Rhythmic Roots - celebrating the cultural and musical heritage that is Malaysia

Great Eastern presents,

The Young KL Singers in Rhythmic Roots - celebrating the cultural and musical heritage that is Malaysia.



Come discover the depth of cultural heritage & ethnic influences that form the foundation of Malaysian folk songs. Join us in going back to our Rhythmic Roots as we journey to the far reaches of India, Thailand, The Philippines, Indonesia, and China. Experience the diversity of melody, rhythm & lyrical poetry performed by The Young KL Singers at the newly opened The Actors Studio@Lot 10.

happening at:

The Actors Studio Lot 10

12 - 14 Nov@9pm

Charity Matinée: 14 Nov@3pm

15 Nov@3pm

tickets:

rm43 (centre seat) | rm 33 (side seat)

call/walk in: TAS@Lot 10 box office - 03 2142 2009 | 03 22143 2009

walk in only: klpac box office@Sentul Park, Axcess@Head Office(Jln Semangat), 1 Utama, Alamanda Putrajaya

artistic and music director - Susanna Saw San San

choreographer - Lakshman Balakrishnan

assistant music director - Tracy Wong Wei Wen

producer - Denise Kong Hsu-Pei

director - Joe Hasham

LUCKY DRAW:

4 prizes to be won at every show*

(Victoria Station dining vouchers and Nescafé Gold hampers)

*excluding charity matinee

www.youngchoral.com

www.theactorsstudio.com.my

Love....or Prejudice?

Throughout the entirety of my life i've always - as i'm sure many people out there are the same - been searching for the meaning of life and of love. What is love? Does love really mean showing your favour or sacrifice for a certain person that you hold dearly to yourself? Or is that just plain bias....or prejudice even? This question struck me when i was reading this new manga that was recommended to me by a friend, called Vinland Saga. Here are some excerpts of the pages in question:

The Actor Studio Gala Opening!

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates again! I've been really busy with life and no time for anything else(other than my usual games). =P

Anyway, just logged in to post this:

As some of you may know, Actor Studio had left its previous theatre at Bangsar early this year, and has recently moved in to its new venue at Lot 10. Therefore they're having their Gala Opening concert this Sunday at 3PM which is open to the public and it's FREE. Additionally, free performances will be on at TAS from the 13th to 18th of October.

(Please ignore the date on the above poster. That's only for the VIP-only gala opening)


Below is the announcement from TAS regarding the free performances:

FREE PERFORMANCES
in conjunction with our opening

11 October, 3.00pm: Mixed Bill
Featuring klpac String Ensemble, Sutra Dance Theatre, Douglas Lim, Young KL Singers, Adiwijaya's Allah and Michael Voon's Diaries '09.

13 October, 8.30pm: Side by Side by Side by Side musical recital
Featuring Joel Wong, Tracy Wong, Idzam Othman & Geneviene Wong

14 October, 8.30pm: All-male singer-songwriter
Featuring Azmyl Yunor, Ariff Akhir, Ian Chow, Tony Leo

15 October, 8.30pm: Contemporary dance
Choreography by Gan Chih Pei & Judimar Hernandez, Bilqis Hijjas, Teresa Chian, Mew Chang Tsing, Leng Poh Gee, Ming Low & Choo Tee Kuang
Curated by by MyDance Alliance

16 October, 8.30pm: Double bill - Allah & Mangli
Featuring Qahar Aqilah & Redza Minhat in Allah & Ashraf Zain & Tuan Faisal in Mangli
Directed by Megat Sharizal
Written by Adiwijaya

17 October, 8.30pm: Classical and classical pop concert
Featuring klpac String Ensemble

18 October, 8.30pm: T4YP Sweatshop - six original 10-min plays all written, casted, rehearsed and performed within 24 hours
Featuring klpac's T4YP Ensemble
Directed by Christopher Ling

NO TICKETS NEEDED - JUST WALK IN (SEATS ON FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED)

Body Pain

Urgh...3 days a week of stretching exercises(thanks to KLPac rehearsals with Lex), my body's aching all over now. My legs were already shaking terribly throughout the exercise YESTERDAY. God knows how i can survive tomorrow! ><

My excuse is....

Well, i would like to tell you that i have just been too busy to blog(not that i'm not busy at all), but the truth is i am just too lazy/uninspired. I just have too many other things that i have more interest in than blogging at the moment, so my priority for blogging is quite low in my list at the moment.

Anyway, just to update you on what's been going on in my life:
1) Classes every single day(albeit short classes)
2) 3 days of excruciating KLPac rehearsals every weeks.
3) Gaming and custom map modding.
4) Trying to catch up with friends before they leave.

So yea, that's about it.

The Idea of North

I just want to introduce you to this AWESOME A Capella group from Australia: The Idea of North.

Here are some videos of their live performances:










Here are some Audio of which are not found in Youtube or whose embedding has been disabled:

My Personality - The Analytical Thinker

Analytical Thinkers are reserved, quiet persons. They like to get to the bottom of things - curiosity is one of their strongest motives. They want to know what holds the world together deep down inside. They do not really need much more to be happy because they are modest persons. Many mathematicians, philosophers and scientists belong to this type. Analytical Thinkers loathe contradictions and illogicalness; with their sharp intellect, they quickly and comprehensively grasp patterns, principles and structures. They are particularly interested in the fundamental nature of things and theoretical findings; for them, it is not necessarily a question of translating these into practical acts or in sharing their considerations with others. Analytical Thinkers like to work alone; their ability to concentrate is more marked than that of all other personality types. They are open for and interested in new information.

Analytical Thinkers have little interest in everyday concerns - they are always a little like an “absent-minded professor” whose home and workplace are chaotic and who only concerns himself with banalities such as bodily needs when it becomes absolutely unavoidable. The acknowledgement of their work by others does not play a great role for them; in general,they are quite independent of social relationships and very self-reliant. Analytical Thinkers therefore often give others the impression that they are arrogant or snobby - especially because they do not hesitate to speak their mind with their often harsh (even if justified) criticism and their imperturbable self-confidence. Incompetent contemporaries do not have it easy with them. But whoever succeeds in winning their respect and interest has a witty and very intelligent person to talk to. A partner who amazes one with his excellent powers of observation and his very dry humour.

Analytical Thinker: Career

As an Analytical Thinker you are one of the introverted personality types. You are not particularly suited for dealing with others, working as a part of a team and be in the position of “continuous exchange“, you would much rather work alone, and dwell on your thoughts undisturbed. You usually put a critical distance between yourself and others that enables you to be the keen and incorrupt observer of life.

This distance can be truly bridged by only very few other people. That is probably caused by the fact that you are not all that interested to share your thoughts with others. Generally it is sufficient for you to have clarified a matter for yourself or that you have understood something; the continuous in your eyes mostly superficial chatter of the people around you becomes rather annoying.

You prefer to work independently and appreciate having a lot of time and quiet in order to concentrate on the really important things: Structuring ideas, comprehending complex causalities, understanding of the universe, its rules and the logical analysis of systems. You absorb new information like a sponge and your memory is legendary. Once you have learned something, you’ll never forget it - unless you consider it to be irrelevant for some reason and decide that it seems to be better purging it from your data storage.


It takes some time before Analytical Thinkers make friends, but then they are mostly friends for life. They only need very few people around them. Their most important ability is to be a match for them and thus give them inspiration. Constant social obligations quickly get on their nerves; they need a lot of time alone and often withdraw from others. Their partner must respect this and understand that this is not due to the lack of affection. Once they have decided in favour of a person, Analytical Thinkers are loyal and reliable partners. However, one cannot expect romance and effusive expressions of feelings from them and they will definitely forget their wedding anniversary. But they are always up to a night spent with stimulating discussions and a good glass of wine!

Analytical Thinker: Love

When falling in love, you can turn into a real surprise package! Normally those around you probably see you like most Thinkers as slightly preoccupied, a little absentminded, maybe even a little arrogant. You also give the impression of being quiet, cool, distanced and deliberate - everything is true. It is also true that you rarely fall in love because your expectations of your partner are very high and only very few will meet them.

However, when it happens to you, things - especially for an introverted Thinker - can get pretty intense. Then you even throw your previous taciturnity overboard, and compared to your normal behavior, you get loquacious and drippy. But that usually doesn’t last long, as soon your analytical and rational part returns from its vacation, puts the entire matter under a microscope without mercy, and woe to your partner if he/she did not reach the required standards in some respect! You have a very clear mental picture of your expectations and in this respect you are much too hardheaded and stubborn to be ready for any compromises. You would rather be alone than to put up with the second best, thank you very much.

For your partner, the change from the love poem writing, romantic Romeo, to the cool strategist, is sometimes rather bewildering and not easy to deal with. Here, they think they have hooked the great romantic, and in reality you belong to the most unemotional and logical types around. If your counterpart is a very emotional type, this cold shower can lead to a few problems between you because, after the initial effusiveness is gone, he/she won’t be able to squeeze all that many declarations of feelings and vows of love out of you. Once the courtship period is over, you simply don’t see the necessity any longer. Emotions are suspect to you anyway, because they are capricious and you give your partner only occasionally a glimpse into your innermost feelings. That hurts many types very much and makes them feel rejected and taken for granted. You, on the other hand, are uncomfortable if you feel pushed into an intimacy you don’t like, and frequently you don’t understand what your partner expects of you.


Adjectives which describe your type: introverted, theoretical, logical, spontaneous, rational, analytical, intellectual, sceptical, pensive, critical, quiet, precise, independent, creative, inventive, abstract, eccentric, curious, reserved, self-involved, imaginative, unsociable, determined, modest, careful, incommunicative, witty

Find out what personality type you are: iPersonic

One last time...

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates here! I've just had no mood to update it coz i was pretty busy ENJOYING what was left of my hols. lol. And now a new semester(and the LAST! Yippee!) has started in college....so i guess it's BACK TO WORK! xD

A list of things done during the holidays, in no particular order:
1) Went on a movie marathon.
2) Met up and had a great time with Hui Ann
3) Performance with the Lisbon Chamber Choir
4) Attempted to meet up with Nina and Wei Shen, but failed. =/
5) Gaming spree.
6) Started a new map project!
7) Finished replaying FF8 and halfway through FF7!
8) Had a Karaoke session with Ms.Jessica and some college gee-, i mean, cool friends! xD
9) Went on a one-day trip to PD with family.

And so Hell reigns...

Project Management test TOMORROW. Wish me LUCK! Pray for me! Make good-luck charm! WHATEVER WORKS! HELPPPP MEEEE! *fingers-crossed*

Update #101

As you've noticed, i haven't been updating my blog lately, due to several reasons:

1) Exam period is near(or rather, holiday period is near), so i don't really have the mood to blog now.
2) Unification Wars and various games are taking up too much of my time.
3) Nothing i'd care to write about JUST YET.

But don't worry, i'll post up something soon.

Pizza VS Satay? + RomeoXJuliet

Hooray! There's a new Italian restaurant in town! Well....not exactly Italian, it's more like a fusion of local, Western, and Italian menus. And the restaurant is called...PIZZA VS SATAY! I know, weird name right? Well, i went there for dinner today with my mom to try out what it has to offer.

We almost missed seeing the restaurant because of the lack of a name board and its dark appearance(the entire entrance is painted BLACK). It was only because of the "OPEN" neon-lighted sign that we realized that the restaurant was there. At least the interior's design was more suited to a true Italian restaurant and not dark and emofying like what the entrance seems to suggest.

At any rate, let's proceed to the FOOD! xD


Mom ordered a "House Salad" with Caeser dressing as a side-dish. To me, it seemed just like any other salad dressing. But then, i'm not really a salad fan either, so i'm not one to judge. I'll give it a 5 out of 10.


This is the Satay set that Mom ordered. Tried a little and it's not bad actually. Not sure about the sauce though, since i don't take them. Mom said it was a little too sweet, but then knowing her taste buds it's probably just perfect for normal people. 8 out of 10.



I, in turn, ordered the Soup of the Day for my side-dish. But much to my DISMAY, it's BLOODY CANNED SOUP! That definitely earned them a negative point. >(

3 out of 10.


Now this dish was much more to my expectations! My main course, the Spaghetti Carbonara, has everything that i expected of it - Creamy, Meaty, and Fulfilling. However, there was ONE thing that did turn me off though. It was the presence of ONIONS! Now i know most of you won't agree with me, but i REALLY hate onions! So this gives the dish a negative point. All in all a 7 out of 10.

Oh well, i hope the other dishes fulfills more to our expectations.

Anyway, let's move on next to our Anime-of-the-day review, as well as a special introduction to its soundtrack! I present to you...

Romeo X Juliet

Story Background: Set in a fantasy world where people live on a floating continent, this epic story revolves around the power struggle between the Capulet family and the Montague family. In the fantastical aeropolis of Neo Verona, the noble house of Capulet had ruled peacefully for generations - until fourteen years ago, when the ancient grudge held by the rival house of Montague led to a mutiny, and the Capulets were deposed and all wiped out in a bloody coup. Only the youngest daughter, Juliet, survived the massacre after being rescued by a loyal knight. Now, as Neo Verona suffers under the thrall of its new masters, the fates of two star crossed lovers are about to become tragically entwined... As the citizens of the city suffer, the Capulet clan struggles to strike a blow against their enemies, and the Montagues tighten their grasp on power, an unlikely love blossoms between Juliet and a the young prince Romeo, the son of Leontes Montague, who was responsible for the deaths of Juliet's parents during the rebellion. However, when Juliet discovers her identity and her family's bloody past, will she be able to hold on to her love for Romeo, or will she succumb to hatred and seek out her revenge on the Montague family?

Review: As you've probably already expected, this anime is an adaptation to William Shakespeare's famous work, Romeo and Juliet, albeit with a few differences such as setting and plot variations. Now I wouldn't say this is an exceptionally excellent anime, since it has an average plot and character depiction/animation. However, RomeoXJuliet has beautiful artwork rarely seen in today's anime. But since this anime is based off an already popular work, there's really not much originality in it, since we more or less know what's going to happen in the end(although there are a few plot details that makes the story somewhat different, such as the presence of Escalus and the floating city of Neo-Verona).

Video Trailer:




Romeo X Juliet also contains a great soundtrack written by another of my favourite music composers, Hitoshi Sakimoto, who is also the composer for the epic soundtracks of Final Fantasy XII and the Final Fantasy Tactics series. Included in this soundtrack is also a female adaptation of "You Raised Me Up", sung by Korean popstar Lena Park in both English and Japanese versions. I absolutely loved her rendition of this popular song by Josh Groban(in fact, in some ways i think it's even better than the original).


Below is a sample soundtrack from Romeo X Juliet as well as the English version of Lena Park's "You Raised Me Up". Again, you can listen to all previously posted soundtracks in the player at the top of this blog.

The Mangas that rule the world - Top 10! Part 2

This is a continuation of the previous post.

*Mangas listed with this symbol are not recommended for readers below the age of 18(or 13 depending on your maturity) as it may contain many mature elements such as nudity and gore. Please refrain from reading them if you are below the mentioned age.

#5 - Naruto


Category: action, adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy, shounen

Author: Masashi Kishimoto

Story Background: Twelve years before the events at the focus of the series, the nine-tailed demon fox attacked Konohagakure. It was a powerful demon indeed; a single swing of one of its nine tails would raise tsunamis and flatten mountains. It raised chaos and slaughtered many people, until the leader of the Leaf Village - the Fourth Hokage - defeated it by sacrificing his own life to seal the demon inside a newly-born child, whose origins are as yet unknown. That child's name was Naruto Uzumaki. Check out this action-packed manga at http://manga.gamestotal.com/en/chapter/Naruto/manga/!

Samples(read from right to left):














#4 - Death Note


Category: drama, live action, mystery, shounen, supernatural, tragedy

Author: Obata Takeshi

Story Background: Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects--and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal... or his life? Check out this thrilling and dramatic manga at http://manga.gamestotal.com/en/chapter/Death_Note/manga/!

Samples(read from right to left):



















And we have a TIE for #3 spot!

#3a - Ouran High School Host Club


Category: comedy, gender bender, school life, shoujo

Author: Hatori Bisco

Story Background: Fujioka Haruhi is a poor scholarship student that just started studying at a wealthy and prestigious school called Ouran High School. One day, while looking for a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles into the 3rd Music Room only encounters a club exclusively composed of handsome looking male students known as the Host Club. After being intimidated and harassed by the Host Club, Haruhi accidently breaks an 8 million yen vase and thus was forced to work as a "host" in the club to pay off the debt. However, the Host Club got themselves more than they bargained for when they discover that Haruhi is a female student! Check out this hilarious and heart-stopping manga at http://manga.gamestotal.com/en/chapter/Ouran_High_School_Host_Club/manga/

Samples(read from right to left):





















#3b - Ai Kora(Love & Collage)*


Category: comedy, ecchi, harem, romance, shounen

Author: Kazurou Inoue

Story Background: Haruhi Maeda is a freshman highschool student who goes to Tokyo alone to study. However, his true purpose is neither studying nor for work. This is because Maeda is a hardcore fetishist, a "parts lover" who idolizes women's individual parts. His true purpose is to find women with the "ideal" parts that he likes! After some bizarre circumstances, he finds himself staying in a a shed next to a girls' dormitory, and that dormitory is filled with girls who all have the parts that he likes! With his idols and dreams laid bare in front of him, will Maeda be able to control himself or expose himself for the fetishist that he is? Come find out by reading this hilarious manga at http://www.onemanga.com/Ai_Kora/!

Samples(read from right to left):


































#2 - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure*

Category: adventure, drama, fantasy, shounen, supernatural

Author: Hirohiko Araki

Story Background: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure centers around an enigmatic family known as the Joestar family. The story progresses from generation to generation as each successive Joestar strives to defeat an evil that exists at their time. The whole story begins with the rise of Dio Brando the vampire, and the very first hero Jonathan Joestar, who challenges him, right to the appearances of "stand" powers. The entire story stretches over more than a stunning 500 chapters, with several more sequel series following it. Follow the grueling adventure by reading this manga at http://www.onemanga.com/Jojo%27s_Bizarre_Adventure/!

Samples(read from right to left):














AND WE HAVE A TIE FOR 1st PLACE!

#1a - Berserk*


Category: action, adventure, fantasy, horror, mature, seinen, tragedy

Author: Miura Kentaro

Story Background: Gats, known as the Black Swordsman, seeks sanctuary from the demonic forces attracted to him and his woman because of a demonic mark on their necks, and also vengeance against the man who branded him as an unholy sacrifice. Aided only by his titanic strength gained from a harsh childhood lived with mercenaries, a gigantic sword, and an iron prosthetic left hand, Gats must struggle against his bleak destiny, all the while fighting with a rage that might strip him of his humanity. Warning: This manga is for mature audiences only, since it has sexual content and graphic violence (gore, blood, rape, etc). Definitely not for the weak hearted. Read this horrifying and bloody-drenched story at http://manga.animea.net/berserk.html!

Samples(read from right to left):



















#1b - Gantz*


Category: action, mature, seinen, supernatural

Author: Oku Hiroya

Story Background: Somewhere in Tokyo, there is a room. In that room is a black sphere. Periodically, people who should otherwise have died are transferred to the room. There, the sphere gives them special suits and weapons, and sends them out on a mission to kill aliens here on Earth. While these missions take place, the rest of the world is largely oblivious to them. These missions are lethal - few participants survive them. The sphere calls the shots, and it's not the slightest bit nice. It's name... Gantz. The story focuses around a pair of students by the name of Kei Kurono and Kato Masaru who dies after being run over by a train after saving the life of a man who fell into the tracks. They soon find themselves in a world filled with death and terror as they strive to survive the horrors of the Gantz room....and save those unwittingly caught in its grasp as well. Check out this dark and gritty manga at http://manga.gamestotal.com/?/en/chapter/Gantz/manga/!

Samples(read from right to left):






























Notable Mentions:
Midori Days
Hana Kimi
Vampire Knight
Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion
Soul Eater
Rosario+Vampire
Koukou Debut
Sekirei
Elfen Lied
to-Love-Ru
Bleach