SMK Meru’s “Jalan Sempit” Video

I’ve uploaded the video of SMK Meru’s winning theatrical debut at the Pertandingan Teater KOMSAS Daerah Klang 2009. Enjoy!

Sweet Smell of Victory for the Thespians of SMK Meru!

Back Row: Dolah, Munirah, Saihah, Syazwan, Sabihah, Munirah2
Middle Row: Pak Leman, Aznan, Pa’an, Kamal
Front Row: Murali, Tuk Penghulu, Ah Chong, Joyah

Today Mimi and I accompanied SMK Meru’s team of thespians and crew to compete in the KOMSAS High School Theater Competition Klang District Division 2009 at SMK Dato Hamzah. This was SMK Meru’s first attempt at a theater competition and it was a big deal to them.

We performed “Jalan Sempit”, a play found in Antologi Anak Bumi Tercinta Tingkatan 3. Only 4 schools competed – SMK Dato Hamzah, SMK Meru, SMK Rantau Panjang and Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah (KISAS) -- and out of those 4 schools, 3 schools did “Jalan Sempit”. We were the first to perform. Everything went by smoothly, except that some parts of the play were skipped due to obvious reasons. It was, by far, one of the students’ best performance. We were truly proud of them.

Then the other schools performed. SMK Dato Hamzah’s interpretation of their Tuk Penghulu and Murali was awesome :) Didn’t like SMK Rantau Panjang’s version of “Jalan Sempit” at all. Everyone sat behind tables, and that restricted their movements by a great deal. KISAS, the only school that didn’t choose to do “Jalan Sempit”, chose to do “Sri Nara” instead. They looked AMAZING! Their props were well done, their costumes looked expensive, their make-up was better than every one else’s, AND they used sound effects. But don’t ask me what the play was about. All I know is that at the end of it, the Sultan named the place Johor Darul Takzim. Hee Hee. Anyhoo, despite all that, KISAS did not manage to snag any of the top 3 spots due to some actors wearing glasses in an era where glasses haven’t been invented yet, and also because characters other than the Sultan were wearing yellow when in those days the color yellow was only worn by royalties.

The winners are the following:

1st Place   : SMK Meru
2nd Place : SMK Dato Hamzah
3rd Place : SMK Rantau Panjang

Best Male Lead Actor: SMK Dato Hamzah – Tuk Penghulu
Best Male Supporting Actor: KISAS - (damn.. can’t remember the character’s name… So obvious I wasn’t paying attention hehe)
Best Female Lead Actress: SMK Meru – Sabihah
Best Female Supporting Actress: SMK Meru – Joyah
Best Director: SMK Meru

That’s 3 wins in individual categories AND winner as a whole. Pretty good for a first time, eh? Mimi and I trained these kids from the beginning till the end and we’re DAMN PROUD of them! State Competition, LOOK OUT! :)

Hysteria – Demonic possession or just seeking attention?

Yesterday while I was supervising the theater rehearsal at school, we suddenly heard a female scream. There was a commotion in the hallway just outside the main hall where the students involved in the theater competition were having rehearsals. Upon hearing the scream, all of us went to look at what was going on. Turned out a girl was having a fit of hysteria. In other words – Demonic Posession!

Now, I’m a skeptic when it comes to these things. I’m not saying that I completely reject the idea of the supernatural. I believe in ghosts. And I’m certain demons exist too. But I am pretty skeptical when it comes to these so-called “hysterias”. Why am I so skeptical, you ask? Let me tell you why…

1. In Malaysia, why does it only happen to Malays and not to people of other races? Or more specific, why does it only happen to Malay Muslims and not people of other religions? Don’t give me that crap about those people not being in the right religion. What are you saying? Being a Muslim makes you more susceptible to being possessed by demons? If that is the case, it doesn’t really put Islam in a good light now, does it?
2. Why does it always seem to happen to FEMALES? I have not once heard or seen of a man in a fit of hysteria. I would like to see one. That would definitely be interesting.
3. Mimi knows of someone who pretended to be possessed by demons (have a fit of hysteria) for the sake of attention. Now how do we know that most of these s0-called hysterias are not just some sort of ploy to get some attention? I know it’s hard to believe, but some people are just THAT sad and desperate.

Now, when I hear of people getting all hysteric and stuff, I immediately think “Attention Seeker”. Take the girl who had a fit of hysteria yesterday. In the 3 months I’ve been at the school, she has had 3 cases of hysteria. That is ONE hysteria fit EACH MONTH. And when I helped carry her thrashing self to the surau, I heard her mom say that this kind of stuff happens to her when she’s around A LOT OF PEOPLE. Hmmm… Interesting… Don’t you think that if a demon were to possess someone, they’d do it privately where no one is around to thwart its attempt? Why do it in front of tons of people and be stopped? Again… Interesting.

Also, if any of you have seen The Exorcism of Emily Rose (which was inspired by a true story), the hysteria cases I’ve seen (including yesterday’s) was nothing like it. The Exorcism of Emily Rose was SCARY! If I saw anything like that, I wouldn’t have had any trouble believing that it was the real thing. But the hysteria case I saw yesterday only had a girl thrashing on the ground and screaming. Kids do it all the time you know. I do it too whenever I’m having a nightmare :)

What do you guys think?

P/S She was heavy to carry because she was a big girl and she was thrashing around on the ground, not because there was a demon inside of her. Pffft. If you don’t believe me, I’ll thrash around on the ground right now and you see if it’s easy trying to pick me up and carry me somewhere else.

P/P/S Don’t get me wrong. I believe in demonic possessions. Just not the ones I’ve witnessed.

Secret Admirer?

I was out with Muffinman and Ernie tonight at a shisha place in Gombak when I noticed that I had a misscall from an unknown number. So I called that number. It turned out to be one of  the students from the school, although he wouldn’t tell me his name or which class he’s from. He said, “Tu secret… secret admirer!” LOL. My very own secret admirer. As long as he doesn’t start stalking me, I’m flattered :)

A Most Productive Day :)

Today has been a most productive day because…

1. I managed to get my super lazy class, Form 4I, to behave AND participate in today’s lesson. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, did their work. I’m so proud of them. And myself too hehe.
2. I spent some quality time with a few students from another class of mine. Listened to them. Gave some advice (Hah! I’m qualified to give advice! I feel so old!). Had a nice chat. Even sang Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” with them. I’m so fun :)
3. Gave up my seat on the LRT for a woman with a baby. Ended up standing with a heavy bag AND a laptop bag (yes, there was a laptop in the laptop bag) for a full 40 minutes the whole way to Gombak.
4. Spent some time with Bahasa Baku Man, who is actually starting to sound more local now. Should I call him Lawyer Dude?
5. FINALLY went to Kinokuniya and bought Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin AND The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope. Wheee~! More Mr.Darcy for me~!

Oh my! Mr Darcy!

Finally got around to watching Pride and Prejudice. How have I not seen it before? How have I not read it before? It’s brilliant! I was squealing throughout most of the movie. Haha. I guess it’s been awhile since I’ve experienced a good romance – on screen AND in real life.

And Mr Darcy! My goodness! I fell in love with him as soon as he appeared. Reserved, aloof and awkward with the ladies. LOL. So endearing! And he totally defied his family (his aunt) in choosing to be with Elizabeth Bennett. Wish more Malay guys would have some backbone like that. And they wonder why I haven’t dated a Malay guy in a long time. Pfft!

Will definitely get the book as soon as I can. It will go into my collection of books of which I live vicariously through. A girl needs some romance in her life. And if she doesn’t have any, she can always turn to her books to assure her that true love does exist :)

P/S The handsome Mr. Darcy is played by Matthew Macfadyen.

I Love You Too :)

Evil Twitter!

NOOOOOOOOO~! I now have a Twitter account! Yeah… I caved. God, I’m so easy! Anyway, if you feel like following me there, here’s the link http://twitter.com/IraSolehan

My Love Character – The Dreamer

blodyn just took the "What is Your Love Character?" quiz and the result is The Dreamer.

You are addicted to the idea of love. As an individual you are seductive and magnetic. You easily attract others with your sexuality & charisma People want to be with you… people want YOU. In your mind you know exactly what perfect love is ...and desire nothing less …you deserve it. You hunger for sensuality and crave intimacy. You adore simple expressions of love …like a soft kiss on the forehead …or the touch of a loving finger tip on your lips. However most of your loving is played out in your head. You tend to over-think issues relating to love ...often misinterpreting other’s motives in the process. You are very inventive in finding ways for people to show you how they feel ...and at time your need for confirmation backfires on you. You are seeking your ideal vision of love ...and cannot easily accept your partners imperfections. You can be very demanding in your expectations and can quickly discard anyone who does not meet your high standards. As a result, your love life is active but not fulfilling ...your relationships tend to be short lived or shallow. You may in a long term relationship but your are secretly yearning for more.

NOTE: Whoa.. Weirdly accurate.. Creepy!

Today’s Lesson

Today I learned that…

I seriously cannot be left alone in the kitchen. I tend to burn stuff when I do.

CASE IN POINT 1: Just now. My mom left to go get my sister’s glasses from the shop. She told me to fry the rest of the sukun she was frying. So I did. But that was the problem. I only tended the frying pan with the sukun and ignored the other two pots on the stove. Long story short, it started smelling weird and getting smoky when I realized that the stuff in both pots had totally burned.

CASE IN POINT 2: About 6 months ago maybe, I can’t remember. My parents had to go out of town for a few days. So my mom made her famous Soto Madura for us to last the whole time she was gone. She told my sister, Kenit, to heat the whole huge pot of soto soup. My sister, in turn, told me to do it. BIG MISTAKE! I heated it up and FELL ASLEEP. Yes, the amazing sleeper actually fell asleep while cooking (well, cooking, in a manner of speaking). When I woke up, the house was full of smoke, and the huge pot of soto soup – gone. Just like that. There was nothing left in the pot except some grimy black residue. Suffice to say, we ended up eating rice with fried eggs until our parents got back.

Note to Self: Never heat up stuff on the stove. Get a microwave.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

“Because when I shop, the world gets better. The world is better. And then it’s not anymore. And I need to do it again…”

I could so relate to those lines. Of course, not with shopping. With eating maybe. Maybe with shisha too. OMG. I’m a shishaholic. Pfft! As if that’s anything new! :P

I just finished watching Confessions of a Shopaholic. It was pretty entertaining, as far comedies go. I don’t think I know anyone in real life who’s a shopaholic. I know I’m not one. I have ONE pair of wearable jeans which I bought like 2-3 years ago. Sad. If anything, I need to be dragged out to shop. And man, is it that easy to get credit cards in the US? I know it’s not so easy to get one here. I want a credit card of my own! But only for buying things online that I know I can’t get here. Like UNCENSORED ORIGINAL DVDs!

Anyway, the treat of the movie was, of course, Hugh Dancy. I forgot how dreamy he was :) I couldn’t find a stillshot from the movie which he looked good in on the net. These are the best I could come up with.

Yes, I know, these pics are not related to the movie whatsoever, but trust me, he looked absolutely delicious in the movie. I think the best he has ever looked out of all the movies I’ve seen him act in (I have actually only seen him in Ella Enchanted, The Sleeping Dictionary, Blood and Chocolate, and Black Hawk Down) Go see the movie and dream over how dreamy Hugh Dancy is :)

P/S The whole time I was watching the movie, I kept on asking myself how in the world Borat got a girl like Isla Fisher to marry him. Hahaha.

How People Get Deleted From My Facebook Friends List

I have a classmate who has somehow gotten herself into a frigging McDonald’s obsession. Maybe it’s for a contest or something. Anyway, it would have been okay except for the fact that it’s EFFING ANNOYING! She changes her facebook updates about 10 times a day with stupid McDonald’s “fun” facts as well as the tagline “Have you had your McValue meal today?” And she even has a frigging album filled with McDonald’s pictures.  This would have been alright with me except that it frigging spams my frigging friends updates page!!! So I commented on one of her annoying McDonald’s status updates telling her if she doesn’t stop with the McDonald’s obsession, I would delete her off my friends list. And you know what she did? She deleted my comment! I was like, okay, whatever. I went out, came back 4 hours later, and found my friends updates page SPAMMED with EVEN MORE stupid McDonald’s crap. So I did what any sane person would do. I deleted her off my friends list. BooYah!

Forbidden Love

Okay, so for some reason, my Utopian kingdom mates and I got to talking about Mary Kay Letourneau, the woman who slept with her 13 year old student and got pregnant. She was convicted and sent to jail. She was then released on parole for good behavior, but broke her parole when she slept with him again, AND got pregnant a second time. After she had served her  time in jail, she eventually married him.

Anyway, we got into this whole discussion of how wrong it was for an adult to be taking advantage of a 13 year old kid like that (despite the fact that it could be real love what with them getting married and all in the end) and also the possibility that she may be mentally ill, when I started thinking about Majou no Jouken. Aaaahhh.. the one story of forbidden love between a student and a teacher that you can’t help but swoon over. LOL. Maybe Takizawa Hideaki being as cute as he is has something to do with it? :)  Hehe. So I went on youtube and I found the opening credits for it! Enjoy!

Majou no Jouken Opening Credits

Can-Sleep-Anywhere

I have slept everywhere, anywhere, and at anytime. Unfortunately, my lovely friends seem to think it’s amusing to take pictures of these not-so-rare occasions. Thanks to them, I have proof of my amazing ability to sleep everywhere, anywhere, and at any time. I thought I’d amuse you guys by posting my amusing sleeping pics here. Enjoy the sleeping ‘beauty’ that is me :)

 

Best Kiss MTV Movie Awards 2009

Edward Cullen and Bella Swan! WOoT! No surprise there! Watch how brilliant Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were on stage when receiving the award. LOL!

Official New Moon Trailer

It’s here! The New Moon trailer! WHEEEE~! I think Edward Cullen looks absolutely edible in this! So does Jacob Black! WooT!

Official New Moon Trailer