

Our absolutely creative Chedd Yusoff will also be heading one of Enfiniti’s most important projects, not just for our company, but for the country, a Malaysian Cultural Village. If you can just imagine this, the concept of the village is that EVERYONE who “lives” in this village is an actor, a performer.

So. We NEED a continuous “supply” of talent, internally for our own projects, as well as to feed the growth of the Malaysian arts industry!

I am today, boldly stating, that Enfiniti Academy of Musical Theatre and Entertainment Arts or ENACT is a boutique academy that aims to be an incubator of icons, trained in Malaysia, ready for the WORLD.

We are ABSOLUTELY committed to producing the highest standards of training in all aspects of musical theatre and entertainment arts. This means, we aim to produce not just performers, but producers, directors, writers, stage managers, set designers of the future. The eco-system of the arts industry.

The unique difference between ENACT and any other performing arts academy, is that the environment here will be more of a professional company in rehearsal, rather than that of an educational institution. Students will be exposed to the way a professional company operates, rather than just a school.

SO here we are today, it took 5 years to make this happen, but it will certainly be worth the wait. There are a few people that need to be mentioned today, who were integral to the process of putting the whole ENACT project together. This has been Liz Tajuddin’s baby for many years, she did the research and put the concept and financial papers together, and most importantly, she found us Raymond Miranda, who was then identified as the Head of Enfiniti Academy, and given the task of creating modules and the mechanics of running a school, but we have since widened his scope of responsibilities to make him Group Vice President of Content and Strategy at Enfiniti Vision Media. But on a personal note, the one person whom I really want to thank, for always pushing me to go for the stars and make the impossible happen, is my husband Effendi.

It’s very generous of Ramin Karimloo, Simon Bailey and my dear friend Stephen Rahman-Hughes to agree to officiate ENACT today. They do this purely out of goodwill, out of their personal passion for musical theatre, and wanting to contribute to the growth of the Malaysian arts industry.

They will forever be recognized as the 3 biggest stars of the West End, who officiated the Enfiniti Academy of Musical Theatre and Entertainment Arts, who gave the ENACT the prestige and stature.

My hope is that ENACT will be a legacy we can all leave behind for the continuance of the growth of the Industry.

Thank you once again for joining me on this very special occasion, the launch of Enfiniti Academy of Musical Theatre and Entertainment Arts.

NST article : Tiara aims for the moon

2011-01-29T18:57:00.001+08:00

Showbiz: Tiara aims for the moon

2011/01/28
AREF OMAR
aref@nstp.com.my

Tiara Jacquelina says she has a few ideas waiting for the right moment

She captured our hearts in Puteri Gunung Ledang seven years ago. Today, Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina still has her keen eye above the creative horizon, writes AREF OMAR

“AIM for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.”

This inspirational quote by W. Clement Stone was used during Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina’s talk, entitled PGL: Folklore Storytelling And Its Adaptation Into Modern Culture, at the recent Kre8tif Digital Content Conference in Putrajaya recently.

An apt description of the award-winning actress, producer and arts activist. She had refurbished a beloved folk tale and successfully etched it into the country’s popular culture.

Released as a feature film in 2004, Puteri Gunung Ledang became the first Malaysian film to be considered for an Academy Award. A year later, it was adapted into a stunning musical, which ran for four successful seasons, one of which was staged in Singapore.

During her talk, organised by Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), the mother-of-two explained that the country has a treasure trove of unique stories with universal appeal and a distinctive Asian flavour.

She said local folklore, legends, history, news and even grandmother’s stories can be explored as potent subject matters for creative productions.

As managing director of Enfiniti Vision Media, she has produced TV content, films, musicals and various events, including the biographical P. Ramlee: The Musical, which won six awards at the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards in 2007.

Here, Tiara tells Life&Times more about her craft and plans.

PGL has gone from film to many other things. Any further plans?
The sky seems to be the limit these days as technology and new media platforms continue to evolve. My team and I are constantly looking to make the PGL brand fresh and relevant. I have some new ideas after meeting many interesting people at the Kre8tif conference, so we’ll see how it goes from there.

Describe the whole journey of getting PGL off the ground and the success it has become.
It has been a humbling and eye-opening experience. It has allowed us to believe in the possibility of fulfilling a big dream on many levels, including a national one. It’s wonderful to see how PGL has changed the way the game is played for our local industry. As an industry, we’re now more confident about competing with the world’s best, moving away from a mindset of mediocrity to slowly getting recognised for producing world-class creative products.

After the success of PGL, do you find it much easier to get funding for similar projects?
It was impossible in the beginning, but now corporations have come to believe in the Enfiniti brand. I hope this year will see more and more corporations supporting creative projects through CSR (corporate social responsibility) so the arts and entertainment community will continue to survive in this country.

Will, passion and determination aside, it takes a lot of money to put on a show or film of international quality, one that will continue to keep our local audiences entertained and in the process, inculcate a cultured and well-rounded society.

What role can the government play in supporting the arts?
The government can play a huge role, like pass a ruling for tax exemptions for companies that support local arts and entertainment. I’m sure we will see more corporations come forward to help if that happens. That’s how the Korean creative and entertainment industry has become so big and can afford to take on the world.

What are your thoughts on local animation productions? Any plans to get into that?
During the Kre8tif conference, I got a sense of a wonderful new energy from young local talent who attended my talk. It’s reassuring for producers like me to see how a government agency like MDeC is working with the industry to support and grow local talent.

I also got a sense that we’re not short on craftsmen and actual animators, but the animation industry needs more producers and content developers to move projects.

I hope to embark on our first animated feature film soon — if I can get the support of the government and the funding. I have a few good stories up my sleeves that are ready to go when the time is right.

As an individual who dares to dream with many mountains to climb, what are some of your upcoming projects that you’d like to share?
This year marks a new decade and the beginning of many exciting new ventures for my team. We aim to be more actively involved in the industry’s value chain, from training and development of new talent, to providing platforms for talent to grow. Ultimately, we hope to move our content into the regional sphere in the coming years. That’s as much as I can share right now, but wish us luck!

"Champion Of The Arts" - an article by Dennis Chua of the New Straits Times

2011-01-16T20:20:00.004+08:00

Gosh... I've come quite a way, it seems. I THINK that black and white photo of me was taken at my very first ever press conference, for the Indonesian-Malaysian film Irisan-Irisan Hati. I was such a kid then.

But I have a story about Irisan. My company was chosen to do the casting for the Malaysian actors in the film, and I remember we combed through every film and TV actor, then every singer, then we looked at models and TV commercial talent, before arriving at the final selection of the Malaysian actors you see in the film. But Bustal Nawawi, the film's executive producer, still hadn't found the right girl for Ipah, the Malay Kampung Girl from Johor who finds Hadi (Deddy Mizwar) washed up on the shore and saves him and later they get married and she discovers he had a wife in Indonesia (Christine Hakim). Anyway. He finally said, "You audition." And I said NO. I said I didn't want to be an actor. I'd done like one Malaysian film once and I was NOT impressed and I said to myself that acting was SO not for me. Firstly, filming was stretched over 2 long years, it was ridiculous. I didn't like the way actors weren't allowed to have any opinion, and were just TOLD to do this, move like that, say it like THIS, feel like THAT. Stuff this, I said. I wanna do what I want to do. But I wouldn't mind being the gal who calls the shots. Who moves and shakes the business, who shapes the projects, who makes things happen. I wouldn't mind being the producer.

Anyway. Pak Bustal knew that I was on my "I wanna-be-an-entrepreneur" trip then, and he said to me, "OK I'll make you a deal. You audition, and if you're right for the role, I promise you I will personally teach you the business of film-making. I'll teach you to become a PRODUCER." B-I-N-G-O. That's really the story of how I started out. Sign up for 4 Indonesian films, I'll teach you the business. Done deal.

And man, look where all that has led me today. "Champion of The Arts", eh? That's a SUPER way to kick off 2011. Thanks very much Dennis. I'm all fired up, and I ain't gonna be hangin' up my cape for a long, long time. The year has only just begun.

Sunday, January 16, 2011, 08.17 PM

THEN AND NOW: Champion of the arts

2011/01/15

By Dennis Chua

Tiara then...and now

DATIN SERI TIARA JACQUELINA

THE name Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina is synonymous with the acclaimed musicals Puteri Gunung Ledang and P. Ramlee, both staged at Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur, over the last decade.

From a model, dancer and actress, she has worked hard to become a champion of the arts.

During her schooldays, she was active in theatre and had appeared in many print and television advertisements, most notably Hazeline Snow. This ad, which used American pop star Cyndi Lauper’s award-winning song Time After Time as background music, had Tiara running on the beach with a white horse.

Tiara later hosted talk shows on RTM such as Selamat Pagi Malaysia.

In 1995, she appeared in popular director Datuk Paduka Shuhaimi Baba’s acclaimed film Ringgit Kasorrga with Hans Isaac. The role earned her Best Actress at the 12th Malaysian Film Festival.

She also starred in the Hollywood film Beyond Rangoon with Oscar-winning actress Frances McDormand.

She produced Puteri Gunung Ledang The Movie in 2004 and starred as the title character, alongside M. Nasir (as Malay warrior Hang Tuah) and Adlin Aman Ramlie (as Sultan Mahmud Shah 1 of Malacca).

She produced Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical a year later, with British-Malaysian actor Stephen Rahman-Hughes taking over Nasir’s role.

P. Ramlee The Musical won six awards at the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards 2007. It also marked pop queen Datuk Siti Nurhaliza’s musical theatre debut.

In 2009, Tiara became the first female principal of Astro’s popular reality talent show Akademi Fantasia’s seventh season.

Last year, she became Malaysia’s adviser for the performing arts section of the new Guide To Malaysia. The book, in its eighth edition, is published by Leisure Guide Publishing.

Tiara, a mother of two, is managing director of Enfiniti Productions, which produces musicals, films and television programmes. Her dream is to set up an academy for the performing arts that caters to all Malaysians with talent.

Star interview - Dare to Dream

2011-01-03T17:24:00.003+08:00

Happy new year everyone, and welcome to a wonderful new decade. Here's wishing you all unlimited dreams, unlimited passion for everything you do, and good friends around you, above all.

The Star published an interview with me about the year that was for me - lessons learnt, and dreams for the next 10 years. Thought I'd share them with all of you.This is the link for the full story, http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=%2F2011%2F1%2F1%2Flifefocus%2F7613072&sec=lifefocus but here's the little bit about me:

Tiara Jacquelina, managing director of Enfiniti Vision Media

In the last 10 years or so, I spent my time doing the things I loved most — travelling the world, bringing up my two wonderful kids and working on meaningful projects.

Travelling has opened my mind and my eyes to a new perspective on life and living meaningfully, novel ideas and different ways of doing things. I always return inspired and re-energised. It makes me want to do better in my personal life and pushes the boundaries in the work I do.

Bringing up a “tween” or a teen in this day and age comes with a whole new set of challenges, but my two kids are as perfect and complete as they come; I can’t ask for more. They are intelligent, creative, artistically inclined, spirited, opinionated, but at the same time respectful, kind and loving. And I have the full support of a wonderful husband to thank, for helping me in this area.

Career-wise, the last 10 years have seen my best work ever as an actor and producer, and I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the most talented and passionate individuals in the country and even in the region.

The greatest lesson I’ve learned about life is to live it fully every day, making each moment really special, and spending it with the ones who really matter. Very often, we get so caught up chasing dreams that we forget to smell the roses.

Goals and ambition are important to have, but I really cherish precious moments like watching my children grow up, having the freedom to be impromptu enough to read a brochure, pack a bag and travel with my husband, spending quality time with my mother, making time for good conversation with good friends over a cup of coffee, and setting enough time aside for myself, too. Sometimes, you just need to BE.

photo by Chris A

The Wind - by Dani

2010-12-05T17:37:00.003+08:00

My son Dani never ceases to blow me away with his random writings. He's no avid reader by any calculation, so I don't know where the words come from. This is a piece of his homework I found on my laptop:

The Wind

The wind was a haunting ghost,

It comes and goes and comes again,

It races past you and you get a spine tingling shiver down your back.

It flaps its wings and sends a giant gush of air against you,

Suddenly there is an epic battle

between you and the violent wind,

A god gives out a powerful blow.

Gods start to fight,

Dead autumn leaves scatter,

And they collapse gently on the hard, dusty pavement.

It was a blowing fan,

Increasing speed at a deadly rate,

It gets faster, and faster, and faster…

Do you have to die before you are recognised?

2010-12-05T11:40:00.005+08:00

The late Yasmin Ahmad made history for Malaysia as she was posthumously awarded Best Director at last night's Asia Pacific film festival in Taipei for the film Muallaf. Way to go, sistah, you showed 'em.

Sheila Majid said in a recent "10 Questions" interview with The Star, do we have to wait til we die, in order for our country to recognise us?

When you come to think of it.. Bila kita dah tak ada,sibuklah nak bagi title itu ini,tribute lah,documentary lah,award lah. Happened during P. Ramlee's time and sadly is still happening today.

http://www.gua.com.my/hiburan/berita-hangat/FFAP54_Iktiraf_Yasmin_Ahmad_Sebagai_Pengarah_Terbaik.html

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=547823

Let out the artist in you!

2010-11-17T22:58:00.007+08:00

Painting and photography are 2 hobbies my 2 kids and I enjoy, as our non-sporting, time-out activity together. I find it really therapeutic and painting and photography have taught me to really stop and smell the roses, not rush through and miss out on all the most beautiful things that are all around us.

The beauty is, EVERYONE is an artist. Every child has been taught to draw and express from when they were at playschool, but as adults we doubt or don't trust ourselves to draw and paint as we did in our childhood.

I read a book by @DannyGregory several years ago called The Creative License which just got me back into sketching and painting. You will get hooked if you just allow yourself to get started, and you might end up like me, I pack my sketchbooks and watercolors and brushes 1st thing whenever I pack to travel.

Art doesn't discriminate and there is no right or wrong with art, you make your own rules, that's the best thing about it. I hope some of you will make that first move soon, and we can share our art here on this page! :-)

Pushing our Malaysian Brand (from Star e-browse)

2010-10-18T10:54:00.002+08:00

One of my wonderful fans sent me this through FB, a much more exciting look at the actual article itself. I thought I'd post this here for the record, and for posterity. Thank you Zazu Azan ;-)

Pushing Our Malaysian Brand: Big Hits - Made In Malaysia, for the World!

2010-10-17T13:02:00.002+08:00

Sunday October 17, 2010

Pushing our Malaysian brand

By TIARA JACQUELINA
sunday@thestar.com.my

Under Budget 2011, the creative industry has been allocated the same amount as last year. The way forward is a new creative industry that will be able to produce ‘BIG HITS – Made in Malaysia, for the World’.

I’M glad that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has acknowledged in his Budget speech that “the creative industry has great potential for further development to generate national income” and that “the Government will develop a creative industry policy in an integrated manner”.

This time, RM200mil has been allocated for this industry, the same amount as last year.

It’s natural that everybody wants more for his sector and I wish the creative industry had been given more too. Nevertheless, we should accept this gracefully with thanks and work on a plan on how best to use this fund and move forward.

I suggest we follow our PM’s lead. It cannot be business as usual any more for us. In his Budget speech, he said, “Success demands drastic changes, not incremental. It requires a quantum leap.”

Just as the PM introduced the NEM (New Economic Model) as a new approach to drive national transformation, I propose that the way forward for the creative industry is a New Creative Industry Model (NCIM) or, as I referred to it during a recent Budget discussion on TV3’s Soal Jawab, Model Industri Kreatif Baru (MIKB).

The NCIM must be radical and dramatic to deliver high impact results. It must look at new ways on how we can use the same amount this year more strategically, with greater focus, to take the industry to a new level.

We need BIG HITS!

In today’s competitive global scenario, the country that wins is the one that’s able to grab world recognition and world headlines.

We need to grab the attention of the world, like India did with Lagaan and Slumdog Millionaire; or China with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. We need TV serials that can hit the world like the Korean wave. We need our own international superstar ambassadors like Rain, Aishwarya Rai and Jackie Chan.

All of these brands heighten consciousness and awareness of the products of those nations.

Here’s my own personal experience trying to promote the stage musical version of Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL).

In June this year, we were invited to showcase the “international” version of our show to agents and promoters at an international arts conference called Live! Singapore. This was a wonderful opportunity to promote a Malaysian cultural product to the world.

We tried, but we could not get any support from the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry.

We were told there was no special grant or funding support scheme for promotion of Malaysian products to the world. We couldn’t get any support from the private sector either. We ended up funding this venture ourselves.

Putting together a musical production incurs hefty costs, whether it is for a 15-minute or a two-hour show.

A production company has to bear the cost of writers, directors, choreographers, musicians, actors, wardrobe staff, projection design, crew, technical costs, travel, accommodation and food.

That’s a big deal for a small company like ours, especially when there is no tangible promise of any immediate returns.

Anyway, PGL shone as the most outstanding product presented throughout the event. Many commented that the story line was fresh and unique, yet the themes easily resonate with a world audience.

But here was the cruncher: It would still be a hard sell. Why? The average American or Englishman who has a choice of what show he or she would buy a ticket for doesn’t know enough about Malaysia.

Malaysia who?

We had a similar experience when the movie version of PGL was shortlisted as Malaysia’s first Academy Award nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

We were invited to the Palm Springs film festival, and our film was also screened in Los Angeles with the hope that we would catch the attention, and subsequently the vote, of a few members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

This was when PGL director Saw Teong Hin and I first realised that the world at large really knew so little about our existence, geographically, far less of our culture, to even make any sort of connection.

The Malay proverb “Tak kenal maka tak cinta (You do not know, so you do not love)” rings so true in this case.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon cost US$17mil to make and its returns in the United States alone in 2004 reached US$150mil, making it the most profitable foreign film ever in the US.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Taiwan and three other Academy Awards. It was also nominated for six other Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The success of Crouching Tiger is the result of a carefully marketed campaign that started with a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.

It’s been said that the movie was part of a cleverly crafted tactic to sell China to an international audience – China’s answer to globalisation using mass culture as a vehicle.

And why ever not? Since then, Chinese brands like Jackie Chan, Zhang Ziyi, Ang Lee and even our own Michelle Yeoh, and even Haier, Lenovo and HuaWei are now well within the world’s consciousness, and “Made In China” no longer resonates as cheap or poor quality.

The lesson here, therefore, is to make our own big hits and get noticed by the world.

We need to focus on how a Malaysian wave can take Broadway, the West End, and Hollywood by storm. Malaysia needs to be seen, heard, smelt, felt and tasted everywhere!

Matching the best

Let’s look at musical theatre for a moment. I have watched almost every musical in London, Australia and New York and I know in my heart that whatever they can do, we can do as well, if not better.

We have produced quality films that have been sold internationally, made on budgets of between US$2.5mil and US$5mil, which is still considered extremely modest by international standards.

KRU Berhad’s upcoming epic Merong Mahawangsa, as well as U-Wei’s period film Hanyut, certainly hold a lot of promise.

We have a wealth of stories that are fresh and unique; our culture, values, music, costumes as well as our people’s pan-Asian look are our most precious unique selling points.

Imagine all these combined with the best resources in the world in terms of writing, story editing, directing, marketing and publicity; the best experts in production, set building, technical, lighting and sound design; and the latest and best audio-visual technology and expertise – Malaysia can take on the world any time!

But to do that, we need to be bold enough to make the investment. The handful of serious content providers like KRU, Tall Order Productions, U-Wei Shaari and Enfiniti cannot do this on our own.

Even in the case of the golden boys of Malaysian films today, Ahmad Idham and Mamat Khalid, imagine how much better the quality of their unique brand of films could be with additional backing.

Speaking about his latest movie Hanyut, in an article in The Star, U-Wei said he has spent RM11mil so far but “needs RM7mil more” to finish the film. “If you want to make a film of international standards, then you need a big budget to do it.”

The creative industry needs support in the form of grants and financing in order to play on a more even field.

We will need substantial investment to tap into the latest technology, work with the best experts, create original works, hire the best marketers and publicists, and engage the best talents in the world.

To achieve this, we need a joint effort and commitment by the government, private sector and the industry. Only by doing it this way can we mobilise the substantial amount and resources required.

Every bit of support will make a difference – from government policies and government to government initiatives, to high profile international networking that can open doors and make things happen.

Corporations and individuals could be given tax incentives to help fund creative initiatives.

Of course, the other possible pay-off for these corporations would be the opportunity of international branding and positioning of their products and services.

Producers, who up till now bear the biggest risks, could be encouraged by a rebate scheme or stimulus package, something that has been successfully introduced in other countries.

Creative Industries Development Agency

If we adopt the premise of the NCIM, a Creative Industries Development Agency (CIDA) should be set up to appoint a panel of experts, local and foreign, to prepare a blueprint and strategies on how this industry can make its quantum leap within the next three to five years.

One of the most important outputs of this blueprint is also the mechanism to ensure proper management and effective use of the funds, so that funds are disbursed in the most transparent and accountable manner.

This blueprint is crucial if we are to attract the private sector conglomerates, as these commercial organisations will only lend support if they see a clear plan and strategy to succeed.

CIDA doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. We should be big and open-minded enough to study other successful models such as Korea’s and Singapore’s transformation plans, and adopt what is applicable to us.

Korea, one of the world’s top 10 cultural exporters today, through the KOCCA (Korea Culture and Contents Agency), had a business plan in 2003 titled, “Remaking Korea as the Creative Star of the World Stage”.

The phenomenal Korean wave was a product of major conglomerates, venture capital and the Korean government all coming together to play an important part in how their cultural products are financed, produced, distributed, promoted and screened to local and foreign viewers.

Singapore has a 15-year Renaissance City Plan initiated in 2000 led by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.

The Renaissance City Plan is being carried out in three phases:

> Phase 1 in 2000: Development of cultural software, capabilities and audiences.

> Phase 2 in 2005: Further developing new arts and culture capabilities, build more arts/culture-business partnerships, and to internationalise Singapore Arts.

> Phase 3 – by 2015: Singapore plans to be a vibrant magnet for international talent and be the best home to an all-inclusive and cohesive population that’s proud of its national identity.

Our neighbouring country down south has been transformed from a “barren wasteland” into an exciting and culturally vibrant, lively destination, and is internationally ranked as one of the most liveable cities. Singapore’s arts and culture are today a source of national pride.

Different times call for a different way of playing the game. Worldwide, the industrial economy is giving way to the creative economy, and corporations are having to re-think their attributes.

Digital media and convergence are the new catchwords; ideas and intellectual property are fast becoming the precious new commodities of our times; and even the giants of the world such as Sony are shifting gear from their traditional core business to entertainment and mobile games.

A re-energised creative industry can be a new source of high income for our country. Let’s be radical and dramatic. Let’s produce these “BIG HITS – Made in Malaysia, for the World”, and let’s start now while we still believe we can.

> Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina is an award-winning producer, actress and passionate arts activist.

One of Her World's 50 Most Inspiring Women!

2010-10-10T16:44:00.003+08:00

I can't explain this, but every birthday presents a turn of luck and fortune for me, sometimes for the better and some years not as good as the ones before. I didn't really give much thought to the year that was for me, as this year has been dedicated to developing various projects, anyway, so I've been lying low, barely within milimetres of the radar. Something happened though, this recent "28th" birthday (LOL,yeah). I felt something was changing on a universal level, or on a level I definitely had no control over. The planets must be suddenly aligning in my favor, and everything's happening for me all of a sudden. Well, I'm gonna enjoy this ride for as long and as far as this wave will take me.

Her World has featured me as 1 of 50 most inspiring Malaysian women in their 50th anniversary issue. I'm most humbled to be mentioned alongside some of the most inspiring women I know like Dato' Dr. Mazlan Othman, Madeleine Yong and Dato' Faridah Merican. Happy 50th birthday Her World, may you continue to inspire and energize the women of our time.

MISI RAHSIA TIARA by Abie Abdullah for Metro Ahad

2010-10-10T14:55:00.003+08:00

This journalist was right, I usually stay away from the spotlight and publicity whenever I'm not in "publicity and promotion" mode. Fortunately for me, my friends in the media understand and fully respect the way I like to do things. It hasn't been easy avoiding conversation with my media friends, especially over Hari Raya, but everyone understands my "modus operandi" by now, ha ha. Shout only when I have something substantial to shout about.

Thanks Abie for publishing my thoughts whilst not saying too much either! ;-)

You'll be hearing from me when the time is right...

Misi rahsia Tiara

Oleh ABIE ABDULLAH
abie@hmetro.com.my
2010/10/09

AGAK lama juga Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina ‘berdiam’ dan dia punya alasan tersendiri. Malah ketika ditanya pun, pejuang seni ini mengambil masa untuk memberi jawapan yang bukan saja tepat, malah tidak mahu ada yang terasa. Pun begitu, di kalangan rakan media, dia turut dikenali sebagai perahsia, terutama yang membabitkan perancangan seninya. Takkan akan dicakapkan kalau belum masanya.

Inilah ketegasannya tetapi wanita cantik ini pasti mengotakan janji. Dan itulah juga yang membuat pihak media menghormati ‘misi rahsia’ Tiara dalam setiap perhitungan kariernya.

Beberapa projek sedang dipertimbangkan oleh syarikatnya, Enfiniti Productions dan seringnya dinantikan pengikutnya selepas melihat hasil yang menjadi tanda aras karya seni seperti muzikal Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) dan P Ramlee yang dipentaskan bukan semusim dua. Pastinya ada yang mengharap lagi dan meletakkan harapan yang lebih besar.

Sedikit menggusarkan tetapi Tiara faham dengan citarasanya mempersembahkan sesuatu. SELEBRITI menghubunginya Rabu lalu untuk lebih lanjut.

Agak lama juga menyepi. Ke mana menghilang?

Bukan lama menyepi, tetapi saya mengambil masa lama untuk membuat perancangan. Berbulan-bulan hingga ia menjadi dalam keadaan yang sahih untuk dikongsikan. Insya-Allah hujung tahun ini saya umumkan projek baru. Ada beberapa dalam pelan itu, semuanya berkaitan dengan apa yang saya ingin buat. Mungkin muzikal, mungkin juga filem atau apa saja yang berkaitan dengan industri seni. Sesuatu yang saya mahu buat, sesuatu yang bagus untuk industri. Memang tidak boleh beritahu lagi. Memang ada projek tetapi belum tentu formatnya. Sepanjang Hari Raya, saya terpaksa zipkan mulut walaupun puas teman bertanya.

Mungkinkah muzikal lagi selepas PGL dan P Ramlee?

Saya sasarkan dua tahun selepas setiap pementasan tak akan ada ‘show’, pembangunan saja. Kalau nak buat, memang boleh sebab kita ada macam-macam skrip dan Istana Budaya (IB) pun sediakan slot. Tapi saya bukan begitu, mesti buat betul-betul bukannya tangkap muat. Biasanya bertahun masa diambil untuk sebuah pementasan atau sesebuah projek. Mustahil bagi saya buat sesuatu projek seni dalam masa dua tiga bulan persediaan. Bukan saya. Ramai ingat senang nak buat muzikal. Ia lain dengan pementasan biasa.

Kalau skrip saja perlu ambil masa tiga tahun, tiga tahunlah saya tunggu biar betul-betul puas. Macam PGL, dua tahun lebih selepas puluhan olahan. Selepas PGL dan P Ramlee, saya tak boleh buat sambil lewa. Perancangan struktur muzikal sebenar amat berbeza, bukan cincai sesuka hati.

Apa pandangan Tiara mengenai perkembangan muzikal tempatan sekarang?

Pada 2006, ketika awal-awal PGL bermula, ramai yang skeptikal. Kononnya siapalah nak tengok muzikal Melayu, penaja pun belum tentu berani nak masuk. Lebih lawak ketika itu ada yang tanya, nak pentaskan di mana? Mereka tidak tahu yang kita ada IB. Namun selepas PGL, ramai pula yang semakin berani untuk mementaskan muzikal.

Baguslah, dari satu sudut, lebih ramai audiens didedahkan dengan muzikal. Pelbagai peringkat umur dan bangsa mula kenal IB, apa itu teater yang pada sesetengah mereka teater itu macam tengok wayang di panggung. Untuk industri, ia satu perkembangan yang baik terutama mengajak anak muda mengenali teater dan muzikal.

Cuma dalam masa sama, penggiat yang terbabit seperti produser dan pengarah muzikal harus ada tanggungjawab untuk mengekalkan standard kualiti tertentu agar mereka yang pertama kali datang, akan kembali menonton pementasan lain pula. Jangan bunuh keinginan yang baru berputik itu dengan persembahan yang tidak setimpal dengan usaha mereka untuk ke IB. Malah, bimbang juga kalau penaja yang kecewa untuk menaja pementasan lain yang mungkin lebih baik daripada yang ditajanya itu.

Interview with 16-year old Anesha G. Kumar for NST's Niexter

2010-10-07T15:41:00.004+08:00

Victoria from my office emailed me a request from NST's Niexter desk, for me to give an interview to a 16-year old. I have always liked the idea of kids learning and seeing the world from different perspectives, and I definitely welcomed the idea of engaging with the younger generations to see what exactly they might find interesting about "my world". Here's the article Anesha wrote, and a photo of her and me before I changed into a slightly more traditional gear to attend NSTP's Open House right after that. (Thanks a million Anesha, I really enjoyed our chat last week!)

Tiara for a Princess

2010/10/06
Anesha G. Kumar, 16, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

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WHEN I stepped into the room, I prepared myself for a more than an interesting interview with Tiara Jacquelina, who was Gusti Putri in 4 sold-out seasons of Puteri Gunung Ledang, The Musical including one in Singapore. I must admit I was a teensy bit nervous meeting someone like her, well-known for her fame in both the film and musical. But the moment she stepped into the room, she brought warmth and a sense of ease with her dazzling smile. It was overwhelmingly awesome!

Putting aside her unique and beautiful Burmese-Indonesian-Chinese looks, her down-to-earth personality was what shone the brightest. Now, it’s easy to understand why she stands out in the crowd, with a colourful aura surrounding her.

Tiara’s passion in the arts started during her schooling days. She was always so active as a producer, director, choreographer, dancer, singer, actor in the school annual musical productions, concerts and the cheerleading team that she said it’s a wonder she managed to get decent grades!

“We went to other schools including our rivals, promoting our plays. I spoke to the students before their class,” says Tiara who got her early education at SMK St. Mary.

“You can see how my formative years at school have definitely led me here. Students were always encouraged to explore and develop their creativity and leadership skills out of the classroom. We had a fantastic bunch of very supportive teachers, who believed that creative and artistic development of a child was just as important as scoring 17 A1s.”

Even being the captain of her cheerleading squad in school has helped build her to be who she is today. Tiara says, “Cheerleading is great. It’s all about encouraging that person across the finish line, motivating them all the way.

And in the end, it’s not only that person who is happy but the whole sports house shares the joy. She applies that same concept even today in her life.

She was very sure about one thing right from the onset in her career-to lead every project she undertook. In her mind, she had a clear idea of the outcome of every project and she could only achieve this if she was in the driver’s seat.

As a college student in KDU she started her first venture as an entrepreneur by setting up one of the country’s first talent casting and management agencies, then called Jacquie Eu Productions, with her best friend and college mate Jennifer Ong. They discovered talents like Sofia Jane, Linda Hashim, Sasha Bashir, Nasha Aziz, Maria Faridah, even Meer Habib, as well as many others, during this time.

In 1987, her agency was approached by Bustal Nawawi, Indonesia’s most well-respected film producer, to cast Malaysian actors for the first Malaysia-Indonesia joint venture movie called Irisan-irisan Hati. They auditioned everybody in the business – actors, models, singers, even TV newscasters, but the producer wasn’t happy.

“He finally asked me to audition, and I did so quite reluctantly. He apparently liked what he saw and offered me the role, but I turned him down, saying I had no intention of being an actor, that I was happier to run a business.

He then promised me that if I signed on to do four films under his company, he would teach me the business of film production as well. That did it for me – the chance to learn from the best, first hand as well. I signed on and never looked back as an actor and producer”, says Tiara.

Tiara Jacquelina was also the soulful voice behind the hit song Asmaradana from the soundtrack of Puteri Gunung Ledang. Tiara says she had always wanted to change the music landscape in Malaysia and so they tried out a more ethnic fusion. They also experimented a lot with dance form to add more funk but still keep its traditional vibe to it.

She is also a diligent (producer). She’s always on the go and wants to explore what has never been done before. She saw the opportunity for a magical story in Puteri Gunung Ledang, and even while the movie was being filmed, the version had its own parallel journey. “There wasn’t an industry as such when we first announced we wanted to put a musical version of PGL on stage”.

“To be quite honest, it seemed like the odds were dead against us – we couldn’t find performers who could act, sing AND dance, nobody had the experience to put on a large-scale production, but most worrying of all was that nobody went to the theatre in Malaysia – people didn’t even know WHERE Istana Budaya was, or that we even have one,” she says.

According to Tiara, her favourite aspect of being a part of a musical would definitely be the magic of being able to share it with the audience. “It’s an experience that money can’t buy,” she says. “You always know the applause or standing ovation at the end of it all is genuine because it comes from the heart of the audience.”

As for advice for aspiring musical actors, Tiara says that you always have to be prepared mentally and physically because nothing is going to be easy. She says, “I had to sing day and night as well as learn how to dance for the Puteri Gunung Ledang role”.

Tiara Jacquelina who is also the managing director of Enfiniti Vision Media, says that in her eyes, working with young and dynamic people is always important as you need people around you to be hungry for work. “Having the right spirit and personality is important,“ she says.

From experience, coming into the entertainment business cold, she is currently working on a variety of short courses catering to all ages; children, youths and working adults through Enfiniti Academy.

“We hope to nurture the talents early in children and youths but we also understand that there are many out there holding stable jobs and yet have a stifled love for musical theatre. Our courses will allow them to juggle their passion and responsibilities. In fact, some corporate seminars will teach them how to get the best of both worlds by incorporating musical theatre theories into their everyday lives,” she says.

And of course, I couldn’t leave without finding out her favourite musical of all time. “Oh, Miss Saigon of course, that’s my favourite,” she says with a huge smile sprawled across her face. “When I saw Lea Salonga on stage, I said, ‘If she can do it, I can do it too!’,” she says. She also admires Andrew Lloyd Webber because “he’s a genius” and I couldn’t help but agree.

I must say now that I have been very fortunate to have met someone like Tiara, who has been gracing the stage for years with her vibrant persona. To sum her up in a word would be hard because words cannot define what an amazing and remarkable individual she is. All I can say is that she is definitely a ‘Puteri’ of the musical scene.

Her last words, “Think big, think (like) Obama! Do what you’ve never dreamt of. You have to lead to determine the outcome, be it in life or in a performance”.

Malaysian Women's Weekly article

2010-10-02T15:50:00.006+08:00

CEOs- Here's One 4-Letter Word You Need to Start Using

2010-09-18T12:16:00.005+08:00

Ok, so we know by now that Indian astrologer was wrong about the World Cup. It was an interesting concept though, you must agree.

Hi everyone... I haven’t posted anything for a while, been too distracted by FB and Twitter lately... but I thought this was an interesting read my girlfriend sent me that was definitely worth sharing, since most of us are or will be leading in some way or another.

It talks about leading a team/organisation/project using a 4-letter word called LOVE, and uses the analogy of bringing up children, which I agreed with for the most part.

However, I always feel that even with children, or rather ESPECIALLY with children, you need to use "strong love" rather than "soft love" (learnt this from attending a parenting talk with Steve Biddulph, author of Raising Boys, years ago), so they know you mean business when you do, but they know they're always cared for and loved, and that security always acts as a buffer for the times you may have to reprimand them for not doing the right thing.

In any case, it’s the weekend, and I'm still celebrating Malaysia day. Malaysia needs to cheer up, to loosen up, smile a little and embrace life a bit more. Stop and smell the roses. Not take everything TOO seriously that we forget to live a little in between.

Here's to the leaders and CEOs of tomorrow, lets make Malaysia a better place for all of us.

:-)

CEOs: Here's One 4-Letter Word You Need to Start Using

From : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/debbie-robins/ceos-heres-one-fourletter_b_715917.html

And that four-letter word is LOVE. Love is the value proposition most CEOs still don't get. ROL (Return on Love) will radically and rapidly increase your ROI (Return on Investment). When CEOs the world over take the word love out of their closet and use it as their primary driver for success, businesses will experience unprecedented creativity, unprecedented profitability, as well as unprecedented human happiness.

Here's why.

At our core, all human beings want the same thing: to be loved (def: cared for, nurtured, and protected). We also want to give love. On top of that we want to avoid the absence of love, to protect ourselves from being hurt.

When you stop and take a look, the desire for love is all around us. The world's greatest religious and spiritual leaders have preached about the power of love for centuries, we have written more songs about love than any other subject, and we've developed a thriving therapeutic industry to help people successfully navigate their need for love.

Yet in our quest to conquer the business world, we too often disassociate ourselves from love, one of the most important aspects of who we are. We live by the credo "the business of business is business." Guess that's why 75 percent of all Americans say they're unhappy with their jobs.

Consequently, they take their upset home to (and out on) their spouse, life partners, children, family members, friends, neighbors, pets, vendors, and the cable TV repair person.

The modern day plague that impacts every one of us isn't a physical illness like typhoid or polio. It's an emotional disease -- unhappiness -- being fueled in large part by our mismanaged work environments.

However, the companies that have awakened to human capital as their organization's greatest asset are raking it in, for example, Whole Foods, Google, Seventh Generation, Trader Joe's, Organic Valley, Ben and Jerry's and Timberland. They have discovered how to capitalize on our human need for love by creating caring cultures that reap extraordinary innovation and profitability while simultaneously adding value to our society.

According to published data, by 2007, the "best places to work" companies were creating twice the wealth of the S &P 500 Index! If you don't believe me, read Jeffrey Hollender (co-founder of Seventh Generation) and Bill Breen's new book: The Responsibility Revolution -- How the Next Generation of Businesses Will Win. If you are in business and authentically care about your world, this is a MUST READ. Fear based, top down cultures aren't going to cut it anymore. People want to connect. They want to be a part of a community. They want to feel loved.

Here's what is known about the value of love.

Love:

➢ Gives you self confidence
➢ Motivates you to overcome your challenges
➢ Helps you accomplish your goals
➢ Provides emotional and intellectual strength
➢ Energizes you to uncover, ideate and surface new ideas, approaches, solutions
➢ Enforces integrity - greater truth, transparency and moral choices
➢ Makes you feel more optimistic about living - ignites a sense of possibility
➢ Makes you more tolerant
➢ Makes you want to align with others - perform as a team/unit/family
➢ Makes you more inclined to help someone else
➢ Makes you more open to sharing your experiences
➢ Makes you more patient
➢ Makes you more willing to sacrifice for an important goal
➢ Engenders more loyalty
➢ Creates a positive energy that can be infectious/viral
➢ Injects endurance when a goal has to be accomplished over time
➢ Provides peace of mind - calmness in the face of adversity
➢ Is a great equalizer, connects you to something universal
➢ Provides a sense of meaning and purpose
➢ Engenders more laughter
➢ Generates more fun

Sounds to me like the necessary conditions for companies to succeed in a rapidly changing global economy. Aren't confident, motivated, strong, innovative, honest, positive, tolerant, problem solving, purposeful, happy, determined people who want to play together to win and to do it with integrity what you, as a leader, want?

If your answer is yes, then it's time to take the word LOVE out of your CEO closet, dust it off, and put it to work. Here's what love looks like (behaviors) in the workplace.

Behaviors of Love Leadership:

➢ Listening
➢ Asking questions
➢ Allocating
➢ Feed forward (different than feedback!)
➢ Sharing information
➢ Being transparent
➢ Prizing - finding what's right first, then suggesting what can be improved
➢ Reframing challenges as learning opportunities
➢ Supporting others
➢ Using humor in a positive way
➢ Mentoring
➢ Engaging others opinions
➢ Communicating in a clear and caring way
➢ Taking accountability
➢ Encouraging top down innovation
➢ Investing in growing others
➢ Celebrating wins together
➢ Cheering on personal growth
➢ Setting clear boundaries
➢ Presenting challenges
➢ Encouraging self care

Countless studies show that babies who are insufficiently loved and nurtured are impaired in their social development. Presently, 70 percent of a person's life is spent at work; thinking about work, preparing for work and trying to get over the toxic effects of work. When insufficient caring is present in our work life, our mental, emotional and physical health is impaired too.

CEOs: to whom much is given, much is expected. It's time to end this terrible trend of placing financial capital ahead of human capital. Don't make money less important than people. Simply make your people as important as your profitability. That shift, in and of itself, will radically change our world.

When human beings feel loved, all aspects of their psyche are primed for peak performance. Unshackle the human spirit. End CEO-centric organizations. Broaden the distribution of strategic innovation. Move towards love leadership. Embrace the responsibility you have to positively impact the world.

Debbie Robins
Named one of the top executive coaches in the country by Marshall Goldsmith
Executive, leadership, career coach, Huffington Post blogger, best-selling author
www.debbierobins.com

* images from gerrykirk.net, uollibraryblog.wordpress.com and 123rf.com

Astrology and The World Cup?

2010-07-05T23:05:00.001+08:00

My girlfriend Noren sent me this, I think it's worth pondering:

Some Indian astrologer has come up, once again with some interesting numerology!!

This world cup is already determined by the numbers....

1. Brazil won the World Cup in 1994; before that they also won in 1970. Adding 1970 + 1994= 3964

2. Argentina won its last World Cup in 1986; before that they also won in 1978. Adding 1978 + 1986= 3964

3. Germany won its last World Cup in 1990; before that they also won in 1974. Adding 1974 + 1990= 3964

4. Brazil also won the World Cup in 2002; before that they also won in 1962. Adding 1962+ 2002= 3964

5. Therefore if you want to know what nation is going to win the World Cup in 2010, you only have to subtract 2010 from the magic number that we have determined: 3964.
3964 minus 2010 = 1954... In 1954 the World Cup was won by Germany!!!

Probably not scientific... but pretty interesting..
LETS WAIT & WATCH......

West Side Story at Istana Budaya

2010-05-21T14:00:00.004+08:00

I was invited to watch West Side Story last night at Istana Budaya. Had seats with a fabulous view, thanks to Joe and Zubaidah (thank you!), and it’s always such a pleasure for me to “return” to IB, ESPECIALLY when I’m in the stalls instead of up onstage.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this staging of West Side Story mostly because the traveling productions that have previously come our way really left much to be desired.

I also never watched the movie in full before this and never got the chance to watch West Side on stage anywhere in the world.

I spent Sunday evening watching the movie (with my kids too, as I wanted to prepare them mentally before I decide if it could even be a good idea to bring them to IB). I must say Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer will always be a hard act to follow. Their performances of Tony and Maria were just so engaging, riveting and believable, you really want to see them run away and be together forever.

The production that came our way, the one I watched at IB last night, was probably the best of the “From Broadway” offerings to Malaysian audiences so far.

Putting on a show of ANY kind is a huge challenge in itself, with logistics, talent, preparation and set-up to figure out amongst so many other things. I always take my producer’s hat off to anyone who gets a show ON stage.

If anyone asked what I loved BEST about WSS, I’d say the music was really tight considering most of the musicians were assembled locally.

The choreography deserves 2 thumbs way up too, as well as the dancers. Pat Ibrahim was right, “makan hati” is the right term to describe it. He would DIE to have an ensemble of dancers trained so well and able to execute moves to perfection. We have a long, long way to go in this area but we’ll get there.

What did I LEAST like about the show? Hmmm…

The leads who played Tony and Maria had fabulous singing voices, and Maria put in special effort to adopt a Puerto Rican accent. The other actors had trouble hiding their accents though, I could tell they had trouble pulling off a New York accent without their native accents that sounded Scottish or Irish coming through. That’s not major though, and it shouldn’t put anyone off watching the show because of it.
What was a put off for me though was the acting. When I read that the show was directed by Joey McKneely who was also the choreographer of the show, I imagined 80% of the preparation for the show would definitely have been in the choreography and not in directing the actors or working on characterization or the actor’s emotional preparation. I didn’t feel for the two lovers, so I didn’t root for them and didn’t care for them much.

It's not easy for me as part of audience investing 2-3 hours in a captive space when you're not emotionally involved in the journey of who's on stage.

Still, just for the experience of watching a classic Broadway musical, since it's so rare an opportunity for us to enjoy such productions here anyway, I'd say go catch it, if you can afford to pay almost rm600 for a ticket.

I came across a website offering tickets at 15%, here it is:

http://www.offerstation.com/offers-promotions/49284/15-percent-off-west-side-story--the-original-broadway-musical-tickets.htm

Enjoy 15% off your tickets to the West Side Story - The Original Broadway Musical from New York at Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur from 12th till 24th May 2010 with your HSBC Credit Card.

Ticket prices (before discount):
RM590, RM490, RM390, RM290, RM190 (excludes RM3 ticketing fee)

Call Tickets People at 03-2287 2727 or visit website to book.

Offer valid for HSBC Credit Cardmembers only.

What I Want in a Man - have a good laugh!

2010-03-16T13:08:00.008+08:00

My girlfriend Malina sent this to me this morning - it's come around before, but I don't remember ever not laughing out loud every time. Thought it deserved to be archived for whenever anyone needed a good laugh. I had fun adding cartoon pictures to it too. Enjoy!

What I Want In a Man, Original List
1. Handsome
2. Charming
3. Financially successful
4. A caring listener
5. Witty
6. In good shape
7. Dresses with style
8. Appreciates finer things
9. Full of thoughtful surprises

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 32)
1. Nice looking
2. Opens car doors, holds chairs
3. Has enough money for a nice dinner
4. Listens more than talks
5. Laughs at my jokes
6. Carries bags of groceries with ease
7. Owns at least one tie
8. Appreciates a good home-cooked meal
9. Remembers birthdays and anniversaries

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 42)
1. Not too ugly
2. Doesn't drive off until I'm in the car
3. Works steady - splurges on dinner out occasionally
4. Nods head when I'm talking
5. Usually remembers punch lines of jokes
6. Is in good enough shape to rearrange the furniture
7. Wears a shirt that covers his stomach
8. Knows not to buy champagne with screw-top lids
9. Remembers to put the toilet seat down
10. Shaves most weekends

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 52)
1. Keeps hair in nose and ears trimmed
2. Doesn't belch or scratch in public
3. Doesn't borrow money too often
4. Doesn't nod off to sleep when I'm venting
5. Doesn't re-tell the same joke too many times
6. Is in good enough shape to get off the couch on weekends
7. Usually wears matching socks and fresh underwear
8. Appreciates a good TV dinner
9. Remembers your name on occasion
10. Shaves some weekends

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 62)
1. Doesn't scare small children
2. Remembers where bathroom is
3. Doesn't require much money for upkeep
4. Only snores lightly when asleep
5.. Remembers why he's laughing
6. Is in good enough shape to stand up by himself
7. Usually wears some clothes
8. Likes soft foods
9. Remembers where he left his teeth
10. Remembers that it's the weekend

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 72)
1. Breathing.
2. Doesn't miss the toilet.

FAME - I'm gonna live forever, Baby remember my name...

2010-03-04T13:37:00.007+08:00

I HAVE to blog this... I've been searching for this song high and low for DECADES! "STARMAKER" -

I was maybe 13 or 14 when the movie came out, and 16 when the TV series finally screened in Malaysia, and I remember how FAME did it all for me back then. Besides he fantastic dancing and acting, I remember being moved and inspired by Irene Cara's soulful rendition of "Out Here On My Own". Not many songs those days were written as "performance" songs, most were just run of the mill pop songs, but Irene Cara's singing was packed with emotion without going over the top, and I told myself, ONE DAY, I WANNA SING AND DANCE AND ACT LIKE THAT TOO.

FAME - the movie and TV series, was the Glee of yesteryear. It's themes are still as relevant today as they were 25 years ago, quite amazing.

This is the movie that did it for me, and the theme song became my anthem throughout my teenage years, and had stayed with me even today.

Lyrics to Fame (Tiara's teen anthem!)

Baby look at me
And tell me what you see
You ain't seen the best of me yet
Give me time I'll make you forget the rest

I got more in me
And you can set it free
I can catch the moon in my hands
Don't you know who I am

Remember my name
Fame

I'm gonna live forever
I'm gonna learn how to fly
High

I feel it coming together
People will see me and cry
Fame

I'm gonna make it to heaven
Light up the sky like a flame
Fame

I'm gonna live forever
Baby remember my name

Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember
Remember

Baby hold me tight
Cause you can make it right
You can shoot me straight to the top
Give me love and take all I've got to give

Baby I'll be tough
Too much is not enough
I can ride your heart til it breaks
Ooh I got what it takes

Fame
I'm gonna live forever
I'm gonna learn how to fly
High

I feel it coming together
People will see me and cry
Fame

I'm gonna make it to heaven
Light up the sky like a flame
Fame

I'm gonna live forever
Baby remember my name
Fame

From Wikipedia:
Fame is an American television series originally produced between 1982 and 1987. The show was based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name and was hugely popular during its first few seasons. Using a mixture of drama and music, it followed the lives of the students and faculty at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. Although fictional, it was based heavily on the actual Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York. Most interior scenes were filmed in Hollywood, California. In Seasons 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 the show filmed several exterior scenes on location in New York City.

The popularity of the series, particularly in the UK, led to several hit records and live concert tours by the cast. Despite its success, very few of the actors maintained high-profile careers after the series was cancelled. A number of the cast members were seen again briefly in a reunion programme made for UK television in 2008.

The Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV series portrays the lives of a diverse group of talented high school students at new York's School of the Arts. Training hard for careers onstage, the young performers face tough competition and even rejection, along with all the normal teenage dramas. Debbie Allen, the series' star and choreographer, heads a dynamic ensemble cast: Lee Curreri, Erica Gimpel, Albert Hague, Carlo Imperato, Carol Mayo Jenkins, Valerie Landsburg, P.R.Paul, Gene Anthony Ray (as dance sensation Leroy), and Lori Singer.

The cast
Faculty

* Debbie Allen as Lydia Grant
* Albert Hague as Benjamin Shorofsky
* Carol Mayo Jenkins as Elizabeth Sherwood (seasons 1-5)
* Ann Nelson as Mrs. Gertrude Berg (Seasons 4-6, recurring previously)
* Ken Swofford as Quentin Morloch (Seasons 3- 5.09)
* Graham Jarvis as Principal Bob Dyrenforth (Seasons 5.10- 6)
* Morgan Stevens as David Reardon (season 2, recurring seasons 3 & 4)
* Eric Pierpoint as Paul Seeger (Season 6.03)
* Michael Thoma as Greg Crandall (recurring season 1)

Students

* Gene Anthony Ray as Leroy Johnson
* Carlo Imperato as Danny Amatullo
* Billy Hufsey as Christopher Donlon (seasons 3-6)
* Valerie Landsburg as Doris Schwartz (seasons 1-4)
* Jesse Borrego as Jesse Velasquez (seasons 4-6)
* Lee Curreri as Bruno Martelli (seasons 1-3)
* Cynthia Gibb as Holly Laird (seasons 3-5.10)
* Nia Peeples as Nicole Chapman (seasons 4-6)
* Erica Gimpel as Coco Hernandez (seasons 1-3.08,recurring Seasons 4-6)
* Loretta Chandler as Dusty Tyler (seasons 5-6)
* Lori Singer as Julie Miller (seasons 1-2)
* Carrie Hamilton as Reggie Higgins (seasons 5-6)
* Janet Jackson as Cleo Hewitt (season 4)
* Michael Cerveris as Ian Ware (season 6)
* Elisa Heinsohn as Jillian Beckett (season 6)
* P.R. Paul as Montgomery MacNeil (season 1)
* Page Hannah as Kate Riley (seasons 5)
* Olivia Barash as Maxie Sharp (season 6)

Watching this video brings back fond memories of school, and performing this with my posse on Teachers' Day. I cannot watch this without crying buckets.You see, in school, I wasn't one of the academic achievers. I could have been if I had bothered, and I was always amongst the top 7 or so, and sometimes even top, but school was more about fun to me - it was about sports day, cheerleading, acting in the school musical productions, about singing in the Form Four Variety show, ie. performing at every opportunity.

I loved Art and Literature and History though. And in Form 5 I came to love Maths, thanks to my tuition teacher Mr. Foo, bless him. But I used to frustrate every one of my teachers, as well as my headmistress. It used to rile them that I was one of the smartest kids who just wasn't bothered to try. I just wasn't fond of the way they tried to straighten me up when I wasn't ready for it, I guess. Because of that, I became such a rebel, a likeable, loveable one if that makes any sense. I used to annoy my teachers yet I'd tease them and make them laugh as well, so there was a good sense of balance.

When my friends and I performed this song and dedicated it to the teachers who shaped our lives, it was a huge emotional moment for both students as well as teachers. I remember how I barely made it to the end of the song, fighting back tears and choking so much all the way. Some of the teachers came up to us and hugged us, and it was a nice moment where misunderstood teen students and well-meaning teachers reconciled.

I want to particularly dedicate this blog entry to 2 of my teachers who encouraged me to be who I was and follow my dream - Mrs. Sekaran, my Art and Music teacher, and Mrs. Noreen Kannabhiran, my Form Mistress and 4 Arts One, English Teacher and the absolute most stylish teacher that ever walked the grounds of St. Mary's. She was the teacher in charge of The Form Four Variety Show and if I remember correctly, she was also in charge of the school Cheerleading squad.

Anyway. Here's a YouTube video recording of "STARMAKER". Dedicated to the followers of my blog from the same vintage!

Lyrics here so you can sing along:
Here as I watch the ships go by
I'm rooted to my shore
I keep asking myself why
And if there's more on the other side
Here as I see the friends I thought I made
A little bit crazed and knowing now
We've outgrown one another

CHORUS
Star maker
Dream breaker
Soul taker
We're happy now

Now when I see the things I want
I can take the things I see
But I keep asking myself why
And if there ain't just a little bit more for me
Here when it's time to count the cost
I keep measuring what I've lost
And wondering if you knew
It would all end up with you

CHORUS
Star maker
Dream breaker
Soul taker
We're happy now
Here as I watch the time go by
How I'd like to sail away
Leaving all my past behind
But I know I'd only last for a couple of days
Here stands everything I thought I made
It's the only life I know
And I can't even call it my own
I've got no hope, I belong to you

My star maker
Dream breaker
Soul taker
We're happy now
We're so happy now

And here's another classic! Irene Cara singing "Out Here On My Own". She starred in the Film version of "Fame".

Out Here On My Own lyrics:
Sometimes I wonder
Where I've been
Who I am, do I fit in?
Make-believing is hard alone
Out here, on my own

We're always proving
Who we are
Always reaching
For that rising star
To guide me far
And shine me home
Out here on my own

When I'm down and feeling blue
I close my eyes so I can be with you
Oh, baby, be strong for me
Baby, belong to me
Help me through
Help me need you

Until the morning sun appears
Making light of all my fears
I dry the tears I've never shown
out here on my own

But when I'm down and feeling blue
I close my eyes so I can be with you
Oh, baby, be strong for me
Baby, belong to me
Help me through
Help me need you

Sometimes I wonder
Where I've been
Who I am, do I fit in?
I may not win
But I can't be thrown
Out here on my own
On my own

And it looks like FAME has come full circle, 25 years later! The re-make came out last year but I missed it.

Starring: Asher Book, Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker, Kherington Payne, Collins Pennie, Paul McGill, Debbie Allen

A reinvention of the original Oscar®-winning hit film, Fame follows a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a diverse, creative powerhouse where students from all walks of life are given a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting famethe kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, plagued by self-doubt, each students passion will be put to the test. In addition to their artistic goals, they have to deal with everything else that goes along with high school, a tumultuous time full of schoolwork, deep friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery. As each student strives for his or her moment in the spotlight, theyll discover who among them has the innate talent and necessary discipline to succeed. With the love and support of their friends and fellow artists, theyll find out who amongst them will achieve Fame.

And sometime this month, I'm looking forward to watching a really talented young cast from The Alice Smith School (particularly a talented young girl named Tengku Sofia Daud) perform FAME onstage, so I can once again re-live my memories through their eyes.

The Boh Cameronian Arts Awards come to an end this year :_(

2010-02-24T13:37:00.003+08:00

Thanks Sultan Muzaffar for the interview, and Raja Norashikin for posting it!

Tiara J:
"Saya rasa wajar sangat untuk awards event seperti ini diteruskan, kerana kita ada awards untuk penyanyi, filem, TV, so kenapa tidak untuk pelakon pentas, dan mereka yang perform on stage - dancers, singers, comedians and everyone else, kerana karyawan2 ini juga…they’ve contributed so much to the arts industry in their own way."

A quote by the honorable Minister of Culture:
"Sekiranya sambutan menggalakkan, kita tidak ada halangan untuk menilai semula dan mengadakannya pada perenggan yang lebih diterima masyarakat, ini semuanya bergantung kepada penerimaan masyarakat dan setakat mana ia betul2 popular, dikalangan khalayak kita. Soal teater adalah soal seni dan ia mencerminkan kehidupan kita.
Oleh itu kita harus mengambil berat tentang peranan yang dimainkan oleh seni teater, dalam memperkayakan budaya, seni serta tamaddun kita."

My one brush with Hollywood - Beyond Rangoon

2010-02-22T21:50:00.003+08:00

I came across this on YouTube, a film a few Malaysian actor friends and I did around 1993, directed by John Boorman, best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Excalibur, Hope and Glory, The General and Zardoz.

Beyond Rangoon is a 1995 drama film directed by John Boorman about Laura Bowman (played by Patricia Arquette), an American tourist who vacations in Burma (Myanmar) in 1988, the year in which the 8888 Uprising takes place. The film was mostly filmed in Malaysia, and, though a work of fiction, was inspired by real people and real events.

Bowman joins, albeit initially unintentionally, political rallies with university students protesting for democracy, and travels with the student leader U Aung Ko throughout Burma. There, they see the brutality of the military dictators of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), and attempt to escape to Thailand.

The film was an official selection at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, where it was one of the popular hits of the event.^[1]

Cast

Patricia Arquette - Laura Bowman
U Aung Ko - U Aung Ko
Frances McDormand - Andy Bowman
Spalding Gray - Jeremy Watt
Tiara Jacquelina - San San, Hotel Desk Clerk
Kuswadinath Bujang - Colonel at Hotel
Victor Slezak - Mr. Scott
Jit Murad - Sein Htoo
Ye Myint - Zaw Win
Cho Cho Myint - Zabai
Johnny Cheah - Min Han
Haji Mohd Rajoli - Karen Father
Azmi Hassan - Older Karen Boy
Ahmad Fithi - Younger Karen Boy
Adelle Lutz - Aung San Suu Kyi

Beyond Rangoon opened my eyes to the way films SHOULD be made. I spent weeks on the set, roaming around the various departments in between filming, looking at how they made sets, organized the production of thousands of costumes, studied how the continuity sheets were so detailed compared to ours, studying how they organized production logistics etc which was such an eye-opener for me and interviewed a whole bunch of people who headed all the different departments so I'd understand how they all came together.

Since then, I dreamed of someday producing a film of a similiar-ish scale, that's how Puteri Gunung Ledang came about. I spent days talking to John Boorman about films and why he did the films he did. He wasn't the most chatty person, to be honest, and he seemed to be quite a headstrong type who only made films that he wanted to make, regardless of commercial value, but every bit of info was like pearls of wisdom for me and I absorbed what I could in the short time I had with John.

If you read the cast credit list, you will notice my name is credited as "desk clerk and San San". What happened is that, I was originally hired to play the role of the hotel desk clerk who tells Laura Bowman (Patricia Arquette) off for breaking curfew. Well, after I did my 2 days of shoot for the role, John Boorman asked me if I could audition for another role, the role of one of the university students, San San. I did, of course, and a few weeks later I found myself on set in Ipoh, my face painted dark brown with number 9 foundation so I wouldn't look like the hotel desk clerk, ha ha.

Teong Hin and I heard that John was in Venice when we were there with Puteri Gunung Ledang, and arranged to meet John for coffee and a catch up at his hotel, which was nice, some 10 years after Beyond Rangoon.

FYI:

Boorman won the Best Director Award at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for The General,^[2] his black-and-white biopic of Martin Cahill. The film is about the somewhat glamorous, yet mysterious, criminal in Dublin who was killed, apparently by the Provisional Irish Republican Army.

His most recent film, The Tiger's Tail, is set in contemporary Ireland.

Boorman's next project will be a fictional account of the life of Roman Emperor Hadrian (entitled Memoirs of Hadrian), written in the form of a letter from a dying Hadrian to his successor. The film is slated for a 2010 release. Antonio Banderas was initially in talks to be cast as Hadrian, but it is now believed that Daniel Craig will take on the role instead.

Beyond Rangoon - Part 12

2010-02-22T18:30:00.005+08:00

This is the scene where I learn from the Professor that my husband, Min Han (John Cheah) was killed by the Burmese Army. It's somewhere towards the end of the clip. Look out for Hani Mohsin in his controversial role as a Burmese soldier in disguise as a Buddhist Monk at the beginning.

Beyond Rangoon part 5

2010-02-22T18:23:00.003+08:00

Jit Murad, John Cheah, Patricia Arquette, U Aung Ko and I in the scene where the Professor first brings Laura Bowman to where the students were hiding from the Burmese Army.

Beyond Rangoon - The ending

2010-02-22T18:06:00.002+08:00

Watching this episode brings back memories of filming in the scorching sun on the Perak River, it might even have been during fasting month(?). You will see Jit Murad in the river crossing scene, he gets shot and dies, and you'll see Hani Mohsin whose role as a soldier who disguised as a Buddhist Monk to escape the army raised a ruckus back then. I'm in a blue top and pinkish sarong, somewhere in the river-crossing scene too.

My first movie, Irisan-Irisan Hati

2010-02-21T00:15:00.002+08:00

...came across this while researching my old films - have a good laugh. This was one of my first films, a Malaysia-Indonesia joint venture movie called Irisan2 Hati. This was my first experience on a big budget film set during the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation in the 1940s. I had the pleasure and honor of acting alongside Christine Hakim and Deddy Mizwar, Indonesia's biggest heavyweights. Thanks Abang Cantik for posting it, brings back some fond memories.

The Battle For Zorgon

2010-02-16T22:59:00.004+08:00

I just had to post this. I found this on the desktop of my Imac, a piece my 10-year old son Dani had been working on all weekend. He never used to be so interested and engrossed in writing before this, but of late, I noticed he was starting to enjoy exploring the use of interesting adjectives in his English work; I'm hoping it might have to do with a new Creative English class I have started him at about a month ago. He's been so involved in his story that he can't wait to come home each day to continue working on it, which is so unlike him - Dani usually needs constant nudging and reminders to get on with homework.

Who knows, somewhere inside him, there might be the trappings of a film-maker or scriptwriter, who knows. And the Malay proverb of gravy spilling on rice will prove true again.

Anyway, here's Dani's story on The Battle For Zorgon, enjoy...

The Battle For Zorgon

“We’ve made it boys.” Captain Sam pronounced with joy and delight as his massive dart shaped space ship with 3 laser turrets and a cockpit, landed on their blue healthy planet with heaps of fresh air looking much like earth, that planet was called Galactor. The space ship was returning from a mission to assassinate their arch enemy called Loki in his red hot scorching planet with no fresh air whatsoever, for his planet is filled with ash and factories that send out nasty smelling fumes. That dark stinky planet was called Zorgon, Loki’s home planet.

When the space ship arrived, they stepped out to announce their mission success and smell the fresh air of their beautiful planet Galactor. When the crew stepped out, a Galactorian soldier carelessly mistook the ship for a spy plane and shot the poor innocent red haired engineer called Mojo. Blood splattered flying everywhere and poor Mojo flew at 80 mph back and dislocated his ribcage. The General of the Army gave them orders to aim their ray and beam blasters to the ground for he recognized the captain of the ship Sam and gave clearance for the crew members to step out of the aircraft and show their face. ‘We have won the war and succesfully completed the mission by assassinating Loki.” The crowd cheered for them in the happiest way as possible.

“Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!” Cried Mojo as he was taken to the planets hospital as quick as possible. A few hours after that he woke up and had not even a scratch on his skinny, boney, fleshless body for the technology they used could fix any injury other than death, for the nurse explained.
“It can bring life but I suggest not to for there’s no point of living when you don’t feel alive.”

His captain Sam came to visit him.
“Are you feeling better Mojo?” He asked Mojo curiously.
“Not a single bruise on me sir” Mojo replied happily. He then explained that the man they killed was a fake in disguise to look like Loki.
“I know that you’re upset about the confusion but that’s the truth and the truth never lies, so if you like it or not you’re getting on that ship NOW!!!” The captain shouted with a completely different tone of voice.

The ship was setting off now. They all got their tools and weapons ready, the engineer took his tool box, the doctor brought his medical kit, the soldiers getting their positions on the look out, and finally the pilot turning his thrusters on to launch off.
“Good luck out there boys” the captain screamed and shouted with all the breath in his lungs attempting to get over the sound of the ship take off the planet.

“GO GO GO!!!” The captain shouted as only 8 special force troopers leap off the aircraft with their camouflage parachutes, gas masks and armor ready to take down anything in their way.
“Over there!” Shouts a trooper as he spots an armed enemy base. Silently and swiftly the troops managed to pursue the base and in less than 3 seconds the base was annihilated completely before you could set even a tiny glimpse on them.

While the troopers stalled others, the ship kept searching for Loki on his massive planet Zorgon.
“Sir I think we’ve found him.” The ships tracker told him.
“Where is he?” The Captain asked him hoping for an easy simple location as an answer.
“On the most terrible place on his planet, Penetrate Paradise City.” The locator told him as the captain took a deep sigh of depression as he got the opposite of what he wanted. They took out their special planet hopping G.P.S. tracking device to help them with their search for Loki.

They flew past the worst and most dangerous place on Zorgon and spotted slaves being tortured and forced to do work for the Zorganian people, “shouldn’t we help them sir?” Asked the kind-hearted engineer. “If we make it out of here then I promise we will, is that ok?” Answered Sam. “yes that would mean a lot to me sir, thank you.” He replied.
“There he is!” a soldier tells the pilot excitedly as he spots Loki in his training area expecting them just waiting for their 1st attempt.

Crash, clash and boom was the noise of the soldiers kicking open the metal protective door as it opens bit by bit. They went through the door and surrounded Loki.
“You do know that there was an open button for the door right?” he asked the soldiers as they get furious at each other. When Loki stood up, Mojo and him looked at each other curiously just like he did when they assassinated the fake Loki almost like they knew each other long long ago.

He remembered all of a sudden they were playing one day and they were calling each other something he thought was an imagination. He called him brother…
“Remember when we swore that we would the best brothers in the world, well that all changed completely when mom deserted us, you stayed with dad ever since however I on the other hand didn’t, I ran away and lived with a man in the army who adopted me. Ever since he adopted me he taught me how to handle a weapon properly and professionally.”

“Well I guess that there’s only one thing to do, I challenge you to a battle brother!!!” Loki exclaimed as the two brothers chose their weapon.
“Let the battle begin brother.” Loki says to Mojo as he draws his laser saber.
“You asked for it so now your gonna deliver it to you bro.” Mojo replies with fury racing through his mind as he aims his mantle ray rifle directly at his head.

“3…………….2……………….1……………. LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!!!!!” Shouts one of Lokis workers in order to start the fight. The battle was epic and one of the greatest batle known to man kind. When Mojo shot at Loki he just defended himself every time he was shot. Then what Loki was surprised at, Mojo the man with no experience what so ever shot him on his collarbone. “You’ve gotten much better at fighting brother. But I’ll be sure to send your ashes back to Galactor.” Loki explained to Mojo as he held his injured collarbone and cut the room free off the planet into space about to crash into Galactor. Mojo couldn’t do any thing to stop it.
“Warning… warning... room will have impact with Galactor in: 10………9…….8…………..7…………..6…………….5…………………4………………..3…………………2……………1………”

The room had been destroyed along with the corpses of the two brothers Mojo and Loki. By Dani Effendi.

(for some reason I couldn't extract the visuals, sorry)

Dart shaped spaceship.

Zorgon

Images taken from:

www.martysartandmodels.com/ images/star_dart22.jpg

and from:

centroufologicotaranto.files.wordpress.com/ 20...

True fact!
Did you know that that red planet is actually called Epsilon Eridani? Well incase you diddn’t, it’s true. Cool right?

Thank you for listening.

I'm adding on something exciting to this piece - a "cover" design, by another talented boy we know named Nicolas Ayoub Jr, inspired by Dani's story!

Tj

Hearsay...PGLtM versi Inggeris? in today's KOSMO

2010-02-07T19:17:00.004+08:00

Sam Kassim alerted me about this article in Kosmo today. My, my how news travels so fast in this city! Anyway, here's the story:

7 Februari 2010

DIVA INTERAKTIF

PGLtM versi Inggeris

TIARA JACQUELINAhttp://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/pix/2010/0117/Kosmo/Diva_Interaktif/dv_01.1.jpg

KALAU sudah namanya Datin Seri Tiara Jaqualine, semua benda yang kecil boleh jadi besar. Semua benda yang orang fikir mustahil, akan berjaya dilakukannya. Itulah dia, Tiara yang memang inovatif dan selalu bersungguh-sungguh dalam setiap perkara yang dilakukannya.

Paling membuka mata banyak pihak adalah saat Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical (PGLTM) dipentaskan tidak lama dulu.

Diva ingat kembara PGLTM sudah berakhir selepas musim tayangannya tamat dan ia sukses luar biasa.

Rupa-rupanya Tiara dan produksi masih belum puas. Ini kerana Diva dengar cerita mereka akan kembali mementaskan PGLTM dalam versi bahasa Inggeris tidak lama lagi.

Khabarnya, seluruh tenaga produksi akan duduk semula untuk membikin skrip dengan bahasa Inggeris yang sesuai serta akan melakukan sekali lagi uji bakat untuk beberapa watak muzikal fenomena ini. Hebat!

Diva jadi tak sabar nak menonton PGLTM versi Inggeris untuk menggali bahasa-bahasa Inggeris yang menarik selain rindu untuk melihat kehebatan muzikal ini semula.

Foreword for Mutiara International Grammar School's production of Grease

2010-01-28T16:54:00.001+08:00

My first encounter with the students of Mutiara International was backstage during a performance of Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical at Istana Budaya. I was already impressed then, at how active the school was, in promoting theatre amongst the students.

It’s always been a personal mission of mine to promote performing arts to the younger generations, and what better way than to work through schools who believe in the same cause.

I don’t need to echo the fact that Theatre provides children with educational experiences that may not be achievable solely by being in the classroom.
I speak from my own experience, growing up in a school that really encouraged and harnessed artistic talents through various theatrical and variety show performances, an active literary society and debate team, and dedicated art teachers. I couldn’t see the connection back then, but my math skills were enhanced by my ability to visualize solutions to just about any algebra, trigonometry or elevation problem. I credit this to all the creative senses that I developed from the artistic activities I mentioned earlier. This has proven to be a life-long ability that has benefitted me throughout my career.

So I’m sure you can see why I immediately said “yes” when I was invited to be guest of honour for Mutiara International’s production of “Grease”.

I would like to congratulate everybody involved, from those who will be performing onstage to the “unsung heroes” working in the background. Kudos to the teaching staff and management of the school for their support and encouragement, and for planting the seeds of creativity in these kids. I came across a quote by author and arts integration specialist Claudia Cornett that says it perfectly - "The most important aspects of civilization and culture are preserved, not in standardized tests or on report cards but in imaginative literature, art, drama, dance and music."

Putting on a show no matter how big or small takes equal dedication, effort and teamwork to make it a success. Whenever the going gets tough, I always say, think of the moment when the curtains go up and the lights hit your face – it’ll all be worth it!

I hope that the journey you have all been on together putting “Grease” together has been educational, rewarding and inspiring, and I look forward to enjoying myself at the show!

An interview with Bissme S in the Sun, 2007

2010-01-24T13:47:00.005+08:00

My Google Alerts led me to discovering this article by an old journalist friend of mine, Bissme S who writes for The Sun. Found it on his blog at http://thesunbissme.blogspot.com/2010/01/tiara-jacquelina.html. If I remember right, it was just before we staged P.Ramlee The Musical.

I guess this was one of the interviews I most enjoyed giving. Thanks for that, Bissme. I'm gonna save this on my own blog for posterity, for my old and gray days, when I someday look back at my life and read about what I did and what I wanted to do, and think back at all the energy and passion I had (have!) and what made me tick.

Bissme says on his blog:
This blog will highlight some of the interesting interviews I have done as a journalist with the sun newspaper. I really believe what makes these interview interesting is not my writing style but their honest answers to the question I have thrown at them. Through their answers and opinions, indirectly I learne more about the society I live in... I learned about their dreams, desires and frustrations. Hope you enjoy reading these interviews as much as I have fun writing them.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Tiara Jacquelina (Producer cum Actress)

Our interview took place at the swanky theatre company Istana Budaya. She showed me some of the magnificient set that is going to appeared on the stage. After the touring was over, we sat down for our serious interview. The article appears in the sun on Oct 18 2007

Headline: Tiara's bent on a sparkling life
Bissme S.
Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina has seen major successes in her film and stage work these past several years. Her epic film, the RM20 million Puteri Gunung Ledang, was showcased at the Venice Film Festival and also became the first Malaysian production to be entered for the Oscars in the foreign film category. In 2005, the film won Tiara the Best Producer award at the Asian Film Festival in Singapore and the Best Actress award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival. Made into a stage musical the following year, it swept eight of the 12 theatre awards at the recent Boh Cameronian Arts awards. Tiara goes on to tell the story of P. Ramlee, the legendary entertainer, in P. Ramlee The Musical which opens today at Istana Budaya. BISSME S. learns that Tiara sets the standards and pushes the boundaries in the entertainment industry. Her latest musical is bigger and grander than PGL The Musical, boasting a budget, and cast and crew twice that of the latter. P. Ramlee The Musical promises to match any Broadway show staged here. Tiara divides her time between her career and her responsibilities as wife to Minister in Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Effendi Norwawi and mother to Hani Karmila, 10 and Mohd Eridani, eight. She also talks about the difficulty of changing the old mindset, competing in this era of globalisation, and putting Malaysia on the world entertainment map.

theSun: What are the greatest challenges you face in the entertainment industry?
Convincing people to want to change. Convincing people to get out from an old mindset and to think differently from how they ever thought before. There are 10 different ways to skin a cat.
You can do things the way you have been doing all this time. Or you can say to yourself : "Hey, we have never done this in Malaysia and this is only done in Hollywood or the West End. Can we try to do it differently this time?"
It is very difficult to change people's mindset.
Yes. People are so used to the tried and tested way. Nothing will change in this world if we do not push boundaries and say "Let us change". Someone has to take the risk. Someone has to push the bar.

Who do you need to convince the most to change?
It is convincing people all around ... convincing the creative people of this industry, convincing the bureaucrats and convincing even the friends in media. I am sure, earlier, my friends in the media were wondering what this girl is up to.
Everyone must understand this is the age of globalisation and soon, in every aspect, Malaysia is going to compete with the rest of the world - from making cars to making movies. Our competition is no longer other Malaysian production houses. You are competing with the rest of the world.

Why do you say that?
Our people are going round the world and watching things in the West and coming back and saying: 'Why, my own country can't produce anything of quality I can be proud of." It is also a challenge to change the mindset of people who have watched local productions and have lost faith in them. They watched us 10 years ago and gave up on us. I have to tell them: "Why don't you watch us again and let us change your mind."
I am glad I have achieved this to a certain degree. A lot of Malaysians, including the non-Malays, who have never caught a local film for 20 years, have gone to the cinema with aim of catching PGL The Movie.
The musical version had brought a lot of people to Istana Budaya who never knew we had a national theatre.

Why do you think it is difficult to change people's mindset?
A lot of us do not have faith in ourselves. We do not see our own potential. We have the same two hands, the same two eyes, and the brain that is given to great people like Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi. Like them, we are made of flesh and blood. It is what we do with this gift that God has given us (that makes the difference). You can rest on your laurels and accept something mediocre. But I am not that kind of person.

What kind of person are you?
During my schooldays, I was the most confident child who always thinks we can change things and we can make a difference. I want my country to be great. I am the most patriotic person. When it comes to National Day, I am the one who flies the biggest flag and sing the national anthem the loudest. I feel this country has so much potential and it is up to this generation and the generation after us to make that difference.
I want my children to grow up and be so proud to be Malaysians. I want neighbouring countries to say "one day we can be great like Malaysia".

Do you think we can build faith in ourselves and become the best at what we do?
Yes. All Malaysians need is to see one success story and soon they will say, we are also able to do that. I have to be the person to create these success stories so Malaysians will have faith in them.

Do you ever get tired of convincing people to change?
There are days when I do get tired. There are moments I ask myself why I am bothering when no one else bothers and why don't I leave it on other people. At the end of the day I remember what Mahatma Gandhi said, that you have to be the change if you want to see changes in the world.
It is no use preaching. It is no use talking till your mouth is dry. If you do not go out there and shake things yourself, there will be no change.

Do you find there are more critics than supporters in the entertainment industry?
Yes. I wish we have more people who just hold your hand and say: "You can do it! You can be great and I will support you." But it is never an easy ride for anyone who wants to make any kind of change.

Why do you think there are more people eager to pull you down than give you support? Do you think the motivation is jealousy?
I really do not understand it. I think it is the upbringing. Maybe they can't get to the finishing line so the next best thing to do is trip the next person who is getting to the finishing line. If we all group together and say "Look at this guy! He has fallen so let us pick him up and pull him to finishing line together." We should be have this cheering spirit.
When a man is down in the boxing ring and when he hears hundreds of voices cheering him on, he will get up and fight to his last breath. He will try his best to win the match.

People have said you are a little like (former prime minister Tun Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad) and love to get involved in mega projects?
(Laughs) The biggest thrill is to be likened to Mahathir. It is not that I want to do mega projects. This particular project happens to be big. I have done smaller projects. For example, I have produced a TV series that showcases the work of young and independent filmmakers such as Osman Ali, Bernard Chauly and Ho Yuhang. When it comes to my small productions, no one talks about them. They only talk about my mega projects.

Some people say you can make the changes because you have the financial resources.
Money helps, of course. If you do not have money, you cannot finance the projects. But money is not everything. In fact, money can be the first mistake and the root of all wrong if you spend it poorly. You could have a million dollars and really squander it on something that is really nothing to shout about. If you look at it, you will feel embarrassed to put your name to it.

What other changes would you like to see take place?
I would like to see the arts given more priority in school. They should include creativity in our school syllabus again. When I was growing up, they (the schools) encourage children to paint ... they encourage children to sing ... they encourage children to dance. To a large extent, that has shaped me to become the person I have become.
Now everyone is chasing 9As, 12As, 16As and 19As and for what? I can't remember how many As I got in school. Definitely, I wasn't the one who got 9As.
But I am a much happier person today, doing what I love and enjoying every minute of my life. I think I have lived a much fuller life. I love to see a child growing up well-rounded.

Many parents may not agree with you.
I know. But let me give you an example. Math was my poorest subject till I took up art. From a F9 case, I got A1. Arts encourage creative thinking and one learns that there is not one solution to a problem.
After taking art, I looked at Math differently. I found other solutions to solve my Math problems. Because of art, I began to see a certain pattern in Math.
It is hard to believe that you do not push your children to get good grades in school.

Aren't you worried that without a solid paper qualification, your children will not have a better future?
I am not the kind of parent who insists that their children should get all As. My only criteria is that they should get decent results so they could enter a university and end up doing what they love. I encourage my children to go for pottery class. My son plays the drums while my daughter takes up the electric guitar.
Employers do look at paper qualifications when they hire people. Your children might be losing out.When you get out in the world, the paper qualifications count for only 50%. I would not deny that when I hire people, I do look at the paper qualifications. But I also look at how you will solve the problems I am facing. That involves creative thinking. How will you represent my company when you go meet my clients. It is about people and social skills. Arts shape your personality, your creative thinking and your social skills.

Do you think the government is doing enough for the entertainment industry?
As much as any government does. Of course, like every art practitioner, I will tell you more can be done. I look at the art renaissance in Singapore and was totally impressed. Once upon a time, people were calling Singaporeans robots. They said: "Your country (Singapore) is a country of robots who have nothing but tall buildings and skyscrapers. What does that say about your people: Do they have a soul? Do they have a spirit?"
Singapore woke up to this fact and said: "Guys, now we are going to prove to the world that we will be the art(s) hub (of) the world." And they did it. They pulled up their socks and the government hired the best professionals from around the world, not bureaucrats, to make that change.

Do you think our country has the potential to be an art hub?
If Malaysia wants to tell the world we have a spirit and soul as high as our Petronas Twin Towers, then we should be an art hub. But we should be hiring the best professionals from around the world to help us to get there.
Stop being small-minded and saying we have the people here. If we had the people here, we would be an art hub a long time ago.
There is nothing to be embarrassed about hiring professionals from outside. Everybody learns from somewhere. Every industry starts from somewhere. We get the best people to show us the way and make the template for us. In future we will run the show ourselves.

What is your view of censorship?
We should realise the time has come for us to practise self-censorship. You can censor what your child watches on Malaysian TV. You can't censor what they watch on DVD and the Internet. You can't control the Internet. You can't control what they hear in school. You have to teach your child what is right and what is wrong and hope for the best.

Let us talk about P. Ramlee The Musical. Why focus on P. Ramlee?
There ae two reasons for it. Firstly, it is to pay tribute to this great man. He was the original dreamer among us all. Thanks to his dream, we have an industry today. This musical is paying a tribute to the founder of the entertainment industry.

What is the second reason?
The generation before us only knew him. The people in my generation and the generation after me never knew the greatness of P. Ramlee and why they called him an icon, a legend, a seniman agung and all those words.
To the younger generation, he sang a few great songs and did a few great films. He is not relevant to the children of today. In order for a legend to have longevity, this is what you have to do - you have to immortalise him in a story. Young people who watch the play will get to know the man behind the name. We tell the sweetness and the sorrow that man had gone through.

What can we expect expect from the musical?
We follow the life of P. Ramlee in three stages. The first stage is when he was a child in Penang and dreaming to be a star. The second stage is when he left for Singapore to start his career and met with success. The third and final stage is when Malaysia and Singapore separated, he came back to Malaysia and here he ended his life.

There is talk you might want to convert the musical into a movie?
Nothing is impossible. I have considered the idea. But for the time being all my attention is on this stage production. I will see the response towards the musical first before deciding on anything else.

You have taken Dick Lee from Singapore and Erin Gutawa from Indonesia to create the music. Don't you trust our own musical talents?
I have decided to use the best and it has nothing to do about not trusting our talents. P. Ramlee is a big name in the region. This is a regional celebration. And the whole region is coming together to celebrate the icon they loved and respected. Our people could learn from them. Every time we borrow a technology, the technology stays with us.

Some people do not agree with your choice of Sean Ghazi playing P. Ramlee because he is not fluent in Malay.
He is my first choice for the role. Malay may not be his first comfortable language. When he breaks into song, everyone will be quiet and everyone will be mesmerised. I know Sean will work very hard to shut his critics up. I know he is a professional. He had worked in the West End, doing shows three years in a row.

The musical director for PGL The Musical, Roslan Aziz, turned down the offer to be the musical director for P. Ramlee The Musical. He felt the latest musical is being put together in a rush and the quality of the production will suffer.
Roslan and I had to part ways. I have no choice but to put up a show during this period. This is the only time slot given to us by Istana Budaya. For me, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.
Even if you are given 12 months, things can also go wrong. It is just how well you prepare. In this country some people put up a musical within three weeks. At least we have more than three months to prepare. There is never an ideal situation in any industry. You have to make the best of the situation. You choose the team that believes in you.

If you are not in this line what would you have become?
I would have been a lawyer. I could out-talk anyone. That is what my mother always tells me.

Did you ever think you will be as successful as you are now when you started your career 20 years ago?
I never thought I would come this far. I always dream to be best in whatever I do. If I work, I want to be my own boss. I do not want people telling me what to do. I will tell my children the same thing - if you want to go to any industry, you should own your own business and nobody could tell you what to do.
There is a part of me that is such a rebel and I want to do so many different things in my own way. If I had someone above me that I am answerable too, that will be the death of me.

What role did your parents play in shaping you?
My mother never held me back. She has faith in me. She knew I was ambitious. I told her that I wanted to be very successful and to be the best in whatever I did.
From college days I had been doing business. I paid my way through college. I was doing commercials and ran a talent scout (business). I was hardly 17. People were surprised that I could just walk into an advertising agency and meet the top guys there to promote myself as well as my talents.
I would take my simple camera and go on the road and meet total strangers and encourage them to join my talent agency. It shaped me to be what I am today. I could talk to everyone from the bigwigs in the corporate world to a five-year-old in the street.

What are the greatest misconceptions people have of Tiara Jacquelina?
People who do not know me would probably think I am a hotshot movie star and a cabinet minister's wife who has her head in the clouds. I am as real as anyone else. I bleed like anyone else. I go through life like anyone else. I have never changed. I am the same girl who has gone through the simple life.

I heard that you have gone into the restaurant business.
Yes. It is called The Borneo Rainforest Cafe. It is across the entrance of Sunway Hotel. I went into the business for a selfish reason. I love food and I can go there and eat anytime I want.
Besides we have a good concept. You have great food, including seafood, in the open air and under the stars. If this is successful, I might start another outlet.

So are you starting a chain of restaurants?
Perhaps. Nothing is impossible

A Message by George Carlin

2010-01-21T21:42:00.002+08:00

Hi everyone!

My girlfriend Noren sent this to me today, I thought this was something I really should share with everyone on my blog. Have a think about it!

GEORGE CARLIN

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers,

wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less,

we buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense,

more knowledge, but less judgment,

more experts, yet more problems,

more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly,

laugh too little,

drive too fast, get too angry,

stay up too late, get up too tired,

read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We've added years to life not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion,

big men and small character,

steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce,

fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ' I love you ' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

ROKET:DESTINASI BINTANG!

2010-01-13T18:27:00.002+08:00

Was gonna blog about a recent press conference for a new TV series and concert called ROKET:DESTINASI BINTANG, but decided I'm too lazy so am gonna just cut n paste the transcript I painstakingly translated to BM instead!

"Saya amat berbesar hati yang anda semua dapat hadir pada pelancaran Roket Destinasi Bintang hari ini.

Bagi pihak Ten on Ten Pictures, kami sangat teruja dengan program realiti baru yang akan disiarkan di Astro Ria tidak lama lagi. Ten On Ten Pictures adalah TV production arm di dalam Enfiniti Vision Sdn Bhd, dan sebelum ini dikenali untuk program flagship seperti Spanar Jaya, Travel series The Best Of Malaysia, Fiesta 7 concert series dan telemovie popular seperti Rombongan Che Kiah dan Peristiwa Di Rumah Tok Su. Kini Ten On Ten kembali dengan siri baru yang berjudul “Roket Destinasi Bintang”. Tayangan akan bermula pada 22hb Januari 2010, setiap hari Jumaat pada pukul 9.30 malam.

Ten on Ten Pictures telah menyediakan tujuh episod yang akan memaparkan perjalanan Hafiz, Akim dan Aril, iaitu pemenang top 3 Akademi Fantasia 7, untuk membina dan mengukuhkan nama mereka dalam industri seni. kehidupan sebenar artis di sebalik tabir.

Most people think that being an artiste is all about being glamorous. Not many people realize that there is a lot of hard work, dedication and discipline involved behind the scenes, in preparation for any project. This reality show will enable viewers to share the joy and sorrow faced by these boys as they make their way into the local entertainment industry. The training they are given aims to take them a notch higher in their careers, and to help develop them as "thinking" performers, in charge of their careers and professional lives.

Penonton Roket Destinasi Bintang juga akan berkongsi pengalaman Hafiz, Aril, dan Akim dalam bersiap-sedia untuk sebuah konsert yang berkonsepkan fesyen dan muzik di dalam episod satu hingga enam. Siri ini akan menggambarkan sesi latihan dan akan memaparkan bagaimana Hafiz, Aril dan Akim dibentuk sebagai seorang “thinking performer” supaya lebih bersedia mengharungi cabaran dalam industri seni kita.

Beberapa rakan Enfiniti yang lain, seperti Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Pat Ibrahim, dan Juliza Adzlizan bersama saya sendiri, akan muncul sebagai coach mereka dari segi
motivasi, persembahan, tarian, dan vokal.
Anda juga akan dapat menyaksikan dua rakan media di dalam satu episod di mana mereka bertiga ini akan diberikan
“media training” dan tips untuk membawa diri dengan berkesan sebagai seorang celebrity.

Kemuncak program adalah episod terakhir di mana Hafiz, Aril dan Akim akan beraksi di atas sebuah pentas berbentuk runway yang direka khas, di atas air, membelakangkan air terjun di Borneo Rainforest @ Sunway, dalam konsert Roket! khas untuk peminat-peminat setia dan juga para pengunjung Borneo Rainforest, yang dijadualkan pada 31hb Januari 2010.

Konsep Konsert selama 90 minit ini adalah gabungan 3 elemen iaitu muzik, tarian dan juga fesyen.

Persembahan Hafiz, Aril dan Akim akan diselangi dengan Pertunjukkan fesyen dari hasil ciptaan Bon Zainal dan Materiel. Hafiz, Aril dan Akim juga akan diiringi dengan persembahan muzik “live” pemuzik-pemuzik tanahair yang sangat berbakat dibawah pimpinan Pengarah Muzik Konsert Roket, Lee Sze Wan. Sze Wan pernah berkerjasama dengan Enfiniti Productions di dalam beberapa projek seperti Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical dan P. Ramlee the Musical.

Harga tiket adalah RM38 termasuk satu minuman.
Tiket boleh didapati di pejabat Enfiniti Productions di Phileo Damansara 1, atau hubungi talian 03 7958 7877 dan emel kitkatklub@enfiniti.com.my

Saya harap semua peminat Hafiz, Aril dan Akim dan penyokong industri muzik tanahair akan hadir untuk menghadiri showcase Roket! Saya yakin semua akan terhibur dengan apa yang bakal dipentaskan.

Saya ingin juga mengambil peluang ini untuk merakamkan jutaan terima kasih kepada semua pihak yang terlibat dalam menjayakan program TV dan konsert Roket!
Thanks to Astro Ria, Astro Entertainment Sdn Bhd, Secolo Hairdressing, JVC, Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa, TW Steel Watches, Materiel, Ervan Design & Bon Zainal , dan Borneo Rainforest.

Thank you everyone for coming and lending your support!

Sekian terima kasih."

Happy new year, everyone!

2010-01-09T01:22:00.010+08:00

Someone named Anita Sharma sent this to me. I haven't given too much thought to my resolutions for this year, but i certainly agree with some things in Anita's list! I've decided I will bold the ones that I agree most with and say why if necessary. You might wanna think about some of these too and make your own list and thoughts.

Happy new year everyone, thanks for staying with me through the years. Here's to a fabulous new year, a new decade, a great new beginning for us all!

HANDBOOK 2010

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water. (ppl often ask
me what I think my "beauty secret is, I
think my mum's advice to drink lots of
water may have paid off. Thanks
Mum.)
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a
prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and
plants and eat less food that is
manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy,
Enthusiasm, and Empathy. (THIS
will be top priority for me.)
5. Make time for prayer.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10
minutes each day. (i will at least TRY
to.)
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day.
And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to
others'. You have no idea what
their journey is all about. (in other
words, be content with your life the
way it is.)
12. Don't have negative thoughts or
things you cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the
positive present moment. (I've
made this a specialty of mine,
actually, learning from Yoga practices
- deflect any negative energy from
anyone who is vexing or likes to gossip
or has nothing nice to say about
himself or anyone else. I just stay
AWAY from people like that. You
should learn to do this too. Instead, I
surround myself with positive
friends - my favo sistahs Ida, Noren,
Mal, Cat and Sylvia, who fill me with
good energy always and keep me sane,
keep me real! I love you guys.)
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously.
No one else does. (it's tough cos
everyone expects a "star" to always be
immaculate and perfect, and to never
look anything less than heaven-sent,
but I enjoy being silly and I want to
feel free to look as ridiculous as I want
to without bothering about being
judged!) Besides, it's easier to get over,
when something goes wrong, if you
haven't been too uptight, you can just
laugh it off and everyone else will too.
15. Don't waste your precious energy
on gossip. (ditto)
16. Dream more while you are
awake. (I'm the world's greatest
dreamer and I wanna stay this way!!)
17. Envy is a waste of time. You
already have all you need. (ditto!)
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't
remind your partner with his/her
mistakes of the past. That will
ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time
hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it
won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your
happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are
here to learn.Problems are simply
part of the curriculum that appear and
fade away like algebra class but the
lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every
argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25. Call your family often. (I have a
small family, and I intend to keep
everyone really close this year,
especially.)
26. Each day give something good to
others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of
70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people
smile each day. (I can do that!)
30. What other people think of you
is none of your business.(DITTO!)
31. Your job won't take care of you
when you are sick. Your family
and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation
is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come. (I'm really
lookin' forward to 2010...)
38. When you awake alive in the
morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So,
be happy.

Last but not the least:

40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about .

Asmaradana Kecak Mix by Dj Adit

2010-01-06T06:27:00.005+08:00

I really do need to go away on holiday now and again, and just find time to hang out and do almost nothing. In one night alone, just going through YouTube (and okay, googling myself), I've come across so many TV interviews and stuff I never got t catch on TV, as well as this rather impressive post by Dj Adit / hbo 1301, of Asmaradana - the Kecak mix. Me likeee!

http://tiara-jacquelina.blogspot.com/2010/01/gosh-i-guess-it-really-shows-just-how.html

Tiara's interview with Syazwan Zakaria on Astro Awani

2010-01-06T06:09:00.004+08:00

Syazwan Zakaria and I had a really fun chit chat in the studio of Astro Awani. We talked about this being my last few days of appearing on stage as Putri. We also talked about my single "Katakan", and singing as possibly being the next stepping stone in my career after PGL, about the thrill of nightly standing ovations, and he shocked me by "letting the cat out of the bag" about Akademi Fantasia's offer to me.

Thanks again possum150974 for the post... what would I do without you...

Tiara's interview on Wanita Hari Ini - Feb '09

2010-01-06T05:57:00.006+08:00

I enjoyed this 9min45secs interview with Ruhil Syafinaz of TV3, we talked about PGLM 3, about this being my final run as Putri, on rock music being my favorite genre, about mt dreams to set up a performing arts academy someday.

It ends with me performing the pop version of "Katakan" at the end of the interview.

"I would for like every Malaysian untuk tahu bahwa jika ada impian dalam diri kita, ianya boleh dicapai asal kita senditi rajin untuk mencapainya...dan nothing substitutes hard work. Apa saja POSSIBLE..."

PGLM2 review on on NTV7's Breakfast Show

2010-01-06T05:53:00.000+08:00

Found a review of PGLM with interviews of Stephen Rahman-Hughes, AC Mizal and me, on NTV7's Breakfast Show...thanks, Intan! (And thanks as always, Possum)

The Making of PGL the Musical Part 3

2010-01-06T04:49:00.002+08:00

Pat and the ensemble (bless them...), also Raja Malek talking about the set design, Anslem Roy talking about the special effects and the touch of MAGIC for PGLM3, Zahim on the staging and the technical nightmare that is PGLM3!

The Making Of PGL the Musical Season 3 part 2

2010-01-06T04:48:00.001+08:00

The making of Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical Season 3

2010-01-06T04:44:00.002+08:00

Found this on YouTube, posted by possum150974 (thank you!), thought I'd post it on my blog so I know it'll always be there. Brings back fond memories...

Natrah: Technical bits and other stuff

2009-12-10T12:33:00.005+08:00

2 days after watching Natrah, and post-reading Ajami Hashim's review at http://ajamihashim.blogspot.com/2009/12/natrah-persembahan-komersialisme.html

Thanks Ajami for reminding me of the backstory right at the opening, I agree that was important information that was too rushed. That frustrated me because I had to refer to the programme book in the dark to try and read up so I could get a sense of what the set-up was.

Since Ajami has mentioned technical aspects of the show, I have to tokok tambah here too I guess. Istana Budaya's in-house audio technical facilities alone cannot support a production. Unfortunately, if a production team doesn't have the means or resources to hire "outside" additional equipment, you will only find out when a production is already at technical rehearsal stage or worse still, on opening night, by which time it will be too late to make changes as it involves additional rigging and would involve a whole extra day of additional tech runs to test out the sound. Most unfortunately, the point about poor audio quality seems to be a struggle only a few of us notice (though in my books, a play is ALL about that you HEAR, besides what you see, or you will have no idea what the drama is all about). Thank goodness there were English subtitles on the side, but how ridiculous is it to have to watch a play whilst reading subtitles the whole way!

When we put PGL and P Ramlee on stage, we had no choice but to hire sound equipment and sound engineers that cost the production hundreds of thousands of RM. Sigh. Hopefully somewhere down the road, I.B will consider upgrading its inhouse audio facilities so that the cost needn't be borne by independent producers like me!

On the matter of subtitles, I feel even songs need to be subtitled, especially if the songs are in any way part of the story telling, otherwise you will lose the subtitle-dependent audience for a big part of the evening.

However, all grouses and niggly bits aside, Natrah was still a very commmendable effort on the part of Erma Fatimah and the Istana Budaya team. It's no mean feat putting together a production of ANY size, big or small, it still takes blood, sweat and tears to get a show off the ground and running on stage, so my hats off to IB, Erma and their dedicated team of actors and crew for that.

I need to make a special mention of the sets which I felt were quite impressive, especially the final cathedral scene and the huge statue of Mary. I spotted a Jewish design element in the Cathedral scene that, if was meant to be deliberate is fine, otherwise it couldn't be right in a Roman Catholic church. But not many people would know and even bat an eyelid anyway. Its nice to see that sets are designed to be much more mobile these days, and scene changes much smoother because of this.

The back projection was also very impressive. I'm glad I.B decided to hire the same team that worked on both PGL as well as P.Ramlee Musicals, working on our back projections because these are tried-and-tested people who have run more than 100 performances in the past with us.

I do see the evolution of our theatre industry today, having been on stage in all manner and size of stage productions for almost 20 years (!). There really does seem to be hope in sight for our industry. We just need everyone to continue to believe in it, be genuinely interested in it and support it, from the top down. We need to continuously produce compelling writing/stories, think of innovative new ways to put on shows, and train more and more new people all across the value chain. Corporations and the government can be the greatest help where providing funding is concerned, because quality costs and ticket collections alone cannot guarantee returns. And the audience, needs to hang on in there whilst we get our act together, to try and continuously provide Malaysia with artistic entertainment of an acceptable quality.

take a bow, Erma.

my thoughts after watching NATRAH last night

2009-12-10T00:17:00.000+08:00

Hmmmmm… I should have blogged about it whilst it was fresher in my mind last night. C’est la vie. And now, looking back on what’s turned out to be 2 whole pages LOL of my thoughts, I’m hoping this comes out well and doesn’t offend anyone along the way.
What’s really encouraging is that I hear tickets have been sold out, and that they are extending the show a further 4 nights, that is FANTASTIC news for the theatre industry. And Natrah isn’t even a musical, it’s a straight play. Well, I assume it was meant to be just a straight play, and that the song and dance sequences were an afterthought.

Sofia Jane is engaging in her monologue as the older Natrah. Erma can always rely on tried-and-tested steady actors like her, Umie and Samantha to deliver the goods, and they did. Sometimes I like to see an actor give herself more of a “journey” though, especially when delivering a 15 minute piece like she had to, so he or she starts at a certain point and continues to grow and develop along the way, and you keep me as the audience glued cos I want to know how this could surprise me at the next corner. However, this may well be a directing choice, to have the actor hold the same intensity throughout the piece.

Between the older and younger Natrah character, if I wanted to nit-pick, I’d say the one flaw would have been the very different accents both actresses chose. The older Natrah spoke in Bahasa Indonesia, whereas Maya’s Natrah spoke Bahasa Malaysia. It’s no major issue, but I wonder where the Indonesian accent would have come from if she had lived her next 40 or 50 years in Holland and never had one (the accent) as a child.
Umie was flawless in her portrayal of Aminah. She looked the part, and I could see the natural mother in her come through in many well-played scenes. She had me in tears in the scene where Natrah is forcefully taken away from her mother. Puteh’s last words were “Puteh tunggu Mak” or something to that effect, very heartbreaking.

In the following scene, mother and daughter are united at the Convent Natrah is being kept in. I expected a real emotional, joyous moment of reunion to follow, after that painful separation. I know I would have been all over my daughter, not allowing her out of my sight throughout the time I was with her. It would have been a wonderful opportunity to affirm the mother-daughter bond between them. Instead, her friemd Mak Wok joins her, with her son Mansor Adabi, who is introduced to Natrah at this point. Minah and Mak Wok leave the couple to “get to know one another”, and they have a little eyelash fluttering moment. I, as the audience, am left feeling Aminah didn’t really need to go through all that drama in the previous scene, she looked quite unaffected by events by the time they did get reunited.

Anyway, Mansor later marries 13-year old Natrah. I’m looking at the pair on their “wedding” night, and Mansor tells Natrah, “I have made a promise to your mother that I will not touch you till you til you are old enough to properly be my wife” but the body language of the actors were telling me SUMTHIN ELSE, honayh! It took the purity out of the relationship in a sense for me. And Mansor Adabi was depicted like any other lustful man, maybe able to hold his naughty thoughts one, twice… but who knows what might just happen when the devil comes a-knocking a third time? Hee hee..
One of the more powerful scenes for me was when Erma had the 3 women in their solo spots, and we get into their heads and hearts and hear their anguish and their individual suffering. I felt for Samantha as Adeline, the Dutch mother who has lost the daughter she gave birth to. I must say this was the most fair depiction of the Natrah tale I’d heard so far.

The bummer for me came at the end of this scene, when Mansor Adabi breaks into a song, and Maya’s Natrah is joined by an ensemble of dancers and she breaks into modern ballet movements. Another beautiful moment crushed for me.

Erma is known for being very bold and brave in all her work, and I must say her portrayal of churches, crucifixes and Malays playing nuns and vicars is ground-breaking enough for our very kolot industry and the censorship board boys. Way to go Erma! 10 years ago, Hani Mohsin playing a soldier in disguise as a Buddhist monk kicked up such a ruckus.

On the whole, I wish the drama could have been based on human issues rather than as in the case of Aminah crying out to Adeline, “I cannot have Natrah taken away from me because she is now a Muslim, who will teach her to pray, to fast?” Adeline was sensible enough not to have told yelled back, “that’s YOUR problem, really!” Because in this version of the story, it DID appear that Aminah was wrong for not returning Natrah to her lawful natural parents, whatever their religion was. I wished there could have been a heart-to-heart talk between the two mothers. Adeline obviously had trusted Aminah once to take care of Natrah, they must have had a special enough relationship there, and now that it had come to this, I would imagine Adeline trying to appeal to the person inside Aminah to understand her plight.

OK said too much already. All in, I’m glad I got the chance to watch Natrah, and I think Erma needs a huge pat on the back for pulling this off. A lot of people seem to have really enjoyed it too, and if this is anyone’s first taste of theatre, Erma has done her bit to contribute to the growing pool of theatre-goers we so badly need.

Beauty Secrets?

2009-12-09T14:48:00.002+08:00

An interview I just shared with the SUN today:

1) What is ONE beauty secret you can share with my readers?
Whats very attractive besides physical beauty is ENERGY, I think that's important because it's much more interesting and engaging to talk to an energetic, passionate person rather than a pretty face who doesn't seem to get very much out of life. I load myself up on supplements and anything that keeps my immune system and energy levels up.

2) How do you maintain your figure? Tell us your diet programme?
Every now and then when I know I need to look good, I go on a special diet programme called Health Pointe, similar to the Atkins and South Beach diet in some ways. It seems to work for me. I also eat very carefully, choosing high protein,low fat meals like Sashimi or grilleded fish over Nasi Campur or Char Kueh Teow.

3) Is there any traditional beauty method such as Jamu or even mandi bunga that you used.
I believe in Jamu, it's an Indonesian secret of youth and beauty that I know works, my mother was brought up on it and tried to get me into it to. It's an alternative to modern health supplements in a way. As for Mandi Bunga, it could be more of a psychological well-being method than anything else I think...if you feel like a Kraton Princess inside, you might tend to behave more like one, perhaps? Ha Ha.

4) Did your mom share any of her beauty secrets with you and you still used them with you?
Oh yes...Besides the Jamu, a glass of water first thing upon rising. I drink a whole bottle actually.

5) How do you define beauty ?
For me, beauty is an energy, a presence, a charisma, that comes from a good place inside a person. Good looks are a plus but nowadays beauty can even be manufactured so what's the big deal.

6) do you think it is important to have positive thoughts about life to maintain your beauty?
I always say, look at a person when the cameras are not on him or her, that's when you see the real person. You can't fake these things. Whether a person has positive or negative energy or thoughts inside him, it will always shine through.

Return of the Princess - PGL makes another return by Return of the Princess PGL makes another comeback by Nur Aqidah Azizi

2009-12-06T21:16:00.002+08:00

Return of the Princess

PGL makes another comeback

Nur Aqidah Azizi

Thursday, November 26th, 2009 09:44:00

WELL, there's more than one way to skin a cat. This is especially true in Puteri Gunung Ledang’s (PGL) case.

Since it was first brought to modern silver screen some five years ago, PGL has been through more than one transformation.

After hitting the cinemas, the big budget movie, which was produced by Enfiniti Production Sdn Bhd (EPSB) was then brought to the stage — Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical — which ran successfully for three seasons.

So what's next for PGL? Will the fans see more facets of its being soon?

The answer is yes, with the help of Astro Citra and Astro Prima. PGL is set to be a four-part miniseries on Astro Citra’s Suatu Ketika... slot, which will premiere on Dec 2 at 9pm.

What makes this project interesting is the fact that never-before seen footages will be included in the mini series, making a director's cut of sorts. Some of them include the fighting scenes between Hang Tuah and Adipati, Tun Teja flashbacks on her romantic link with Hang Tuah as well as Hang Tuah's fighting scene with Hang Jebat.

"There is also a Kraton dance scene which has been added with special effects. However, that wasn’t included in the film and I remember that I was so sad and frustrated when the scene was cut. Now that it will finally make its way to the film in this project, I hope fans will enjoy watching it as much as the rest of us did," said PGL producer Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina.

Astro Citra general manager, Sharlyza Alis Sharkawi said, the new look of PGL in the miniseries is definitely
something to look out for.

"It will be the original PGL movie, only how the director intended it to be. Fans must not miss this as a lot of interesting scenes will be unveiled for the first time on Astro Citra," she said.

"This is an opportunity for fans who enjoyed the movie the first time around, and for those who haven’t seen the movie yet. I believe it will be a truly unique experience."

The Suatu Ketika... slot, which is a joint campaign by Astro Citra and Astro Prima, features the fictionalised
and documentary versions of the story premiering on both channels respectively.

"For PGL, we will be screening the movie on Astro Citra, while the documentary on PGL, done by Astro's team, will be screend at Astro Prima. So, fans will be able to watch both versions of the same title through our slot," said Sharlyza at the Press conference, which was held at Rainforest Borneo Restaurant recently.

When asked, Tiara said the whole production team of PGL are honoured with the opportunity. "This project is so instrumental to me and the whole production team involved. A lot of blood, sweat and love were put into the movie. We braved the heavy rain and the storm to ensure the success of the project.

"Looking back, at times we felt that it was an impossible feat, but each and every one of us involved made it possible, somehow," said Tiara, who broke into tears as she shared her experience working on the movie.

"Time flies so fast and I can hardly believe that it has been five years since we first unveiled PGL. We have never really celebrated our success and I think it’s a great time to celebrate, in conjunction with our fifth
anniversary," she added.

"It's always a nice feeling to watch the movie again. It brings back a lot of memories. It also reminds us that
we Malaysians are capable of doing anything. There's nothing that we can't do, as long as we have the spirit
and determination to achieve it."

PGL also attracted foreign distributors who have shown interests to distribute and screen the movie at their
respective countries.

"So far, we have sold the rights to 13 countries, including Europe, Singapore, Brunei, China and Thailand,
among others. They have asked us for more films, but unfortunately, PGL is the only movie we have," said
Tiara, laughing.

For the record, PGL has secured several awards under its belt, including Best Actress (Tiara Jacquelina) at the 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival and Best Producer at the inaugural Asian Festival of Films 2005.

PGL was also the first Malaysian film to be shortlisted in the nominations for consideration in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 77th Academy Awards.

Puteri Gunung Ledang masuk TV Oleh Zaidi Mohamad

2009-12-06T21:14:00.000+08:00

Puteri Gunung Ledang masuk TV

Oleh Zaidi Mohamad
zaidim@bharian.com.my

DARI kiri; Hairul, Sharlyza, Tiara dan Naufal hadir pada sidang media di Borneo Rainforest Sunway, baru-baru ini.

Drama empat episod mengisi slot Suatu Ketika di Astro Citra mulai 2 Disember

HAYAT dan legasi filem kebanggaan Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina, Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) nampaknya akan terus mekar dalam ingatan penggemar karya ini. Bermula dengan cetusan menghasilkan filem terbabit menerusi sentuhan Saw Teong Hin, ia seterusnya diterjemahkan ke medium teater pada Februari 2006.

Tahun ini, berita baik sekali lagi dihebahkan apabila filem yang banyak meraih anugerah tempatan dan asing itu diformatkan ke bentuk drama sebanyak empat episod. Berdurasi selama sejam setiap satu episod, drama PGL ini mengisi slot Suatu Ketika di Astro Citra (saluran 131) mulai 2 Disember ini.

Menurut Tiara, istimewanya versi drama ini, penonton berpeluang untuk menyaksikan lima babak menarik yang sudah dipotong dan tidak dimuatkan ketika versi filem ditayangkan. Antara babak yang dimaksudkan termasuklah adegan tarian Kraton yang menyelit kesan khas dan unsur magis.

“Daripada membiarkan babak ini terbuang begitu saja, lalu peluang yang ditawarkan Astro Citra ini wajar diterima. Setidak-tidaknya penonton disajikan dengan sisi lain yang tidak ada dalam filem. Cara begini secara tidak langsung tidak akan ‘memupuskan’ karya PGL itu.

“Kewujudan versi drama ini juga mula menyingkap kembali kenangan dan momen indah serta nilai sentimental yang dikaut sewaktu penghasilan filem ini. Malah ia seiring dengan ulang tahun sambutan PGL yang kelima pada tahun ini.

“Filem ini terhasil dengan penuh kasih sayang dan dedikasi setiap orang penting yang terbabit daripada setiap sudut. Drama ini tiada beza seperti format filem yang dipecahkan menjadi empat episod. Selain empat episod, turut dimuatkan satu episod khas di sebalik pembikinan PGL,” kata Tiara yang ditemui di Borneo Rainforest Restaurant, Sunway Piramid minggu lalu.

Ditanya lagi kepada Pelakon Wanita Terbaik Festival Filem Asia Pasifik ke-50, apa yang dapat ditawarkan pihaknya untuk memastikan PGL terus terpahat dalam ingatan, Tiara memintas sambil berseloroh mengatakan kepada Hip barangkali PGL boleh dipentaskan di atas ais pula.

“Ketika ini pun buku kanak-kanak PGL dijual dan diedarkan di kedai buku MPH. Malah paling membanggakan kami, ia turut digunakan di sekolah antarabangsa sebagai bahan sokongan dan teks rujukan terutama yang membabitkan sejarah kota Melaka.

“Saya dan Datuk Zahim Al Bakri turut diundang untuk melakonkan karakter PGL di sekolah terbabit. Ia sekali gus menjadi landasan terbaik buat kami untuk terus mempromosikan PGL selagi termampu dan terus bernyawa. Siapa tahu mungkin suatu hari nanti, PGL akan tampil dalam versi animasi atau tiga dimensi pula,” katanya teruja sambil memberitahu tidak sabar menunggu babak membabitkan Hang Tuah lakonan M Nasir dan Hang Tuah (Shaharuddin Thamby) serta adegan tarian Kraton.

Tiara turut menjelaskan dengan semangat Malaysia Boleh yang kita miliki, tidak mustahil sesuatu perkara itu mampu dilakukan. PGL bukti betapa hebat karya tempatan hingga mampu menjadi filem pertama dari Malaysia yang disenarai pendek dalam pencalonan Anugerah Academy ke-77 bagi kategori Filem Bahasa Asing Terbaik.

“Dulu kita barangkali tidak bermimpi untuk merasai nikmat keseronokan dan keterujaan tercalon dalam anugerah berprestij seperti Anugerah Academy. Tapi kini ia setidak-tidaknya menjadi kenyataan yakni sebagai impak dan permulaan terbaik membuka pintu untuk menjejakkan kaki ke luar negara.

“Filem ini turut dijual dan ditayangkan di 13 buah negara luar seperti Eropah, China, Thailand dan Singapura. Cuma selepas ini orang luar sering tertanya-tanya apa lagi produk tempatan untuk dipersembahkan ke luar negara yang boleh terus dibanggakan kita selepas PGL,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Pengurus Saluran Astro Citra, Sharlyza Alis Sharkawi memberitahu perbincangan membabitkan pihaknya dan Enfiniti Productions diadakan tidak kurang dari sebulan. Ia akhirnya membuahkan kata sepakat untuk mempersembahkan PGL dalam versi drama.

“Bersesuaian dengan slot Suatu Ketika ini yang menampilkan cereka epik dan lagenda, lalu kami tidak mahu ketinggalan mengabadikan PGL sebagai buah tangan keenam mengisi slot ini. Selain drama, Astro Prima turut memaparkan dokumentari berkaitan PGL mulai 27 Disember.

“Astro Citra akan terus berusaha memaparkan drama sedemikian kepada penonton dalam usaha memberi variasi. Kejayaan drama Rosly Dhoby yang turut dimuat dalam slot yang sama sebagai Dokumentari Terbaik di Festival Dokumentari Malaysia baru-baru ini terus membakar semangat.

“Mungkin tahun depan, siapa tahu drama PGL pula akan tercalon dalam kategori tertentu. Ketika ini juga kami begitu teruja menanti keputusan drama Warkah Terakhir yang tercalon untuk kategori Siri Drama Terbaik di dalam Anugerah Televisyen Asia ke-14 pada 3 Disember ini. Drama Rosly Dhoby turut tercalon,” kata Sharlyza.

Turut hadir pada sidang media itu ialah pembantu pengarah PGL, Hairul Salleh Askor dan adik Mohd Naufal Nasrullah yang melakonkan watak Raja Ahmad, anak kepada Sultan Melaka.

INFO: Drama PGL

Suatu Ketika... Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) disiarkan mulai 2 Disember ini bermula jam 9 malam, setiap Rabu dan sebanyak empat episod di Astro Citra.

Dokumentari PGL disiarkan pada 27 Disember jam 6 petang menerusi saluran Astro Prima (105).

Filem Puteri Gunung Ledang tanpa disunting Oleh Sakini Mohd Said

2009-12-06T21:07:00.003+08:00

Oleh Sakini Mohd Said
sakini@hmetro.com.my

Rap

ASTRO meneruskan lagi inisiatif dan komitmennya dalam memberi pengetahuan sejarah di kalangan rakyat Malaysia dengan mempersembahkan sebuah lagi dokumentari hebat menerusi platform Suatu Ketika yang berjudul Suatu Ketika...Puteri Gunung Ledang pada Disember ini.

Menariknya, cerita dongeng rakyat ini yang pada awalnya difilemkan dan dipentaskan sebagai sebuah drama muzikal, kini disiarkan dalam siri pendek empat bahagian. Justeru, bagi mereka yang tidak sempat atau ketinggalan menyaksikan filem epik tempatan itu, tentu tidak mahu melepaskan peluang menyaksikannya di Astro Citra.

Suatu Ketika...Puteri Gunung Ledang adalah siri mini yang disiarkan sebanyak empat episod yang dijayakan oleh Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina, M Nasir dan Adlin Aman Ramlie. Melalui slot Suatu Ketika ini juga, Astro Citra dan Astro Prima turut bekerjasama menyajikan pelbagai kisah legenda dalam dua versi iaitu fiksyen dan dokumentari. Bagi versi fiksyen, ia akan disiarkan melalui Astro Citra dan versi dokumentari pula akan disiarkan menerusi Astro Prima.

Memberi kelainan, Astro Citra bukan sekadar memaparkan kembali filem epik itu, tetapi turut memuatkan babak filem yang belum pernah dilihat sebelum ini bagi menambahkan lagi kefahaman fakta dan fiksyen sejarah mengenai cerita legenda hebat ini. Menjadi persoalan, mengapa adegan itu dipotong dan tidak ditayangkan sebelum ini?

Menurut Pengarah Urusan Enfiniti Productions Sdn Bhd, Tiara, ada beberapa babak dalam filem itu terpaksa dipotong kerana melebihi masa tayangan yang ditetapkan.

"Selepas ditawarkan oleh pihak Astro untuk menyiarkan filem Puteri Gunung Ledang menerusi empat siri pendek di slot Citra, saya terus bersetuju. Bagi saya, apa salahnya mengambil peluang itu kerana yakin masih ramai lagi yang ingin menonton filem itu tetapi tidak berkesempatan.

"Lagipun, ia sebuah karya hebat hasil sentuhan semua tenaga produksi termasuk pengarahnya, Saw Teong Hin. Sayang, kalau ia dibiarkan begitu saja kerana Puteri Gunung Ledang adalah filem pertama Malaysia yang disenarai singkat dalam pencalonan Anugerah Akademi Ke-77 untuk kategori Filem Bangsa Asing Terbaik.

"Malah, ia mencatat sejarah apabila ditayangkan dengan kutipan hujung minggu paling tinggi mencecah RM314,000 pada Ogos, 2004. Selain persada tempatan, filem epik ini juga berjaya dijual dan ditayangkan di 13 buah negara termasuklah Eropah, China dan Thailand.

"Saya akui agak kecewa apabila beberapa adegan dalam filem itu tidak dapat ditayangkan kerana melebihi masa ditetapkan. Disebabkan itu, apabila mendapat peluang ini saya gembira kerana usaha kami bertungkus-lumus menyiapkan Puteri Gunung Ledang, akhirnya dapat dipertontonkan keseluruhan cerita.

"Antara adegan yang belum pernah dilihat sebelum ini ialah babak Hang Tuah bermimpi bersemuka dengan Hang Jebat, Tun Mamat mengamuk apabila mendapat tahu mengenai perlantikan Hang Tuah sebagai ketua rombongan dan ketika Hang Tuah membawa lari Tun Teja atas perintah Sultan.

"Selain dari itu, ada satu babak (tarian) yang amat menarik kerana diselitkan elemen 'magic' dan penggunaan kesan khas yang membuatkan penonton lebih teruja untuk mengetahui kesudahan cerita," katanya selepas sidang media projek Suatu Ketika...Puteri Gunung Ledang (Astro Citra) di Borneo Rainforest Restaurant, Bandar Sunway, baru-baru ini. Turut hadir di majlis itu ialah salah seorang penolong pengarah filem Puteri Gunung Ledang, Hairul Salleh Askor dan pelakon yang menjayakan watak Raja Ahmad, Muhammad Naufal Nasrullah Hamdan.

Sementara itu, Pengurus Saluran Astro Citra, Sharlyza Alis Sharkawi berkata, pemilihan filem Puteri Gunung Ledang untuk disiarkan menerusi slot Citra, adalah terbaik dan sesuai dengan objektif mereka untuk memberi pengetahuan selain menghiburkan.

"Sejak dilancarkan pada Jun lalu, sambutan yang diterima terhadap program Suatu Ketika... menerusi versi cereka dan dokumentari, amat memberangsangkan. Kami juga berjaya memenangi anugerah Dokumentari Akademik Terbaik dalam Festival Dokumentari Malaysia yang diadakan baru-baru ini menerusi Suatu Ketika...Rosli Dhoby.

"Justeru, apabila melihat filem Puteri Gunung Ledang sudah ada, terfikir mengapa tidak kami bergabung tenaga untuk menyiarkannya kembali kepada penonton setia program Suatu Ketika...? Malah, kami gembira apabila Astro Citra adalah yang pertama menyiarkan keaslian filem Puteri Gunung Ledang yang sebelum ini sudah dipotong beberapa babak.

"Bagi proses penerbitan dokumentari, pihak yang terbabit bukan Enfiniti, tetapi kami sendiri. Di sebabkan itu, ia lambat disiarkan kerana ada beberapa perkara yang belum disiapkan lagi," katanya.

Suatu Ketika...Puteri Gunung Ledang akan disiarkan Selasa ini, 2 Disember jam 9.30 malam di Astro Citra (saluran 131). Dokumentari yang akan menyingkap sejarah dan legenda Kesultanan Melaka serta kerajaan Majapahit akan menemui penonton pada 27 Disember ini jam 6 petang, di Astro Prima.

Hebatkah PGL versi drama? Oleh JESSABELL SOO

2009-12-06T21:04:00.000+08:00

Hebatkah PGL versi drama?

Oleh JESSABELL SOO
jessabell@kosmo.com.my

APABILA filem Puteri Gunung Ledang muncul dalam versi drama setelah berjaya dalam siri teater muzikalnya sebelum ini, ia sesuatu yang cukup membanggakan Tiara selaku teraju utama.

ANDA sudah menonton filem dan teater muzikalnya. Kini, peminat Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) akan berpeluang menyaksikan pula versi dramanya di saluran Astro Citra bermula hari ini.

Menjadi filem bajet termahal dalam sejarah perfileman Malaysia dengan menelan perbelanjaan RM20 juta, PGL yang pernah menerima pelbagai pengiktirafan di luar dan dalam negara buat pertama kali akan dipertontonkan di kaca TV.

Dibahagikan kepada empat episod dengan satu episod khas di sebalik tabir, cerita legenda kegemaran ramai itu akan disunting semula dan dimasukkan dengan lima babak baru yang sebelum ini telah dikeluarkan oleh pengarah dari dalam filem.

ANTARA babak menarik filem Puteri Gunung Ledang membabitkan Tiara dan Christine Hakim (belakang) yang berjaya menjentik emosi penonton.

Maka, bagi mereka yang pernah menonton filemnya yang menceritakan kisah cinta antara Gusti Putri Retno Dumilah dan Hang Tuah, anda pastinya tidak mahu melepaskan peluang untuk menyaksikan kelima-lima babak itu.

"Drama ini akan mengembalikan banyak memori kepada penonton terutama mereka yang pernah menyaksikan filemnya lima tahun lalu. Tapi apa yang penting, anda akan menyaksikan lima babak yang tidak pernah ditonton dalam filemnya sebelum itu.

"Ia juga satu peluang baik bagi mereka yang tidak pernah menonton filemnya. Sebenarnya ramai orang pernah bertanya mengenai babak-babak yang tidak pernah ditayangkan itu. Ini adalah masa terbaik untuk ditayangkan kepada semua di TV," kata Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina pada sidang media mengumumkan drama itu.

TIARA (dua dari kanan) bersama mereka di tabir PGL versi drama.

Antara babak yang tidak pernah dilihat adalah Hang Tuah bermimpi bersemuka dengan Hang Jebat dan Tun Mamat mengamuk apabila mendapat tahu tentang pelantikan Hang Tuah sebagai ketua rombongan untuk mengalu-alukan ketibaan puteri.

"Saya sendiri tidak sabar untuk melihat kelima-lima babak itu. Ada satu babak tarian yang menggunakan kesan khas. Ia memberikan sedikit sentuhan magis tetapi babak itu terpaksa dibuang kerana tidak konsisten dengan babak lain. Jadi saya agak sedih ketika itu apabila penonton tidak dapat melihatnya," tambah Tiara.

Menjadi judul drama keenam untuk kempen Suatu Ketika... di Astro Citra, ada sebabnya mengapa PGL dipilih untuk menyertai kempen yang dilancarkan sejak Jun lalu. "Kempen itu memang bertujuan untuk menayangkan cerita-cerita bersejarah seperti PGL. Kami mahu menambahkan kefahaman, fakta dan fiksyen cerita itu kepada penonton," kata Pengurus Saluran Astro Citra, Sharlyza Alis.

JIWA dan semangat Puteri Gunung Ledang sebati dalam diri wanita jelita ini.

Bersiaran selama satu jam untuk setiap episod, proses suntingan keempat-empat episod hanya mengambil masa tidak lebih daripada sebulan. Namun, ia bukan satu tugas yang mudah memandangkan versi filemnya sudah diadun dengan bunyi.

"Bukan senang untuk menyunting kepada empat episod kerana filemnya sudah diadun dengan bunyi. Tapi apa yang menarik, penambahan babak-babak itu akan melahirkan jalan cerita yang sedikit berbeza daripada filemnya. Ia akan memberikan lebih banyak subcerita seperti kehadiran Tun Teja," tambah Tiara yang memegang watak utama dalam PGL.

Selain daripada empat episod itu, satu episod di sebalik tabir akan ditayangkan kepada penonton. Bukan itu sahaja, dokumentari khas PGL yang menyingkap sejarah serta legenda kesultanan Melaka dan kerajaan Majapahit akan disiarkan menerusi saluran Astro Prima pada 27 Disember, pukul 6 petang.

"Saya berbangga dengan legenda PGL yang masih diteruskan. Cerita PGL sudahpun diterbitkan dalam buku yang digunakan oleh pelajar di sekolah antarabangsa untuk mereka mempelajari sejarah Melaka. Saya juga berharap PGL suatu hari nanti akan dilihat menerusi versi animasi," senyum Tiara mengenai filem yang sudah dijual di 13 buah negara luar.

Jadi bagi mereka yang meminati PGL atau yang tidak sempat menonton filemnya, jangan melepaskan peluang untuk menyaksikan Suatu Ketika...Puteri Gunung Ledang pada setiap Rabu, pukul 9 malam di saluran Astro Citra (Astro 131).

"2010 tahun sibuk buat Tiara" by Shazryn Faizal

2009-12-06T21:00:00.000+08:00

ARKIB : 02/12/2009

2010 tahun sibuk buat Tiara

Oleh SHAZRYN MOHD. FAIZAL
shazryn.faizal@utusan.com.my

TIARA Jacquelina masih lagi menyimpan hasrat untuk menerbitkan filem selepas Puteri Gunung Ledang.

HANYA tinggal beberapa minggu sahaja lagi tahun 2010 akan membuka tirainya tetapi Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina sudah mempunyai banyak perancangan sepanjang tahun depan.

Mengenali wanita berhati waja ini, beliau sememangnya tidak betah duduk diam. Ada sahaja rancangannya yang dilakukan secara diam.

Agenda utama yang sudah tercatat dalam diari seninya adalah The Enfiniti Academy yang bakal memulakan sesi pertamanya menjelang pertengahan tahun depan.

Mungkin terlalu awal jika hendak dibincangkan tetapi jika dihitung, ia hanya tinggal enam bulan sahaja lagi sebelum ia akan direalisasikan.

Disebabkan itu, jadual seni Tiara sentiasa padat demi memastikan institusi yang ditubuhkan hasil cetusan ideanya itu akan berjalan dengan lancar seperti mana yang dirancangkan.

Jelas Tiara, penubuhan The Enfiniti Academy sudah lama dirancangnya iaitu sebelum dia terlibat dengan Akademi Fantasia musim ketujuh (AF7).

Kebetulan ketika itu, tawaran menjadi pengetua AF7 hadir dulu membuatkan Tiara menangguhkan seketika perancangan tersebut.

Memang besar sungguh harapan dan impian Tiara yang mahu terus memelihara dan memartabatkan seni persembahan di negara ini menerusi penubuhan The Enfiniti Academy.

"Ini memang impian saya sejak dari dulu lagi dan saya sendiri tidak menyangka selepas sekian lama merancang, akhirnya ia bakal menjadi kenyataan tahun depan.

"Buat masa ini, perbincangan di peringkat akhir sedang dilakukan oleh beberapa buah universiti di Australia untuk mereka menilai sukatan pelajaran untuk akademi saya ini.

"Apa yang saya harapkan daripada akademi ini adalah ia mampu melahirkan anak seni yang berbakat dari pelbagai cabang seni dalam memenuhi kekosongan artis berbakat di negara ini," katanya dalam nada bersungguh.

Beliau ditemui pada majlis pelancaran siri mini Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) untuk slot Suatu Ketika terbitan Astro Citra di restorannya, Borneo Rainforest, Sunway Pyramid, Petaling Jaya, Selangor baru-baru ini.

Turut hadir Pengurus Saluran Astro Citra, Sharlyza Alis Sharkawi.

Apa yang pasti, Tiara juga memberitahu, Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Datuk Zahim Al-Bakri dan berkemungkinan besar, Pat Ibrahim akan menjadi tenaga pengajar untuk akademi tersebut.

Selain daripada mereka, tenaga pengajar The Enfiniti Academy juga akan dikendalikan oleh mereka yang cukup berpengalaman dalam bidang seni persembahan dari Australia dan Singapura.

Bakal beroperasi di sebuah lot perniagaan setinggi empat setengah tingkat yang terletak di The Strand, Kota Damansara, untuk pengambilan pertama, Tiara menjelaskan, dia hanya akan mengambil 20 orang pelajar sahaja.

"Sebagai permulaan, biarlah bilangan pelajarnya sedikit agar tenaga pengajar mudah memberikan tumpuan dan fokus kepada pelajar.

"Jika ada rezeki dan akademi ini mendapat sambutan hangat serta permintaan ramai, Insya Allah, kami akan menambahkan lagi pengambilan pelajar," ujar Tiara tentang akademi yang menawarkan pengkhususan di dalam bidang Diploma Muzikal Teater selama dua tahun itu lagi.

Melihatkan perancangan terhadap akademi pertamanya itu, sudah pasti ia akan membabitkan pelaburan yang besar sekali gus menawarkan yuran yang bukan murah harganya.

Sambil tersenyum menampakkan barisan gigi putihnya itu, apa yang dilakukannya adalah semata-mata untuk menghasilkan pelajar yang berkualiti sebaik sahaja tamat pengajian selama dua tahun.

Di lokasi yang sama, Tiara turut memberitahu, dia akan membuka cawangan kedua Borneo Rainforest sama waktu dengan pembukaan akademi itu nanti.

Bukan sekadar mahu menumpukan perhatian kepada akademinya sahaja, tetapi Tiara juga akan kembali bergiat aktif sebagai penerbit drama televisyen.

Mungkin ramai yang terlupa, Tiara memiliki sebuah syarikat produksi 10 On 10 Pictures yang ditubuhkannya bersama Allahyarham Hani Mohsin Hanafi.

Menerusi syarikatnya itu, mereka pernah menerbitkan drama-drama yang cukup berkualiti dan menjadi ikutan ramai terutama Spanar Jaya.

Jelas Tiara, tahun 2010 juga akan menyaksikan kemunculan semula Spanar Jaya dengan diberi nafas baru dan masih mengekalkan pelakon lama serta baru selain drama-drama baru.

Enggan mendedahkan siapakah pelakon lama dan baru yang akan menerajui sitkom kegemaran ramai itu, Tiara hanya mampu mengatakan ia akan memberikan kepuasan kepada peminat setia rancangan itu selain mengumpul peminat baru.

Spanar Jaya yang pernah ditayangkan di saluran ntv7 satu ketika dulu menampilkan pelakon-pelakon hebat seperti Zaibo, Wardina, Ahmad Idham, Opie Zami, mendiang Rambo Chin, Ramasundram, Radhi Khalid, Bob Azrai dan ramai lagi.

Selain itu juga, Tiara dengan penuh teruja memberitahu, rancangan Kit Kat Club Show akan diwujudkan kembali tetapi bukan di televisyen seperti mana yang pernah ditayangkan satu ketika dulu.

Sebaliknya, kali ini ia akan dipersembahkan di pentas-pentas kecil dengan persembahan ala-ala kabaret.

"Apa yang pasti, bukan saya yang akan menerajui rancangan itu tetapi orang lain. Cukuplah saya hanya sekadar memerhati dari belakang tabir sahaja," katanya sambil ketawa dan memberitahu Kit Kat Club Show akan dikendalikan oleh sebuah lagi syarikatnya, Kit Kat Club Events.

Cuma kata Tiara, dia hanya akan terlibat dalam persembahan kecil yang diberi nama Mini Jukebox Musical bersama-sama Stephen Rahman, Zahim dan barisan pelakon lain yang pernah membintangi Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical (PGLM) dan P. Ramlee the Musical (PRM).

Bukan untuk sebuah persembahan berskala besar, tetapi kata Tiara, persembahan ini adalah untuk memenuhi permintaan syarikat korporat dan persembahan makan malam.

Dikendalikan oleh Kit Kat Club Entertainment, persembahan ini akan menampilkan lagu-lagu popular teater muzikal antarabangsa serta PGLM dan PRM.

Mungkin ramai yang tidak tahu, Tiara menerusi syarikatnya Enfiniti Productions dengan kerjasama Astro Entertainment kini menguruskan kerjaya seni juara, naib juara dan pemenang tempat ketiga AF7 iaitu Hafiz, Aril dan Akim sejak 17 September lalu.

Kerjasama yang pertama kali diadakan itu akan menentukan hala tuju serta merancang dan merencana seni ketiga-tiga artis tersebut di dalam industri.

Malah, ia juga melibatkan penjenamaan, pemasaran serta pelan kerjaya mereka untuk dua hingga tiga tahun akan datang.

Ia termasuklah teknik tarian, seni persembahan pentas, lakonan, tata gaya, vokal serta perancangan album, teater, filem dan banyak lagi yang mampu mengukuhkan lagi kedudukan mereka.

Bukan sekadar dalam bidang seni sahaja, Tiara juga menjelaskan, Hafiz, Aril dan Akim juga didedahkan dengan selok-belok dunia perniagaan terutama aspek pengurusan.

"Saya mahu mereka belajar dan tahu sendiri bahawa bisnes seni ini bukanlah satu perkara yang mudah dan apa yang saya harapkan agar mereka dapat buka mata serta minda bahawa betapa pentingnya perancangan dalam setiap gerak geri kita.

"Selepas dua bulan, saya berpuas hati dengan prestasi mereka dan bukan berpuas hati sepenuhnya kerana mereka mempunyai masa yang lama dan panjang untuk mengekalkan kedudukan mereka," kata Pelakon Wanita Terbaik Festival Filem Asia Pasifik Ke-50 menerusi filem PGL ini penuh optimis saat membicarakan tentang karier Hafiz, Aril dan Akim.

Menyentuh tentang PGL yang dijadikan siri mini untuk slot Suatu Ketika di Astro Citra itu, Tiara merasakan sudah tiba masanya untuk dia mengembalikan semula magis filem termahal itu ke layar kaca.

Apatah lagi, filem epik yang sudah jauh berkelana itu juga menyambut ulang tahun kelimanya tahun ini sejak mula ditayangkan di pawagam pada tahun 2004.

Ditayangkan bermula hari ini (2 Disember), ia dibahagikan kepada empat bahagian setiap minggu dan menariknya, filem arahan Saw Teong Hin itu turut menyelitkan lebih kurang lima adegan yang belum pernah ditayangkan di mana-mana sebelum ini termasuk filemnya.

Ini termasuklah adegan sewaktu Tun Teja (lakonan Sofia Jane) dilarikan Hang Tuah (M. Nasir) serta pertemuan dramatik antara Hang Tuah dan Hang Jebat (Shaharudin Thamby).

"Apabila Astro Citra datang kepada saya mengusulkan perkara ini, saya fikir apa salahnya untuk saya menayangkan kembali PGL kepada masyarakat. Kata orang untuk menyegarkan ingatan.

"Untuk itu, kami menggunakan khidmat penyunting filem asal PGL iaitu Kate James untuk memasukkan adegan-adegan ini ke dalam filem asal sebelum disunting dan dibahagikan kepada empat siri," katanya yang pernah dinobatkan sebagai Pelakon Wanita Terbaik Festival Filem Malaysia Ke-12 menerusi filem Ringgit Kasorrga ini lagi.

Tiara juga memuji memuji usaha Astro yang menyediakan platform untuk karyawan seni tempatan menonjolkan kreativiti masing-masing menerusi slot Suatu Ketika.

Malah, dia juga memasang impian untuk menerbitkan satu siri mini untuk slot berkenaan seandainya diberi peluang oleh pihak Astro.

Jauh di sudut hati Tiara, selepas lima tahun mengabadikan diri dengan PGL, dia tetap mahu menerbitkan sebuah filem dari genre epik.

TJ's FACP Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts

2009-11-07T17:46:00.004+08:00

22 April 2009

DATIN SERI TIARA JAQUELINA

Dear Datin,

Re : Confirmation of the FACP Malaysia Award in Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur on 6 Nov. 2009

I am very pleased to inform you that you have been nominated to be the winner of the the FACP Malaysia Outstanding Contribution to the Arts.

I am writing to you on behalf of The Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion (FACP) with regard to this year’s annual conference which will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 5th to 8th November, 2009.

FACP was founded 30 years ago for the promotion of the arts and culture. For the past 26 years it has been holding a conference each year, which has proved to be a valuable platform for impresarios, artistes, promoters and all those in the performing arts to network in furtherance of their mutual interests and benefits.

The annual conferences were held in Asian cities until 1996 when it was held in Melbourne, the first time outside Asia. Since then the conference has attracted interest not only from Asian countries and Australia but also from Europe, America and Canada, resulting in its development into a popular international forum for the arts and culture.

Malaysia is honoured to be hosting this year’s conference and in order to make this as impressive as previous conferences held in other countries and befitting an event of international stature, we are organizing an Awards Night in honour of outstanding Malaysians who have contributed to the arts locally and internationally.

It is with great Honour and privilege that I am writing to you as one of the Governors of the Federation For Asian Cultural Promotion

( www.thefacp.org ). This organization was founded in 1979 with members initially from various cities in Asia but gradually has included members from Australia, Europe and the USA. Its main mission is to support and promote collaboration and networking among people involved in the performing arts, like impresarios and artistes for the purpose of encouraging the creation, management and presentation of the performing arts in an international context.

FACP is managed by a Board of Governors consisting of 25 members from various countries. The present Chairman is from Taipei. Presently, Malaysia is represented by 2 governors, myself and Pamela Ong, the President of the Penang Arts Council. In furtherance of its mission FACP holds an international conference each year in a different city. The conference which is open to the public usually features distinguished keynote speakers on major topics followed by dialog and discussions. At night there will be dinners and entertainment where members will have the chance to showcase their performances. The last conference (2008) was held in Joenju, Korea and the one before that, (2007) in Kaoshiung, Taiwan.

For this forthcoming conference the main social event is on Friday 6th November called “The Awards Night”. For this function, FACP Malaysia has agreed to present awards to 7 persons recommended by the host country in recognition of their role in the promotion of the arts . In this respect, we have recommended for the award of Life Time Achievement in Dance ’’ for Mr. RAMLI IBRAHIM, Patron of the ARTS AWARD to TAN SRI KONISHI, Outstanding young composer in Chinese Pop Music - Yi Jie Qi, Outstanding Cultural Promotion Award to the Hai-O Foundation , Mr. Tan Kai Hee , Outstanding Female Vocalist Award - Dato’ Hajjah Sheila Majid and you as the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to the Arts.

We have invited the PM, the Culture Minister, Dato Seri Rais Yatim to attend the function. We hope they will attend the Awards Night Dinner since some government cultural officials from other countries will be attending.

The Chinese Government has agreed to send their top artistes and also the Xin Jiang Song and Dance Troupe to perform during the FACP conference. We'd like to also showcase the talents of our Honorees such as the Sutra Dancers during the FACP conference to our distinguished delegates and members of the media especially on the 6 November , Awards Night, Dinner and show. A highlight performance of not more than 10 minutes would be ideal. But, this is NOT compulsory.

We are very happy to extend 2 complimentary seats to you and your loved ones. Should you require more seat at the Awards Night Dinner, we can provide at RM 200 per person inclusive of an 8 course Chinese Dinner. If you require any further information regarding FACP or the Award, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to receiving your favourable reply.

Thank you and My Heartiest Congratulations to you !

Yours Sincerely,

Kok Kee Boon

Chairman
Organising Committee

Governor for FACP

Outstanding Young Malaysian Award (Cultural Achievement)

www.thefacp.org

Liza Minelli, who inspired the birth of the Kit Kat Klub

2009-10-22T17:56:00.002+08:00

You cannot possibly know how I feel tonight. Not unless you, like me, know Liza Minelli, grew up watching her in films like “Cabaret” and memorized all her songs and moves.

I probably never got to talk about this in any interview, but the truth is, Liza was a living legend to me, as a kid growing up in a family of party performers, a kid dreaming of hitting the big lights someday. I knew songs like New York, New York, Hey Big Spender and Cabaret from singing along with my very vivacious aunts and uncles at our many Eu family gatherings. People in our family would get up and sing at the drop of a hat, nobody needed any coaxing or cajoling, in fact you could never tear Uncle Ralph or Auntie Cath away from the microphone, same thing goes for cousin Julie and Uncle Les. And all the Eu children and grandchildren grew up singing Goodnight Irene, Danny Boy, Autumn Leaves, Speedy Gonzales and every single Elvis song on the planet. My uncle Ralph WAS the Malaysian Elvis Presley, for goodness sakes.
Aaaaanyway. Fast forward to early 1990s when I was first struck by Minelli magic in a video of the film Cabaret. I was so mesmerized by Liza’s captivating energy and the way she would draw an audience in with her animatics and her emotion, I watched the film over and over again, maybe 100 times.

I fantasized about someday playing the role of Sally Bowles and performing wit the same kind of zest and confidence, commanding an audience, making them laugh and cry.
I called Pat Ibrahim one day, and told him I wanted to put on a show, a revue, like the show in the film Cabaret. I even named the show The Kit Kat Klub show, inspired by the name of the club the girls sang and danced at, in the film.
We got some of our best looking talent in our book Jacquie Eu Productions, showed them the video of Cabaret, and asked them who was game. Nasha Aziz, Maria Faridah, Sofia Jane, Shada Hamid, Aida Rahim, Yvonne Gabriel were amongst the first to sign on. Gruelling rehearsals followed, and the Kit Kat Klub Show was born.

The Kit Kat Klub Show was the most well-known stage act in KL, performing at annual dinners, the top clubs, product launches and we even landed a 6 month contract performing nightly at Copperfields’ at the Pan Pacific.

The Copperfields’ show was where the show evolved into more of a song, dance and comedy revue, with the inclusion of a stand-up comic/show host and a guest singer or 2, sometimes even a magician, besides the dancers who were also part of the comic skits.

That was our very first taste of stage management and stage production. It’s been a series of ups and downs along the way, getting conned sometimes by unscrupulous partners, not getting paid for performing, shady agents who disappear after an event, but we also made a name for ourselves on TV, being TV3’s favourite feature act for the Juara Lagu and Sinaran finals year after year.

Anyway. We’ve come a long way since then, and the journey has mostly been a fun and adventurous one. The point of this long story as to share with everyone, how IT ALL BEGAN WITH LIZA. That’s Liza with a Z, of course.

99 things you must do (before you get OLD!) - from my girlfriend Noren

2009-10-18T22:04:00.003+08:00

My girlfriend Norenshah Sahari sent me this on my Facebook. I think it's a wonderful thing to have to think about and find time to do. Makes life much more interesting and colorful.

I've finally found the time to go through the list and highlight the things I've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii and danced on a lava cliff with the roar of the Pacific below.
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain - Gunung Ledang!
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - Javanese Classical Dance
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill to avoid taking the kids to school
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb well, i fed one once
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse in a bucket of water when i was really small, also Halley's comet!
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run in softball and rounders, NOt baseball :(
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language I was halfway thru Italian before I forgot it
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied when I was working hardest for it, ironically
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year's Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous outside of Malaysia?
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Enfiniti welcomes our new GM Izan Satrina onboard!

2009-10-18T21:30:00.005+08:00

Hi all, it's been a while, I know. Life's been a roller-coaster for the past few months. Signed a joint management agreement with Astro to manage the top 3 winners of Akademi Fantasia 7 (Hafiz, Aril and Akim), gave a Townhall address to the Enfiniti Heads of Department after mapping out our next 2 year plans, gave a motivational talk at the National Women's Convention, yes, its been most eventful to say the least.

I guess it's true that when it rains it will pour. We had been waiting on several things to fall in place for a long time, and it's all falling into place at the same time, which is great, I'm not complaining. You just might not be hearing from me as often once things start moving too fast.

Best thing to happen for Enfiniti is our new General Manager, Izan Satrina, who joins us tomorrow. Izan joined Ten On Ten Pictures 12 years ago doing marketing for events and TV, went off to work in advertising, marketing, branding and tourism, and has come back to the group, 12 years richer in experience. Before joining Enfiniti, Izan was working for the Singapore Tourism Board.

Welcome aboard, Izan!

TO ENFINITI AND BEYOND by Joe Lee

2009-10-06T16:20:00.004+08:00

My fellow Hokkien Lang, Joe Lee wrote this piece for the Malay Mail. Thanks for the support, Joe...

http://www.mmail.com.my/

Joe Lee
Monday, October 5th, 2009 05:12:00

IT’S been on the cards for ages, but the recent official announcement that Enfiniti Productions Sdn Bhd would co-manage the careers of the top three winners of Akademi Fantasia 7 was the confirmation sought by many.

With that, the principal of the seventh season of Akademi Fantasia and also the managing director of Enfiniti, Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina, now has a hand in planning the careers of Mohd Hafiz Mohd Suip, Khairil Azam Pilus and Afiq Hakim Ahmad to aid Astro Entertainment Sdn Bhd (AESB) after the demise of Maestro Talent & Management.

Upon announcement of the joint management, speculation that the trio will be sidetracked and shaped more as talents for TV and film — with their original aim of becoming singers waylaid — were dismissed by the woman behind Puteri Gunung Ledang and P. Ramlee musical theater productions.

“We’re molding them into becoming all-round stars, and teach them the necessary skills,” said Tiara. While her foray into the music industry can be set as fledgling at best, Tiara’s forte in film, TV and theater productions, apart from her talent management abilities are spoken for, if her past achievements are testimony to her sheer tenacity at making it in the business.

Tiara said the talents of the three boys held much promise for their future to become stars and she excitedly added that discussions have been held to map out the career path of the trio in various aspects, including their
branding and direction over the next couple of years.

“Among immediate plans were the extension of polishing their skills from Akademi Fantasia which covers dance, stage performance, acting, styling and vocals, among others.

“Projects planned include TV programmes, albums, music videos, tours and corporate performances, apart
from potential fi lm and stage work.”

Performing workshops, personalised gym training and grooming sessions are already on the cards and the boys can expect to better their acting and performing skills in her company’s annual actors’ boot camp, conducted by stage actor Stephen Rahman-Hughes, choreographer Pat Ibrahim and Tiara herself.

Meanwhile, she also spoke of a detailed career road map and a fresher approach for staying power.20 years, in acting as well as talent management from the days of Jacquie Eu Productions and Kit Kat Klub Entertainment to now Enfiniti Productions Sdn Bhd, the immediate plus in the partnership is the utilisation of the network of manpower and creative resources held by Enfiniti’s sister outfits.

Kit Kat Klub Entertainment, which handles event management, will take on their promotions, while production arm, Ten On Ten Pictures Sdn Bhd, has earmarked several television series to feature the talents.

Enfiniti and Astro to jointly manage Hafiz, Aril & Akim

2009-09-23T16:27:00.008+08:00

Last Thursday, my company Enfiniti Productions and Astro Entertainment Sdn Bhd co-hosted a press conference to announce the joint management of the top 3 winners of Akademi Fantasia 7, Hafiz, Aril and Akim. This is the press release statement as well as the speech I gave at the PC.

Untuk Siaran Berita

ASTRO ENTERTAINMENT DAN ENFINITI PRODUCTIONS BAKAL URUS KERJAYA HAFIZ, ARIL DAN AKIM BERSAMA

Petaling Jaya, 17 September 2009: Astro Entertainment Sdn Bhd (AESB) dan Enfiniti Productions Sdn Bhd (Enfiniti) hari ini mengumumkan pengurusan bersama 3 finalis Akademi Fantasia musim ke 7 (AF7), Hafiz, Aril dan Akim di dalam satu sidang media bertempat di restoran Borneo Rainforest Sunway.

Melalui pengurusan bersama ini, pihak AESB dan Enfiniti bakal berkerjasama di dalam mengurus dan mempromosikan 3 artis tersebut melalui semua saluran media. AESB dan Enfiniti amat yakin dengan bakat besar yang ada pada 3 artis muda ini dan akan bergabung tenaga mengatur kerjaya mereka.

Menurut Pengarah Eksekutif AESB, Zainir Aminullah,

Ketiga-tiga artis ini memerlukan pelan pemasaran yang rapi dan menyeluruh.

“Perhatian bukan sahaja diberikan kepada bidang nyanyian, lakonan dan pengacaraan juga dikenal pasti mampu mengukuhkan lagi kerjaya mereka.

”AESB turut aktif menembusi pasaran syarikat-syarikat korporat untuk memasarkan artis-artis ini sebagai duta produk. Justeru itu, penjenamaan atau ’branding’ memainkan peranan penting bagi artis bersaing secara sihat merebut peluang komersial dari pihak korporat”, terang Zainir.

Beliau menambah AESB amat terbuka dalam menjalinkan kerjasama dengan pelbagai pihak demi kemajuan karier artis.

”Enfiniti Productions merupakan sebuah agensi yang dikenal pasti dapat membantu AESB melaksanakan perancangan ini. Di bawah penyeliaan Yang Berbahagia Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina, Enfiniti dilantik secara rasminya sebagai pengurus bersama dari aspek pengurusan jenama, perhubungan awam dan aktiviti-aktiviti komersial.

Datin Sri Tiara pula berkata, pihak Enfiniti dan AESB telah pun mengadakan beberapa sesi perbincangan antara lain penjenamaan (branding), pemasaran dan pelan kerjaya 2 hingga 3 tahun untuk Hafiz, Aril dan Akim.

Antara perancangan Enfiniti yang utama adalah lanjutan skil yang diajar sewaktu di Akademi Fantasia tempohari, antaranya segi teknik tarian, seni persembahan pentas, lakonan, tatagaya (styling), vokal dan sebagainya. Perancangan juga sedang diatur untuk beberapa projek, antaranya rancangan untuk TV,album, klip video, konsert jelajah dan persembahan untuk majlis koprat. Ada juga kemungkinan perancangan untuk projek filem dan teater. Sebahagian dari projek-projek ini bakal dikelolakan secara usahasama diantara Enfiniti bersama AESB, disamping kerjasama dengan stesen TV yang lain.

“Industri hiburan hari ini penuh dengan cabaran-cabaran baru. Artis perlu ada perancangan karir yang terperinci (detailed career road map), dan pendekatan (approach) yang lebih segar supaya menonjol. Hafiz, Aril dan Akim akan dipakej dengan imej dan “branding” yang jelas, disamping rancangan pemasaran dan promosi mereka tersendiri.

Jelas Tiara lagi, “Saya amat teruja untuk membentuk Hafiz, Aril dan Akim pergi lebih jauh kerana saya percaya dengan bakat murni yang mereka ada. Saya kenal mereka, dan yakin mereka bertiga sanggup bekerja keras.

Pihak Enfiniti telah pun berkongsi dengan mereka perancangan kerjaya (career plan) yang kami telah atur bersama pihak AESB. Saya sangat berbesar hati atas sokongan padu dan kepercayaan yang diberikan oleh Encik Zainir Aminullah dan pengurusan AESB sejak dari awal perbincangan dalam merealisasikan usahasama ini.”

“Saya bermula di dalam bidang seni lebih 20 tahun yang lalu, bukan sebagai pelakon tetapi sebagai pengurus bakat, melalui syarikat saya Jacquie Eu Productions dan Kit Kat Klub Entertainment. Enfiniti Productions Sdn Bhd ingin dikenali dengan penerbitan produk berkualiti dalam bidang filem dan teater.

Syarikat-syarikat bersekutu kami iaitu syarikat pengurusan bakat D Casting Sdn Bhd, syarikat event management Kit Kat Klub Entertainment dn Bhd, production house rancangan TV Ten On Ten Pictures Sdn Bhd dan juga projek terbaru kami iaitu Enfiniti Akademi merupakan “network” kami sendiri.

“Justeru itu, segala pengalaman, sumber tenaga dan kreatif syarikat-syarikat ini secara bersekutu akan dimanfaatkan untuk menyokong projek pengurusan bersama Hafiz, Aril dan Akim ini. Saya melihat ini juga sebagai satu kesinambungan kepada penglibatan saya sebagai “principal” mereka!”

TAMAT.

Tiara's speech:

"Nampaknya pengalaman saya bersama AF musim ketujuh sebagai Principal membawa kesan yang begitu berpanjangan pada saya, sehingga syarikat saya tergerak mengusulkan proposal pengurusan bersama ini, dengan Astro Entertainment Sdn Bhd!

Sehingga sekarang, kami telah pun mengadakan beberapa sesi perbincangan terperinci antara lain tentang penjenamaan (branding), pemasaran dan pelan kerjaya 2 hingga 3 tahun untuk Hafiz, Aril dan Akim.

Antara perancangan Enfiniti yang utama adalah lanjutan skil yang diajar sewaktu di Akademi Fantasia tempohari, antaranya segi teknik tarian, seni persembahan pentas, lakonan, tatagaya (styling), vokal dan sebagainya. Perancangan juga sedang diatur untuk beberapa projek, antaranya rancangan untuk TV,album, klip video, konsert jelajah dan persembahan untuk majlis koprat. Ada juga kemungkinan perancangan untuk projek filem dan teater. Sebahagian dari projek-projek ini bakal dikelolakan secara usahasama diantara Enfiniti bersama AESB, disamping kerjasama dengan stesen TV yang lain.

Industri hiburan hari ini penuh dengan cabaran-cabaran baru. Artis perlu ada perancangan karir yang terperinci (detailed career road map), dan pendekatan (approach) yang lebih segar supaya menonjol dan yang lebih penting, supaya kekal dalam industri ini.

Hafiz, Aril dan Akim akan dipakej dengan imej dan “branding” yang jelas, disamping rancangan pemasaran dan promosi mereka tersendiri.

Saya amat teruja untuk membimbing Hafiz, Aril dan Akim untuk pergi sejauh mungkin, kerana saya percaya dengan bakat murni yang ada pada mereka. Saya kenal mereka, dan yakin mereka bertiga sanggup bekerja keras supaya berjaya.

Pihak Enfiniti telah pun berkongsi dengan mereka perancangan kerjaya (career plan) yang kami telah atur bersama pihak AESB. Saya sangat berbesar hati atas sokongan padu dan kepercayaan yang diberikan oleh Encik Zainir Aminullah dan pengurusan AESB sejak dari awal perbincangan dalam merealisasikan usahasama ini.”

Sekadar berkongsi dengan anda semua, saya sebenarnya bermula di dalam bidang seni lebih 20 tahun yang lalu, bukan sebagai pelakon tetapi sebagai pengurus bakat, melalui syarikat saya Jacquie Eu Productions dan Kit Kat Klub Entertainment. Jadi bidang pengurusan bakat ini sangatlah dekat di hati saya. Saya suka dengan proses menilik dan mengasah bakat-bakat baru.

Kini, Enfiniti Productions Sdn Bhd ingin dikenali dengan penerbitan produk berkualiti dalam bidang filem dan teater. Syarikat-syarikat bersekutu kami iaitu ajensi pengurusan bakat D Casting Sdn Bhd, syarikat event management Kit Kat Klub Entertainment dn Bhd, production house rancangan TV Ten On Ten Pictures Sdn Bhd dan juga projek terbaru kami iaitu Enfiniti Akademi merupakan “network” kami sendiri.

Mercy’s angel spreads her wings-farewell Dr. Jemilah

2009-08-09T12:28:00.003+08:00

Do you ever get that feeling sometimes when you want to hold on to something even though you know you should really let it go, because it needs to be let go in order to continue to grow, continue to fly? I'm feeling like that, upon receiving an SMS from her in Geneva telling me the good news of her appointment to the UN, to be posted to New York.

The selfish me wants to just talk her out of it, because I will lose one of my personal heroes and a mentor I have always looked up to, because of her bravery and passion in whatever she does. That the country will have lost a gem of an icon and an outstanding Malaysian who more than lives and breathes the term "towering Malaysian" is second to my selfishness.

The faithful, adoring niece in me, however, knows that her place lies way beyond our shores, that she was meant for much greater things. That she should really be in a place where her talent, passion and expertise will be much more appreciated.

It breaks my heart to see our country continuously losing all our best people. I guess it is true that we never know what we have until we lose it. I hope we learn from this and just like it was in the case of Michael Jackson and Yasmin Ahmad, also learn to acknowledge talent and help talent to grow and flourish DURING a person's lifetime. All the tears and the tributes in the world once you've lost them won't mean a thing.

Aunt Jim, you will always be my hero, my angel, my Mother Theresa, you've even been even my Florence Nightingale on many occasions. It is with a heavy heart that your loving niece lets go, but I wish you all the success you deserve and every time I look up to the skies, I will know in my heart that you have taken that golden flight, that journey, the next step.

Farewell, Angel. Love you with all my heart. ;.-(

Sunday August 9, 2009

Mercy’s angel spreads her wings

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB

EVEN before Mercy Malaysia, Dr Jemilah Mahmood was always passionate about giving back to society.

“Whenever people came to her for money for this cause or that, she was always digging into her purse. She would give out RM50, RM100, RM200 until she had no money left.

“She’s that kind of person, always wanting to do something for others,” says her close friend Farah Hamzah, who describes Dr Jemilah as “very intense” and very attached to the issues that she pursues.

“If she believes in something, she is relentless. And she ups the ante all the time,” adds Farah.

Dr Jemilah: ‘I love Mercy too much and I didn’t want it to be Dr Jemilah. It has to be more than that. I want it to sustain itself and outlive me.’

And Malaysians are seeing that side of Dr Jemilah.

She gave “birth” to Mercy Malaysia 10 years ago, and along with a team of able doctors, nurses and ever-ready volunteers nurtured the organisation into what it is today – a respected world-class relief organisation.

Whenever a crisis struck the region – be it a tsunami, earthquake, a cyclone, war or military conflict – Mercy Malaysia jumped on board the first plane and headed out to help the victims.

In countries like Myanmar, Sudan, Sri Lanka and North Korea, where a number of international aid organisations are perceived to have an agenda and are not welcomed even during times of humanitarian crisis, Mercy Malaysia got in – at times before everyone else and in some places, like Sri Lanka, with unlimited access to the afflicted areas.

And now Dr Jemilah is upping the ante again by leaving Mercy and heading off to New York to take on a position as Chief of the Humanitarian Response branch for the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA).

Succession plan

Some, like her good friend Farah who is an appointed Mercy Malaysia exco member, believes that Dr Jemilah has simply outgrown Mercy.

Dr Jemilah herself discloses that the Mercy succession plan has been in the pipeline for at least five years because she knew from the start that she was going to leave her “baby” after 10 years.

“I knew if I stayed longer, I might put the organisation at risk in the sense that you have this ‘founder syndrome’.

“The founder feels they own the organisation and people cannot differentiate the founder from the organisation, and Mercy Malaysia gets drowned somewhere in between.

“I love Mercy too much and I didn’t want it to be Dr Jemilah. It has to be more than that. I want it to sustain itself and outlive me,” she says.

And it is precisely Mercy Malaysia’s achievements on the international front that have made it so easy for Dr Jemilah to walk away.

The turning point came last year.

Dr Jemilah was in Geneva waiting for a friend to pick her up near the Broken Chair monument on Place des Nations. A group of Sudanese women were gathered around there after a meeting and one of them came up to ask if she was from Malaysia – probably guessing from the way she tied her headscarf.

When Dr Jemilah replied that she was, to her surprise the woman then asked if she knew Mercy Malaysia.

“I froze. I said ‘yes. Why?’ She said ‘I am from El Geneina in West Darfur and now we don’t have to be afraid to give birth because Mercy Malaysia has built a reproductive health centre. They also trained our midwives and doctors so no one has to die in childbirth.”

Dr Jemilah was doubly shocked when the woman then asked if she knew Mercy’s Dr Jemilah.

“I panicked because I was wondering how I was going to answer that. And the woman fished out her call card and she was from a Sudanese local organisation so I fished out mine.

“When she saw my card, she couldn’t believe it. There was an uproar and she started screaming in Arabic and a lot of people started crowding around me,” she says.

At this point, Dr Jemilah was “rescued” by her friend who was honking from the car. So Dr Jemilah excused herself and got in.

“Gosh, would you imagine in your life that you get someone who doesn’t know you from Adam and is one of your beneficiaries who comes up and tells you a story about the impact of your work?” she ponders, still pretty much in awe of the experience.

Then two months later, Dr Jemilah was at a conference in Bangkok when a man came up to her and asked if she remembered him. She didn’t, but it turned out that he was a colonel from Pakistan who was now the defence attache in Bangkok. He remembered her from the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and told her how much he appreciated Mercy Malaysia’s volunteers working through the cold of winter in the mountains of Bagh to provide health care for the victims.

“He asked me if I knew what happened when I left. I said ‘no’. He said when Mercy left, the people took a piece of rubble from their homes and built a monument. And he said your organisation’s name is on it!

“At that point I said to myself ‘why am I hanging on?’ Leave when you know you have done your job and have people to carry on and groom them to succeed.

“A succession plan is only successful if you will let go,” she says.

And let go she did, handing over the mantle to Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus.

Why him?

Dr Jemilah says Dr Faizal is a good speaker and excellent communicator and has been vice-president for two terms.

“He’s very smart. I’ve known him for many years. He was my student. He’s a doctor and has been on missions so he has had the experience. He is a mix of all this. He’s ideal,” she says.

She says she told Dr Faisal not to ever try to walk in her shoes but to chart his own course.

“I foresee Mercy becoming a better organisation when I depart because, as it is, Mercy is a very emotive organisation. It is full of emotion and passion and I am, by nature, like that. I believe when I am not there, it becomes more calm, very strong and solid and nothing can shake it after that. I am very optimistic. I have great faith in the people I am leaving behind.”

So she advised Dr Faisal not to be afraid to make his own mistakes and learn from them as he steers Mercy in a new direction.

“I said you can change the process, hardware, software, structure, logo and anything else but just don’t ever change the values and principles the organisation is built on, which is a platform for people to do good and putting Malaysia on the world map to show that we can do things differently and better.”

Dr Jemilah has also told the team not to feel any pressure that she is going to watch and feel disappointed with them.

“I won’t because I understand what transition is all about. In any organisation, when there is a transition there is a slight dip and then it comes back. They should expect that.”

Softie at heart

While she might look like a tough cookie, Dr Jemilah admits that she cries all the time when she comes across painful situations and that even watching a video of the situation brings her to tears.

But this only makes her stronger.

“If you can’t cry, you can’t feel that it is so painful to watch and see. I cry and say to myself ‘No point crying. You gotta do something about it.’ I am not tough. I am a real softie but pushed to a corner I can be quite a tiger,” she admits.

On her new UN job, Dr Jemilah says it would include planning, monitoring and administering the UNFPA’s emergency response fund in its work in conflict, post conflict and natural disaster situations as well as prepare for present and future threats, among other things.

Dr Jemilah who is a gynaecologist says the work would also focus on reproductive and gender issues during humanitarian crises, adding that “even in war and conflict there are women who want to give birth.”

In the last 10 years, she says, she has witnessed “too much pain” of women having been sexually abused or having no access to healthcare sometimes because of difficult circumstances, like in Afghanistan where people basically hide their women.

So she is excited about the prospect of “this woman in a tudung going to a difficult Muslim country and challenging the system and all these men.”

Naive maybe, but Dr Jemilah is among those who are “terribly optimistic” that global peace and development are achieveable and what it needs are agents of change in the world to bring about the shift.

“I want to be a change agent. Maybe I am born for that. I want to shake things up and move things and push. I never say die and I never say no. If we have a defeatist attitude, we’ll never achieve anything,” she says.

Dr Jemilah says she is lucky that her husband, Dr Ashar Abdullah, is her number one fan.

“He really feels that I can shake and change the world. He pushes me all the time and says ‘Go. You can go for that. That’s too small for you. You can go higher and do more good.”

Stressing that she is just a normal person who is “just very, very steadfast”, Dr Jemilah says the humanitarian cause is something that really drives her.

“I just feel right now that I can do more. Mercy can do only so much but Jemilah can do more. I want to use whatever strength and whatever talent I have globally.

“Whether I succeed or not is a different matter but I want to continue to try to change the world and not give up.”

to dance with abandonment... and live as though heaven is on earth.

2009-08-07T22:52:00.007+08:00

Ok, today's entry may sound rather random, but yeah...feeling a bit random right now sitting in front of the ol' iMac looking for inspiration to write a Merdeka piece for The Star.

I found this really inspiring quote from Michael Jackson on the joy of dancing, how sacred dance was to him, and "the eternal dance of Creation". I can't tell you how it's so wonderful to completely lose yourself for a few minutes when you dance or sing or paint or just completely lose or abandon yourself completely. I experience it when I listen to classical Javanese Gending music, I find my thoughts completely leave me and I'm able to almost "detach" my body from my thoughts for a few minutes. When I put on my dancing Kain and Sampur, all I wanna do is to glide along with the music and dance for as long as the music plays, lost completely in the beautiful music. It's absolutely therapeutic, and I completely recommend it to anyone who has never experienced the liberation of self-abandonment. Sigh. Why am I feeling so...random...maybe I need to put on my dancing Kain again, been too long.

"Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye but the dance lives on. On
many an occasion, when I am dancing, I have felt touched by something sacred.
In those moments, I felt my spirit soar and become one with everything that
exists. I become the stars and the moon. I become the lover and the beloved. I
become the victor and the vanquished. I become the master and the slave. I
become the singer and the song. I become the knower and the known. I keep on
dancing and then, it is the eternal dance of creation. The creator and the
creation merge into one wholeness of joy. I keep on dancing until there is
only. . .the dance."

Michael Jackson

Yasmin's Malaysia in the united colours of cinema by Dato' Johan Jaafar

2009-08-01T15:55:00.001+08:00

NST Online bsmallJOHAN JAAFAR/small/B BRYasmin's Malaysia in the united colours of cinema

Shared via AddThis

Written by one of my heroes, my old friend from my early days as a budding theatre actor doing plays with the boys of Dewan Bahasa, my old Teh-Tarik-at-Benteng kaki, Dato' Johan Jaafar.

JOHAN JAAFAR
Yasmin's Malaysia in the united colours of cinema

2009/08/01

IT could have been a scene from one of her movies. Old and young, people of different races, filling the floor of the hospital in Damansara where she drew her last breath last Saturday night. Some were sobbing, others huddled together and consoling each other. Many were red-eyed. Sadness and loss filled the air. For a couple of days after she was taken to the hospital, her family members, friends, even strangers, stood vigil hoping for a miracle. Some had never met her in person. They had only seen her movies and TV advertisements. They were drawn to her for her ingenuity, frankness and above all, unpretentiousness. She made commercials she believed in and movies that were almost personal statements of her faith and conviction.

Yasmin Ahmad left us all distraught. She went away too soon, too early. She was in her prime. She was supposed to have many more fruitful and creative years ahead of her. We were expecting her to churn out many more great movies and loads of stylish TV commercials. After all, Yasmin had given us interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking yet memorable, mostly evergreen works for many years.

She started a movement, "Yasminism", single-handedly, to mean not only her tryst with cinematic excellence but a cause associated with it. You know what to expect when you watch a Yasmin movie or TV advertisement -- they are about how our people ought to be -- as one, united and very much Malaysian. Yasmin's works are made of these -- Malaysian at heart and in spirit. Yasmin's Malaysia is thoroughly rooted, not merely attempts at aggrandising the hopes and aspirations of our people like some politicians do.

She was a contrarian among her contemporaries. It is not that they do not believe in films that portray multiracialism, just that many are more comfortable harping on tested formulas. They would rather make movies about their own kind.

Nothing inherently wrong with that. P. Ramlee made largely Malay movies but he captured non-Malay audiences, too, in his glory days. His attempts at multiracialism came late professionally. Perhaps it is better to play safe than invite controversy.

Yasmin's middle name was never Controversy. She was a film-maker first and a propagandist last. She made movies to attract audiences. I am sure she did not want to be Michelangelo Antonioni with his dense and notoriously difficult films. She would rather make movies that touched the hearts of millions. She wanted to make movies in the tradition of Majid Majidi -- the famed Iranian film-maker who celebrated simplicity and warmth in human beings. She was said to be inspired by Majidi whose Children of Heaven and The Colour of Paradise "praised the glory of God". I am sure she had other Iranian directors as her reference. Iranian films are noted for their identity contestation and fearless experimentation. The likes of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, his wife Marzieh Meshkini, his daughter Samira and contemporaries Jafar Panahi, Abbas Kiarostami, Parviz Sayyad and Dariush Mehrjui have all made waves in Iran and outside. Many won international film awards.

Yasmin also made movies about little people, their trials and tribulations, but mostly about hope and aspiration. But unlike many of her brethren, Yasmin dared to be different. She walked a cinematic minefield trying to tell stories deemed sensitive by most. The Iranians deal in a predictable mono-cultural society. Yasmin had to grapple with a society steeped in racial sensitivities and emotional baggage. Yasmin's cinematic domain can be contentious, even dangerous. Sepet was a difficult film to make. A story of love between Ah Long and Orked is not meant to be easy. Undeterred, Yasmin made it into a cinematic feast, visually arresting, emotionally fulfilling and intellectually challenging.

Just take her Muallaf and the controversy surrounding its making. Even the title elicits caution. But Yasmin was determined to tell the story of two Malay sisters and a 30-year-old Catholic school teacher like it was -- without fear or favour.

Yasmin's Gubra, Mukhsin and her latest film Talentime are all about the audacity of spirit and the power of determination, yet anchored in the belief that the subject matters transcend race and creed. We must salute Yasmin for taking a risk meandering through the uncharted territories of race relations in the country.

But why shouldn't she? It is ironic that, despite the protestations that we have been living harmoniously since time immemorial and that we celebrate our differences, we are in fact drifting apart. We live in our own racial enclaves, barricading ourselves from others, most of us, that is. Our values are being pigeonholed by our prejudices and suspicion. We are supposed to be one, but not yet.

Listening to Yasmin narrating her ideas is like watching her movies. My colleagues and I at Media Prima had the honour of watching her tell those stories. She would act them out, replete with dialogue, her voice changed to emphasise, her hands expressively making a point. She made us see the world through the lens of her camera. We were working on some "unity films" before her untimely demise. The story of three lost boys from an orphanage was among our favourites.

Like her, we believed a story like that could help bring our people closer. She had a track record to justify that. True, Yasmin can change very little the residues of racial stereotyping in this country. But she tried hard. She made Tan Hong Ming in Love effortlessly for she saw in the characters the innocence and sincerity in children. Hong Ming and the Malay girl in the advertisement are as close as we get to the celebration of oneness. Just watch her Petronas advertisements, simply awesome -- hey, where were we when we saw them?

Yasmin wanted to show Malaysians as Malaysians -- in the united colours of cinema. Let's keep her idealism alive. Let's remember her as, to quote Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, one of the champions of "One Malaysia", the concept the prime minister is pushing forth for the nation. Let us pass on the torch of hope for a truly united Malaysia.

She couldn't have asked for more.

zulujj@tm.net.my

Words of wisdom from Steve Jobs

2009-07-30T17:32:00.002+08:00

My hero, Steve Jobs, address the graduates of Stanford University, and talks about pursuing your dreams and to see opportunities in life's setbacks, including death itself.

Below is the transcript:

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

change a child's life - give him an education...

2009-07-22T21:55:00.008+08:00

I'm so relieved the press conference for Mont Blanc/Unicef charity which put up 5 paintings by 4 other ladies and myself went well. I shall so miss the piece that has been occupying a prime spot in my living room overlooking Sentul Park for the last week or so. I wonder if all first-time artists feel as emotionally attached to their first pieces?

When Mont Blanc approached me to participate in this project, it seemed a perfect fit for everything I support and believe in which includes child welfare and the right to quality education for all.

I cannot imagine that in spite of all our economic progress and being surrounded by every form of modernization, there are still maybe 10 percent of the children of our own country who may never know the beauty and the inspiration of the words of Shakespeare, Hafiz, Pablo Neruda, A.Samad Said or Maya Angelou.

Every child deserves the basic right to knowledge, the one thing that can change a person’s life, empower him or her to make the most informed choices, be more aware of basic human rights, be exposed to the teachings of the greatest minds, the most inspiring scriptures and holy books.

I am very proud to be a small part of Mont Blanc and Unicef’s efforts to continue the fight against illiteracy. As Confucius once said, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For those of us who are able to read the words on this page, know that with every bit of help no matter how little, you can change a child’s life forever.

Tiara's collaboration with Mont Blanc and UNICEF for their "Signature For Good" campaign

2009-07-18T19:36:00.005+08:00

Long time no see...

I've been stressing over a painting I promised Mont Blanc in aid of their UNICEF "Signature For Good" campaign, in between planning Enfiniti's next 2 years' campaign. Finally finished my piece, what do you guys think?

1. Rationale behind the artwork:

Looking for some form of inspiration to get started on my piece, I turned to Google and typed in "the need for education for children" and these words jumped out at me:

"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime."

What a wonderful concept, I thought! I asked my 12-year old daughter what she thought of it, and she said, "Yeah mum, it's like if you tell the kid the answer to a question, he will only know the answer to that question, but if you educate him and he can think for himself, he will have the answers for everything all his life!" That floored me, and when I finally recovered, I took out that huge piece of canvas I'd been staring blankly at for more than a month and started work.

2. A quote on my participation on this project to include in the press release.

I have always believed that Art, Creativity and the Performing Arts should be given much more prominence in and out of the school syllabus. Studies have proven that exposure to the arts help students build self-confidence, express their creativity, and perform much better in math and reading. Fine arts training can help children develop emotional and moral sensibilities and the discipline that goes with mastering a craft.
In fact, I myself am living proof that art improves math, going by my own SPM results!

When Mont Blanc approached me to participate in this project, it seemed a perfect fit for everything I support and believe in. Children and the right to quality education have always been a favorite cause of mine, and I've always loved painting but never got round to ever really finishing a piece! This will be my fourth collaboration with Mont Blanc, a brand that strongly supports art and culture, two causes very close to my heart. This will also be my second collaboration in support of Montblanc’s and UNICEF’s fight against illiteracy, the first being the "Power To Write" campaign when Mont Blanc put my signature on a limited edition pen. I hope that my participation in this "Signature For Good" campaign will add to Mont Blanc and UNICEF's efforts, towards empowering future generations to break out of the poverty trap.
Every bit helps bring us all a step closer towards realizing the dream of better education for the children,as I continue to sing a song of hope for a more promising world of tomorrow.

Reflections of nature and reflecting on life at Margaret River

2009-06-14T15:33:00.011+08:00

The day after Akademi Fantasia ended, I took off like I always do after a long-haul project. This time we chose Perth, Australia as our destination. The highlight of our stay in Perth had to be beautiful Margaret River, our children-free stay at Cape Lodge, and doing the Matgaret River Discovery Tour.

I'm gonna ATTEMPT to get around to downloading as many pics taken on my favo new toy, my D90, but I'm a busy bee and don't have the leisure of waiting for 5 pix to upload at a time...aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh!!! So keep comin' back and wait for more exciting updates from time to time will ya.

Glam magazine interview -My Life As Tiara

2009-05-31T12:00:00.000+08:00

I'm really getting the writing bug lately, it seems, ha ha! Must be the going back to school feeling Akademi Fantasia created. Well, Glam magazine put me on the June cover (alamak... WHAT POSESSED ME TO CHOP MY HAIR OFF????) and asked me to write my own interview piece and I much prefer that I do anyway, so I really do sound like ME in each interview and I don't get misinterpreted or misunderstood! So I got writing and here it is.

My Life as Tiara Jacquelina

Saya terpaku sekejap bila Wirda memberitahu saya tajuk untuk interview saya. "And… surprise! you have to write it yourself too," katanya.

Oh-k, kata saya, yeah sure…why not… kan aku ni paling free, paling woman-of-leisure, sure, Wirda, bring it on!!!

Saya dah miss deadline saya dengan Wirda (so sorry). Tiap hari saya melihat reminder di Blackberry saya, “GLAM article deadline!!!!!!!!” dan setiap pagi juga saya berjanji pada diri sendiri, “today’s gonna be the day, for sure!” Ha ha… who was I kidding, man.

Kalau nak bandingkan dengan orang lain, kehidupan biasa seharian saya pun dah memang hectic gila. Sebelum musim ketiga Puteri Gunung Ledang dan Akademi Fantasia bermula pun, saya berusaha untuk juggle multiple roles sebagai seorang isteri, ibu, pelakon, penyanyi, produser, entrepreneur, restaurateur dan talent agent dengan sebaik mungkin. Memang tidak mudah sama sekali, kerana 24 jam dalam satu hari takkan cukup.

Wirda kata, dia ingin tahu “What is life like, being Tiara Jacquelina?” jadi inilah dia gambaran rutin seharian saya.

Pagi – bersama anak-anak saya Mila (12 tahun) dan Dani (9 tahun) sebelum mereka ke sekolah. Kalau saya betul-betul tak larat turun dari katil, mereka akan datang berjumpa dengan saya untuk “morning hug” tradisi kami. Sejak mereka kecil lagi, dari hari pertama mereka ke sekolah, mereka akan minta “mommy’s hidden kiss” dalam tapak tangan mereka. Falsafah Mila dan Dani, kalau mereka rindui saya, mereka cuma letakkan tapak tangan mereka di pipi atau dada mereka dan mereka akan rasakan kasih saya sentiasa bersama mereka.

Selesai urusan anak-anak, waktu untuk sarapan dan menonton CNN bersama suami saya. Masa ini kami biasanya buat “stretching” dan senaman bersama sambil menonton berita atau rakaman rancangan favorit kami. Masa ini juga saya akan berkongsi dengan Effendi tentang kerja saya samada berkaitan dengan Enfiniti, Borneo Rainforest mahupun Akademi Fantasia. Suami saya adalah personal consultant saya, juga pengkritik dan tak kurang juga peminat nombor satu saya – a complete package!

Saya sering menasihati girlfriends saya yang belum berumahtangga, if you marry a man, make sure he is absolutely CRAZY about you. It doesn’t work kalau wanita tu yang lebih gilakan seseorang lelaki itu. Untuk seorang wanita, mudah untuk kita makin hari makin cintakan suami kita, tapi tidak semudah itu untuk seorang lelaki!

Saya bersyukur kerana antara saya dan suami, kami mempunyai minat yang sama. Kalau pun tak minat, kami berusaha supaya ambil tahu juga supaya kami tetap sebahagian dari impian masing-masing. Waktu Effendi berkhidmat dengan kerajaan sebagai Menteri Pertanian pun, saya mengikuti beberapa lawatannya ke kampung-kampung, ladang, juga saya cuba hadir apabila Effendi membuat ucapan tentang visinya untuk sektor pertanian Negara. Saya ingin tahu apa passion dia, apa yang menjadi keutamaan dia dalam mencapai visinya. Pada masa lapang kami berbincang tentang kerjanya dan saya berikan pandangan saya dari sudut seorang layman. Kadang-kadang kita tak sedar terapi menjadi “listening ear” kepada suami pun, sangat berharga nilainya.

Begitu juga sewaktu Effendi menjadi Envoi kepada Perdana Menteri untuk Pelajaran Tinggi, kami berkongsi pendapat tentang pelajaran anak-anak. Saya berikan pendapat saya sebagai seorang ibu yang mempunyai impian untuk anak-anak saya sendiri. Ini satu topik yang mana saya rasa sangat passionate dan paling dekat di hati saya. Negara apa yang saya ingin tinggalkan sebagai legasi untuk anak-anak saya? Minda dan mentaliti masyarakat kita, apakah kita semakin bergerak kedepan ataupun makin merosot dan bergerak ke hala terbalik selama ini?

Anak-anak saya bakal mewarisi masa depan yang akan saya tinggalkan, dalam bentuk apa sekali pun. Jadi, apakah Malaysia akan terus fokus kepada isu-isu kecil dan petty, tentang pakaian orang yang tak sesuai, yoga yang dikatakan memuja agama Hindu, isu perkauman negatif, situasi politiks seperti sarkis dan tidak memberikan sebarang faedah kepada rakyat, dan seribu lagi isu yang sebenarnya membuatkan Negara kita kita semakin ketinggalan dan parokial dalam lumba kearah Wawasan 2020.

Okay, dah mula berbunyi macam syarahan pula. Bila saya dah berkobar-kobar tu, mulalah…
Berbalik kepada contoh rutin seharian saya. Sehabis breakfast dan catch-up dengan CNN, saya bersiap untuk menghadapi maraton harian yang merupakan sebahagian dari Life As Tiara Jacquelina.

Sebelum AF, setiap siang saya difokuskan kepada weekly review bisnes-bisnes saya:
Isnin untuk Borneo Rainforest – menu, operasi, sales dan booking untuk corporate events.
Selasa pula hari Enfiniti Productions – review tentang konsep dan pelaksanaan projek rancangan TV baru, idea-idea untuk filem, drama tv, teater, album.
Rabu adalah hari meeting luar, interviu atau sessi fotografi.

Khamis hari untuk review current special projects. Buat masa ini, kami tengah sibuk membuat persiapan untuk membina sebuah kampung budaya di Jalan Davis, Kuala Lumpur yang bernama “WARISAN – The Malaysian Cultural Village” bersama Kementerian Perpaduan, Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Warisan. Malaysian Cultural Village ini bakal menjadi destinasi untuk setiap pelancong dari luar dan juga dalam Negara, supaya si-pengunjung bukan sahaja akan mengenali tetapi juga mengalami kehidupan tradisional Malaysia. Saya sangat passionate tentang projek ini dan berharap projek ini akan menjadi kebanggaan Negara dan setiap rakyat Malaysia apabila siap nanti.

Jumaat adalah hari untuk saya sendiri. Sangat penting untuk kita mengambil time off untuk diri kita sendiri, walaupun sekadar menonton wayang atau lunch date bersama girlfriends. Kadang-kadang saya bersama suami yang mengambil peluang ini untuk lunch bersama, sambil kami bercakap tentang masa depan, anak-anak, dan berkongsi pendapat dan impian kami masing-masing.

Setiap petang, bila anak-anak pulang dari sekolah sekitar jam 4pm, saya berusaha supaya urusan seharian saya sudah selesai dan itu waktu saya bersama mereka. Telefon bimbit saya on vibrate mode, dan fokus saya kepada Mila dan Dani yang semakin hari semakin bijak dan matang. Saya ingin menikmati setiap saat bersama mereka kerana pada saya, waktu tidak boleh dikembalikan atau dibalikan. Mila takkan berumur 12 tahun lagi selepas ini, begitu juga Dani takkan kembali menjadi 9 tahun seperti sekarang ini. Saya perlukan tenaga dan stamina yang mendekati kuasa bionik untuk menandingi energi mereka, juga mental alertness supaya boleh melayan idea, minda kreatif dan perbincangan tentang berbagai-bagai topik daripada perang di Iraq, lukisan-lukisan Picasso, lagu-lagu pop terkini kepada how to make a paper sniper gun.
Setiap hari dari pukul 5 petang, anak-anak saya sibuk dengan aktiviti yang diatur seperti tennis, menunggang kuda, golf dan berenang. Dani juga belajar Aikido dan Fencing. Ini kerja Daddy mereka yang juga sama aktif, dan inginkan supaya anak-anak kami membina social skills yang baik menerusi aktiviti bersukan. Effendi mahukan Mila dan Dani supaya boleh bermain apa saja sport dengan baik. Ini akan membina keyakinan mereka selain mengajar mereka tentang fair play dan sporting spirit yang akan menjadi bekal untuk mereka menghadapi dunia dewasa nanti.

Itu gambaran hidup saya sebelum Akademi Fantasia. Sepanjang tiga bulan yang lalu, maraton kehidupan saya semakin panjang lagi! Saya bertuah dipilih menjadi pengetua wanita AF yang pertama. Anda mungkin pernah dengar tentang 7 syarat utama yang saya letakkan sebagai training target pelajar AF, untuk menjadikan mereka bukan sahaja penghibur biasa apabila lulus nanti, tetapi penghibur luarbiasa yang bakal jadi ikon industri tanahair.

Sebagai Prinsipal Tiara, sudah tentu saya ingin membawa sesuatu nafas yang baru kepada rancangan ini menerusi ideoloji, cara kerja, cara berfikir dan tak kurang juga penampilan saya. Semua ini menjadi sebahagian persona saya sebagai Prinsipal yang saya harapkan boleh menjadi inspirasi kepada pelajar. Selain fokus kepada syllabus seni persembahan yang lebih jelas dan teratur, saya juga menekankan penampilan, gaya dan grooming kerana imej, branding dan packaging sangat penting untuk seprang bintang.

Selama tiga bulan ini memang tunggang langgang lah hidup saya, bermula awal pagi hinggalah jauh malam. Bukan mudah untuk jalani hidup di depan kamera, apa lagi dalam rancangan TV sepopular AF, dimana semua yang pernah melabur undi untuk pelajar kegemaran mereka melalui SMS merasakan berhak untuk bersuara dan meluahkan pendapat.

Sepanjang tiga bulan yang berlalu, saya bersama dengan personal stylist saya, Shada Hamid, yang tugasnya adalah untuk menentukan gaya dan penampilan saya setiap hari. Shada berkerjasama dengan beberapa butik seperti Shanghai Tang, Christian Dior, Aseana, Blumarine dan DKNY untuk menentukan “look” saya.

Fokus saya di Akademi setiap hari adalah peningkatan ilmu pelajar-pelajar saya, disamping berdiskusi dengan fakulti untuk mencari pendekatan yang baru untuk setiap pelajar. Saya cuma diberikan tempoh 10 minggu sahaja untuk merealisasikan sasaran transformasi yang diletakkan oleh Astro. Disamping itu, saya membuat research dari internet dan juga kedai-kedai dvd tentang teknik persembahan dan contoh-contoh persembahan yang paling hebat di dunia, supaya menjadi contoh kepada pelajar-pelajar saya.

Bukan mudah untuk tampil bergaya setiap hari, jadi saya beruntung sekali mempunyai support team yang baik, merekalah yang memikirkan tentang baju apa, rambut apa. Saya cuma bersiap dan memilih baju mana, kasut apa yang matching, dan pergi ke A Cut Above BSC untuk dandanan rambut. Winnie Loo dah sediakan empat top stylistnya untuk bergilir-gilir mendandan rambut saya setiap hari –Joe, Sam, Felix dan Desmond. Saya cuma duduk saja menghadap MacBook saya sehingga rambut siap, mekap dalam kereta sepanjang perjalanan ke Akademi dan maraton saya berterusan sehingga pukul 10 malam.

Saya bersyukur kerana keluarga saya sangat memahami dan sangat supportive dengan apa saja projek yang saya tangani. Semasa PGL the Musical bermain di Istana Budaya, mereka akan menonton setiap malam Jumaat dan Sabtu. Tak boleh lawan Daddy mereka lah, dia menonton setiap malam! Daripada kerja dengan kerajaan sekarang jadi tauke panggung, ha ha… Dani dan Mila hafal semua dialog, lagu dan pergerakan atas pentas. Kalau ada sesiapa yang miss sikit pun mereka akan tegur.

Sepanjang penglibatan saya dengan Akademi Fantasia pun, anak-anak dan suami saya ikut jadi peminat rancangan itu. Masing-masing ada pelajar favorit, dan bill handphone saya dari Mac ke Mei penuh dengan bil AFUNDI hasil kerja mereka anak beranak! Tiap konsert mereka pasti hadir dan tak pernah miss. Mereka juga mengerti apabila saya terpaksa bekerja sampai lewat-lewat malam bersama pelajar saya, apalagi di minggu-minggu terakhir.

AF datang tepat pada waktunya saya berada dalam mindset untuk mengajar dan menurunkan ilmu kepada pelapis dunia seni. Saya ada rancangan untuk mendirikan Enfiniti Academy selepas tamat musim ketiga PGL, untuk melatih bintang-bintang pelapis. Tiba-tiba ditawar untuk menjadi pengetua wanita AF yang pertama, macam jatuh dari langit je tiba-tiba. AF adalah cabaran yang berlainan dari PGL, kerana sukses rancangan ini terpulang kepada susksesnya saya memotivasi sekumpulan pelajar amatur supaya berani mencabar diri mereka, berani bermimpi dan berwawasan tinggi, dan mencapai tahap diluar jangkaan, pada setiap konsert.

AF merupakan pengalaman pertama saya berada di kaca tv dan menjadi perhatian orang setiap hari. Dengan program begini yang didorong oleh undian melalui SMS, sejuta pengikut setia rancangan ini merasakan berhak untuk menyuarakan pendapat mereka. Memang ramai yang berikan kata-kata pujian, yang suka dengan pembaharuan yang saya usulkan, tapi tetap ada juga mereka yang mempunyai pandangan tersendiri. Kawan-kawan saya sering bertanya, saya OK ke, menghadapi situasi begini? Biasanya masa PGL atau projek-projek saya sendiri, hanya dapat sanjungan dan semuanya indah belaka. Jawapan saya, saya takkan berubah sikap atau cara saya sendiri, hanya untuk cuba mengambil hati beberapa orang. Saya berdiri atas prinsip dan cara saya sendiri.

Baru-baru ini, saya menghadiri seminar oleh penulis dan pakar motivasi Robin Sharma. Katanya, Critics only come out to play when you perform above the crowd. Kalau orang nak terus menyokong mereka tetap akan menyokong, tapi kalau yang lain tu dah ada pendirian dan agenda tersendiri, kita buat macamana pun putih tetap akan kelihatan hitam juga pada mereka, tak berbaloi saya habiskan tenaga saya. Saya tak perlu meminta-minta pada sesiapa supaya menerima saya, dan saya dah tentu bukan budak berhingus yang perlu ditegur oleh sesiapa saja tentang pendirian, cara berfikir mahupun penampilan saya. Selain berdiri atas pegangan hidup dan prinsip dan values saya sendiri, pada saya asalkan suami saya setuju dan merestui, nobody else’s opinion matters.

Sekarang musim AF telah selesai dan saya akan kembali kepada rutin kehidupan maraton saya. Saya ingin menikmati setiap hari seolah-olah tiada hari esok. Terus pemperkayakan hidup saya dengan membelajari sesuatu yang baru, membaca buku-buku yang memberikan inspirasi, mewarnai hidup saya dengan muzik, menjaga kesihatan dan paras rupa kurniaan Tuhan dengan baik, dan terus melihat ke masa depan dengan seribu impian yang baru.

You're the inspiration-dedicated to the wonderful kids of Akademi Fantasia 7

2009-05-31T07:43:00.001+08:00

I was recently inspired to write this thought piece post-AF and The Star picked it up, here it is for you guys to share, happy reading. Would love to hear your thoughts...

clivk on this link to read the piece :
YouÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re the inspiration

Shared via AddThis

Week 7 at Akademi Fantasia

2009-04-22T17:23:00.000+08:00

Hi, kita bertemu kembali minggu ni… thanks kepada anda semua kerana sudi melawat blog ini dan terimakasih juga atas semua komen2 dan pendapat anda. Minggu lepas sewaktu PC selepas konsert, saya terasa mungkin masanya sesuai untuk saya jelaskan untuk pengetahuan semua mengenai beberapa perkara seperti proses pemilihan tema mingguan, penetapan lagu dan juga pakaian mana untuk siapa/pelajar mana, yang saya akan share dengan anda semua.

Oleh kerana masa yang sangat suntuk yang kami hadapi setiap minggu, takkan sempat juga pihak produksi Astro untuk memenuhi kehendak dan permintaan semua pihak terutama daripada pihak media, bloggers serta komen komen dalam forum, kerana terlalu banyak dan berbeza pendapat!

Sekarang ni pun, banyak proses yang perlu dilalui sebelum senarai lagu tu diserahkan kepada fakulti untuk diberikan kepada para pelajar sebagai cabaran sesuatu minggu itu. Proses itu melibatkan kebenaran dari pemilik hak lagu, yang kadang kadang mengambil masa. Bekerja dibawah naungan produksi yang besar seperti Astro, banyak pula peringkat yang perlu dilalui sebelum senarai lagu pilihan itu dipersetujui, Dan diperingkat akhir sekali baru tiba di tangan fakulti, jadi kalau kami di pihak fakulti mahu bangkang pun cuma kalau sempat, dan kalau kebetulan ada masa, barulah kami di fakulti sempat memberi pandangan kami tentang lagu yang dipilih. Tapi pada kebiasaannya, masa dah suntuk. Dan kalau ada yang kami bangkang dan minta ditukar, lagu itu perlu lalui “the whole long process again” dan sememangnya tidak akan sempat.

Yang paling sibuk setiap kali terima senarai lagu tugasan adalah Acis yang perlu menggubah semula kesemua lagu tugasan untuk minggu itu. Setiap lagu perlu masa untuk di-arrange/disusun semula, disamping itu Acis perlu ada di Akademi untuk persembahan pelajar setiap hari Khamis, kemudian berkejar dari sana ke dewan Bukit Jalil untnk sound check konsert, dan sepanjang Jumaat dan Sabtu sudah tentu Acis perlu berada diBukit Jalil. Hari ahad barulah ada masa untuk bekerja siang malam untuk susun lagu tugasan supaya dapat diserahkan keesokan harinya.

Begitu juga dengan soal pakaian setiap kali konsert. There’s a line that stops somewhere between Principal’s jurisdiction on how the students should look or what they should wear and what the concert stylist and head of wardrobe of Astro thinks is best for the show. Namun begitu saya rasa secara amnya, pelajar AF musim ini Berjaya di-style lebih muda dan trendy berbanding AF musim2 yang lalu, so I have to hold my own comments.
Saya pun memahami proses mencari baju setiap minggu yang wardrobe department lalui, hampir sama seperti timeline kami di fakulti juga. Terima lst lagu hari Isnin, dan dalam masa 4 hari hinggalah ke hari full dress rehearsals, berlari lah seantero KL mencari baju bersesuaian. Kalau dah bertemu baju sesuai, proses menulis surat minta kebenaran dari pihak Astro kepada butik2 berkenaan dan proses konfirmasi pula dah tentu mengambil masa beberapa hari. Sudah tu bukan semua brand label boutiques yang sanggup meminjamkan bajunya. Bayangkan kalau ada terkoyak sikit ke, tercalar ke, kesan seterika ke, tak berbaloi fee Stylist untuk menggantinya! Orang yang berikan komen kadang-kadang merasa lebih berhak beri pandangan tentang style dan fashion sense daripada seorang professional Stylist, tapi saya fahamlah AF ni public domain, everyone has an opinion!

Memang lah citarasa dari manusia ke manusia berbeza sekali, kalau asyik dengar kata orang ini orang itu, dalam forum ini nakkan yang lebih sofistikated, yang satu lagi cadangkan supaya lebih kearah keagamaan, satu lagi bertanyakan mana transformasinya, sama je macam wardrobe musim dulu, akhirnya kesini pun tak, kesama oun tak dan yang paling tak berpuas hati tu si Stylist sendiri.

Sebagai orang kreatif saya amat memahami bahwa seorang Stylist atau ketua bahagian wardrobe seharusnya ikut hata hati sendiri terlebih dulu dan bukan kehendak orang lain. Pasal, memang style is not a science but its an art, kita kena try aje put this and that together, see if it works, see if the person wearing it can carry it off! Tidak ada salah atau betulnya kecuali dimata si-pemerhati secara individu.

Saya sendiri pun malas nak mengulas apa-apa pandangan terhadap style atau citarasa saya sendiri. Pada saya, I dress for myself, not for anyone else. Yang paling utama tu saya jujur pada diri sendiri, dan tidak suka bersikap munafik semata-mata kerana nak sedapkan hati orang lain. Kalau tak, sampai bila-bila pun akan terperangkap mengikut kehendak seluruh dunia tapi munafik pada diri sendiri! Suami saya sukakan style saya, sukakan saya berpakaian cara saya, jadi selain pandangan ibu saya sendiri, jika suami saya suka, nothing else matters.

Anyway! Minggu ini kami membuka lembaran baru lagi di Akademi. Saya baru selesai sessi one-to-one bersama pelajar lelaki tentang pendapat mereka setelah 6 minggu lebih di AF, masalah yang dihadapi dengan syllabus, dan apakah kelemahan yang ,mereka masing-masing ingin cuba kuasai dalam minggu-minggu akan datang.

Mereka membuat mission statement mereka sendiri yang menceritakankan siapa diri mereka di awal AF7, apakah target mereka dan apa yang perlu mereka lakukan untuk mencapai target ini. Saya senyum besar membacanya kerana mereka seperti sudah jauh lebih matang dan hampir professional.

Yazid berazam supaya lebih fokus minggu ini. Saya melukiskan huruf F besar-besar kat tangan dia supaya menjadi peringatan. Dia dah melalui transformasi yang amat dramatik selama 6 minggu lebih, jauh sekali dari juruteknik dari Johor yang pemalu, gemuruh dan gagap yang saya kenali pada hari pertama.

Aril dan Akim begitu serius nak tumpukan setiap detik di Akademi sebagai detik berharga. Aril kata nak buktikan pada pengkritik bahwa vokals dia semakin meningkat dari seminggu ke seminggu. Akim gembira dapat atasi beberapa masalah teknikal vokalnya sejak minggu pertama seperti natural tremeloe-nya, dan ingin menguasai pergerakan pula supaya itu bukan lagi kelemahan dia.

Hafiz mengakui lagu rap Malique adalah tugasnya yang paling berat setakat ini, dan nervous menghadapi lyrik sebanyak dua mukasurat itu. Saya memberitahunya bahwa setiap tugas mingguan yang diberikan kepada pelajar adalah cabaran bagi fakulti juga. Pihak produksi Astro selaku lembaga peperiksaan memberikan exam mingguan kepada Akademi, dan kami di pihak fakulti akan mencuba sedaya upaya untuk membantu pelajar supaya mengatasi “peperiksaan” pada hari Sabtu dengan jayanya. Saya mencari nota-nota reference dan tips on rapping dari internet dan print out untuk Hafiz baca, mudah-mudahan akan membantunya. Lirik lagu yang berjela-jela panjang itu saya besarkan dan fotokopikan untuknya supaya boleh di hafal sehari sedikit, cara ni pernah membantu saya sewaktu kena menghafal lirik2 panjang.

Besok bersama pelajar perempuan pula, dan selepas itu, sessi evaluasi presentation pelajar kepada pihak fakulti sebelum mereka ke venue konsert untuk sound check.
We will all miss Qhaud Sabtu ni, kerana biasanya setiap kali sebelum konsert dialah akan mengetuai doa berkumpulan sebelum konsert bermula. We wish him and all the other ex-students – Adilah, Rini, Obri, Rubisa, Zizi dan Sidi all the best, semoga bertemu lagi di persimpangan perjalanan seni ini.

Dr. Sean Paul's magical smile transformations for Claudia and Aishah!

2009-04-19T20:49:00.000+08:00

Looks and a perfect "package" are so important to the success of a star, especially so if you want to make a good first impression and even be NOTICED in the first place. A great smile is almost essential, and having the confidence that you look great and can open your mouth to smile and talk with confidence is such an asset.

I wanted to know what it would be like to be able to help change someone's life forever by getting them a perfect set of teeth. I spoke to my dentist friend Dr. Sean Paul of Livingwell at Starhill. Sean has transformed the smile of our P.Ramlee star Musly Ramlee before this, and I asked him for a huge favor of transforming the smiles of our two girls. Sean, being the sweetheart he is, said yes immediately.

The Astro people were esctatic, of course, as it would be the first ever physical or cosmetic transformation ever done on AF. I'm so happy for the girls. Watch this before and after transformation posted by crystle1987 and videokl on youtube.

Diari AF Week 6, Day One

2009-04-19T20:41:00.000+08:00

thanks to crystle1987 for uploading and sharing this video recording of AF7. Gosh I haven't blogged for ages, it's just been so crazy at AF. Anyway, here's one of the episodes from last week.

Meeting the AF7 students on Day One

2009-03-27T17:25:00.000+08:00

Thanks to emeraldL01 I can share on my blog the experience of my first meeting with my "students" at AF. What struck me was their positive energy and how motivated they seemed and that they all came from the same place, wanting and willing to be transformed, and they showed the faculty just how motivated they were which blew me away. The troops are all motivated and ready (most of them, anyway... but this is only day 1!), now all we need is a great battle plan and the will to fight and WIN!

A dedication to Adila AF7

2009-03-27T16:40:00.000+08:00

It breaks my heart to watch this clip, because all of us in the AF7 faculty feel that she is probably the most-improved student. Adila worked so hard and is such a joy to teach. She showed so much keen-ness to learn and is such a polite and well-mannered girl. At times like this, I wish it wasn't so that the students get voted out based on SMS votes alone... sigh. Still, I felt i needed to write this blog entry just to make peace with myself and to recognize a gem that slipped through our hands. All the best to you my dear Adila. You will go far and have a bright future with or without AF7, believe me. Believe in your dreams and keep aiming for the stars...