Dreamgirls

I was going to write about the show as soon as I came out, unfortunately it was 11:30 p.m., I had a 7:00 a.m. gym appointment the next day... well you know the drill.

But anyways, I thought I would drop a quick note to tell you this.
KL-ites, if you are in town you MUST watch this show. One of the best Ive seen of Malaysian musical productions... ever!

I guess before I begin I need to set expectations straight. Its a good show, but it still isnt good enough to compete with the likes of New York or London. But that being said, I still think its a really great move in the right direction for the Malaysian art scene.

When I initially checked out the show, I was a bit skeptical. The stagebill had Azura and Cheryl Samad listed - pretty well known TV show VJs. I thought it was going to be the same formula as Puteri Gunung Ledang and Cuci the Musical - well known actors and actresses who were 'ok' singers. But Azura and Cheryl pulled it off well. Azura slightly daffy and starstruck in the beginning as Lorell Robinson but becoming more independent in the second half and Cheryl Samad providing the perfect balance with her soft soulful voice as Deena Jones and coming fully into character in the second half.

Imagine my shock when I heard the first number and realized - wow, these girls can sing!
It may however take a bit of time to get with the flow of the show. The cast had been trained to have a Southern/ black accent which was a little jaring especially knowing it was a local cast. It takes a while to get used to it, but once you do, everything clicks into place and you just think to yourself, they really went all out on this.

The male cast members also didnt pale in comparison Tony Eusoff was an amazing singer and pulled off the character of Curtis Taylor Jr. splendidly. Dafi was great as the endearing younger brother and I was surprised to see that he was a contestant on Akademi Fantasia as he acted and sang really well. I had the stereotype view that most of the contestants from that show were more comfortable conversing and singing in Malay. As for the toughest male character to play, Kris Coleman did a really great job acting pretty close to what I remember Eddie Murphy doing. Again, was worried that they would have allowed for an 'ok' local singer/ actor but luckily they were willing to fly Kris in all the way from Broadway, New York

And now... the cream of the crop... introducing.... *drumroll* Dina Nadzir as Effie White!! She was amazing! simply amazing. First-off she sounded her character. She reminded me so much of Jennifer Hudson. When she sang, I had goosebumps up my skin. And secondly she was completely in character, it was not 'trained' at all. She embodied the feeling, and when I looked at the descriptions I thought I could understand how she did it.

It was life imitating art - in a way I guess. Jennifer Hudson did not win American Idol, Dina Nadzir did not win Malaysian Idol (runner up). In terms of ensemble, Jennifer Hudson and Dina ostood out as being a little fuller than their Deena Jones and Lorrell counterparts. And in terms of singing... my god that woman can sing. It was effortless - she was born to sing.

If you havent seen the show yet, I strongly strongly recommend you to go. As for further tips on making full use of your time and effort and money - buy a cheap weekday ticket. Typically the theater doesnt end up full and they try to fill in the downstairs area rather than spread everyone around, so you get to move to better seats anyways. Take note Istana Budaya, if you would like to maximize your seating you may want to have a pricing strategy that makes it cheaper on weeknights - Im pretty sure you can fill in the seats better (ala Air Asia). Celebrities also tend to come on weekdays, there was quite a few in the audience while I was there, Hans Isaac and Afdlin Shauki, so you may get to rub shoulders with them too! The downside is that if you go right after the performers break day it still takes a bit to get back in the groove again - so bear the buzzes and mic issues.

This is the second (if Im not mistaken) musical production by Broadway Academy Malaysia, and here's hoping for more performances like this one.

More details here and details on Broadway Academy here

Run baby run

Its quiet at six in the morning.
And soon enough you hear it

*thump thump thump thump*

The sound of your heartbeat, pounding against your chest. The sound of thousands of feet stomping the grounds

The sound of horns blast through the streets

A group of Chinese men next to me start yelling out "ROTI ROTI" a call to the men who sell bread every day - honking their hellos

The rumble of newspaper bikes as they go around, delivering the morning news.

I wave hello as I run by.
Down old KL - past the beautiful old train station

Down little India; Brickfields - with its 24 hours mamaks open for business. Three Indian men outside yelling out hellos

Down the highway leading on the road I used to take back to my hometown

Down Maluri and past the stadium I used to compete in

Up through KL breathing into the new city - the twin towers twinkling in the morning

And back through Independence square to cross the finishing line

My first 21km
Experience - amazing

Repeat it? Well, lets see =P

White water rafting

Perhaps some of you have migrated over to my Wandering Year blog, or perhaps some of you have remained/ stumbled here. But needless to say, my team had decided to keep Kuala Lumpur as its home base for a little bit, instead of being down in Singapore. Yay!!! I guess my lobbying and enticing them with all the island diving trips and all were helpful. I will keep writing here where I can, on my weekeend adventures, but would also like to introduce two more people who would be writing with me. Introducing.... *drumroll*

The Beaver and The Elephant!

Why the nicknames? do not ask me, I asked them to come up with a pen name and thats what they came up with. I myself, am to be known as the Corporate Weekender aka The Fox. (Dont ask me, Beaver gave me that name). They too will share their adventures here (when they can find the time to write something). But in the meantime, I thought I would share one of our adventures.

A few weeks ago we all went white water rafting in Kuala Kubu Baru. Located about an hour out of KL, its a really fun active weekend activity. You head on to the top (near the Selangor dam) and raft down for about 7 km. There is a mix of levels for those of you who are interested in challenging yourselves as well as those moments when you just want to chill. The best part is that after a few km's, you can just ditch the raft and float all the way down the river.

Its an amazing feeling to go all the way out and hear nothing but the rush of the river, the birds. And perhaps your friends giggling like crazy. There were about 13 of us (4 boats) and the best part of all was watching a family consisting of one father and three sons having a male bonding session. Just to show you how rough and tumble it was.
(Splish splash down the river)

(And over she goes)

We used the following people - PieRose Swiftwater Sdn Bhd. Contact +6019-645-8615 or email at pierose13@yahoo.com. I recommend them as they have very well trained guides and give you a very good briefing on how to deal with the raft. We had boats flipping over and people falling in, and we watched as the guides just jumped in to help save those who fell in. Very professional, and to be honest, on a boat and going through crazy rapids, what you want are professionals who know the river (the guides are river people / people who live in the area).

(Pay attention to your guides)

Total cost was about RM100++ (Sorry, I cant remember exactly how much). The fees covers your rental of the raft, paddles, helmets, life jackets, guides, even a cd of your pictures (If you have the guide with you taking pics) and the best part of all, amazing home cooked chicken rice!!

Great way to spend in nature and slightly out of the city.

(Chillaxing down the river)