Friday, August 28, 2009

Mumbai Se

It feels like a very long time since I last took the time to really sit down and write. It is always the case of not really having the time to do this, at my leisure. I spend hours in front of the pc in the office so when I reach home collapsed with mental exhaustion; I avoid the computer like a disease.

But today, I feel like writing. And im happy that I managed to squeeze a lil bit of time for this lovely blog.

Lots of things have taken place in the last few months. The last I wrote was on my vacation to Perhentian Island. After that, Ryan and I attended Merchants of Bollywood in Istana Budaya. The song and dance routine is captivating, the synchronization perfect and the colourful costumes and boy, those dancers can really move with so much energy and enthusiasm!

2 weeks ago, I went to Mumbai Se just right off Asian Heritage Row to celebrate Ryan's cousin's 18th birthday.  And I swore not to go there again unless someone drags me by my poor legs in. Clubbing that night reminded me why I no longer club these days – the smoke, the weird (in this case extremely weird) people, the horrible stain that hangs onto my clothes, the drunks and the ringing in my ears after that.

But most of all, the oddest crowd of Mumbai Se takes the cake. Can you image my shock when I saw old people (yes, if you're 45 and above in a club, you're O.L.D.) waltzing around with their amma looking clothes.  Did they think Mumbai Se plays ghazal music? Someone must have advised them wrongly, poor souls. Somewhere around midnight, I saw ladies wearing sarees and salwar kameezs walking in, apparently from a wedding sangeet. For crying out loud, you don't wear traditional costumes to a club, what were these people thinking? And if they came from a sangeet which is basically a song-and-dance party, not enough dancing kah? Aiyoh

The music – well, I don't watch hindi movies which meant I know hardly if any songs and I kept track of the number of songs that I think I know, it came down to 15 including 3 english songs they played. It was also pretty obvious that the crowd don't really listen to English songs, when the DJ played Rock This Party by Bob Sinclair, most of them left the dance floor *slaps forehead*.

Did I tell you about the drunks? They were first hilarious then progressed to being disturbing. Every table, save ours had at least a bottle of whiskey and these people make some real strong drinks – 2 parts whiskey and 0.5 part cola. Yes, I played people watching as I mostly sat down thru the night. Thankfully most drunks seated around us were happy drunks so their dancing got more "happening" with hands flapping around. The dude next to us couldn't even pour his drinks anymore, his hands were trembling and half of anything poured fell onto the table instead. So multiply that dude with 15 others, then it became quite unpleasant. So yeah, I would give Mumbai Se a miss which is pretty sad after all the supposed fun and good things my friends have been telling me about the place. First impressions count and alas this one was in poor taste.

Hhmm... I do believe that Mumbai Se as a whole is not such a horrible place. I know some patrons there and they have a blast with each visit. It's just not my scene.

 

Monday, August 10, 2009



Art, plays and teatre have been some of my most favourite things. This was one of my biggest pleasure since coming to the big city a year ago, all these are within reach and events are always up to give me my dose of acting, or rather watching it.



And 2 of my very good friends who are the backbones of Electric Minds Project (EMP) are up with a new show “The Things We Have Lost”. I’m so excited for them and the upcoming show!



A woman with a gun tries to fix her relationship. Three children contemplate selling a house, and their memories of it, one after the other. A mother grieves for her child in an unusually cruel fashion. Friends sift through the ashes of their previous lives. Two lovers contemplate eternity, the view from their rooftop, and moving to Mongolia. The Electric Minds Project is proud to present The Things We Have Lost, a showcase of original Malaysian short plays about grief, despair, abandonment, and hope.

Venue: PJ Live Arts, Jaya One

Date: 12-15 August 2009 @ 8.30 pm

15-16 August 2009 @ 3.00 pm

Admission by donation of RM20

Bookings: 017-232 2578 or 012-306 1229

Info about EMP The Electric Minds Project theater company started out as friends getting together to read scripts, encouraging and motivating each other to write and perform. This sharing of experiences; coming together and being creative as a group has taught the members of EMP that there is a large, untapped creative potential in Malaysia. We want to represent that talent. We want to encourage writers, nurture performers, and put their work before an audience. We want to get that work to a wider audience. We want our fellow Malaysians to be infected by the same love for performing arts that so far has only been felt by the minority.

Promotions:
For every 9 tickets bought, get 1 free.

Student prices: Buy 10 tickets = 25% off all tickets.


Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt_SC_J5wV8
Facebook event page
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=95476304823&ref=ts
PJ Live Arts info:
http://www.jayaone.com.my/pjla.html

Ill be there. Wont you?