tHe RaCoNtEuR

Children's theater for university students -.-"

2012-01-30T21:19:00.011+08:00

I put the “sweat” icon (-.-“) next to the title because it obviously sound paiseh. It's sounds silly, doesn't it? I mean, university students are normally considered as sophisticated audiences therefore can handle more mature types of theater. Still, despite being inappropriate to the age group, why I chose children’s theater in the first place?

BACKGROUND.

It all started at the beginning of the semester when it’s been decided that we will be having a caroling/ Christmas party on campus simply because it was the 1^st time ever Christmas fell within the duration of a semester. It was an open door to spread some love to the campus community and to give them a glimpse of what Christmas is all about.

After the caroling is over, which is a week before Christmas, came the 2^nd part- The Christmas party. The party as usual, consists of Christmas songs, food, games and of course, a skit which I am put In charge of. I was overjoyed, since it’s been a long dry semester and I’m finally given a platform to feel alive again.

THE PERFORMANCE

The story line is simple. It’s about a comical little boy waking up over exited because it’s his birthday. Full of great expectations on gifts, cakes, fun and love, he was later disappointed when his friends missed the whole point of his birthday by coming over, having their own fun and ended up crashing his party. This is relevant to Christmas, since it’s a celebration to honor the birth of Jesus, but it’s deprived of it’s true meaning due to focus on gifts, sales, corny holiday packages, santa clause and etc.

The genre is obviously Children’s theater, but presented mainly as monodrama. I only shared the stage with my good friend alex towards the final 5 minutes of the skit. I had the first 10 mins to myself, doing musical monologues, comical dancing and acting with the help of cartoon like sound effects. There were also a lot of interactions with the audience.

WHY CHILDREN'S THEATER?

Well, to begin with, speaking of parties, I captured an image in my head of people eating while standing up. That's one of the worst situations for the audience to be in. The food and chatter will end up getting all the attention, not the skit. I, above all, hate the feeling of as if I'm performing to a wall. For this reason, I chose this genre. It’s simple, fast and draws attention in a blink of an eye. Thank God that the audiences were decently seated on that day.

My 2^nd reason will be because of the audiences themselves. Based on my previous experiences of performing in front of UPMers, to my horror, they have this horrible habit of harassing actors on stage. I was shouted at, laughed at, rudely imitated, all this while the show is on. They see theater as concerts, when there are clearly ethics to watch theater. I really feared this and didn’t want it to happen again on that day. I therefore chose something interactive where the audience’s response becomes a part of the play. Thank God again that on that day, the audiences were well behaved.

RESPONSE.

Here’s the weird part. Believe it or not, for something considered a little inappropriate, the response was overwhelming. Too overwhelming as a matter of fact (to my surprise. I was baffled). The audience’s heads were basically glued to the front. Even more intriguing, their participation throughout the skit. I pulled some of them to the front to dance, and they did. When I asked them to sing “happy birthday”, they joyfully did. The most shocking, when the skit ended with Barney and friends, “I love you” song (with actions), they actually followed the actions with the person sitting next to them.

Unbelievable, and it really encouraged me, A LOT! it's toward my joy to understand that these are undergraduates, not children, and even so, for a moment in there, everybody seemed to have paid a visit to their childhood days =)

THANK YOU'S.

what you didn't know about this is the fact that i was as nervous as anything before the skit. one-man-show's can be sort of frightening. thank God for answering my prayers and of course, to Alex for praying and collaborating with me, resulting God's favor on a smooth show that i wouldn't change anything about. thank you everybody that came for the party. I'm very encouraged by the reception. my beloved IK-ian's whom are like family and of course, Jesus, for everything. All glory to Him.

My 10 favorite Malaysian films.

2012-01-10T18:49:00.005+08:00

Most people I've met don't really have good things to say about the Malaysian film industry. personally, I do agree with what they have to say, but undeniably, there were some films who've done us all proud. Some of the films I'm about to mention here won numerous awards overseas, but receive very little acknowledgement here in Malaysia. Worse, most Malaysians (maybe even YOU) might not have heard of these films. So, here is my own way, little that i can do, to tell you about these films, mainly a part of the new wave cinema in our country. Without further delay, here's my top 10 favorite Malaysian films (that I've watched before) in no particular order.

I’m just going to sit here, and look at you =)

2012-01-08T22:00:00.009+08:00

This is the scene when the audience fell in love with the couple, Brian and Kelly. Their Cheekiness is accompanied with laughter, cheers, and loud applause. they were adorable and madly in love with each other. little did everybody know, tragedy is about to strike and it left the audiences crying over the ugly twist of fate that live brought upon them. Personally, this is by far one of the most cheekiest and charming scenes I've ever written and is also my most favorite in the whole 60 minutes play. i wrote it playfully, yet with my heart and soul in it at the same time. have a read.

_____________________________________________________________

Kelly: so, what are we going to do next?

Brian: ermmm.... i don’t know. We’ve got Lynn’s party coming up in a few hours. What do you want to do for now, just to kill time?

Kelly: i don’t have anything in mind. Why not you decide.

Brian: i don’t want to do anything either. You decide then.

Kelly: no, you. I made plans to come to this park. It’s your turn now.

Brian: it’s ok... you decide. I don’t mind.

Kelly: no, you.....you, decide. I want to play fair.

Brian: ok...ok, fine. I’ll decide.

Kelly: so, what do you want to do?

Brian: (playful) ermmm....well, i just want to sit here and look at you.

Kelly: (giggles) you gotta be joking.

Brian: no, seriously. I’m just going to sit here, and look at you (smiles) .

Kelly: (playful) fine, look at me then.

Kelly straightens her posture but her eyes looks down. Brian hunches, rests his chin on his right palm, and looks at Kelly attentively. Brian giggles. Kelly gently looks from the floor to Brian.

Kelly: (gentle) what are you smiling about?

Brian straightens his position and smiles at Kelly.

Brian: nothing (cheeky and shakes his head fast).

Kelly: hey, you are lying. Tell me, what is going on in your mind.

Brian: no, really. It’s nothing.

Kelly: don’t you trust me dear? You can tell me anything.... and i promise you, that i won’t be mad at you.

Brian: you promise?

Kelly: I promise.

Brian: (holds Kelly’s right hand) nothing much actually. I was just thinking about our future.

kelly: (smiles) what’s it about our future. what do you see in it?

Brain: i see me, and i see you. I see me being happy, and i see you next to me. I see me coming back from work, and i see you waiting for me to come home. I see me growing old with you, and i see you......

Kelly: (firm) I don’t believe in such things.

Kelly pushes Brian’s left hand. Brian pulls his hands to himself, bows down, looking a little hurt. Kelly then clasps Brian’s hand back and they look at each other.

Kelly: (gentle) ok, i believe you.

The couple smiles at each other. Kelly leans on Brian’s shoulder.

2011: my highlights.

2012-01-04T12:12:00.009+08:00

i do this almost every new year to recap how the previous 356 days have been. well, here are some things that are considered VERY meaningful to me.and just so you know, 2011 was a year of new beginnings because i went to places in life that i never had and did things i never thought i can do. Indeed all are God's blessings, therefore i shall not take any credit from it. well, here it goes-

1) "Could this be Love?" the Musical.

what's great about it is that this is the FIRST EVER script of mine to be staged, and in a large scale that is. it was done in conjunction with Easter, under Ikatan Kristian UPM in a hall packed with 800 over people. God also blessed the production by having Juwita Suwito come sing for us. i couldn't be happier to get involved directly with it, from the writing, scenography, singing, dancing, acting, directing and etc.

2) "Solace" theater.

Solace was the first ever script i wrote and was staged on the same week as the play mentioned above. it was staged to represent my residential college to an english drama competition. it was very well received. verdict wise, we got penalized and dropped to 3rd place due to it's violent content. in the words of the judge that created much hatred within our production team- "sorry, but no violence please. we are all educated here". we also managed to take home the "Best stage award".

3) Juniors.

yeah, this semester is my 3rd and indeed a welcoming gesture into my senior year. Glad that i got a bunch of wonderful juniors joining us. had much fun creating memories and basically, just doing what we do at regular basis. by the way, they are all really nice people and I'm just blessed to be given the opportunity to invest into their lives. love them all much =).

4)Featured in "the star".

This one is for the photo shoot i did with my best friend from my schooling days, Zlwin Chew. he's now a renowned magician and this is one of the projects he invited me to be a part of. it's also the first official media print to label me an, "actor". the aim of the shoot is to promote healthier body images and to combat stereotypes that come with it. Praise God again.

5) First television gig.

My lecturer, the renowned author and poet, Dr. Lim swee Tin whom is very well connected got me this gig, since he's my creative writing lecturer in my 2nd semester. i later sang at RTM with a bunch of musicians from uitm. unforgettable.

6)My own show at KLPAC

this is to me one of the most full filling things i've done throughout 21 years of my life. i wrote, directed and acted in this play entitled, "refuge" with 2 actors that i cannot go wrong with. "Indicine" at KLPAC was packed that night, having Joe Hasham and Dato' Faridah Merican sitting at the front row. the script, of course, was a personal one, and also by far, one of my most satisfying works. my first major foot into the Malaysian theater scene.

7) errrrrrmmmm.....

this one shocked me!! i will post something about this one very soon. this is the most unique yet inappropriate thing i've staged, yet turned out VERY well received. see how the audiences heads were glued to the front, and not to mention, how responsive they are to something super silly. this deserves a post of it's own, not a few liners here. wait for it yar.

8) Mojo and Jojo.

I got my first EVER pet rabbits. they were really adorable, and annoying at the same time. too bad that they are now gone. RIP Mojo and Jojo. miss them sometimes.

9) Performing Arts student.

I've been acting since i was 9 but after 11 years, i was finally given an opportunity to study acting as a part of my degree in UPM. this time, in contrary to the previous, no one objected or told me that, "i will not be able to put food on my table", maybe because i am also acquiring a degree in linguistics at the same time. i always knew that i will come back to my first love eventually. and since i love it so much, studying it is never a burden. i was later blessed with the highest marks in class for tests =). another step closer towards pursuing my dreams of having my own theater company, someday. yeah, im gonna be an artist!!

10) 1st place, Public speaking.

the title says it all. this one somehow had a deeper story to tell. i actually had fears coming against there more experienced speakers, since i was then in my 1st year. worst, i fear that my nerves will get the best of me, like they usually do. to take a chill pill, i read the bible backstage until it was my turn to speak. I started by saying, "im no good and if there's anything good in me, it's from God". i spoke about pre marital sex (topic assigned to) in a rather nonchalant and crazy way, without stammering even once, then, the rest is history. Thank you, Jesus.

11) overall winners in Debate.

the title says everything. blessed indeed that we've not lost even a single round of debate which is held on fridays for about 13 weeks, i assume. Thanks to my great teammates for being their great selves. the victory is everybody's blood, sweat and tears.

12) Ida Nerina and Dato' Zahim Albakri.

i was sitting at the front row when they came visiting at upm. well, guess u guys can understand how i felt at that time, since Dato Zahim Albakri founded Instant cafe theater company and Ida Nerina was in "sepet", the film that had a major role to play in my life. good time chatting and before they left, they signed my card =). yaaaaay. glad to be around people whom are super successful in my field of passions.

well, just to share some. there is definitely more, like fonesta idol, MAKP, and etc, but this will be good enough to paint the scenarios of 2011. for all the bitter and the sweet, i thank God. i have no share of credit nor responsibility in His blessings for me. Now looking forward into 2012 and the great things that are in stored in the next 365 days. Woooohooo!! the best is yet to come, Jesus willing =)

My story.... Part 1

2011-12-16T00:03:00.006+08:00

Believe it or not, when I did exceedingly well in my UPSR back in 2002, my parents rewarded me with a thick book on astronomy, and it’s something very much to my joy. It was a phase that I was in- obsessed with space therefore wanted to absorb as much knowledge related to it. When Mars showed up on the skies of Klang, (2004) I pulled a long face at my tuition teacher for not allowing me, a guy into a girl’s school at night to take a closer look at it via a telescope.

Sooner or later, I got bored with space and wasn’t sure exactly what to do with my life throughout my teenage years. I too was adamant to go into the teaching line when I was 18 but had a serious change of mind when I became a temporary teacher. I got a taste of horror the profession had to offer via my beloved students. They drained my battery out and caused me a sore throat from all that shouting I had to do.

Ambitions come and go, but the only thing that was very much persistent for the past 21 years of my life is the love for art. That is one thing that did not change. The more I practice it, the deeper I’m in love with it.

THE EARLY YEARS.

I remember circa 1992-1993, newspaper pages were double their size compared to what they are now, and occasionally, there will be a page or two that will be left empty by accident. According to mum, she sat 2 or 3 year old me on the floor and started drawing on one of those massive papers. There it goes, the wonder and the priceless facial expression of little me towards the discovery of drawing. I started drawing even more after that when dad bought 2 blackboards to hang on the living room. I had endless supply of colored and plain chalk to draw with. When guests come visiting, they will request me to draw something for them on those chalk boards. Driven by the fascination for animals, dinosaurs and monsters (power rangers, Ultraman and cyber cop were the hit cartoons at that time), I drew weird creatures (a hint to my current love for surrealism, I suppose) by combining body parts of different animals. Somehow, unlike most kids, I do not start drawing with the head. This remains until today, for I myself don’t know what I’m drawing until half the picture is done.

THE PRIMARY SCHOOL YEARS (1997-2002)

On the first day of school (January 1997), while my class teacher is busy dealing with parents, we were given papers to draw on. I took out my color pencils, divided the paper into half, drew a black swan on the upper half and a dragon on the lower half. The swan turned out fine, but not the dragon. I can’t seem to stay in the lines. It was a smattering of red and green. This girl next to me said, “comotnya” (how untidy). I didn’t know what “comot” meant at that time. I only spoke English. Somehow, throughout my schooling years, mum did not help me with my art projects as much as what she did for my sister. When I was a pre-schooler, mum made collages, a house miniature, a lady figure using the toilet paper roll and etcetera for my sister’s art projects. I watched with endless fascination. When I asked her why on an evening in 1997, she replied that unlike Steph (my sister), I am good at drawing. I took her word for it and drew a Griffin (a mythological greek creature) on my art block.

Performing wasn’t the strangest of idea to me. At the back of my mind, I thought that it’s something everybody does and I’m no exception. it's only later on that i discover that there is such thing as "stage fright". When this teacher of mine (Puan Zarina) came to my standard 1 class, looking for performers to sing in this upcoming talent time, I was the only one whom raised my hand. She then took me aside and asked me to sing a few lines. In my head, I was scrolling through a playlist of my dad’s favorite songs that I’m much too familiar with. Too bad I don’t know all the words. I stood there puzzled, trying to figure out the Malay lyrics. I only started singing when she suggested to me some nursery rhymes. I’m officially in the talent time, and on show day, I later found out that I’m the only 7 year old performer.

This 12 year old boy sang “words” so beautifully and occasionally looks in his hands as he sings- a gesture to acknowledge the lyrics, “it’s only words, and words are on my hand, to take your heart away”. I thought it was very good as I was seated on the floor with the rest of the school. When it came to my turn, I walked to the stage, stood by the mike stand and sang “Mary had a little lamb/ London Bridge (I think) without knowing anything about tone, key or tunes. Later that day, the principal shook my hand and said something like, “sedap suara awak” (you have a nice voice). I thought to myself, “she must be saying that to encourage me. No way I sounded any close to that 12 year old boy”.

In 1998, when I was 8 years old, I had the first taste of P. Ramlee films. My dad used to buy video tapes (neither VCD nor DVD. both are yet to be invented) of P. Ramlee films and I enjoyed them all, especially “Pendekar Bujang Lapok”. Upon asking my class teacher if there will be any student performances on teacher’s day and to have, “no” as a reply, I looked forward to that year’s talent time to perform something else. I actually wanted to direct and act in something pendekar bujang lapok-like ( 99.99% of students in my school are Malays. That’s why i think it's appropriate). i even approached some of my classmates about it. what a weird scenario- a 8 year old working on scripts, wanting to direct and to cast actors. Too bad, no talent time that year, but however, I did sing in a choir on national’s day.

My first ever acting performance was when I was 9. In 1999, every Wednesday evening, (unless it rains) all students were required to assemble for an “English day” activity. We were supposed to do a nursery rhyme on road safety at first but when my teacher read something called “Billy the Goat” in our standard 3 book, she decided to have the activity based on the passage. I’m telling you, I had sleepless nights just thinking about it. I was super passionate, exited and on fire to the point where that was very much THE only thing that I think about (the fire never left me). A performance that could be done merely in school uniform was alleviated a little when I took the effort to wear a goat costume to play, “Billy” in a less- than-a-minute performance. Yup, I know that I took it too far, but I had no idea I was doing so. I was just an exited 9 year old kid. After the performance was over, I was given the privilege to ask questions to the audience regarding the story. It was indeed very fun. Little did I know, “Billy the goat” was a start of something much bigger in significance. it marked the beginning of a lifetime of passions. God had so much more in stored for me, beyond my wildest thoughts and dreams. Praise Jesus for everything. All Glory to Him.

To be continued…………

a story my dad shared with me...

2011-11-16T10:26:00.006+08:00

My dad shared this with me when I was a teenager. Bear in mind that this story is purely fictional.

There once lived 2 neighboring families that are extremely poor. They were poor to the extend where there is no food for them to eat for days.

Finally, out of frustration and anger, one of them broke down and started cursing god. In response, god appeared to him to provide him a way out of his agony.

God said, “I am here to grant you anything you want. You can ask for anything beyond your wildest thoughts and dreams. Go ahead and ask me”.

The man jumped in tears of joy and started rolling on the floor, trying his best to comprehend his new change of fate. His joy was overflowing to the point where he can’t contain it. Finally, he can now live an abundant life.

Then god added, “But, this come with a condition, and it is a good one. Whatever you ask for, I’m going to bless your equally poor neighbor with twice as much. If you were to ask for a million gold coins, I will bless him with 2 million coins. If you were to ask for 10 million, I will bless him with 20 million. If u were to ask for 100 million, I will bless him with 200 million”.

Upon hearing this, the man started gnashing his teeth out of dissatisfaction and mumbled some words to himself. This went on for about some time.

After much consideration, god asked, “so, what is it that you wish for? Remember, you can ask for anything, even things far greater than your wildest thoughts and dreams”.

The man, with a grin on his face, replied,

“I want you dig out one of my eyeballs”.

Note: this story addresses well the ugly side of human nature. Too often, when we see someone doing better than ourselves, instead of rejoicing with them and to challenge ourselves for the better, we start planning their downfall. Dad knew too well what he’s talking about.

I Am Not Rich. I Love Riding In Cabs- Written by Zlwin Chew

2011-10-15T23:43:00.006+08:00

I Am Not Rich. I Love Riding In Cabs.

by Zlwin Chew on Monday, May 24, 2010 at 4:14pm

I just got back to my Klang house from Subang.

I had this taxi's driver's number and I called him up to pick me from Subang to Klang. The reason I called him was because he is one of the few drivers who actually uses the TAXI METER!

During the ride back home, I had a good time chatting with him. His name is Encik Anuar Yaacob. I always chat with taxi drivers when am with them in the car, provided that they are friendly.

He told me in Bahasa Malaysia, "We are all humans, it is not good to be robbers and rob our customers. You might as well take a gun and rob a bank if you are overcharging your customers."

We had a good chat on the way back. We talked about life, about work, about his sons, about my job, about a lot of other things.

The ride in the meter-ed taxi costs me RM XX. I gave him double the amount that I was supposed to pay.

You see, I don't mind blessing people like him. I don't mind blessing people who are HUMAN and act like a real HUMAN. This is not about me. I am not saying I am rich. If I am rich, I would own a car of my own and drive myself all over. This is about ALL OF US. This is about LIFE.

I don't believe in being successful and earning huge amount of money at the cost and expense of others.
Everyone out there is struggling to live life to the fullest and to get the most out of life and to of course, be RICH. But that is not the main goal in life. You can do so, yes you can, but if you do so at the cost of others, cheating them and robbing them, then I don't see how you could be called a HUMAN with a HEART. I may respect you for your wits and smartness but not your attitude.

I am not living for the here and now.

I am living for the there and after.

Go out now. Surprise someone. Put a smile on their face. Make their day.

Be a blessing.

This is Magic.

-Zlwin Chew

Note from Andy: the HUMAN part reminded me a lot of the time when we were teenagers and my dad used to drive us around. Once, he shared about his plans on opening a "makan" stall after retiring (which never came to pass) and to run that business with a HUMAN FACE. what he meant by, "human face" is to neither prioritize money nor be greedy but to do it as a ministry. "kalau ada, bayar. kalau tak ada, takpe".

My drawings (Dancing in God=)

2011-10-11T14:14:00.004+08:00

the theme is "dancing in God" . that explains why there is a big cross at the back and that the characters appears to be at the front. dancing in this case embodies the message of freedom and joy, which we all know, comes from the Lord.

the lady appears to be dancing ballet/ folk dance kind of thing, embracing every moment of bliss with her eyes closed. the guy on the other hand, with baggy pants and an afro is doing a cool disco dance. i burred his face as a way of saying, "put your face here". i think this also captures what picasso meant when he said, "to finish a painting is to rob it of it's soul".

i drew this within an hour using a black ink pen and... that's about it. just want to share it with you guys. do tell me what you think yar... would love to hear from you. take care beloved people. Jesus loves you =)

MY FIRST TELEVISION GIG =)

2011-10-10T12:48:00.009+08:00

upon photostatting some documents at the nearby printing shop, i bummed into a lecturer of mine, Dr. Lim swee Tin whom is a renowned poet and author in Malaysia. i first met Dr. when i was 17. i was then a contestant of the national level singing competition and was flown to labuan to compete. Dr. on the other hand is the judge of the competition. exited indeed was i to learn creative writing from him last semester. his class also includes poetry reciting and also other forms of art that is related to expressing oneself. that includes singing and... i assume you can finish this sentence for me XD

at the shop, i approached him to say "hi" and he told me about this upcoming competition that he will be judging. he told me to gather a musical team to compete, specifying that i should sing. when i asked what is it for, his reply left me bloating by cheeks in disbelief. He replied, "RTM".

i then gathered some of the most talented people i've met to work on this project. under Dr's coaching, me, Quryakin Wahid (singer), Shukri MS (composer/ guitarist) and Nazli Syafei (poet) went all the way to Wisma Radio RTM, Angkasapuri to perform.

the place is legendary- gave birth to some of the biggest names known today. that includes Sudirman, Siti Noraliza and Shanon Shah (the least i can mention). i know this because pictures of them from back in the days (winning competitions at RTM) were hung on the wall. i couldn't be nothing short of honored and blessed to be serenading there.

of course for some of my team mates, this is no big deal. Shukri was once on a reality TV show for ASTRO on composing songs, Quryakin won Bintang Asli Remaja RTM, and Nazli recited poetry at the national levels (just the tip of the iceberg... they have done far greater things). they were very relaxed and goofing around crazily- VERY CRAZILY. me on the other hand, i was stiff as a rock. too nervous indeed was I.

to me, this is my first ever time been given an opportunity to share my voice with the rest of the nation. i was trying too hard not to screw up. rehearsals ended up a little shaky as my nervousness were added on by having all these giant cameras and recording devices capturing my every move. despite, recording went VERY well and that includes the interview. at least, now i know how things were done. next time, i will know what to expect=)

the whole experience have been nothing short of surreal and God willing, will pave ways for bigger things to come.

Thank you, Jesus =)

the origin of RICHARD (birth of a monster)

2011-09-24T14:23:00.000+08:00

For those not in the knowing, Richard or Jerome as he isknown at times is a character I played in 3 different plays: Solace, Refuge and Could this be Love? All of these plays were very well received bythe audience, mainly towards the shocking violence, rawness and destructivenessof the character.

What NOBODY knew about the character is the fact that I actuallystarted developing him when I was around 16 years old. At that time, a movieidea called, “Si Gampang dan Si Gila” (the bastard and the retard) came tomind. The story revolves around an illegitimate child whom is treated worstthan an animal by the people in the village. he then finally decides to take revengeat the person whom brutally raped his mother. He then raped the retardeddaughter of the “ketua Kampung” which is his half-sister and robbed them inorder to get even. The story doesn’t have a happy ending but I certainly am notgoing to reveal what it is, in case this story one day will be given a platform to be told too.

“Si Gampang dan Si Gila”, indeed is my biggest challenge towrite, which is why I never put it down on paper before. It’s more movie-appropriateand making it into a play will be engulfing a very big budget. Not to mention,it’s a very dark piece of work and most people will find it very hard toswallow.

The key characters of “Si Gampang” pretty much resembleRichard. They are both outcasts, despised, bitter, violent, destructive andunable to let go of the past. I too tried very hard to make the character notlook cool. People tend to see villains with a jacket on, sun glasses, and chainsaround their neck like a member of a gangster group. I combatted this bytelling them that the character is hated by everybody, smells like rotten meat, gets drunk , sleeps onpavements, pees at the side of the road, steals things from the house and sells them for money to visit prostitutes. He is anythingbut cool. He’s an animal.

I then finally wrote the character of Richard when I turned20 as an abusive father in a play entitled, “Solace”. The script was then leftto collect dust for about a year. When “could this be love?” is written, theworld is yet to know Richard, so I wrote him into the play too. I thought “Solace”will never get to see the light of day. Ironic indeed that both these playswere give platforms to be performed on the very same week in April 2011. Both playswere memorable and very well received.

Finally, in July 2011, God took the same character under abrand new name –Jerome to somewhere I never thought he will go- KLPAC. KLPAC,at the back of my mind have always been an epitome of English theatre here inMalaysia. The fact that I was blessed to take a very personal piece there withtwo other great actors still leaves me smitten. This time, I wanted to tackle adifferent side of the character by revealing his dark past that resulted him intothe monster he is. The play is called “Refuge” and is staged in conjunctionwith KLPAC’s “The Platform” (July 2011 edition).

One last thing, I never really told anyone this before, but thereason I can play this character is because I have been stretched emotionallyto these dark places as a teenager. i want to clarify here that never have i ever been Richard nor have i did the things he did. All i ever experienced was a truckload of anger that eventually left me bitter. To write this character is to channel all my bitterness and try to makeit into something good. The birth place of Richard is indeed from that bitterness. To play Richard on the other hand is to let go and to completely loose control, putting aside everything that is good and comes from God. Above all,Richard and Jerome are both characters I have always dreamt of playing. To beable to write him down and play him have been nothing short of ecstasy. PraiseGod. All glory goes to Him.

Ps- I am done playing this character for now and am experimentingwith other characters. No plans toresurrect him at least for the next few years. For now, rest in peace, Richard.

STRANGER ON THE TRAIN.

2011-09-21T19:38:00.000+08:00

This happened 3 years ago, in 2008, before I could clearly embracethe little discreet moments in life that brought upon bigger significances.

It was the morning of the “one in a million” auditions and Iwas already awake as early as 4am. I had in mind to catch the very first trainto KL central so that I can switch trains and head to Bukit Bintang. A massaudition call like this one often results to a long period of waiting and I’mdying to have the upper hand, time wise. After packing my things, I walked tothe nearby KTM station. It’s still very dark and the only lights available are fluorescentones they place surrounding the station. Finally, at exactly 6.05am, I boardedthe train. There are very few people in the train and I am very much in gladnessto have the liberty to choose any seat I desire, in contrary to the overcrowdedtimes where almost every part of me, shoulders and below is being touched byanother passenger.

I chose the center seat where another pair of seat is facingme. I don’t usually go for this one because I get very uncomfortable at theawkward moment of making eye contacts to the passenger front of me when all I’mdoing is actually subconsciously staring into nothingness.

The train departed, making it’s way to KL, one station at atime. When the train made it’s stop at Batu Tiga, this guy boarded the trainand took the seat that is facing me. He is in his early 20’s and has quite a friendlyface. I can’t exactly remember how helooks like but I’m sure he was wearing a collar t-shirt and slacks. He carriedalong with him a bag that resembles a laptop bag that we usually wear with astrap around one shoulder. Above all, what I really remember about him is thefact that his friendly face doesn’t look that happy. It’s rather obvious thatsomething is bothering him.

Halfway across the journey, I started itching to break theice to a little chatter but I’m a little scared to do so. I had a fare runningon awkward first moments of meeting people. One thing I learned from theseexperiences is that not everybody is as friendly and welcoming as I am.

Here is the interesting part, after a long moment ofsilence, he reached into his bag and pulled out something we in our schoolingdays refer to as an, “exercise book”. It’s the blank one with nothing but linesin it that we use to copy down notes straight from the chalk board. I find thisrather peculiar because test pads and foolscap papers are more often used bypeople his age. An exercise book seems rather childish. The book is flipped andI can see little drawings and words, not organized but written all over, moreof a scribbling actually.

He took out a pen and starts writing in it. He didn’t do itexplicitly for the world to see. It’s more of a solitary moment in public forhimself. I started to burn with curiosity, wondering what on earth ishappening. Finally, after a much regretted moment of silence, I asked him witha smile, “is that a diary”? To my surprise, the next thing I know, his face litup by a milestone. He gave me the most unexpected radiant smile. The changehappened so drastically that the difference immediately struck me.

We then chatted all the way, non-stop. He is cheerful,lively and very friendly, nothing like what he appeared to be at first. It turnsout that he is on his way to work at Kuala Lumpur. He is also in a lot ofstress due to his job. If I’ve not mistaken, he expressed his miserability witha giggle by saying that he could just cry at the situation he is in at thatmoment. He was in that much of stress. That explains the exercise book he wasscribbling in. it was more of a way for him to ease himself. He too told me alot about himself despite the fact that we just met, which I personallyappreciate due to the trust involved. Before I left, he wished me luck for myaudition and continued on his way to work on the same train.

That unplanned meeting on the train made my day somehow. Itwas more than just about making a new friend. What it truly represents to me is onhow we as human beings are not that different after all. Too often we aresegregated by our different backgrounds, race, nationality and etcetera that weforget about the things we all share in common. We all have hopes. We all havedreams. We all fear disappointments. We all desire to be loved and we all gothrough suffering. This is the language of humanity, a language all of us canunderstand.

I didn’t have to walk in his shoes to understand hissituation. All I know is that he is going through a tough phase, and just likeme and you, needs a listening ear.

The color of ourskins might be different, but everybody’s blood is RED.

ps- are u aware that not once throughout this text that i mentioned his race. still, you got the story.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZLWIN!!!

2011-08-15T18:01:00.006+08:00

"if a girl just got raped and i was one of the few people present at the scene of crime, i will surely be the prime suspect" i said to only be accompanied by his laughter at my bonkers statement. indeed too low are the views i had upon myself during my teenage years. too many people messed with my head and not to mention, life certainly did take it's toll on me into thinking that im nothing but a useless shmuck.

still, in those little moments, there too are people whom really took the time to make me think that i'm worth so much more. there were people whom believed in me when nobody did. there were people whom paid attention to my life and things that mattered to me.

he pushed me to get hold of the microphone, something that im very much afraid of. i was afraid of judgements and what people might think if i hit a sour note. it is a lot of work to get me into believing that the Lord did bless me with a voice. still, i was too afraid so he decided to accompany me with the strumming of his guitar as i belt out my big notes.

it turned out fine and all i know is, since that day, i never shun away from the microphone. God then took me places with this little gift that he gave me and I couldn't be more blessed than i already am today.

all this thanks to a crazy dude whom believed in me when nobody else did.
For that, I'm eternally gratefull.

Happy Birthday, Zlwin.

May Jesus bless you even more abundantly at this coming of age as you continue to find favour in His eyes.
Love you lots... take care n have a blast!!

Christian Song "could this be love?" by Joyce Tang & Andy Gomes

2011-08-12T20:44:00.010+08:00

this is the theme song for "could this be love?" the musical that was staged on the 6th of April 2010.

official synopsis:

“Could this be Love?” is a tale of five lives - Brian, Richard, Jane and Kelly.

Brian is a filial son who is also very protective over his siblings. He has been the one taking care of his family ever since his father’s death. Nevertheless, it’s never easy to be the man of the house. When life finds a way of shattering him into pieces, Brian comes face to face with a life-transforming decision; decisions that deal with life and death.

Brian's brother, Richard on the other hand, is void of all sense of morality or humanity. He is abusive, violent and is highly destructive. However, behind this cold, wretched heart of stone lies a haunting dark past that morphed into the monster that he has now become.

Their sister, Jane, a sweet and naive girl, is forced to mature beyond her age. Life becomes a bitter pill for her to swallow, for written on her skin, are bruises that marks her despicable past. Though these bruises fade with time, but the pain and traumatizing memories are forever etched within her heart.

Their mother had her share of cruelty when life took her to a place where no mother should ever go. she made some serious mistakes in the past that until today, she is still paying the heavy price for it.

Kelly and Brian becomes a picture of romance, a pair which is so very absorbed by the feelings and dreams that they share for each other. However, behind Kelly’s beautiful smile lies a fatal addiction as she struggles with finding love in all the wrong places.

Everyone mobs around their life, getting accustomed to their miserable living. Little do they know, the wheel of life decides to take another spin, and this time, revealing one of life’s darkest, ugliest facade.
“Could this be Love?” is a heart-wrenching musical which truly captures the meaning of love, acceptance, and forgiveness; not withholding the painful, stark reality of life.

hope u enjoyed the show. God bless =)

the MURDER!!!

2011-08-10T17:17:00.007+08:00

this is when an attempt to rape turned into an accidental murder. this certainly got the most response from the audience, from their heavy applouse to the pin drop silence that came after the intensity. they hated the character i played so darn much for this. i had the time of my life writing this down. still, it's the "idea" of a murder that sold me in. putting this in real life and to have a girl being hit to death by a shovel is just way too gory for me.

2 stories i REALLY wanna share with you!!!!

2011-08-07T21:04:00.005+08:00

Story 1
When I was a teenager in Klang, my dad used to drive me around, especially to malls because he seems to get into the air of leisure walking and having his quiet time while looking at the products available. He does this in the evening, mostly after work and by noon during the weekends. There was this one time when he took me to this hypermarket at Bukit Tinggi. I don’t remember exactly when but I remember exactly what I saw. By the entrance is placed this wooden bench where me and my family members at times sat upon waiting for the rest to gather. On that bench sat this rather obese man, wearing a regular white buttoned shirt and black slacks. Times after this one, I do see him carrying a helmet with him but on that particular day, I can’t recall if he was carrying one. The helmet somewhat indicated to me that he came over by a motorcycle, presumably not his. He might have gotten a lift from a family member or someone associated to the hypermarket. Here’s the thing. He sat there like a rock, not moving an inch. His eyes seem not to respond to anything. He looked into nothingness without blinking once. Above all, what I really remembered was his tongue. His tongue was stucked out as though his mouth is too small to contain it. I can’t see the tip of his tongue in that awkward position it was in. it’s rather obvious that he is physically disabled in ways I’m not sure of. Then, after few weeks or months since the encounter, I saw something he did that really wretched me to the max. I saw him eating a piece of fried chicken at a fast food restaurant at the same hypermarket. The bliss of him enjoying that fried chicken brought upon me the highest level of melancholy, more than I can contain. I can’t be sure of exactly what about it that triggered me but all I know is that, I can’t bear watching it. It was just too sad. The rush of emotion in me was too heavy that until today, when I close my eyes, I can still see him eating that piece of fried chicken like it just happened yesterday. It’s eternally engraved at the back of my mind.

Story 2
Upon enjoying a bowl of honey dew dessert on a hot sunny day, came this guy clad in a white t shirt and short pants. He wears a pouch around his waist while in both his hands were packets after packets of chips. There were stickers on the packets that work as price tags. The man waggles as he walks. His hands and legs we place in an awkward position. It seems as though part of his body is paralyzed. Never too have I heard him utter even a single word. I bought chips from him that noon, more of a way for me to bless him with the little that I have. Still, being a university student in my first year, it’s always big help to keep snacks in case of “emergency”. Since it’s a familiar area, few times after that too did I see the same man waggle around, making a living out of the chips he sells. Then, came this night when while our car is being parked, I saw that man waggle to cross the road to get to this open dining spot I was planning to have a meal in. it intrigued me so much that he is very hard working and determined to make a living out of legitimate ways instead of begging. I wanted so badly to reward him for the courage he showed. I walked into the shop looking for him with some money in my hands. He walks from table to table with those chips and at times, people stop him to buy some. I Walked towards him and handed him the money. He took it. There were no communication whatsoever involved at the moment, but I understood his very mild body language saying, “which want do you want?” in reference to the chips. I smiled and wave my hands, telling him that, “it’s ok. I don’t want anything”. He replied with a smile, more like a smirk actually due to his half-paralyzed situation and handed me back my money. With his little gesture, it was a big way of him saying that he lives out of dignity and will work hard to support himself. I got even more touched and bought more packets of chips from him, a personal way of me saying, “you have no idea how much you inspire me. God be with you”.

Ps- you guys might not have a clue on why I’m sharing these stories but you certainly will by this time next year, God willing.

“How vain is it for you to sit down and write when you’ve never stood up to live”.
-Henry David Thoreau

"Sesalan"- Zul's little film (Puteh Hitam Production)

2011-07-22T22:55:00.006+08:00

you guys might remember my friend, Zulqairnain Che Abdullah whom put his magic touch upon editing my little film"abandonment" into a mini music video.

what i didn't tell you is that he's a broadcasting student in my faculty and the PSA video he made won at the annual student film festival in the category of "best PSA'. he was then allocated RM 8000 by FINAS to produce a mini film in order to continue crafting.

living on the floor below mine at our residential college, his room is a regular hangout of mine, especially to talk and learn about films and filmmaking. i was then introduced to this little project he had coming up and i was also given the privilage to watch his vision come to pass.

as soon as our 4 months of break begin, he started rolling the camera to shoot this stort entitled, "sesalan" (regrets). it was shot from sunrise to sunset in 2 exhausting days. i was blessed to be on set, to watch and learn on how films are shot. i even made a cameo appearence at the end of the film. watch it and see if u can spot me XD.

Under Puteh Hitam Production, the film will be sent to compete at next year's student film festival. until then, kudos to zul and the team. they are a bunch of greatly talented people. All the best on the film.

to the rest of u readers, happy watching.
God bless=)

They made my job a piece of CAKE =)

2011-07-13T15:40:00.009+08:00

Here are the famous words, “if you have the right script and the right cast, any film will direct itself’. Guess this is applicable to plays too. I don’t have the guts to say that I wrote the right script. My hands are way too short to produce anything good. Despite, I can’t deny the fact that God blessed me with 2 incredibly gifted actors which played a big role in carrying this humble play through.
I remember meeting Adam for the first time last year. I was over at his place for dinner and he came downstairs, took his seat by the table and didn’t say much. I had a rough idea of who he was at that time. He was in this one scene in, “Talentime” where he stood at the background with a guitar in his hands. To add to the information, on that day, I also learned that he studies psychology at Taylors and that he works out. That’s about it. He didn’t say much. Even so, I had a strong feeling that this guy has a great deal of charisma and certainly, something to offer. It was only later on that I learned about his acting chops. Judging on how well composed, charismatic and talented this guy is…. Not to mention that he studies psychology too, I felt that he is a perfect fit to play Dr. Adam.Indeed I was blessed to have him.
On the other hand, I met Alvin a few weeks before the play. Despite being a regular at church, I’ve never noticed him before. On that particular day, after praying hard for an actor, I came to church expecting. Little did I know, he came over to introduce himself In the midst of me chasing after this other friend of mine (Benji) because I wanted him to recommend me somebody. Everyone around me pointed to Alvin at the same time while saying things that made me raise my brows. I later learned that he did “News for You: Termination of the Teenage Population’ at KLPAC before and the role he played was a rather challenging one. I immediately took notice of the range he has as an actor and not to mention, the “feel” around him seems rather similar to the character’s. To top it off, he has a great deal of charisma and shares the same vision as I do when it comes to performing. I decided within that 10 minutes of chatting that I want to work with him. He is perfect for the character, “David”. I can cast him even with my eyes closed.

The play is called ‘REFUGE” and was performed in conjunction with the platform (july’s edition) at KLPAC. It’s the second part of this nonsense trilogy I wrote evolving around the character, “Jerome” (originally named Richardson) which I took upon myself to play.

It’s definitely not my place to say this, considering the fact that I might be bias but I personally felt that the play went well. Everything fell into place and I couldn’t ask for more. I went back home praising God for how good He is. All glory to Him, especially for giving me such great actors to work with. They are by far the most cooperative, talented, electric and committed individuals I’ve worked with. They made my job a piece of cake.

Thanks a bunch guys. God bless, take care and keep in touch=)

FIF: Fat is Fab photoshoot. Kudos to the team!!!!! =)

2011-07-08T16:15:00.003+08:00

upon meeting zlwin, my best friend during my schooling days on my 21st birthday, he told me about this photoshoot that he had in mind and is planning to materialize it. the whole idea behind it is to change people's perception on body image. i knew that it's for a good cause so i decided to do it. next thing i know, it's featured on "the star". here are some pic taken during the shoot and a preview of the article=). just wanted to share. to the team, Zlwin, Angus, AAron, CK and the bunch, kudos to all of you.... it's an unprecedented shoot in Malaysia and God willing, will pave way for greater things to come. God bless!!!

Play lineup for The Plaform: July's Edition at KLPAC

2011-06-29T23:47:00.002+08:00

this is the play lineup for the platform (july's edition) at KLPAC!!!

1. The Departure
Written by: How Han Ming
Directed by: Ram Anand
Featuring: Nisya Syaz

2. Shevat
Written & Directed by: Alissa Roslan
Featuring: Lee Zhi-Li, Razlan Saharudin & Karynn Yee Huey Tan

3. Refund
Written by: Joshua Chong
Directed by: Catherine Ooi
Featuring: Kevin Chong & Aminda Faradilla Omar

4. What Now?
Written & Directed by & Featuring:
Calvin Wong & Noah Nazim

BREAK for 10 minutes

5. Fantasy
Written by: Toby Teh
Directed by: Joshua Chong
Featuring: Nah Swee Wayne

6. Refuge
Written & Directed by: Andy Darrel Gomes.
Featuring: Alvin Dan Wern Khang, Andy Darrel Gomes & Adam Zakaria

7. Deep Sleep 9
Written & Directed by: Catherine Ooi
Featuring: Dennis Yeap, Nabilah Hamid & Alexis Wong

come and b a part of it. c u there =)

"Refuge" a short play in, "The Platform 2011" (July's Edition) at KLPAC

2011-06-11T19:26:00.011+08:00

In conjunction with KLpac's open mike day, i will be performing a short 15 minutes play entitled "Refuge:"

Date: 4th July 2011 (Monday)
Time: 8pm
Admission: FREE

Synopsis-
"Refuge" is based on the ironies of "Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley randall and revolves around a care group for victims of domestic violence, conducted by Dr. Adam.
His two patients, Jerome and David both had their fare share of a dark, disturbing and traumatizing childhood. Jerome witnessed the abuse of his mother which brought upon her suicide. David on the other hand was sold to be sexually exploited as a child. Even so, they seem to differ when it comes to their perspective of life and how their past have affected them. "Refuge" celebrates the fragility of human life, emancipation of the soul, coming to terms of dealing with ones bitter past and a need to cling to a higher power to find the strength to carry on with life.

Cast:
Adam Zakaria as "Dr. Adam".
Alvin Dan Wen Khang as "David".
Andy Darrel Gomes as "Jerome".

Written and directed by
Andy Darrel Gomes.

Come and support us. God willing, it will be all good.
Hope to c u there=)

2011: the story so far (whirlwinds and rollercosters)

2011-06-11T18:35:00.008+08:00

The hardest part about having fire in your bones is indeed to wait for something to happen. Sometimes, our being is too small to contain our larger-than-life passions. I remember those days as a teenager where I can’t sit around and wait that I decided to take every offer I got, big and small to perform. I even used to take the train to go for auditions since no one drove me anywhere. Support is another thing. Coming from quite a rural area and being in the first class at school didn’t help. Nobody really dares to dream big. All they wanted is to do well academically, secure a good job and live a safe life. I took risks my entire life and God certainly did help me not to take severe turns. Glad that for now, my long wait is over. I’m saying so because my 2nd semester in UPM just ended and I did have the best year of my life EVER as a performer.

This semester, I did 3 singing performances in 4 days. I did fiesta idol, MAKP-19 and a performance for Malaysia’s renowned poet, Professor Madya Dr. Lim Swee Tin’s class. The only day I had in between (Monday) is used for rehearsals and we ended up making 2 you tube videos on the spot. It was fun despite the sore throat I had. It was risky for me to do this actually because it seems like I’m Jeopardizing my studies. Rehearsals are every night and I’m totally worn out. Schedules kept clashing and not to mention, i have debates to compete and adjudicate in every Friday night. Good to know later that my carrier marks are great and I already secured 3 A’s even before the final exam. Praise Jesus.

That is not the end of it. I also did 4 plays in the duration of 5 days. The hardest part of this is the fact that these are 4 DIFFERENT plays. In other words, 3 different sets of lines to memorize, 4 sets of lighting, 4 set of sounds, 4 sets of coordination and etcetera (excluding Saturday’s show because it’s a play without words). I wrote and directed 3 of these plays that I’m also acting in. I did “could this be love?” with a guest appearance by juwita suwito on Wednesday. I danced, acted, sang and premiered my short film, “Abandonment” front of 700 people that night. Thursday night is when I wrote a short play to be performed on Friday evening at literature class. That script is a more basic version of my upcoming play entitled, “refuge”. This play scored very well with the lecturer. On Saturday, I did “Malam Citra Budaya 2011” where I played the humbling role of a mystical tree. This is by far my most Avant garde and artistic project ever, and not to mention, also the simplest. After the show, i went straight into rehearsals for tomorrow’s Inter college drama competition. The play I presented is called, “solace”. The play got penalized by the judges for violence, resulting us to drop to 3rd place. Still, it was a memorable and jaw-dropping one. Again, praise Jesus.

In between all these projects, I won first place for UPM public speaking competition 2011, won overall champion for intercollege debate, invited to judge KTDI’s mini public speaking event and won 3rd place in a boria competition, which I served as a backup singer.

Praise Jesus… Praise JESUS… PRAISE JESUS!!! May all glory go to HIM. Just so you know, I don’t have any confidence in me at all. I know I suck and a lot of people confirmed that. That also explains my nerves before going on stage and how self- conscious I am of my performances. It was God whom carried me through all these. Here’s a little advice to you guys. If you don’t trust in yourselves, trust in God. He will carry you through and he will carry you FAR!!!

The best part about all this other than the fact that I get to do what I dyingly love and I’m abundantly blessed is the fact that I am young. I just turned 21 and am in my 1st year in UPM. If this can happen in a course of 4 months, imagine a lifetime. I will die happy doing what I love.

Thank you, Lord=)it’s been a too-good-for-words year.

The making of "solace"- the project that made me a BABARIAN!!!!

2011-06-09T12:19:00.003+08:00

the judges said "im sorry guys, but we are all educated in here... NO VOILANCE PLEASE".

interesting huh =)
God bless you.

Curve of My Shoulder - poem by Andy Gomes

2011-06-02T01:59:00.005+08:00

The curve of my shoulder,

You rest your head on.

Engulfed in solace.

Tasting the sweet dark berries

apart from your bitter life,

When i held you tight in my arms.

Let me be the one to give,

while you embrace the strokes of my tender hands.

Let the tip of my fingers bring you comfort.

A blissful moment from your agony.

Your pain shall be mine,

because it cuts me even deeper,

to see you hurting.

For as long as my barrels contain wine.

As long as this carnal of mine is not broken.

The curve of my shoulder shall you rest your head on,

for it brings death to my being,

to see you shed tears.

Art- it is how i tell my story (credits to Peter Yong)

2011-05-04T21:58:00.003+08:00

these shots of my were taken by peter yong, a friend of mine whom i very much consider as my own brother.

he is also the one that worked with me in both my short film, "Abandonment" and ikupm's easter musical, "could this be love?"

he played my brother, "brian" in the play. i felt is rather relevant and is all for that idea because i want the play to imitate real life as close as possible. indeed, it did. it's a cut and paste version of life on stage.

=)

“Could this be love?” IK UPM the musical: 10 things you don’t know about the show.

2011-04-30T21:03:00.005+08:00

Heyo guys, here are some fun behind-the -scenes facts that i would love to share with you guys. here it goes.... =)

1)“Could this be love” is originally meant to be a comedy. After the second edit of the original script, which I felt, is total gibberish and a load of bunkum, I rejected it and I rewrote the entire script again.

2)The original cast for the final script is
Peter as Richard
Alex as Brian
Joanne as Jane

3)Censored line:
Mum: the loan shark threatened to have my fingers chopped off one by one. I let them have my middle finger because if there is any finger I would want to show them to their faces, it’s that finger.”

4)Richard is supposed to be the father of Jane, not the brother in the original script. He makes an appearance in one scene only. His character is based on the script “solace” I wrote in 2010.

5)The Mother’s name is “Angie” (not mentioned throughout the play) and is suppose to hold a cigarette in her hand during her first appearance. I visualized bee koon with a cigarette in her hands during the first IK meeting (first time meeting her) this semester and am convinced that she is fit for the role.

6)The basic plot outline of the musical is from a Canaanland Pamphlet and is groomed with the mood of Ho Yuhang’s film, “at the end of daybreak”.

7)I stepped on a large stapler bullet during the final dance. I too was overly exhausted throughout the entire play, leaving me no strength after carrying the table and the mother. There was a moment when I subconsciously wish I could walk off and is then reminded that it is not a rehearsal but the actual show.

8)There is no original intention of getting Juwita Suwito for the musical. The idea never crossed any of our minds. It’s only when I bumped into her at UNITEN’s Christmas musical 2010 entitled “bonded” and having a random guy asking her to perform for one of his’ shows front of me is when it finally hit me. She said, “yes” on the spot and I went back home praising God every step of the way. She’s phenomenal, isn’t she?

9)The emotional scene in short film “Abandonment” when Joel Kim’s (Jason Kim’s brother) feet walks away from the broken frame is shot while he is drinking a bottle of A&W root beer. The only budget we foot out for the shoot is for the photo frame, sponsored by Alex.

10)The final scene of abandonment is meant to be shot at an actual orphanage but we had trouble finding a location. I finally settled for the current alternate ending while shooting the film itself.

Extreme Child abuse drama!!!! WATCH THIS!!!

2011-04-27T00:06:00.003+08:00

WATCH THIS!!!!!

Tha Malaysian Jonas Brothers- when you look me in the eyes ( credits to MONAT)

2011-04-23T22:18:00.003+08:00

heyo guys, let me introduce you my friend MOhd NAjib Towy a.k.a MONAT.

we collaborated in a few projects, including this one right here.
it is our rendition of the jonas brother's "when you look me in the eyes".

just a trivia, this video was recorded in a minor hall in our residential college as our friends nabilah (jo), ali, din etc were busy packaging brownies to be sold as a part of a business project. they were all making a lot of noise but kept it shut while we recorded this so, MUAX*

PS- NABILA (JO) MAKES THE BEST BROWNIES IN THE WORLD!!!

well, back to my story, why do i choose to take the time to give credit to my friend (MONAT) here. well, lets just say that he pretty much understands the need for support, especially when you are pursuing dreams and no one else share the same vision as you do. almost everybody settles for being ordinary but there are only a few that will reach out for the stars.

when i shot my film, "abandonment", he was the first one i showed it to cause i know that he would appreciate it.

maybe it's towards the fact that he dares to dream too. having me with my prominent feet in the field of arts, language and humanity, my friend here is a graphic designer, skateboarder, bmx-lover etc. it is all in the package, creating an identity that is rather distinguishing and evident. u can check out his blog here via www.akumonat.blogspot.com

so, to my good friend, thanks a lot for being a bundle of support. u have a great future ahead of u!!! thanks again!

blessed easter, everybody!!!

Tribute to Yasmin Ahmad- By Andy Gomes.

2011-04-23T21:57:00.003+08:00

Yasmin is indeed the greatest influence of my craft and perhaps, even my life as a malaysian. to date, i've watched her films and study her for the past 4 years. now that she is no longer around, it is a heartfelt responsibility on my behalf to continue keeping her works alive. i want to remind people of how great of a Malaysian and an artiste she is.

i remember her saying during her final interview that she wants to be remembered for her filmworks- sepet, gubra, mukhsin, rabun, muallaf, talentime. she then added that it doesn't matter if they dont remember who made it. it is even better if they don't know, she concluded.

this is when i payed tribute to her in renowned poet, Dr. Lim Swee Tin's class. the theme of the day is "wanita" (women) and so, i felt that, what more perfect would it be if we were to recite a poem from yasmin entitled, "when u buried a kiss at the valley of my shoulder". i sang it in a medley form with the fugees "killing me softly" to spice things up. my 2 wonderfully talented friends, Najib towy A.k.a Monat and Nadieyana Rahman helped me out on this one. LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

this one on the other hand is a music video i directed for the song "Angel" from Yasmin's film talentime. the footage is used for a musical project of mine called "could this be love" with a guest appearance by juwita suwito. it was initially called "abandonment" in a form of a short film but was made into this piece after my friend Zulqainan felt that it's music video appropriate. it was also him that worked his magic touch on this piece to make it as it is. credits to zulqainan the great =) check it out.

=)
i dont know how to end this post. all i can say is that, i hope that we will continue to remember yasmin and her legacy, both as an artist and a malaysian.

may her soul rest in peace. AMEN.

PUISI DAN LAGU PERINGKAT KEBANGSAAN 2008- KONTIJEN NEGERI SELANGOR DI SANTUBONG RESORT, SARAWAK. (this is before my annoying heavy vibrato came in=)

2011-04-23T21:36:00.003+08:00

i was in sarawak for 4 days when i was 18. that was also when i enrolled in form 6. the date is on the 12th of march and it was my 1st day back in school. still, i made a glorious comeback that day itself when i competed in the district levels of the puisi dan lagu competition, and won. i was the lead singer of the band and was asked to attend rehearsals even before im legally a part of the school again.

the previous year (2007), i made it to the national levels also and ended up landing 7th place out of the 17 states that were competing there. i was the token so-called-indian there since other contestants are of other races.

this year, 2nd time in the national levels still manage not to shake off my nerves eversince malay songs are not a singing element of mine due to my heavy pronunciation.

after performing this, i felt like crap. i felt like crap before (as usual), but after the performance, i felt crappier. i felt that it was very bad. after all, i dont have anything to whine about anymore. the performance is over=) anyway, after watching this video, it doesn't seem that bad after all. certainly not the best, but just "not bad".

and another thing, did u notice how my voiced changed? i no longer sound like this, don't I??? this is before all my annoying heavy vibrato came in.

hehehehehehehhehehehehe!!!

Praise JESUS for everything =)

MY FIRST SHORT FILM: ABANDONMENT by Andy Gomes

2011-04-19T15:59:00.003+08:00

this is just the beggining of my film making career. will have a lot more to come.

highly influenced by yasmin ahmad, liew seng tat and floria sigismondi.

the song featured is "angel" sang by atilla as a soundtrack of yasmin ahmad's film, "talentime".

thanks to zulqainan the great (editor), peter yong (camera work), joel kim, bee koon (actors), alexander lee, luke yeah, stephanie gomes, jason kim and family for helping in the process of making this film.

God bless you all. enjoy=)

FONESTA IDOL UPM-ANDY GOMES "I BELIEVE I CAN FLY"

2011-02-28T13:52:00.002+08:00

the professional judges said that I'm ranked number 1 in the competition based on this performance, judging by technique and vocal. he too added that im a professional when it comes to singing. above all, he said that i have a great voice to sing RnB, especially like ruban sttudard.

very overwhelming, isn't it?

Which is why i find it really ironic that i stumbled right on my face at the second round. the odds worked against me and what i delivered was not all good.

guess the bible is right after all,
"the first will be the last, and the last will be the first"
maybe i got too cocky, which is why God humbled me..... I don't know.

still, here is the video to relive the glorious moment and, Praise Jesus for his plans are perfect=)

TOKOH PELAJAR SMK DATO HAMZAH 2009- ANDY DARREL GOMES

2011-02-24T18:28:00.001+08:00

the final video of my dad..... very uneasy to watch. Praise Jesus for the bitter and the sweet. love you, Lord.

KILLING ME SOFTLY- Andy Darrel Gomes ft KPZ, UPM (roberta flacks anf Fugee's original cover)

2011-02-24T18:21:00.003+08:00

im seriously happy with this vid, despite the minor mistakes i did at parts. i just did 3 performances, a lot of practices for the week, 2 u tube videos (including this one) and another performance coming up the following day. all these in a period of 4 days.... that explains my voice in the vid. my vocal chord is TIRED...HAHAHAHha!!! enjoy the vid. Praise JESUS for everything. words can't express my gratitude.

"THE JOKER"- revisited

2011-02-24T17:23:00.004+08:00

i hit rock bottom when i was 17. it was indeed the lowest point of my life. woke up with burning hatred and went to sleep the same. it was a phase where i, at times wished that i had a gun to shoot those whom drilled a hole in me.

in the midst of all that hyperbole and bitterness, i just wanted to be heard. on the 20th of April 2007, i published on my blog a poem entitled, 'the joker". 'the joker" to me marks a new beginning in my writing life, as it unintentionally took my morose style of writing to an even more cruel extend. what i now know as, "southern Gothic literature" is what i accidentally vomited out with the heavy load i was carrying.

"the joker" to me is the epitome of my own evil ways, driving from bitterness to sweet revenge from an omniscient view. indirectly, i wanted 'them' to suffer and share the same fate as a joker did. this took me to some of the darkest places within me, not complying to morality nor humanity and just write basing on not necessarily decent emotions.

as a result, "the joker" was produced, and to date, i am never capable of coming out with a piece like this -ever. The Lord delivered me after that, and i stopped eating up myself.

in the words of picasso, "painting's cannot be thought, it can only be found". in this case, it was hatred that i found, and it was hatred that was put on the piece of paper.

THE JOKER...

Far on the hills once lived a joker,
A joker whom speaks LIFE from his lips,
Amuses their ears to fill them with laughter,
But the sorrow inside is for him to keep.

There he sat in front of the mirror,
Taking off his make up to go to sleep,
Hiding from his reflection behind the pillars,
Hoping that no one will see his face of grief.

The day came when he was careless,
The people whom adored him took a peek,
Behind his mask they saw his colors,
And they knew he was hiding shit.

walking through the heavy snow,
with orange neon lights brightening up the street,
the joker's face lost it's radiant glow,
because everyone knew he's a hypocrite.

Alone then lived the lonely joker,
With no one around to amuse or entertain,
Frustration took over much much later,
That brought him to a decision he was certain.

Up by the cliff stood the joker,
Looking down to his pride below,
Just like a joke in the game of poker,
No longer can he put on his freak show.

Masquerades of life he lived as a faker,
Totally means nothing but foe,
Jumped off the cliff did the poor joker,
To a painless death he was to go.

Far on the hills once lived a joker,
A joker whom speaks LIES from his lips,
No longer was it heard the sound of his laughter,
If only did he practice everything he ever preached.

ps-upon writing this, u have NO idea how freaked out and scared i am of myself...HAHAHHAHAHAAA. JESUS, be with me=)

Could This Be Love: The Untold Story.

2011-02-02T12:00:00.006+08:00

"paintings cannot be thought, it can only be found" -Pablo Picasso.

true enough, i came up with a load of bunkum when i wrote the first script of this year's easter musical. it left me with a bitter taste in my mouth that i had a piece like that to represent myself, IK (christian union of UPM), and what more, God Himself. it was an unworthy piece that i worked for 3 day to put it in black and white.

still, in the words of McBeth, "What is done, is done". no one told me much about redoing the script. me, settling for the approval of the committee decided to go on with the play, despite uneasiness.

i've seen musicals, and they are too often a splash of explosive colors, like a rainbow. me, on the other hand, being a writer that conveys emotions, pain, and poetry in life struggled to fit in the mold. i wasn't thinking of channeling something familiar, which is a very big part of me. i kept my eye on keeping the audiences eyes on the play. as a result, "i ended up using too much barbeque sauce, but i don't have a turkey".

those were not my words. those were peter's.

it's just one of those typical days when we hung out, putting our classes aside. he needed to get a haircut so, i accompanied him to mines pretty much to chill out. it was the first week of the second semester and classes, i took them arbitrarily.

on the way, i he told me that he read the script. it seemed reluctantly told. maybe he is hesitant to tell me his thoughts because he knows me like the back of his hand and speaking in metaphors, that very same hand have very high chances to develope very painful sores every time bruised. you know what i mean. still, peter is never at fault. it's always me whom overreacted.

still, i know that i'm at the hot seat this time and i need someone to tell me to my face about what have gone wrong, so i told peter to do so. he told me and i took it all in, knowing that it's all true.

when we finally reached UPM, before dropping me off, i asked him about what should i do regarding the script. that brought us to sit under this shady tree front of putra foodcourt just to talk about it. clouds afloat gray, accompanied with gushing of wind, indicating the inevitable outpour that is on it's course.

we discussed things out and finally managed to settle on a thought. i know it too well that peter often feels the burden of being the former president of ik. in other words, people too often take in his words, considering the fact that he's more experienced. he wants people to think for themselves and act according to what God had revealed to them, not to settle for his thoughts.

at the end of the day, we are all still servants of God. we are only made worthy through Christ's death of the cross. i often find a sense of direction in words of others because, what is a clueless dumb daft like me to do on my own. I'm stupid and i too believe that if God speaks to me, it's through the words of the people around me.

i then settled for whatever we discussed on, and i made it into something that is from my perspective, and tell it through my way of telling it. i am convicted and certainly, more than eager to write down this new piece i had in mind. somehow, it seems like a second chance for me to fix what i've broken.

it is about to rain so, we called our discussion to an end and go back to whatever we are supposed to do.

“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” -Henry David Thoreau.

ps-i don't know why this post is giving me a very bad feeling. just so you know, I'm writing this down to tell my story, and that's all. cheers. Praise God.

public speaking UPM 2011

2011-02-02T02:46:00.002+08:00

guess who won 1st place? Praise God.

again and again....

2011-02-02T01:40:00.000+08:00

it's me again, singing the same song again=) this one is on abel raj's 21st bday party. happy bday abel=)

the chutney song- all spontaneous song=)

2011-02-02T01:34:00.002+08:00

no lyrics, no plans, but a spontaneous performance with friends at a hang out in muar. a tribute to the malaysian mamak scene and those whom love malaysian food despite of different race and background. video featuring Andy Gomes, joanne voon, scherl chong, stephanie gomes, ian toh, christine chin, gloria paul, christine lee and peter yong.

translation-
idli, chutney-types of indian food.
nasi goreng ayam-chicken fried rice.
teh tarik-malaysia foam tea.
milo suam-warm chocolate drink.
pudina-mint
kelapa-cocunut.

ENJOY!!!!!

the censored lines

2010-09-30T17:54:00.005+08:00

stolen pics....

2010-08-24T16:55:00.003+08:00

i don't really have a camera here in upm (i have one, but there is no battery or memory card in it). it explains why i couldn't post pics of activities here. i have been doing a hell load of things here and couldn't really document it in my blog. such a waste. anyway, thanks to facebook, i am now accessible of pics that my friends captured occasionally at these events. here are some taken from a midnight futsal match (i managed the team and we won 3rd....not bad for a manager whom doesn't understand football, and what more playing it) and also the "cahaya ramadhan" program (i was the only non muslim there. still, it was fun).... check it out=)

my new name=)

2010-08-18T14:59:00.004+08:00

i never had an official nickname before. if you've known me since my schooling days, you will know that this is very true indeed. i have never really given myself a name to call upon. im just happy being "andy gomes"....after all, it was rather hard finding my identity back then so, why add more to the confusion with another name that is never really me=)

as early as my nickname goes, it used to me "chico" and "muchaco"...
my dad named me these. i always thought that it's nothing but sounds.
now that i study espanyol, i found that these are real words.
it means, "little boy".... sweet indeed=)

at school, names go on from a stretch of obscenities, animal-like and sometimes even funny sounds. im not going to name any of it here though. i had a good laugh over these names back then. im not a sport by doing so. i just have very thick skin in a rather funny way=)

then, came the day when i heard this sermon at church on "meeting the prophecy of your name". i was then more conscious of what i call people, because calling them is literally like speaking into their lives. calling people not so good names (for instance, stupid) will eventually have a person make believe in it and therefore,..... u figure out the rest.

after all, when God Himself call you by name, he is speaking into your life through his almighty lips. everybody knows how powerful the words of God are and therefore, you will eventually meet up to the prophesy of your name, as it is by name that God calls you.

for instance, apostle peter was formerly known as "simon" which means "rocking", like a boat back and forth without a stand. this explains why he denied Jesus 3 times, for he is a disciple a minute, and not the following. Jesus then changed his name to 'Peter" which means, "solid rock".... a strong hard rock that is not easily moved. rocks in the bible too is often associated with foundation, like the parable where the wise man builds his house upon a rock, which eventually withstand the heavy storms. after the change of name, peter became a brave man of God, going places and preaching the gospel despite hardships and objection from the people.

i just found out the meaning behind my name- "Andy" means "manly, brave, main bearer" and "Darrel" means "darling, dear, beloved'...... such a beautiful combination of the ironies....strong and gentle at the same time. doesn't is sound exactly like me??? Praise Jesus for I'm meeting up to the prophesy of my name=)

now at UPM, all juniors will be given a nickname by the seniors from the blok. this is done through an unofficial name giving ceremony. after given a name, should take vows and announce new name to the whole block by shouting it out from the balcony. most names given are weird...and hilarious at the same time. some got names like "payu dara (boobs), julap (laxatives), batam (an compound term for bawah hitam- black "lower), and etcetra.... i was praying hard for a good name. i dont want a bad name to stick on me and rob me of my blessings....

when being orientated, they asked me to introduce myself. i did and i also mentioned that i sing, act and etc..... they asked me to give them a demo and i sang jamal abdillah's "kekasih awal dan akhir (first and final lover)..... and gave them a taste of my lousy rapping skills too. i know that i rap bad but when it's about making a good first impression, it's being a sport that really counts. they totally loved what i did and it put me on the map immediately, overnight at KPZ (my residential college). they then named me "Bosco" after the character in A-team. a decent name, isn't it? prayers answered....Praise God.

shot by peter......

2010-08-11T17:34:00.001+08:00

a month since.....

2010-08-11T17:11:00.002+08:00

it's been long since i've last posted anything on my blog....it was mainly towards the fact that i've been so preoccupied with things that i just cant seem to spare some time putting my thoughts into words. after all, not having a camera or a laptop made it a little more harder for me to do so, now that im in UPM. well, what's up with me???

i can conclude pretty much that i'm at the best time of my life.... and hopefully, life will continue to take flight from this platform im already on. since i got here (UPM), i am more than blessed to be able to pursue the things i love.

i was sent out for vocal asas training, which is something i always wanted to do. i am the "secretary" of my block too, but that's just a title to my name.... so far, i've not been assigned to anything yet. i too am both an adjudicator and participant in the "iced league" a.k.a debate team. the one that i"m rather exited about is this upcoming theater event that im both acting in a play and foreseeing in KPZ (kolej pendeta Za'ba).

best of all, i am a part of IK (ikatan kristian).... not exactly serving but just being a part of. well, im still in search of my purpose in life and would love to get right with God again. it's my initial plan even before being a part of UPM to join IK. never saw it coming that things will eventually be realized.

above all, it's the fact that i have a life of my own that really intrigues me. i very much do the laundry, wash dishes and etcetra on my own...being independent really feels good. the freedom that comes with is good to, leaving me with a lot of room to learn and improve myself...... i assume that i'm a better individual now ("assume|" is a short for "making an ass out of you and me") ahhahahahahaa......=)

well, thats a brief one for now. will continue to post stuff here for you to READ...that's right people, READ, not see pictures=)

take care n have a nice day=).

FETE DE LA MUSIC 2010 (KLANG PARADE)- Roy Vimalan and Andy Gomes

2010-07-08T23:26:00.004+08:00

fete de la musique (make some music in french) is largest music festival in the world spanning across 340 cities in 110 countries! it started back in the year 1982 at Paris, France. such a big event for a little boy (figuratively speaking) like me to join.... it very much explains why i was rather hesitant to perform at first. Glad i took that BOLD step because it really did paid off big time=)

this is by far my best work to date.... but sadly, the audio quality is kinda bad. the sound cracks every time i hit big note. i will get a better camera to record next time. still, i would want u guys to watch this because you people apparently couldn't care enough to come down and watch me in one of my most significant moments in life. excuse me but im literally SICK of begging people to come down for my shows.... i would really want to elaborate more on this but i better not do so... i don't want to make things worst. good enough if you guys have an idea on how i feel.

by the way, i performed "i believe i can fly" by R. Kelly that begins with an improvised vocal solo and ends with a medley of hillsong's "came to my rescue.

the song choice is not accidental, i believe ever since this piece came upon unplanned but fused so perfectly that it immediately clicked with my inner being. maybe indirectly, it is a way of me saying, "i believe that i will fly soon but i need God to lift me up by coming to my rescue every time i fall". i was overwhelmed by emotions at the work of God through roy as i blended perfectly with all my heart and soul into these two songs.

anyway, special thanks to
-Roy for putting this piece together. this wouldn't have come across if it's not coz of u bro. thanks again. i owe u big time.

-Kwang Yew for showing up, recording and most importantly, for SUPPORTING and

-to GOD for pretty much everything=)

PRAISE HIM!!!

For My Father =)

2010-07-08T22:53:00.004+08:00

as some of you know, a series of major events and not necessarily good ones occurred in my life recently. i was thinking about blogging those things but i would need some time to get in touch with my feelings in order to pen down something rather personal yet complete. i've always believed in the fact that it's rather important to immortalize memories of people so they will never completely be gone as time pass by. i will be doing that soon but for now, i will leave you with videos of my father Charles Joseph Gomes singing "hotel California" and "still loving you"...accompanied by one of my favourite poems that speaks very deeply of my intentions and thoughts. this is for my father.....May his soul rest in peace.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there, I did not die....

PARTY ANIMALS!!!

2010-06-19T17:44:00.018+08:00

20 YEARS OF MY LIFE.....this is the MOST FUN i ever had. i REPEAT....the MOST FUN i ever had.

not many ppl know that i have a non-clubbing policy. it's just one of my principals in the long list of principals i have. call me close minded but i don't see how u can be open minded when u are all drunk and vomiting on the floor (like some of my friends did=).

what actually happened is that, on my 20th birthday party, we turned room 27 of KTV greenbox into a clubbing zone... in other words, PARTAYY!!!!.

this is the hardest i've ever partied, and best of all, we did it without going against any taboos or regulations. u have to admit, me, being one of the eldest among these minors wouldn't go against the trusts of their parents to have them being wasted on that day. after all, i do consider these guys my brothers, so, literally, no screwing up.

we got high without drugs n got drunk over some loud music and heavy dancing. we are party animals (hahahahahhaha). btw, many got high that they took breaks from dancing to molest others.... i almost kena, but luckily, i was too strong for them. (guys, i can go to jail for that...seriously. no molesting next time yar).

thanks to everyone for making this happen, for the presents, and for the incredibly large n expensive cake. a large chunk of bithday cake goes to-
-thinesh pandian,
-see chee hain and
-yours truly=)

a big chunk of appreciation cake goes to-
-shierley goh
-ivan chua
-rashpal singh
-sew sing
-kugendran
-eng sheng
-talwinder
-jia rong
-sathish
-kong hui
-lalith
-shee chuen
-alvin
-kok keong and last but not least
-wei kit=)
i will end this post now to let the pics do the talking.
take care..love u all=)

what's NEXT???

2010-06-18T19:01:00.003+08:00

PRAISE JESUS!!
This is the day my future is secured for the LORD has opened the doors
of UPM (universiti Putra Malaysia) for my further studying.....I will
be lecturing/ acting for sure 4 years from now, after pursuing B.A english as a subject. AMEN!!!

just so you know, this course at this university is my 1st choice out of the 8 given.... n i got i at rare odds by the grace of GOD=)

and one last thing, please do care to spend some time with me before i leave this 3rd of july, for life will be different and things are about to change so.... i want to spend my last days with you..
i LOVE you all=)

ps- to those of you who thought i will never make it, u can bend lower and kiss my .....
my......
my...........
my........
FOREHEAD!!!
(what do you think i was going to say????..... hahahahahhaa=)

a sneek peek of my upcoming performance...

2010-06-18T18:58:00.002+08:00

come and watch me perform this sunday at klang parade yar (6pm)...here's a vocal solo i did during reherasals...kinda painful to the ears coz it's a little too strong n full of experimental notes but i promise u that the performance will be better. c ya there=)

n do tell me what u think=)

soccer - sucker

2010-06-16T23:55:00.008+08:00

here are the pics of the soccer match i took lalith to (continuation of the last post).... rather posey, right?? ahahhahaa!!! somehow, i find this rather interesting actually....because some of the pics are sickly funny. the poses are like the ones u find on beer bottles...get what i mean?? hahahaha....btw, this post serves the purpose of FUN and capturing memories, thats all.... very much the purpose of my blog=) take care guys!!!

BAzhang /BIRTH......day

2010-06-16T20:24:00.011+08:00

happy birthday lalith....it's ironic that u celebrated ur bday on bazhang day. it's funny because both u n bazhang came from the same species.... eating bazhang is literally like cannibalism for u. hahahahaha, joking. anyway, happy birthday.

well, ppl.... we just took him out to pandamaran to have some modest food n later to a futsal match. nothing fancy but the bottom lime is, we had fun. HERE ARE THE PICS!!!

I'm a TEACHER!!!

2010-06-15T15:26:00.004+08:00

this are the pics taken with my students from 1t3.... my favorite class on the day before i ended my 2 months contract with the government as a teacher. yeah, u heard me right....i was a teacher. Praise God that he gave me a stable job as soon as i graduated. i was not supposed to take them out for PJK on that day but they insisted on spending time with me so i filled in the slot of the absent teacher. guess what, WE HAD FUN!!! i really enjoyed teaching them all and of course, the students antics are annoyingly fun too. btw, this class once ambushed me and emptied the candy jar i was holding in my hands...still, i had the time of my life being their teacher. kids, love you all.... n study hard yar!!!! try to be as smart as your english teacher (hahahahahhaha)

are YOU too blind??!! / 你是盲的嗎？?!!

2010-06-15T13:40:00.002+08:00

"你是盲的嗎？
我也是人，我受傷時，也會流血，就跟你一樣。我的膚色，我的種族，有那麼重要嗎？"

i love this...ever since it's a blend of poetry and sarcasm. it has a way of being both cruel and gentle at the same time.

i came up with this after attempts of stepping into "foreign" territories n having the rest not being able to see me beyond my ethnicity

let me emphasize something here.
here it goes....

i have very close friends of all races.... how many of you MALAYSIANS can say the exact thing i just did. doesn't that say something about yourselves. we blame everybody else for racism and yet, not even bother to take the slightest effort to mix around!!!

ps- this post is not directly aimed to someone in particular and should be perceived generally as a rheotorical question to get people thinking rather than an attempt to condemn individuals.

Her final words to me.....

2010-06-15T13:24:00.004+08:00

this were her final words to me, spoken 6 days before her tragic passing on the 25th of july. i wanna put this down on my blog so that it will be eternally engraved. love u mak....n miss u dearly=)

*taken directly from facebook.com

Andy Darrel GomesYasmin Ahmad: mak, talentime DVD coming out next month right??? so i heard. is it true? i cant wait to watch it with my mum. i'm sure that she will enjoy it=)
July 18, 2009 at 4:26pm · Comment · · View Feedback (1)Hide Feedback (1)
Yasmin Ahmad
belum, yang. tunggu release kat singapore dulu, i think.
July 19, 2009 at 11:37pm
Write a comment...

the final BIRTHDAY celebration =(

2010-06-14T02:12:00.007+08:00

i guess after this, there will not be anymore birthday celebrations as im off to study soon. anyway, i do hope u guys will carry on these traditions i've left behind. still, it does break my heart to understand that things are changing but do always bear in mind that i'll always be your big brother=) do study hard yar, n DONT do stupid stuff dat can get urselves into trouble. well, let me present u with some pics from Eng sheng's 17th birthday on the 8th of april.... all creamed and dirty, again. i managed to save this pics before my camera got lost in malacca. still, it was a day to remember. as usual, only ANDY will have these precious shots.... hahahahaha=) love you all n Take care bro's!! hold on to the memories n i hope i made your days when i was around=) God bless n chaoZ!!

WHEN A MAN BITES A DOG!!!

2010-06-13T20:58:00.005+08:00

people have been visiting my blog but did not leave behind any messages, resulting my blog to be totally dead....u have to admit dat i got more replies when my blog was nothing more then a photo album... people come to see pics, not to read my thoughts or to let my voice be heard. my blogposts these days are more in writing form, rather than the visual one. in other words, im resting on the fundamentals. still, this act of not being commercial certainly shun people away, like festival films rather than "transformers" or "avatar". one undeniable fact is that people generally have a taste for controversy, gossips, weird things and even funny ones. like the saying, "it's not news when a dog bites a man.... it's only news when a man bites a dog". well, this is an attemp to"bite a dog" so i present you with some fun pics of my friends CAM WHORING (i initially wanted to say "biting a dog" but i don't want to bring upon misconceptions)..... hahahahhahaa. love this pics. dont get offended ar, guys....u just made a great comeback on my blog. take care n love you all=)

grab their hands and put it on your CROTCH!!!!

2010-06-12T01:31:00.009+08:00

this pics were taken on our trip to kajang jail...n later, off to sin chew daily publications, McD cheras and shah alam aquarium.

joke of the day-

eversince we are at prison, if u hate anybody here (especially any particular teachers), grab their hands, put it on your crotch and shout, "ROGOL....ROGOL!!!". the police will put them behind bars ON THE SPOT!!

haHAHAHA!!!

that's just classic=)

well, here are the pics

...enjoy!!!

COME AND WATCH ME PERFORM!!!!

2010-06-10T18:54:00.002+08:00

i will be performing for this event that started in paris back in 1982.... come and support me yar=)

the sweetest birthday gift

2010-06-10T17:55:00.006+08:00

most guys are not sentimentalists (im an exception)...so, it's rather rare that a group of juniors came together to make me this REALLY REALLY BIG birthday card.... never in my life time have i received anything like this. it made me feel really special, loved and appreciated.... thanks to this people..kenvi, peter, kian sheng, huey jye, swee kheng, ming zhi and jee bon...love you all. here are the pics=)

RECORDED ON MY BIRTHDAY LAST YEAR....

2010-05-31T12:27:00.003+08:00

this is video of yasmin ahmad giving a talk on charisma was recorded on the 3rd of june 2009...
that is also the day i turned 19.
i later met her in person the following month...

now, it's almost a year since this video is recorded.
and i will be turning 20 this thursday...3 days from now.

i dont really understand the significance behind this post but still, to have a video on yasmin whom i have impacted my life in a indirect way on my birthday feels right.
i'm going to rest on this feeling
(i still dont get it.... hahahahaha)

HOSPITAL

2010-05-31T12:23:00.002+08:00

It’s been almost a month since I last updated my blog. It’s mainly because I’ve been living in KL since the 26th of April. KL on the other hand is not really something fun, concerning the purpose of my stay here. I’m not gonna tell you exactly what it is but just to give you a hint, it involves traveling to and fro from the hospital every day. I’m planning to keep this post simple so, here are some pointers I picked up at the hospital for the past one month…..just to mention a few. Some are deep (I suppose) and some are just plain silly, very much like me. Check it out.

NUMBER 1
Ice breaking is not really necessary at the hospital. People just talk to one another directly despite the fact that they’ve never spoken before. It’s ironic how things that are negative (sickness, sorrow, worries) can bind strangers together better than the positive ones. Guess no one wants to be a snobbish drama queen in times like these.

NUMBER 2
The hospital is often associated with healing (positive) to the younger and more open minded individuals, in contrary to bad vibes (negative) as it’s perceived by provincial older ones… I learned that from Amir Muhammad (my mum yelled at me for saying this….there’s your proof!!).

NUMBER 3
Having a love one sick is something that goes far beyond bahasa Malaysia, mandarin, Tamil or even English. It’s in the human language of love, something all humans (or at least, the majority) would understand.

NUMBER 4
In times like these that we tend to discover who our real friends are…. and the not-so-real ones also. What a corny way to put this down. It’s not that I got into some bad blood with anybody. This thought just came to mind.

NUMBER 5
Make sure to bring extra underwear for patients at the hospital. They tend to put you in loose fitting sarongs… I would actually be better off not learning this one. Poor me.

NUMBER 6
The song, “two is better than one” by Taylor swift and boys like girls…. Are they talking about tits?? Hahahahahhahaa….joking. I actually came up with hand gestures for the song. Gosh, I need to get a life.

NUMBER 7
Being away from home too long will make you love it even more. My heart was empty until the day I set foot on Klang grounds again…..the feeling is indescribable. I spent that day hanging out with my friends at humble food stalls and yet, I felt complete. I miss everything about it.

NUMBER 8
I want somebody to be able to tell my story exactly the way I see it. Not many know this, but I’m rather conscious of the legacy I’ll leave behind… I had this thought all along, ever since I don’t know who my ancestors are (the thought was emphasized even more at the hospital). If me, family don’t remember them, who will? It’s as though they’ve never existed before and everything they ever fought for is in vain... this makes sense if you know that my ancestors are colonizers.

NUMBER 9
Emotions are very subjective. The happenings around you tend to provoke your emotions but you are in total control of the way you feel. You cannot feel happy, sad, worried, etc unless you allow yourself to feel so. This is my self-defense mechanism for a long time. It’s just that in times like this, I have to play the card over and over again.

NUMBER 10
That the LORD is merciful, kind, gracious and loving…. Praise Him.

TOKOH PELAJAR SMK DATO HAMZAH 2009

2010-04-25T17:41:00.003+08:00

EN-US ZH-CN X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Recently, I received the “tokoh Pelajar” award from the school. Im indeed honoured to be the embodiment or so-called “role model’ to the others despite the fact that I have a lot of flavor in my personality. You will know what I mean, if you know me in person. Guess I finally got what I wanted- not the award, but an opportunity to eternally engrave my name at the school. To me, leaving a mark is rather important, especially for my greatX10 grandchildren to see and so that I will never be forgotten- EVER. I know I sound stupid but it has a deeper meaning to it. I’m just keeping it short. Back to the story, I was totally restraining myself from crying when they read my biodata. I was overwhelmed by emotions that morning. It was then followed by my performance of “I believe I can fly” (which we will never get to see because the video got lost together with my camera…craps). I was then on my way to Malacca after the ceremony. U can read the rest on my previous post. For now, here is the extended version of my resume that was published in the “aturcara majlis”…. Not for vain reasons but once again, to leave my mark. Don’t bother reading it=)

RESUME

Nama: Andy Darrel Gomes

1) JAWATAN

-Timbalan Ketua Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar MPP (2009)

-Timbalan Ketua Pengawas (2009)

-Pengawas Cemelang (2009)

-Pengerusi English language Society (2009)

-AJK Pilihanraya Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar MPP (2009)

-Ketua Urusetia Karnival Akedemik (2009)

-AJK Unit Keceriaan (2009)

-Pengurus Pasukan Debat bahasa Inggeris (2009)

-Pengurus Pasukan Drama bahasa Inggeris (2009)

-Ketua Unit Keceriaan (2008)

-International Understanding Director (2007)

-Urusetia menengah rendah Karnival Akedemik (2007)

-Ketua Kebersihan kelas (2007/ 2006/ 2005)

-Penolong Ketua Editor Majalah “Samudera” (2006)

-AJK Kelab Catur (2006)

-Ketua Pengawas Sesi Petang (2004)

-Pengawas Sekolah (2003)

-Ketua Tingkatan (2003)

-Ahli Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya PRS (2003)

2)PENCAPAIAN

i) PERINGKAT KEBANGSAAN

-Jemputan Khas nyanyian lagu bersemperna Majlis Ramah Mesra Aidilfitri Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia, tetamu kehormat- Perdana Menteri Malaysia. (2009)

-Pertandingan Puisi dan Lagu Peringkat Kebangsaan di Sarawak (2008)

-Pertandingan Puisi dan Lagu Peringkat Kebangsaan di Labuan (2007)

ii) PERINGKAT NEGERI

-Johan Pertandingan Puisi dan Lagu (2007/2008)

-Naib Johan Pertandingan Sketsa Kerjaya (2008)

-Tempat ke-4 Pertandingan Pidato Keselamatan Jalan Raja anjuran SHELL (2004)

-Jemputan Khas nyanyian (puisi dan Lagu) bersemperna sayembara deklamasi puisi di muzium Shah Alam.

-Pertandingan Lalulintas Jalan Raya, anjuran SHELL (2004)

-Pertandingan Drama Bahasa Inggeris anjuran INTI Collage di Actor’s Studio, Bangsar (2004)

-Perkemahan Ko-kurrikulum Peringkat Negeri Selangor di Kem Tekali (2004)

iii) PERINGKAT DAERAH

-Johan Pertandingan Puisi dan lagu (2007/2008)

-Johan Pertandingan Sketsa Kerjaya (2008)

-Pelakon Terbaik, Pertandingan Drama Bahasa Inggeris (2007)

-Pelakon Terbaik, Pertandingan Sketsa Kerjaya (2008)

-Naib Johan, Pertandingan Pidato Badan Pencegah Rasuah (2008)

-Johan, Pertandingan Interact Club report presentation anjuran Rotrary Club (2007)

-Johan Pertandingan Melukis Poster Tamil Vizha, anjuran HYO (2007)

-Naib Johan, Pertandingan Drama Bahasa Inggeris (2004)

-Tempat ke-3, Pertandingan Drama Bahasa Inggeris (2007)

-Finalis, Pertandingan Drama Bahasa Inggeris (2005)

-Semi-finalis, Pertandingan Debat Bahasa Inggeris (2005)

-Perserta Pertandingan Melukis poster Pendidikan Moral (2005)

-Peserta Pertandingan Bahas ala-Parlimen (2006)

-Peserta Pertandingan Forum Remaja (2006)

-Peserta Pertandingan Drama Bahasa Inggeris (2003)

iv) PERINGKAT SEKOLAH

Pertandingan nyanyian lagu Patriotik bersemperna Bulan Kemerdekaan (2007/2008)

-Program Gemilang emas (2008)

-Pertandingan Perbahasan Bahasa Inggeris (2007/2009)

-Seminar Kepimpinan Akedemi Minda Bestari (2005)

-Kem Kepimpinan anjuran Al- Badru Training (2004)

-Kem Kepimpinan Pengawas, di Kem Mutiara Hati (2009)

-Khursus PRS, tahap 1 (2003)

This is as far as I can remember…all based on my certs. There are plenty more, in the form of activities (like performances, organizing stuff, ect….i do not keep track of everything I’ve done in school. Not to mention, I got a lot of projects that I’ve carried out while holding positions mentioned above and by the doors opened to me from the activities I’m involved in. I’m deeply HUMBLED by all these and will never be able to so all this without the blessings of the LORD. Praise Him.

Ps-Thanks too to all that was involved in making me,” ME” and in the projects im involved in. LOVE YOU ALL (sincerely).

20 and running free... (Guys night out at melaka)

2010-04-18T19:37:00.005+08:00

I had the time of my life in melaka. Except for the fact that I lost my camera at melaka central and that we were all totally burnt out throughout the trip, everything else was perfect. Those that came with me were swee kheng, kian sheng, peter tan, jee bon, ming zhi, huey jye and of course kian wee @kenvi. I mentioned kenvi last because he played a very crucial role on this trip. It was him and me whom organized and worked the hell out of everybody to make this trip come to pass. Just so you know, he is very much like me too in character, so we worked well. I saw a big deal of myself in him. I can also say that at this very moment, he is one of my most trusted friends that I can rely on in times of need. A responsible young man indeed.

Back to the story, the trip was postponed 3 times before it was finally materialized. The location to stay also changed due to circumstances. We finally picked kings hotel (which is a PERFECT place to be),

DAY 1
Anyway, we left to melaka on the 10th of april by bus at 1.00pm. The original plan is to leave at 700am but we had to attend the prize-giving ceremony at school. I got the ‘tokoh pelajar award” that day. Kenvi and kian sheng were the valedictorians of the school. The rest on the other hand received minor prizes for being the best at certain subjects. Well, consider this “the smart students trip”…. Hahahahahahaa=) click the link below to check out the prize giving-ceremony pics.

The moment we arrived, we were hungry and weary so, we had some mamak food at a really lousy shop at melaka central… I did not choose the shop. Me, kenvi and swee kheng were busy buying tickets to go back the moment we arrived. The other bunch did. By the way, to check out what we makan throughout the trip, click the link below.

The moment we reached the hotel, we had some strong young man complaining like a bunch of “anak dara” on how far the hotel is to jusco and melaka mall. Cute, but wimpy at the same time (no offence yar). Click the link below to check out the hotel hang-out pics.

We then hung out, took our showers, look at a bunch of university students playing with water balloons outside the window, join our beds, laugh over the bed platform that kept on making noises, etc. by 7pm, we left the hotel to book tickets at MBO melaka mall. We went on by having dinner at the windmill restaurant (except kenvi and peter whom got laughs by 2 ladies for dining “romantically” at johnys). We cam-whored throughout the trip. That is exactly what we did after buying breakfast at jusco market. It’s such a fuss when guys shop. We just can’t make up our minds. Back to the cam-whoring part, we went to melaka city hall and took some really weird pics there. Weird as in wild-crazy-shameless-fun-pics in public. The scene was very beautiful at night, decorated by blue-white lights on trees. We then went to the nearby “waterfall” to snap pics. When it’s finally time, we went for the 10.45 show of “clash of the titans”. It’s rather weird that some of peter’s bread went missing after leaving it at the cinema counter. We went back to the hotel close to 12.30am.

DAY 2
I was the earliest to wake up, got ready, spilled a lot of water on the floor by accident and left to Ujong pasir to get some paperwork done. It does feel good to be a Portuguese, coming back to my roots at ujong pasir. I forgot that it was Sunday morning so, I stood outside the Portuguese square church, waiting for service to be over. It turned out that I didn’t have to be there after all because the paperwork I needed can now be done through local banks.

I then left for mahkota parade when I was supposed to come back to the hotel. We were running out time. After all, I know well that these guys take hours to do their hair. I mingled, had breakfast at McD and loitered around- wearing myself off even before my friends arrived. By the time they reached, I’m already burnt into crisps. It was 10.30 and we went to a famosa a.k.a Porta de Santiago. It’s weird that the guys were actually confused between a famosa the resort and the monument. They were looking forward to animal shows and water parks. It’s even funnier when peter got exited over some cendol because apparently It contains “gula melaka”…different from “gula klang”? (Is there such thing as “gula klang”?).

The sun was glaring, and we actually spent most of our pocket money on mineral water, each costing at least RM2.50. I was totally worn out by the time we went down from the St. Paul hill so I rested at dataran pahlawan shopping mall while the rest carried on with their journey. I actually dozed off while I was resting. That is how tired I was. Awakened by a phone call from kenvi, I went back to our original meeting place and went sight seeing again. This time, hungry peter had a burger on one hand and some fries+drinks on the other. Very cute indeed. We discussed about where to makan and went to Jonker Street for some chicken rice ball and Malaccan crafts. We did stop at many places on the way there, like the mini architecture museum (because admission if free and it’s air conditioned) and the Stydhattus.

After a long day at Jonker Street, we went back to dataran pahlawan, making a few stops on the way (architecture museum (again), swimming pool etc). The stop we enjoyed the most is this playground where we got to relive our childhood days. We actually went on this so-called merry-go-round, causing all of us to be in nausea. By “we”, I mean me, huey jye, ming zhi and jee bon. The rest went cam-whoring. We later waited for them by the historical fountain at dataran pahlawan while releasing the stress on the soles of our feet. We were stretched to the max and bathing in our own sweats.
To check out the cam-whoring pics from this day and the previous night, click here.

When we were finally reunited (after waiting a long time by the pavements of dataran for the cam-whoring dudes) we went to the indoor field of dataran pahlawan to watch the international paintball match and then, to the bazaar budaya just to pass time. When it was finally 6pm, we went to jalan praya for some satay celup. I’m the only one at that table whom has tasted satay celup at that moment. It’s rather fulfilling to see your friends experiencing something new and enjoys it. One stick costs 50 cents so, I had 20, so did peter. Rather ironic that the biggest and smallest in size had the same number of sticks. Swee kheng had 16, ming zhi 17, kian sheng had 11 (mostly vegan food…such a waste), and the rest, I don’t remember. We then left to melaka central, I took a few minutes off to snap the journey schedule with my camera. I then ran to the bus. Within those 20 seconds of running, I lost my camera. Craps… It got me worried sick because it’s my dad’s and the video recording of me performing “I believe I can fly” is still in it.

At the hotel, we took showers, watched tv, went online through the phone, sang along to songs and lastly, ordered McDonalds. Singing was surely fun. Peter kept on repeating that wycleaf jean was shouting, “tak payahhhh!!!” at the bridge of “we are the world”. Funny indeed. We even poked fun at keisha’s “tick tock” and Lady Gaga’s “telephone”. We were much too tired for some real fun. We finally dozed off.

DAY 3
As usual, I was the first to be awake. It’s about 5.45am. I snapped some pics around before taking my shower. This time, kenvi and kian sheng was sleeping in a rather awkward position. Huey jye and swee kheng did the previous morning. Not to mention, I accidentally flung my hand hard on jee bon’s head while we were asleep. Ming zhi slept on the floor (by choice) for 2 consecutive days. I felt sorry for him, which is why I volunteered to stand in the bus, so that he can have a seat the previous night…ming zhi, you are a good guy=)

To cut the story short, we all got ready by 7.30am and left for Malacca’s botanical garden and zoo. We did stop for breakfast at McD in between. We played at this playground at taman rekresi, took photos, watched monkeys and squirrels chasing one another. The mosquitoes at that place were unbearable. Didn’t I warned u guys about sweaters just like how I warned about caps during the dataran trip? Lastly, for the grand finale, huey jye and peter kena marah for panjat-ing this mini fence and for stepping on flowers. It was classic. Bravo lorry people…. bravo. (hahahahahaha, joking).

The trip to the zoo is fun too. We actually had coffee and soda drinks in our hands while loitering around the animal kingdom. We can’t resist a refill at McD. We call people names at the animals (I’m not gonna say who), imitate animal sounds, chase after monitor lizards, took photos etc. it was fun but we were all in a rush because we had to check out at 12pm. We skipped the reptile house and a few other places and went on our way back. In the bus, Rihanna’s “rude boy” was blasting through the speakers. Rather refreshing indeed. You can check out the pics of both the zoo and the botanical garden here.

Call us Cinderella because we reached the hotel exactly at 12.00pm. We packed our things, watched “oprah’s big gift”, took showers, some photos…and then we checked out. We took some photos while waiting for the bus too. It was rather hard saying goodbye to this pleasant experience. You can check out the pics here.

We ran around Melaka central looking for Chinese food…we were all longing for laksa. We looked for nyonya laksa at Jonker Street but no avail. When we finally found a shop (thanks to this uncle at the hotlink counter), we took our time eating and chatting. We were supposed to go to the newly opened jusco but we skipped because we were way-way-way too tired. Our ticket marks 3.15pm. Before we left, I took a last look for my camera at the security counter. Still no avail.

In the bus, I sat next to jee bon. We were talking about his jpa interview before I dozed off for 2hours. 2 hours!!! This is unprecedented for a bus trip…EVER!! That is how tired I was. When I woke up, we were at sepang, and the rest is still sleeping. At klang central, we waited from 5.30pm until about 6.45 to see a bus pass by. At the end, it was kenvi’s mum whom fetched us back home…. Ahhh, home sweet home.

ps-sorry i cant provide u guys the links. u can check it out on facebook if you want to=)

see you guys at our next trip.....langkawi perhaps???

KLANG INTERSCHOOL ENGLISH DRAMA COMPETITION- SMK DATO HAMZAH FULL DRAMA HISTORY (2001-2010)

2010-04-18T19:04:00.006+08:00

Klang interschool English drama competition- SMK DATO HAMZAH’s full drama history.

The drama competition made its debut in back in 2001. This is as a matter of fact the very first time English drama is brought into Malaysian schools in a form of an interschool competition. In SMK Dato Hamzah, the man behind the plays is none other than our infamous Mr. Choo Wan Yat whom to date led the school drama team to great lengths. Mr Choo only direct plays every alternate year, to give an opportunity and experience to the younger ones (form 1 and 2 students). Different teachers take over the responsibility of conducting practices before passing the torch back to Mr. Choo the following year. Back to the story, it is not certain how the competition saw the light of day but it’s rumored that SMK Dato Hamzah had a very crucial role to play in the establishment of this competition.

THE RUMORED HISTORY.
Do mark the Word “rumor” in the title is there is no conformation to the story. All I know is that the events I’m about to mention here really took place and was witnessed by a lot of people. Well, here it goes. Back in the year 2000 (a year before the establishment of the competition), a very important event was held at SMK Dato Hamzah. How important this event is? Well, let’s just say it is indeed VERY important that the school is willing to pay a large sum of money to finance a small drama presentation with a big name for the VVIP ( I assume) guests.

McBeth (2000)
That is the title of the play. This happening is unprecedented in the school history (this, I’m sure), further proving the fact this event is a whale of a deal. The actors of the play were also equipped with acting skills, result of some intense practice. Not to mention, they had complete costumes and props on. Witnessed by some important people, this play is rumored to be the pioneer and the inspiration behind the competition. Still, it was never mentioned what this grand event is.

Ramayana (2001)
The Indian epic “Ramayana” is the play that we competed with on the very first year this competition was introduced. This play is also our most successful and expensive play to date. Ramayana starred benny lim, Frederick thoma, and luke (just to mention a few). The props and costumes for this play are phenomenal. We had the 6 heads of Ravana, The complete monkey suit for Hanuman with a spring tail, royal Indian costumes for the entire cast etcetera. The play begins with the grand entrance of the chariot accompanied by a troop of soldiers and flower ladies. “Ramayana” ended up winning the 3rd place at the national levels after being sabotaged (someone cut off the entire power system during the play). This play also won our school the best actor’s award. Later, Mr. Choo did receive an apology from the head of the committee, claiming that we should have gotten the first place.

The mouse deer and the crocodiles (2002)
Based on the Malaysian folklore, this is the first play from smk Dato hamzah to feature form 1 and 2 students as actors. It’s quite a childish play indeed, having talking trees and animals, very much like the play form High School Klang in the year 2009. By the way, High school won the 2nd place in 2009. The mouse deer play had elaborate animal costumes, which I believe was rented. The play was directed by Pn. Kanga Devi. The play did not win a place that year. The top 3 winners were Convent Klang, Raja Zarina and Lasalle.

The Princess of Langkawi (2003)
Better known as “mahsuri”, this play is based on the legend itself. The play starred pakeeyaraj, Andy Gomes, caleb Joshua, Yap tze yong, low you yang, harijendran, just to name a few. This is indeed the 2nd play to feature form 1 and 2 students as actors. The play had a rural backdrop, traditional malay costumes and was accompanied by live classical “gamelan” music. This play failed to win a place. The winners that year were Raja Zarina, MGS and Convent.

King Phratabong Chavatee (2004)

King phratabong is by far one of the most successful plays in the history of SMK Dato Hamzah. Despite winning only the 2nd place that year, the play was performed at Actors Studio, Bangsar on the 29th of June, witnessed by real ticket-buying audience under the sponsorship of Inti College, Subang. The play was also featured on the New straits Times and The Star. King Phratabong was based on Shakespeare’s “king Lear” with a Thailand setting. When it comes to the budget, King Phratabong is also one of the most expensive plays ever produced by the school. With Glorious Thai royal costumes and elaborate props that construct the palace, King Phratabong was a show stealer. The play begins with the marching in of the king on a chariot and the princesses sitting on bamboo sticks carried on the shoulders of actors. The play starred andy gomes, pakeeyaraj, aaron chua, min han, haripalan (just to name a few) under the direction of Mr. Choo wan Yat.

Oedipus (2005)
Based on the Greek legend, sources were abundant to produce the play. The props and costumes for this play were elaborate and expensive too. Still, compared to King Phratabong, this is a much easy-going play. Most of the scenes took place at the well-decorated palace, with mainly green as the dominant color. Some of the costumes were also custom made to add personalized Greek culture to it. The play starred ashok kumar, pakeeyaraj, dushmin rao, Joshua edmont, andy gomes, mohan raj (to name a few). This is also the very first year where the competition was divided into two different zones. The play made it to the finals but did not win a place. The winning schools were ACS, Bukit kemuning and MGS.

2006
This is the year we laid low. We did not participate. Still, I was there to witness all the plays. Among the plays presented are “a midsummer nights dream” (Raja Zarina) and “The shopkeeper” (batu unjur). MGS presented something about this mentally challenged child while bukit kemuning presented something on the tsunami aftermath. I have a few more things to add, all good things but I rather not say it.
The Endearment (2007)

If there is ever a play that dimmed the lights on “Ramayana”, it is this one. So said Mr. Choo. Even the established filmmaker, Yasmin Ahmad had some really good things to say about the play. The Endearment (our most memorable play to date) is based on the movie “the champ”. This is also the very first play from dato hamzah to have a setting in the 50’s. The most shocking scene in this play is a REAL slapping scene between andy gomes and bryan lim (watch video 1). The play ends by the death of the father and the son not capable of accepting the fact (video 2). It’s rather phenomenal to watch the audiences and the judges shed tears over this play. This is also the year where all the schools (star, mgs, convent, kwang hua, and raja zarina) really mingled and had a good time. For a moment, we all forgot about competing. It was to the awe of the crowd at convent klang when this play only won the 3rd place. It was later followed by loud applause and cheer from the crowd when andy gomes took home the best actors award. Glorious indeed (except the fact that there were no trophies that year… only dictionaries).

The Flag Dwellers (2008)
I was working on the day of the competition so, I failed to catch this one. Apparently, it’s a very simple play on neighborhood spirit. The setting is also a current one, in contrary to the epic plays and 2007’s “the endearment” which took place in the 50’s. The play starred form 1 and 2 students and was directed by pn. Taksiah Mohamed.

The Entrapment (2009)

“The entrapment” is based on “after this our exile” and “Bangkok love story”. The setting however is in the early British era to suit the tone of the competition. The play starred bryan lim, ivan chua, tan eng sheng, matthew mathi, talwinder singh, satish gunasekaran, lalith kumar (just to name a few) and was directed by Mr. Choo wan yat. bryan lim walked away with the best actors award. Guess we did do well after all. The judges cried that year, again.

By heartbeat and intuitions (2010)

This play is an original, written and directed by Mr. Zafi Zakaria, a practical teacher whom studied drama and basically knows what he’s doing. The original storyline is about a gay individual whom dies and was stuck between heaven and earth, unless his mother whom he did hurt a lot decides to let his soul go. The script, which was written for a university play, went through some major alterations before it was produced. It is also by far the most artistic and variant play from the school, having a mixture of pop culture, poetry, urban setting, surrealism, dancing, caricature humor etc. however, the execution of the play was very weak, having only 2 weeks of rehearsals and actors that are fresh. This play stalled at the semi finals but still, looking at the bright side, it was an experimental effort and got a lot of laughs from the audience whom enjoyed the funny scenes (watch the video).

KLANG INTERSCHOOL ENGLISH DRAMA COMPETITION 2010- SMK DATO HAMZAH

2010-03-31T19:54:00.002+08:00

this is the drama team of SMK Dato Hamzah (2010)..... very different and experimental compared to the previous years... a very good thing indeed.

this year, we presented a play entitled, "mum knows best", which is of a comedy, musical and drama genre.

Mr. zafi directed the play.... and of course, i sibuk-sibuk taking responsibilities in the production too....

to the drama guys-a lovely memory indeed. i had so much fun working with you guys.... good job. love you all and keep in touch yar. well, just for the purpose of "mengabadikan kenangan, here is the video.... ENJOY!!!

Making Headlines in the papers=)

2010-03-28T13:12:00.003+08:00

here are some newspaper articles with me in it. my blog is actually more of a record of my life and it is rather important that i immortalize these newspaper articles because it's slowly rotting.... and these might even be something for my cucu cicit to see a 100 years frm nw... hahahahahaha. praise God!!!

A BAD AUDITION

2010-03-27T12:38:00.006+08:00

I auditioned at finas last month, on it's open day.... and it did not turn out that well. i had to take 2 trains and a bus to get there. somehow, i was not capable of "feeling" the character thus, came across as fake. anyway, the casting directors, whom are celebrities were very nice to me n my group....the camera ran out of memory in the middle of the audition so, the fighting scenes were not recorded. i was sad, but still, a good experience. here are some pics from the audition video=)

A TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE

2010-03-22T16:27:00.001+08:00

A TEACHERS PERSPECTIVE

Recently, I became a teacher, teaching subjects like English, moral and PJK. I taught form 1 and 2 students. To me, this is a brand new chapter of my life…more of an indication that I am one level higher than I used to be… Praise God. This is indeed the best year of my life because so many doors were opened to me… and this is just one of it. Well, here is an overall idea of what the job is like. I actually cant describe everything as there is so much to be said but this right here are the ones that came in mind while I was typing. Well, here it goes…..

THE POSITIVE

Well, too many good things came out of my teaching job… and the taste of life is just one of it. To me, the best part about being a teacher is basically the students. Why? Well, lets just say that they make your life more interesting by giving me fresh surprises everyday. “Surprises” in this case are not necessarily the good ones only. Just so you know, I was ambushed by nearly 28 over students because of sweets. Still, looking at the bright side, not everyone in the world can say that. In other words, I have matured since I took the job. It gave me a lot of brand new experiences. Not to mention, I am a total goofball at the age of 20… and being with the students made me more matured because I cant do crazy stuff like jumping over the road divider or dress like I normally do etc. I had to set examples (which I took very seriously) for my students. It’s nice indeed when your students get attached to their teacher… you tend to get gifts, calls, emails or even rare visits at the staff room during recess. I mean, these kids are just adorable and they are young enough to be my brothers (which is how I treat them like).

I like to be addressed as Mr. Andy or Cikgu Andy. That is actually the only moment in my life that I was able to carry myself with such integrity and respect. I like it too that I’m capable of mixing around with the other teachers as colleagues because frankly speaking, when I first started, I was feeling rather awkward because I am a fresh school leaver being surrounded by teachers. I still had that high value of respect towards that profession thus, made me feel a little inferior. Things did change later on as I was capable of hanging out with them like friends. They taught me a lot about life, especially when it comes to work, future career options and even the lessons I’ve been teaching. Frankly speaking, never in my life am I capable of speaking in English the way I do now.

In conclusion, the job made me improve myself to be a better person as it did really test my endurance, strength and knowledge. All glory to God.

THE NEGATIVE

What is the best can indeed be the worst too because, guess what- the students are sweetly monstrous (some, not all) which brought in mind that I wouldn’t wanna do this for the rest of my life. After all, it does hurt to see so much young energy going into waste as some of them are literally illiterate at the age of 13/14 and still not have the initiative to improve them selves. Fights break out almost everyday in class over petty matters, which is another indication of how their attitudes are. I’m not referring to the fact that they bicker but to their physical act of beating up each other blindly. I once told them that all they do is to follow their instinct (or lust…I used the malay word “nafsu) because they have no control over themselves. They shout, fight, make noise etc. as they like without much consideration. By the way, bear in mind that only animals live by their instinct but sadly, some humans do too.

I was hard on myself when I was a student because the people surrounding me were smart (I was in the first class). Being in an environment like that, getting a B or a C for a paper can make u look and feel like a total Neanderthal. Well, those people out there in the same boat, u should stop patronizing yourselves because you are actually better than you think you are. This actually gave me a culture shock because I have only came across students that want to study but do have trouble doing so (mainly towards self-weaknesses) but this time, I actually came across students that are just not interested in studying and have no conscience or fear of the uncertain at all. By the way, I have also came across students that scores a string of A’s in their examination but don’t even know who Martin Luther King Junior is. All they know are the things in the textbooks, which happens to be the place they chose to bury their noses all their life in exchange of a social life and co-curricular activities.

When it comes to the teachers, well, lets just say that they a human beings too… I’m not going to further elaborate on this.

That’s about it. To those that were there when I was teaching, thanks for making my life more interesting. It has been a learning experience… and my highest gratitude goes out to you all for making me a better person. May the blessings of God be with you=)

FIRST and LAST

2010-03-19T14:50:00.005+08:00

this is not EXACTLY the first pic i took after getting my teeth fully fixed by a set of braces that i had on since the end 0f 2007 but this is indeed one of the pics out of the series i took after closing the final spaces between my teeth (yesterday). i can officially now declare that i have a perfect smile=)

this is indeed the LAST pic i took as a student, in a school uniform... this is shot after my final STPM paper (bahasa melayu 1).

two different pics that marks changes and new beginings in my life.

the first

and the last

"Eleh!"- A poem by Yasmin Ahmad

2010-03-14T15:51:00.002+08:00

this rare pic of yasmin was given to me by her niece, shana. thanks dear for giving me the permission to do so. well, here is a poem that mak wrote, which happens to be the ONLY malay poem she ever wrote. it's a VERY cheeky one.... and if u know mak well enough, u will also know that she is a rolling ball of cheekiness. cheekiness is being expressed everywhere, especially in her movies...and even that particular pic above. that is indeed her trademark pose (the lips). if you can read what is on her lips, it spells C-H-E-E-K-I-N-E-S-S!!!
HAHAHHAHAA.....ENJOY!!!!

Eleh!
You tu memang gitu.
Kejap nak,
kejap tak nak.
Takut I sentuh,
takut I tak sentuh.
Bila I chakap hello,
you mengeluh.
Bila I chakap bye-bye,
you berserabai.

Sudahlah.
I dah malas.
Tak de masa.
Banyak kerja lain.

Banyak mata lain
yang gian nak ber-tango
dengan mata I.
Banyak lidah lain
yang hauskan
bibir I.

Bibir I yang tebal tak tebal,
nipis tak nipis.
Senyum atau chemik,
sentiasa manis.
Bibir yang basah
berginchu merah,
cherah secherah-cherahnya.

Bayangkan,
seperti yang you pernah bayangkan.
bibir I, di bibir you
bibir i, di telinga you
di leher you
di dada you
di perut you
di pusat you
di peha you
di sana you
dan di situ you
bayangkanlah
jangan malu-malu
bukan I tak tahu
memang you pernah bayangkan dulu
eleh....
you tu memang gitu
dah tahu
buat-buat tak tahu

YET-TO-BE-RELEASED pages from the upcoming school magazine (SAMUDERA 2009)

2010-02-16T21:04:00.003+08:00

pages i designed for the 2009's school magazine.... no one have seen this pages, until NOW. it took me within a few hours to design these pages using microsoft word (not adobe photoshop). this is a scanned version of the pages, which explain the poor quality... the original one is richer in color and higher in quality..tell me what you think. do comment yar=).