Wangi Jadi Saksi

I just got back from watching Wangi Jadi Saksi from Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Being naturally lazy, and I don't think so I am adept in writing synopsis regarding theatre, this is the excerpt from Axcess website,

" ...is the story of Hang Jebat's betrayal and murder, as told through the eyes of his young widow Dang Wangi, as she confronts those accountable for her husband's death. Using flashbacks and flash-forwards, Jebat's confrontations with his comrades and nemesis are revealed through a provocative new interpretation of this historical and legendary event."

Got all excited to watch this since I would love to see Vanida Imran up close (even though in a theatre and hundreds metres away) and I love the story of Jebat and Tuah. There is this one painting I always remembered, of Tuah and Jebat fighting and tombak and lembing are sticking out from the floor. So, my interest was piqued, thus I bought the tickets.

Manage to get to Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in the nick of time to collect my ticket and bought the programme book. Those who plan to watch this, I would recommend you to get the programme book. It would clear out some of the dialogues that you don't manage to grasp.

Anyway, my thought on it? It was beautifully performed since you can see right away that the well known actors and actresses are very talented; among those apart from Vanida Imran is, Dato' Rahim Razali, Sabri Yunus and also worth mentioning are Khalid Salleh and Khir Rahman. Khir Rahman as Hang Tuah gave such dignified persona to Hang Tuah that I felt awe again of Hang Tuah as the great legend. Hang Jebat is cleverly played by Mohammad Shoffi Jikan, whose dialogue give an earthly feel to the theatre. However, since am not a professional reviewever and all, actually I just want to said, all of the actors and actress deserved the praise they get.

Everything went on beautifically I must say. Great performance. Good lighting. Vibrant, lilting 'score?' , just the right music (which I think was lacking in PGL the movie). Effective stage design, but some of the props have a hasty feel on it. Costume? Period costume in simple colors. I love it. Most of all, the script. Magnificent. Kudos to the scripwriters. The script is just lovely. The plot, give a new twist on the legend of Tuah and Jebat final fight.

At first, I struggled a bit to understand the dialogues since my Kesusasteraan Bahasa Melayu is a bit rusty. Not to mention Jawi reading too. LOL. The first scene is shown behind a see through 'tirai' with the prologue of the story shown in Jawi. Those are marvellous idea indeed. As the story played out, I then manage to grasp on what they are really saying and enjoyed myself wholeheartedly. My only (real) complaint of the performance is Vanida Imran should not be singing. Hehe. My very real complaint of the experience, is of 2 annoying persons, 1 who doesn't seems to get it that she or he needed to at least silent your phone. That annoying phone received messages 3 times, which all audiences in the dewan manage to hear. The no. 2 person , is the one who talk on the phone while the show played on. Sheesh, that's annoying and really inconsiderate.

Not wanting to end this post with a complaint , I will say.... wooohooo. : P

Will be busy for a few days.

Dead Man Chest

I am feeling.. dumb today. I can almost feel my brain liquidifying and turning to mash? mesh? mush? What is the correct word? See see.. I told you I am feeling dumb today.

I felt used, tired and oh so jaded with people today. But not that dark yet. Just a wee bit step away to completely hating mankind, so I transfered my affection to a non-entity. Which is none. Now. I don't make any sense. Okay. Explaining mode on. Kinda like, Davy Jones-wise, I am putting my tiny beating heart into a chest and kept the key. Well, except I don't tore my heart away, since it can be a bore to track those who will steal my heart for an organ donor. More like freezing it so that it can non feeling but just let it live enough so I won't be completely dead. Herm, probably that is why a chest is called a chest. Because we stored something inside of chest. Thus our chest stored our heart too. Man. I am weird today.

Before I am spouting more nonsensical stuff, let's look at the state of the world today.

Dalam Negeri. I am getting quite bored with Mahathir, Khairy and Pak Lah berbalah. Get over it and do your job already. I think its almost over pon. Goodies. Its like watching school presidents club debating. Which I always found very boring since I am never confrontational nor am I a watcher on confrontation.

Dalam dan Luar Negara. World leaders everywhere are just starting to jump up and down pointing at the cruelty of raiding, shooting between each other between Lebanon and Israel. Come on people.. that is so 2 weeks ago. Get on with the schedule already. I read that Rice, (America Secretary of the State) is giving all these so called speeches on how war is needless and needs to end. And Middle East needs to be revamped. I believe her word is something like, "Its time for a new Middle East". Which brings a chill down my spine since immediately I can almost see Bush is clapping his hand thinking of all the profit he could gain. Funny that she never mention that they themselves are giving Israel the weapons that killed 300 civilians. Not saying that her words as bulls completely, it is time for this war to stop. But, at what cost?

Entertainment World. Our own country first. Allahyarham Hani Mohsein passed away yesterday from a heart attack. Tis sad. A guy on his prime age. Just 41. Totally unexpected. While 50 year old men are getting married left and right. That aside, I was thinking on how happy he must had felt that day to go to a holiday with his beloved daughter.

Entertainment World Everywhere. Arr.. I guess.... everything. Its the same. People breaking up, people mooching up, adopting kids, bringing out kids out for a day in the park, beaching. All very boring. Same ol same ol. Unless Brangelina takin vows, then I perk up a bit. Not to forget however that August bring back all the series up to keep us entertained. So I will be riveted in front of my computer and TV soon. I am slaves to the idiot box.

My tiny lil world news. Well, my old college housemates (well actually only some of us) and I went to Melaka for a brief trip to visit my friend last weekend. We had a jolly good time. I wanted to put a post at first regarding this, but there's not much on this lil trip anyway.

We basically just chilled at her house, ate the plentiful rambutan at her househanging out in a museum, refreshing our mind and our local history. And learnt new thing too! I never knew that Hang Tuah had a son. Hey, I am a history buff. But not that much is mention lor. Who is Hang Tuah wife? Anyone knew? Can't remembered the name, see see, I told you I am turning dumb. It is quite fun to take a turn around Melaka history . Remember this?

Basically we try to go the basic tourist, behaving like some foreign tourist *blush* and thus taking pictures with all the usual historical monuments. Heyyy.... why not eh. Visit own country tourist attraction first.

We don't have much time on our hand, so we then took a jaunty walk through Jonker Street which sells from foods to pretty lil trinkets. Its pretty much like Petaling Street. Minus the scary looking gangsters selling pirated DVDs. But it is very nice. All the shop is very nicely spruced up, and Malacca River view is very fetching at night with all these lights from the riverside cafe.

For dinner, we headed to Umbai (where else). Only we didn't go to the original Umbai. My friend brought us to Umbai Terapung. It suppose to have great view and all. But its all dark, I might as well be sitting in a cafe in the middle of a desert. But we have great feast! That is all that matter. After that really hot walk through Jonker St, I say we deserved ourselves a feast. We ordered so much that I wondered if we had gone a tad bit overboard.

The aftermath. Well... we were hungry.

Never underestimate the ol Standby^me gang I guess. It is delicious, but I think I still prefer the other Umbai I guess. My fondest regards still remain to thee.

All pointing that..

I got too much time on my hand. Nah. I am just bored and discontented.

Anyway... being necessarily bored and fabulously nonchalant about it. (Just felt like throwing big words around even though it might be wrong) , I typed this and wallaa. All 10 signs pointing you are dating/seeing/marrying a sugar daddy-0. This is in no way related to any particular person *snickers*

1. Minus the 1 million in his bank account, you wouldn't touch him with a 10 foot pole.

2. Rummaging through your father closet for his digital camera, you found yourself staring at the same kemeja batik color and design your date wore to a formal dinner you both attend.

3. When both of you accidentally met his long lost friend, his friend remarked how fast and beautiful you had grown.

4. He have a bigger space in the bathroom shelves for his medication pills.

5. He knows more about anti aging cream than you do.

6. He woos you the old fashion way. Flowers. Jewellery. Fancy restaurant which other Datins don't frequent.

7. You have more gold trinkets from Habib Jewel than your mother.

8. You look forward the next after 20 years.

9. Snickers and titters can be heard around you when the "Who's your daddy" jokes come up.

10. When you read this you felt indignant and wanting to object.

*yawn*

Silent of the World.

I wish weekends are 5 days instead of 2. My weekends nowadays are pretty busy. I have so many DVDs to go through rather than just aimlessly go out on the weekend!! I went on a Buffy marathon the past days. Love me some Buffy. Just manage to only finish Season 1 (Well, I also have the business of playing Diner Dash 2). 5 more seasons to go through! Spike haven't appear yet in Season 1. So I am anticipating the moment when I watch Season 2. Yeay~

Forgot to bring my sweater today. So I am kinda numb and unable to think clearly because of the cold. The office is freezing because there are a few thick skin personas who will sweat profusely if the aircond is above 24C.

On world news today, the world is agog with war with Israel bombing Lebanon left and right. I don't follow world news much nowadays so I am a bit fuzzy on the details.(yeah, yeah, dumb gal.. but world news are so depressing anyway). But I bet if Siti indeed will announce her marriage today, THAT piece of news will go to the front page instead of the war news and I bet I will have more details on that.

Isn't it laughable the so call world leaders is being quiet on this bombing. There are always so busy to butt in on other trivial stuffs. Probably too busy concentrating on North Korea which have not yet bomb any country yet. I meant, why bother on things that have happened eh, no use crying over spilt milk probably is their motto.

Air raids are such impersonal weapons. Effi was right, perhaps the World War 1 (the earlier stages) is the war of the gentlemans. But when is war had ever been gentlemanly? If air raids are as impersonal, does not cannon and catapult are the same? The people who load this gun from afar do not see the destruction and the mangled bodies they had caused. I always wonder do the person who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, ever came back to see the bodies and the destruction they had caused on the innocent citizens. Probably that is why I never like to watch Pearl Harbour. Boring movie of a slaughtering of Americans soldiers which ended with the slaughtering of Japanese citizens. I always scoffed at the war and soldiers that killed innocent peoples and even children. They said it is accidental. But if someone accidentally run over your kid, you would want to tear out their throat too wouldnt you.Instead, no apologies to the grieving family. No, nothing. Just, its war. An emergency state. As if that excuse it.

To me war is and had always been between 2 parties. When I said parties, I meant 2 or 3 person agendas. The soldiers are just pawn. And the citizens are the board where they trampled on.

Ah , now on a lighter note. I read an article about a woman's wish on choosing sugar daddies or money in marrying a man. There is a difference. One is a sheer disgusting luxury and one is just a justifiable need. I think this article probably have something to do with a certain celebrity. I wonder if the author place her in the golddigger section or justfiable needs. Ah well, but the celebrity golddiggers marriage to the ripe ol age Dato' is the one that we rarely heard end in divorce, but those who went all lovey dovey years ago on the cover of a magazine is the one ended up signing their name on the divorce paper. Perhaps true love is truly overrated.

'Tis Friday. Rejoice.

But I felt so azure blue. Waitaminute. Its Friday. Its the day every employee felt joy when its approach. But I just got back from a head spinning training for the new product release. (if you can call a recording video presentation by someone on the other side of the planet a training). And I felt like crying.

New product release. That is the understatement of the past 2 years. Everything looks different than the one we are used to. When we were in university, as lowly naive students we had learnt this term. "User or employee resistance to new technology". This term are coined as a negative aspect? force? obstacles? when a company wanted to use new technology or an upgrade. As greenhorn and our snotty nose rather than stucks between textbooks we rarely read but up on the air looking disdainful of the people who don't know to use computer and we ourselves proclaimed we are technology savvy, we don't exactly understand why should this should be a major problem.

But it is. It is. Imagine all the non savvy techie people who does't even know how to minimize a window, much less have to handle one product that looks so bewildering and confusing and have all these tech jargon. Like what I would always say to my colleagues. "Die lah for sure". Imagine telling these peoples what this log events meant when we ourselves are struggling to familiarize ourselves in a limited time. Hate programmer/developers who only think of themselves. Pbbbthhh~

I also had just taken an insurance policy to make my beneficiary considerably richer if I died. I looked at all the flow chart and see of all the probabilities that could befalled a human being. If you get to an accident, if you suddenly got cancer, if suddenly you are blind. Then being a woman now. Woman. Baah. I hate that. I was presented with more catastrophe that could befallen me. If I got breast cancer, if I got breast cancer and need to undergo reconstruction surgery, if I got into an accident and my face is disfigured, if my baby is suffering from some sorta disease, if I have pregnancy complications. I could assure you, it could bring anyone down looking at these policy insurance on things they supposedly cover and imagine 30 different catastrophe that can happen to you. So every month my pocket decrease manyfold to get this protection and for me not to be old, disfigured, physically impaired, penniless and begging on the street. Thus what they say. Men are born to borrow trouble.

Such a depressing post on a Friday. That is okay. I will get back home tonight and play Diner Dash 2. Special thanks to Yoda to make that happen :P . Oh and yeah, it does work now. Muehehe.

Click. Click.

World cup is over. Boohoo.. the jam packed road are starting again as usual. Funny how things like school holidays and World Cup can make the road seems much more 'spacier'.

Got nothing to update. Maybe I am bored or I am just a bore. But actually I got things to do. *snickers* Actually I am playing game at the office. Haih. Why? Well, it makes me more productive. Play some game, do some work. Play 1 level, do one task. That is productive, rather than I just stare moodily at the screen contemplating what in the world is their problem are. The game kinda rushes some adrenalin surge through my brain. Excuses Excuses. But hey, its true. I got a lil cold in the head as what my Anne-ish book always said. So everything seems, soo not worth it to think about at the moment. This kinda jolt it up a bit. But let's just enjoy the downtime of the proxy and enjoy the game while we still can.

Oh yeah, before any of you boys get all excited and ask if I play some games *roll eyes* alike to Resident Evil or Warcraft or whatever it is you are into now, well I am never am much of a gamer except for Sims! ( I still think it sucks that Sims kept on selling Sims Life and Sims City, but there is no Sim Safari or Sim Hospital anymore) Big strategy game gave me headache and tend to make me swore. I am more of a click, click, click.... Win.. Next Level. Click, click, pause, click. Arrr. Mati.. Habis (sound effect from one advert of the radio station) Lose. Games like from the site Popcap (They had lessened the number of games?) , Orisinal (Some of the game are irritatingly too cute) or alike to that. Quick. Fast. Now see what I meant by productive. LOL.

Actually I am still trying to not bankrupt McDonald. A game I picked up from MetaCafe.

Stay Alive

Come come. I kinda ... well.... how you say it.. malas? To put up a new post. Not so much because I detest typing. Hey, that what I do every day on my work. Type type type. Just that I sooo like love looking at Kirsten Bell pic at the top of my blog. Sigh. ( I am still on Veronica Mars fever but can't watch the later episodes due to hectic schedule in my life and other impending series needed to watch. Oh and the other little thing I still have not finish downloading) Probably I will put another fan girl button down my blog *grin foolishly*.

Anyway. A couple of weeks back, deciding to give my brother a treat before he went to the grind of study life (study life? grind? yeah,right) I 'belanja' him to watch Stay Alive. If those who are observant and have memory that hard to erase, I put that up as the thing I wanna watch in my blog.

I just want to watch it since it have Samaire Armstrong, Milo Ventigmilia and Frankie Muniz in it. Oh, not to mention Sophia Bush. But I don't really care much about her since I don't watch One Tree Hill. Oh and also the ever burning desire to see on they bring the Blood Countess on the Video game/movie. I am actually more interested in the Blood Countess.

The Summary
The story started with Loomis (Milo Ventigmilia) , playing a new video game. This game is about trying to get past or destroy the evil which is Elizabeth Bathory or the Blood Countess. He made a wrong move in the game, which causes his character to then be killed by being hung from the chandelier. A bit freaked out , he call in his BFF and kinda like a forster brother (the details are a bit fuzzy), Hutch (Jon Forster) come over playing this new game. Loomis was found later killed at his own house, hanging from the ceiling.

A grief-stricken Hutch, found the game and together with his game crazy friends, opt to play this new game in tribute to Loomis. (Weird way to grieve) . Then one by one, his friends died like their character in the game.

My thoughts?
Well.. if one want to prove the illogical of it, this is after all a horror movie where some character from the past come alive. They are many hole in this little movie it. How does a character manage to stay alive and after apparently died? Who bring this game to life, since surely Elizabeth Bathory who live at the age of 15th century would not have programming prowess? What does the little room in the house mean? Why if the Countess recoiled from wild roses, the wild roses are found in abundance around her house? And what is that annoying vibrating sound before they are killed? At the end of the movie, you are left with, huh?

However the video game characters and its graphic are nicely done. And the film have its moment. When Abigail (Samaire Armstrong) and Hutch kiss just after Hutch rescue her, bring the whole cinema cracking up. I guess romantic tender moment, just don't find the correct note here. But the actors and actresses are not that bad. Frankie Muniz is delightful as always. Samaire Armstrong is as sweet as she was in O.C. Sophia Bush is different from the usual sweetiness, which probably why you can see she act her character with relish. Jon Forster looks kinda out of it at first, but got into his character ok enough in the end. The ol mansion that they show look kinda like the mansion in the Skeleton Key. However the graveyard shown at the back of the mansion, was very creepy. So kudos to that graveyard alone :P

As for the Elizabeth Bathory legend. Well, those who is as much as a history buff as me and have a penchant for bloody history, all know that the Elizabeth Bathory had lived and was feared. She was as said in the movie. Kidnapping young girls for torture, riding in her black carriage at night looking for victims, hanging victim upside down and drained them of their blood. All true. However she did not lived in Pennsylvania , but rather Hungary. Probably the movie will cost too much if they went to Hungary? She come from a royal bloodline , thus why her act of terrors went on so long before she was persecuted. Read more about Elizabeth Bathory here, if you like.

Worth your rm10? For a horror movie, this did ok. Probably worth a DVD bought from your local black market.LOL (kidding, do support film industry) Better than Fragile though I have to say Fragile have the better plot. (But..blergh.. I still cannot get that horrible image of ol saggy flesh out of my mind..) The movie have all the bump in the night and flickering light and darkness of any horror movie. So horror movie element? Check . There is much fault in the movie if you want to openly ridicule it (which I did, I know I contradict myself). However the acting from the cast, make it a bit bearable. Just watch it as it are : A mindless horror movie.

The fever I call Veronica Mars

Yeayyy!!!!

Why? Why would I be yeaying? Those who didn't know. I am kinda obsessed with Veronica Mars now. Been watching the series like a marathon. Thank you lan for introducing me to this rockin series~

Pictures taken from Source.

And I just finish watching Episodes 18.... and MAJOR spoiler ahead to those who haven't watched the series and hate spoilers, Veronica and Logan kissed. Yeay...

To those unfamiliar of the Neptune world, the summary of the story is Veronica Mars and his father is an outcast at Neptune town and the her high school. This happened after his father the then sheriff accused a father of Veronica Mars BFF, Jack Kane of killing his own daughter Lilly Kane. Jack Kane, who is the owner of a multi billion?million? a software company much loved by the people, was upheld innocent by the whole town bringing the town to persecute Veronica father, Keith and herself at her own high school. Keith Mars refused to back off from his town, and stayed to open up a PI company. Assisted with his lil daughter, they bring in the cases and solved it together.

Introducing the main character:
Veronica Mars: The petite blond cute as a button ;as described, as the outcast at the school. She used to be the 'in' crowd when she and Lilly Kane was BFF. After her father was accused, she was mocked, ridiculed and ignored. So now with a spunky attitude and wits, she is the one to goes to if you want the dirt on anyone or track down a lost puppy.

Duncan Kane: Duncan was Veronica ex boyfriend. They were THE dream couple of the school, the rich popular guy hooked up with the PEP squad girl, Veronica. He also happens to be Lilly's brother . One day he just stop being Veronica boyfriend, without any explanation (girls everywhere around the world can so relate to this) , and soon after his sister was killed he join in the other in ignoring Veronica. Though not so unkindly. He is cute in a jock sorta way, however he irked me with his stone like quality. He do not have any charisma, and I felt joy whenever Veronica have her eyes on other guy. However , Veronica seems to still have feeling for the old ex boyfriend.

Logan Echolls: The half demented with a mean stripes on him sometimes, the school jock and terrors. Early on the series you see him attacking Veronica verbally and not to mention the vandalising of her car's with such vigour. However as the series progresses, you got a glimpse into his life and his human side which make him all the more flawed and thus so interesting. He is also Duncan BFF since kindies and used to be Lilly Kane's boyfriend.

Wallace Fennel: He is the new kid at school whom Veronica Mars cut down from the flagpole. He, is just, well, he is a sidekick to Veronica. All superheroes needs one right? And he is just the one. Sweet nice dependable Wallace and Veronica total BFF. He bring in the breath of normalcy to this series.

Eli Weevil: First we saw him as a motorbike riding thug. He lives in a ghetto and is the head gang of the motorcycle gang at Neptune. He provide Veronica Mars with muscle and the sometimes threat needed sometimes in extracting information. Why? Veronica Mars get him out of a sticky situation thus makes him forever indebted. He is too nice for a motorcycle thug, but however this is after all a family show!

The other characters are multiple, however this are few of the one you usually see popping out in each series.

Ah yes, why do I like Veronica and Logan so much? Duncan was good looking enough of the heartthrob of the school, however Logan with his snobby snotty way and sarcasm to match is the guy you enjoy watching.

All of you guys know that girls never really meant that ALL they ever want is to find one nice boy. All of us in one way or the other find ourself once, attracted to the guy that the parents would slam their door to if he came by to a girl house. Logan is just this bad guy, who is so vulnerable at times that we can't help but wish him all the best.

He is not that good looking, but hey... I like my man throwing things around, rampaging like a bull, have a big emotional trauma-like experience and acting like a jerk, but also manage to save the day. The looks don't really matter , its the whole experience of unexplainable happiness he brings when he smiled and the depth of despair when he treated you like trash. Sad isn't it... Its one of my fault I say.

So she and Logan kissed. Sooo friggin exciting I say. Gosh, I am speaking or typing like a ditzy high school kids, but its soooo make me shout half hoarsely "Yes! Yes!~ Thats what I want to see.. Bring it on!!! YEEESSSS!". And I was literally pacing the room when that scene played, filled with joy and unexplainable happiness, both cheeks hot. Which then I stop dead in my track for a second when I realized that this is what I usually do when I was in love. And I haven't felt that for almost as long as I wish to forget. Yeay~ way to substitute love with teen series!

Oh, and Duncan? Go and romance the boring girl.

This is getting interesting!!! I am on Team Logan with that slogan emblazoned on my T-shirt. (As soon as I can find a white T-shirt). Oh and yeah. This series unconciously revived my love on jacket again. The characters are always wearing such cool looking jackets. Thus I blamed them as I splurged on a new jacket from MnG cause they totally look cool like the one Veronica wears. Lame excuse I know. But hey.. thats partly the reason too. Really. And MnG have really good sales going on now too.

p/s: However I know good thing ain't made to last. Sadly. Sigh~ My great love of the series will surely not get their way if I know how does the usual series work.