Promises

Have we seen enough promises on West Bank conflict, or even the World at large? And how big is our hope towards the peace and harmony? Mine? Bigger when after watching this piece. Personally, for me, Arabs, Jewish, Muslims, Yahudis, Israelis, Palestinians, etc, are just ridiculous labels in this piece.Bones break, organs burst, flesh tears. We can sew the flesh, repair the damage, ease the pain. But when life breaks down, when we break down, there's no science. No hard and fast rules. We have to feel our way through. And you know what? This applies to all the labels stated above. This piece delicately speaks it out to me. Simplicity and ordinary could give greater impact than complexity and extraordinary. Pick our lenses wisely.

Quick update

Wokeh, it's has been a while since my last post. Here you go quick updates:

1. I've been so busy with two stat, two theater, and one dance classes. And again, what's my major?
2. Finally, ended the journey of "Attempts of Her life". Lessons learned ? Tons! Couple pictures follow.
3. Currently, I am working on two monologues, Ariel from Shakespeare's The Tempest and Man from Durang's Laughing Wild. People are afraid of Shakespeare's. Facing off the fear, I found that Shakespeare's are really close to one's heart and mind. EVERYBODY can understand and speak Shakespeare. It's a revelation for me.
4. I've been attending several performances at Purdue. Modern dance rooting on different feelings, theater workshops/productions pertaining various themes and musical performances/gigs in different genres, or all of them combine together.

three important lessons learned:

• As a performer, be true to YOUR feelings in the objectives on being on stage. Don't pretend to be somebody you are not.
• In creating/producing (especially a workshop) a piece or work, start with feelings not ideas.
• Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse and rehearse!

Till then! Later!

....oh wait! Lady Gaga's coming to Purdue? =x

Proud

I'm very proud of 15Malaysia.

I used to believe that there's no hope of returning, but these wonderful characters give me something to believe in.

Check out this video.

The last 30secs really gets trough my veins to my heart.
click here.

Man!

Fuh! It has been forever since I wrote the last post.
Here are some updates.

- Less than a year to graduate!

Majors: Actuarial Science, Statistics, Theater

Minors: Economics, Management.

Future Profession: Rock climber?

- Currently rehearsing for a play/movement.It's "Attempts on her life" by a notorious-well-known British playwright (or rather not to be called so himself) Martin Crimp. I would say that a workshop is not a performance. It's more to an exploration of an idea towards a piece of art work and could be considered a more organic work. It's on its best when dealing with unconventional artwork. In this piece, we are working on expressing the world of post-modernism (really fascinating!). I'm a part of "Faith in Ourselves" scene and being a voice-over for three others,including the best part of the play, the final scene!

- Finally, I am a grader for STAT department, continuing the tradition of actuarial science kids. Now, I agree with Zehan and DJ that this is THE BEST job in college!

- Oh yeah, one last thing, actually three. Movements for Actor, Voice for Actor and Modern Dance combine together is diving into an obsession of your body and mind. I got Tao Te Ching (Charles Muller), The Soul of Rumi, View With a Grain of Sand and A Tree Within in my mailbox the other day! so sexificated to get lost in them!

Till next time!
Later!

Something I always go back to..

Something worth to watch, for me, at least. I always find something new everytime I watch this.

From my favorite film

Recently, I stumbled upon these two pieces from Rabindranath Tagore works and, I swore that I've heard it before. It took me a while to recall my memory of listening to these beautiful poems. Any guesses in what film you can find them?

Say of him what you please, but I know my child's failings

I do not love him because he is good, but because he is my little child.

How should you know how dear he can be when you try to weigh his merits against his faults?

When I must punish him he becomes all the more a part of my being.

When I cause his tears to come my heart weeps with him

I alone have a right to blame and punish, for he only may chastise who loves.

- The Judge, The crescent moon

I hold her hands and press her to my breast.

I try to fill my arms with her loveliness, to plunder her sweet

smile with kisses, to drink her dark glances with my eyes.

Ah, but, where is it? Who can strain the blue from the sky?

I try to grasp the beauty, it eludes me, leaving only the body in

my hands.

Baffled and weary I come back.

How can the body touch the flower which only the spirit may

touch?

- 49, The Gardener

A missive

Gratitude

Between Caley Milliken and You

Hello Caley,
How you've been? What are you up to lately? I hope everything is going well. I'm writing this message to extend my gratitude for all the lessons you gave me last semester.

I has never come to my intention to dive into theatre world or any kind of arts, until I took your class. The initial intention was to fill up my double majors; actuarial science and statistics, double minors; economics and management schedule making sure that at the end of the day I would have something fun to indulge myself into. And here you came opening my eyes, heart and soul to see the beauty of art, which now I realized that it wasn't just specifically for theatre. Everything you brought into class applies for any kind of arts in general.

My direction has slowly changed towards exploring the persona of performing arts. Now, I'm religiously reading Twyla Tharp's we used in the class for my 3rd time. I've never got enough of it. It is so fascinating that the materials and ideas she presents in the books are closely matched to lessons we had in class because when I go back to those lessons, I've started to see what you were trying to say in every single lessons, which some of them I didn't fully understand the purpose. Honestly, it excites me so much when I could see the real intentions behind it. For example, our first "presentation", when I almost broke down in class. In the book, Twyla points out different kinds of memories including "Sensual Memory" and also in "The Fervent Years" Harold Clurman talks a little bit about affective memory, which both are recalling on the memories actors felt when they were in a situation similar (or more recently a situation with similar emotional import) to that of their character. I would say the "presentation" we had in class was an excercise of recalling the memory and act upon the emotions, which can be used in the future as a tool on stage.

This whole process of pulling everything back from the class and trying to piece them back together is really exhilarating for me and finding the validity behind it through books and articles is something I'm really looking forward daily. This is not my field, formally, but you pulled me into this world and you placed me on the right track. I've never been grateful enough of whoever I am now and of whatever I'm chasing for. I might not end up graduating in Theatre but I will continue exploring this world. I was hoping you would come back this coming semester and share with me a dollop of your humble pie that I would spare some to sweeten my journey in the future. A great gratitude comes from my heart to you for a piece you shared with me.

Thank you.
p/s: sorry for my poor English.