Strasbourg Clock, Powerhouse Museum / May 2008

This was modeled after the Strasbourg Clock in France. The original clock was made in the last 17th century. The one you see here, Strasburg Clock, was made between 1887-1889. Just like it's model in France, the Strasburg clock is an astronomical clock that has a calendar, planetary dial (position of the sun, moon and stars over Sydney), solar & lunar eclipse, cherubs, crowing rooster and Greek gods. Six minutes before each hour, the clock starts its story from the Bible. Jesus appears in an alcove where the 12 Apostles (and Satan) do their procession.

The clock has been changed to digital but everything else remains mechanical. It's quite a sight, I must say.

Have a good weekend.

Listening to: -

Powerhouse Museum / May 2008

Found Nobbi on Facebook today. Heh heh!

And that's the highlight of my day.

Listening to:-

Hyde Park, Sydney / April 2008

Just last weekend, I went to Lindt Cafe with Sab, Najib & Nabilah. We strolled down Pyrmont and crossed the Pyrmont Bridge to Darling Harbour. On our way there, somewhere in Pyrmont's residential area, some guy said, "fuck you guys, fuck you guys" to us. He wasn't even drunk. After dessert, Nabilah got to see some action happening in an alley in Pyrmont. Lots of groping and leaning against a wall, I was told. Hahaha...

Spending my last 3.5 weeks finishing up my assignments. Not many left. I've got things to sort out. It will feel weird clearing out my room. It's scary yet exciting. I'm listening to bharata natyam to calm my nerves.

Listening to: Bharata Natyam on Sutra Dance Theatre's website

Here Is My Home, Malaysia / 2008

Few weeks back, I was told Mark was spending the whole day at KLPac shooting a Pete Teo video with a million other people. His passion for football meant he had spent the day talking to Shelby Singh while Awie, Afdlin, Reshmonu, Jaclyn Victor, Ning, Sharifah Amani, Atilia, Yuhang, Tony Fernandez, Tom, Dick and Harry mingled.

Apparently, Pete Teo wrote 'Here Is My Home' for Malaysian Artistes For Unity, which is an independent, non-profit multi-artistes song and video to promote racial unity in Malaysia. It also ran on RM0 (that's a nice ring in any producer's ear!!!).

I quite like the concept and video, especially when Pang dances whorishly and Mark attempts to 'dance'. Hahaha.

Read about them here. Watch it here. Join them here. Oh and support them by embedding the video on your site/blog.

Listening to: Here Is My Home by Malaysian Artistes For Unity

Beth Yap's In 1969, directed by Sek Thim, Sunway College/August 2006

I go by many names: Myra, Azrina, Adik, Puteri, Oi, Babe, Bebop, My My, Myreezy, Myrot, Maherah, Nina and even Azrin (by Cikgu Fauzi - my Physics & Add Maths tutor).

What if we just changed our names whenever we felt like it?

I told Fahmi few months ago that I were to become a dancer, I'd change my name to August Mahyuddin, just to compete with January Low. Haha.

Just the other day, I had a conversation about names with the guy from JayJays.

Him:
[looks at my debit card] Where are you from?

Me:
Malaysia.

Him:
I thought so. Which one is your name?

Me:
That one [pointing to 'MS A P' on the card]. That's my dad's name [MOHAMED MAHYUDDIN]. I've been reduced to 'MS A P B' here.

Him:
So you could actually make your name up.

Me:
Yeah, like my name is Miss Apple.

Him:
Haha, yeah. Something exotic.

Me:
Yeah, like, Miss Apple Pineapple.

Him:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I like that one. Use that one!

****

Dug up an old email to find an interracial love story set in Malaysia in 1969. It's painfully beautiful.

Here's an excerpt:

And now rain. Washing the mud from my mother's face so it became streaked and could be seen. My mother burrowed into the ditch. She clung like a slug to its side. Now things began to wash down, sharp stones to scratch her and sticks to break her bones. The water licked at her feet, then covered them, scrubbing vigorously, washing them clean. Two pale feet in a churning ditch, two fine feet with soles soft and pink. Feet used to the finest arched shoes. My mother lay like a corpse in the ditch, only her fingers gripping. Only there, in the crook of her leg, behind the knee: that would give her away. That purple vein, beating and beating, pulling the eye towards it and beating through the current of water like some angry beast. This vein and the one behind her other knee, and the ones on the seat of her bum, and lower. The ones she rubbed and smoothed with balms on a quiet night. These, beating and beating till the sound filled her. These were the ones that would give her away.

Beth Yap, In 1969

Listening to: -

Bedok, Singapore, Lomo LCA / October 2005

No internet the whole day. Was very, very crossed.

Also got my first feature article back today. It was the one on vintage fashion and Pigeon Ground Records and Clothing. Did ok. A measly 82/100 for it. Strangely, I was more worried about edit and notes from Megan than the marks.

Bleugh.

Listening to: -

Bondi Beach, Sydney / September 2007

Listening to: Homecoming by Kanye West feat. Chris Martin

Sydney / April 2008

Despite the 8 hour difference, I'll look forward to being in the same climate.

Listening to: It Ain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It) by Fats Waller

Sarah & Omar, PJ / 18 May 2008

The tots having a go at the Mac.

While Sarah was busy climbing Tok Mi's treadmill, Omar was waving 'hi' and 'bye' at me. Sarah managed a 'Dada?' out of her mouth, which was cute. O shot me twice with his bang-bang game but then compensated me with his cheeky smile.

Happy sigh.

Listening to: -

Jalan Pudu Lama, Kuala Lumpur / LCA /October 2005

The weekend has just morphed to week 11. How did it go by so fast?

Yesterday I took a quick stroll down Harris Street to visit the Powerhouse Museum. A pretty cool place if you like twiddling and experimenting things (it's a Science + Design museum. Go figure). They had the Diana exhibition, which displayed her personal belongings (report cards, notebooks, letters, stuffed toys, photos, etc), videos, tiara, wedding dress and two walls filled with condolence books (compiled by the Spencer family). I was called a necrophiliac by someone after I said I really liked the Diana exhibition. Hahaha.

But I also liked the Strasburg clock model. I sat there watching the intricately made clock come to live. After a brief commentary, the procession of the Apostles began. In an alcove, Jesus came out and stood there while the 12 apostles moved and bowed in front of him. When it was Peter's (the 6th apostle) turn, Satan appeared at a small window as the rooster on top of the clock flapped its wings. When it came to Judas, Satan came out again as Judas, carrying a bag of gold - payment for the betrayal, moved and bowed in front of Jesus.

But what I liked the most was Hannah's pie stand outside the museum. Chicken mushroom pie with barbecue and chili sauce in the cold.

Next weekend: Attempting the 3.5km Bondi - Bronte Walk. The walk will cover Bondi Beach, Surf Life Saving Club, Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Baths (home to the world famous Bondi Icebergs Club), Tamarama Park, Bronte Park, Bronte Baths, Aboriginal Art and the Waverly Cemetery.

Listening to: -

Ephesus Ancient City, Turkey / June 2005

Do not disturb.

Listening to: -

Le Apartment, Chinese Peace Garden, Sydney / April 2008

This is Liyana explaining to Ro how she knows me:

yes i know myraaa...put it this way....if i need to go out and stay out all night, i tell my mum im staying over at myra's for a girlie PJ party. when im about to get married and im not sure im doing the right thing, myra will tell shine light on what is right or not right...and when i have kids and theres no one to babysit n i wanna go out all night, ill barge into her house without telling her, dump the kids and they forget they exist. she'll curse me, but take care of them anyway.... thats how i know myra... :)

Hahaha...

That's how she knows me... I don't think telling Ro about following our parents to Animal Sciences' conferences in Penang at the age of 10 or 11, staying at the hotel, swimming together and eating at that 'The End of the World' seafood joint would have made a cool enough story to be published on FB :P

Listening to: John Legend

The 4's around Sydney city / May 2008

This is for you, Fahmi Fadzil ;)

xoxo,
Myra

Listening to: I Wonder by Kanye West

Sydney / May 2008

And that would be my marks for my Public Relations Management & Conflict Resolution quiz.

It was an open book quiz worth 20% of my grades. My (organized) ramblings on Grunigs' 4 models of public relations and McDonalds Australia vs. Super Size Me (the documentary by Morgan Spurlock) were considered as:

"Excellent! One of the best organized essay that directly answered all the questions asked. There were only minor issues that could have been fletched out if you had more time"

How the hell am I going to get anything better than that for the second quiz next week?

Listening to: -

Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari, Kuala Lumpur / 28 May - 3 June 2007

I'm pleased to announce that Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari won an award for Best Group Performance (Theatre) at the 6th BOH Annual Cameronian Arts Awards on Sunday night.

Congratulations to Mark and the performers - Fahmi, Chung Wei & Tay Sy. Also to Fahmi Reza for the beautiful projections on the wall & Aziz for his 'crowd dispersing' music. Marion, Norman, Hari and Adrian deserves a big thank you for helping us out with this.

(Must also thank sponsors and venues. A mental note for when I'm back in KL!)

And thank you, Fahmi :)

For Pak Hamzah Awang Mat & Pak Dollah Baju Merah.

xoxo,
Mark's Prod

****************
Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari is a docu-performance that investigates the position of the wayang kulit dalang (master puppeteer) in the shifting contexts of Malaysian history.

The performance presents different versions of the Betara Kala story, where a bloodthirsty, child-eating giant is confronted by a dalang. The performance also explores the lives of renowned dalangs and fierce rivals Dollah Baju Merah (1938 - 2005)and Hamzah Awang Mat (1940 - 2001), through texts culled from interviews and newspaper reports.

Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari ran from 28 May to 3 June 2007 in at The Annexe, Central market and colleges/universities in the Klang Valley.

Presented by Five Arts Centre

Creative / Production Team

director: Mark Teh
performers: Fahmi Fadzil, Lim Chung Wei & Wong Tay Sy
multimedia designer: Fahmi Reza
sound designer: Aziz Ali
production manager: Adrian Kisai
production assistant: Hari Azizan
graphic designer: Norman Teh
producer: Myra Mahyuddin
executive producer / publicity manager: Marion D’Cruz

Listening to: -

Sydney / May 2008

I spent money on nonsengs in Paddington (evil place with lots of nice shops), time with Azura/Khad/Alia and an hour watching Grey's Anatomy over the weekend. I had also spent some time watching Randy Pausch's 'Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams'.

Randy Pausch, as I had read in Time's 100 Most Influential People 2008 issue, is a professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. In 2006, he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Doctors told him he had 3-6 months to live.

On September 18, 2007 Randy delivered his 'Last Lecture' (this was part of lecture series where top academics were asked to think what matters most to them and then give a hypothetical "final talk" - basically answering the question of: "what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?") at CMU.

Calling it 'Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams', Randy didn't appear frail or sick. He managed to do push-ups on stage, humored the audience and gave insights on CS and life lessons for 70 minutes without a break. Richard Stengel, Time's Managing Editor, describes the lecture as "poignant 'last lecture' and its message of fortitude and good humor in the face of death".

Carnegie Mellon has posted the video of Randy's lecture on YouTube so that it could reach millions of people. When I watched it last night, I was number 2,209,580. It was pretty fun to watch. Do make time to watch it. It's not as corny as Tuesdays with Morrie, I promise.

"What was the second head fake? This [lecture] wasn't for you. It was for my kids. Thank you very much"

Listening to: Cat Power

Autumn, University of Sydney / April 2008

Happy Mother's Day!

Get well Omar Koh Ee!

Have good fun at the 6th Annual BOH Camerionian Arts Awards & after party tonight, guys!

Listening to: -

KLIA / December 2003

While I do nothing tomorrow night, some people will be attending the 6th Annual BOH Cameronian Arts Awards at Mandarin Oriental.

(The BLAM boys designed a whole bunch of publicity stuff for the Cammie's this year, including this year's theme: Come dress as your hero)

Nominations for Five Arts Centre:

Music

• Best Group Performance (Instrumental) - Alih PungGONG by Rhythm in Bronze
• Best Musical Direction - Jillian Ooi & Susan Sarah John for Alih PungGONG
• Best Original Composition - Jillian Ooi for "Runtuh" in Alih PungGONG & Susan Sarah John for "In The Beginning" in Alia PungGONG
• Best Production Values - Alih PungGONG

Theatre

• Best Group Performance - Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari
• Best Director - Mark Teh for Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari
• Best Lighting - Mac Chan for Know No Cure
  
• Best Actor in Leading Role - Anne James for The Breath of Life
• Best Original Script - Fahmi Fadzil, Wong Tay Sy, Lim Chung Wei & Mark Teh for Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari

As you can see, it's quite an exciting line-up. I'm rooting for Alih PungGONG because it was a good gamelan concert directed by Namron and designed by Bayu Utomo Radjikin. But Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari remains closer to heart because it's the first theatre production I had produced after being Assistant Producer in other Five Arts projects. Managing production, people, sponsorship and publicity for Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari was very stressful especially when we toured colleges in KL but it went well and I'm very proud of it. It doesn't matter lah if we win or not... we had fun and it was worth the time/effort/money/etc.

Oh, I veh excited because same time last year, Second Link won Best Group Performance - beating other contenders like PGL The Musical, etc (we, some of the Singapore cast were there too, literally jumped out of our seats! Great fun). Fahmi was also named Mandarin Oritental Kuala Lumpur Fan of The Arts For Most Promising Artist Award.

Also rooting for Edwin and Zahim for their nominations.

Fingers crossed!

Listening to: -

Sheila Majid, Kuala Lumpur / February 2008

Did I tell you about the time I was sent to cover Sheila Majid's concert for KLue? Shermen, the photographer, was too cool for this. His tight vintage t-shirt and skinny jeans would have stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of thirty somethings. Oh and like all hipsters, I'm sure he had other places to go that Friday night.

So I went with Fahmi, disguised as a writer for KLue, in tow.

We were given RM200+ seats, which was sweet because it was free, but we were light years away from the stage. I was seated on the same row as other photographers. No Shermens here. Only pakcik-pakcik and abang-abang from your Malay dailies, magazines, etc. Fahmi sat behind me, along with kakak-kakak and abang-abang (think Mama Juwie) from magazines. While we cursed in our seats, the Malay newspaper and magazine gossip folks were interested in a few things: Ning's wedding (from her dress to her pelamin), Anuar Zain and Sheila Majid (her new life with her new husband, Acis). I think Fahmi wanted to cry in his seat.

The concert was alright. Sheila's still the same only that she looked a tad preggie. She sang most of her songs. Everybody stood up and sang with her. Good ol' memories for the crowd of thirty somethings. Everybody was happy.

I was happy. I managed to get a few decent photos out of the hundreds I took that night, then got them published on a page spread in the March issue :)

Ok malas to write already.

Have a good weekend!

Listening to: -

Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur / February 2008

I feel like crap.

And I'm still grouchy.

Not enough sleep and couldn't sleep properly.

I thought this was going to be a relatively easy week. Obviously, I missed reading the fine print: expect lethargy, annoyance and little bursts of anger.

You can find me brooding in my room or at the Belgian Beer Cafe tonight. Approach with caution.

Listening to: 2 Hearts by Kylie Minogue (in an attempt to "lift" my spirits up)

Around the house / September 2006

It's weird to think that while I'm having my Milo for breakfast, someone else is going to court today to be charged with sedition.

In half an hour's time, while Raja Petra's court hearing begins, I might be washing my empty mug and taking out the trash.

Aisey, I'm starting to feel bad.

Listening to: -

Penang / December 2006

Listening to: -

Elaine & Philip's, Mont Kiara / January 2008

Interesting headlines in today's New Straits Times:

Time for Fahmi to shine
by Subashini Nair

Fahmi Fadzil can make anyone meeting him for the first time feel either inspired or intimidated. Or both.

Proposal to protect 'fly alone' women: Have letter will travel
by Patrick Sennyah

In a move to stop Malaysian women being duped into carrying drugs for international sydicates, the Foreign Ministry has proposed that all women travelling out of the country alone be required to have a letter from parents or employers.

Brothers get their My-Kad

A "technical error" resulted in two brothers facing a nine-year struggle to get their MyKad

History book looks at contributions of Chinese

A "must read" book for students of Malaysian history was launched yesterday, examining the contributions of the Chinese community to nation-building.

Job security for NS trainees
By Ahmad Fairuz Othman

Working youth called up for national service training may get more financial and job security.

Listening to: -

Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney / 2007

Some lady sent me a massage on Flickr about this photo being was short-listed for inclusion in the second edition of Schmap Australia Guide. It'll be published mid-May. Online, that is.

Schmap is a map is like Lonely Planet because it gives you some background reading, suggested tours, photos from the public (i.e. me) and reviews by local correspondents.

Unlike the Singapore Airlines' in-flight magazine, this isn't a paying job. Whatever lah.

I want more moolah from my photographs!

Listening to: -

Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey / June 2005

Chapter 18: Love Among The Angels

HOW ANGELS SLEEP. Unsoundly. They toss and turn, trying to understand the mystery of the Living. They know so little about what it's like to fill a new prescription for glasses and suddenly see the world again, with a mixture of disappointment and gratitude. The first time a girl named Alma puts her hand just below your bottom rib: about this feeling, they have only theories, but no solid ideas. If you gave them a snow globe, they might not even know enough to shake it.

Also, they don't dream. For this reason, they have one less thing to talk about. In a backward way, when they wake up they they feel as if there is something they are forgetting to tell each other. There is disagreement among the angels as to whether this is a result of something vestigial, or whether it is the result of the empathy they feel for the Living, so powerful it sometimes makes them weep. In general, they fall into these two camps on the subject of dreams. Even among the angels, there is the sadness of division.

PRIVATE MATTERS. It's true that they don't have a sense of smell, but angels, in their infinite love for the Living, go around smelling everything in emulation. Like dogs, they don't feel bashful about going up and sniffing each other. Sometimes, when they are unable to sleep, they lie in bed with a nose in their armpits, wondering what they smell like.

BEING ALONE. Like the Living, angels sometimes get tired of each other and want to be alone. Because the houses they live in are crowded, and there's nowhere to go, the only thing an angel can do at such moments is shut his eyes and put his head down on his arms. When an angel does this, the others understand that he is trying to fool himself into feeling alone, and they tiptoe around him. To help things along, they might talk about him as if he weren't there. If they happen to bump into him by accident, they whisper: "It wasn't me."

FOR BETTER OR WORSE. Angels don't get married. To begin with they are too busy, and secondly they don't fall in love with each other. (If you don't know what it feels like to have someone you love put a hand below your bottom rib for the first time, what chance is there for love?)

* an excerpt from Nicole Krauss' The History of Love (pages 185-186)

Listening to: Haruskah Pergi by Iwan Fals feat. Indra Lesmana

Five Arts Centre, Kuala Lumpur / 2006

Bored. Restless.

Listening to: -