Twenty- five Seven

Giving : Food for Thought

December 4, 2014
In the month of November, as most bloggers were busy with NaNoWriMo, writing activity at WriteTribe was temporarily suspended . But even though I was busy writing my Great Indian Novel, I missed writing for Write Tribe and I’m glad it’s up and running once again.

Both Vidya and Corinne began the month by blogging about Giving Tuesday and the joys of unconditional giving which got me thinking –

do we really give unconditionally?

According to the laws of nature, every action has a reaction so taking this further can it be possible that our action of giving remains in isolation and doesn’t provoke a reaction?

While giving without expectation is a noble idea we are mere humans and it is natural to expect something in return. The simple act of giving a smile spontaneously elicits one in return

So I feel that giving without expectation is unrealistic.

What one should expect then is unequal reciprocity.

Why is giving always material?

When one talks of giving, it is always equated with matter. Matter that is quantified. We talk of giving away excess wealth, excess clothes, unwanted objects but what but what about giving when it really pinches? What about giving things that you are actually using? Most times we give away things that we’ve long forgotten or have no use for so in a way by giving them away we are actually doing ourselves a favour – clearing up space for new things.

This Tuesday we were urged to get our family or friends together to give something . Sadly my family and friends were too tied up in their lives to come together and give.

So I thought I’d give my thoughts on giving, give something “immaterial” that is food for thought.

Perhaps I should also give somethings away so that I have some space in my cupboard!

This is my post for the WriteTribeProBlogger Challenge for December
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Write Tribe Pro Blogger and Giving Tuesday Ideas(writetribe.com)
Thrills and chills with a Bond called James in Kuala Lumpur

December 2, 2014

The name’s Bond, James Bond

This is the classic introduction of James Bond, Royal Navy Commander, a fictional secret service agent created by Ian Fleming in the early 50’s. Many of us have grown up with films of this dashing, spymaster as he fought the cold war with gadgets and gizmos and a dash of romance thrown in. Pinewood Studios and Eon Films have been instrumental in bringing Bond to celluloid with 23 films so far. Apart from the highly improbable situations that Bond finds himself in, the different gadgets that he uses, the stylised introduction and the slick production of each film, the Pretty Young Things he cavorts with, Bond films are known for their memorable sound tracks.

Licence To Thrill: A Bond Concert – Malaysia from Limelight Entertainment on Vimeo.

Limelight Entertainment brought to stage a “Licence to Thrill” a concert of Bond movies’ unforgettable music specially to coincide with Tourism Malaysia’s MEGA FAM and launch of the 1MYES, part of their Visit Malaysia 2014 campaign. I was fortunate enough to watch the first show , on the first day at the Istana Budaya at Kuala Lumpur.

Istana Budaya or Palace of Culture is the main venue for the performing arts in Kuala Lumpur. Located in the heart of the city, it is characterised by its blue roofs and has state-of-the art stage equipment that is comparable to that of Royal Albert Hall, London. With grand boxes on the side and comfortable seats in the stalls and balcony, the majestic looking theatre with opulent interiors can accommodate up to 1,412 people at a time.

The show

While we waited for the show to begin, dressed to the nines since this was a formal occasion, some of us had a look at the merchandise available and even managed to pick up Bond’s RayBan Aviators for a song. We walked up the majestic staircase to our seats on the top and at 8.30 sharp the velvet curtains went up to reveal Imran Ahmad, well known author and a Bond enthusiast himself who introduced the show to us.

Then came on the show that we were waiting for – 90 minutes of lights, action and song. The show itself had two West End stars David Shannon and Simon Bailey playing Bond accompanied by the silken voices of Malaysian songstresses Salamiah Hassan, Jaclyn Victor and Nikki Palikat . For Your Eyes Only, Goldfinger, Tomorrow never dies and Skyfall were just some of the music that we were thrilled to hear.

There were dramatic sound and light effects in keeping with Bond’s passion for gadgetry and all in all it was a great performance that kept the audience riveted.

The negatives

The show was enjoyable but most of us also got chilled to the bone with a climate control that was set at Arctic temperatures! I preferred David Shannon ( who has also played the Phantom of the Opera) as Bond and thought that Simon Bailey jiggled a bit too much for Bond who is known to be a cold, humourless spy.
MUD from Mud and a song and dance in between

November 29, 2014

MUD – a musical – the story of Kuala Lumpur

Panggung Bangaraya

During my recent visit to Malayasia, the day would begin sunny and clear and by mid day, it would get really hot. So when Jeevan got us into the van after our lunch at the Olive Tree ( which by the way is not a Mediterranean Restaurant or even a restaurant remotely serving continental food as we know it) it had just begun to rain. Unfortunately this was not a flash in the pan shower but a good downpour and we had to huddle up in the porch of the Panggung Bangaraya the theatre which started out as the first office of the Sanitation Board for Kuala Lumpur and later on metamorphosed into a centre for the performing arts. Today this wonderfully restored building in the Merdeka Dataran area which was once the heart of Kuala Lumpur during colonial times, has been restored to its full glory with stained glass windows and completely refurbished interiors.

Once the most photographed facade in KL

Clock Tower of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building

Twice daily, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall stages two performances of a completely indigenous production called MUD – a musical rendition of the history of Kuala Lumpur. While the story is a bit contrived and choppy,(three friends come to the confluence of the two rivers to a rudimentary tin mining town that is destroyed by floods and fire only to rise yet again from the mud), the production is quite riveting with an interactive performance that invites the audience to come on stage! Despite the over acting, one cannot deny the enthusiasm of the young performers who bring to the stage a vibrancy of colour and a sincerity that rings through their voices.

There are two performance daily, one at 3 in the afternoon and one late evening at 8.30. Ticket for RM60 can be bought over the counter by cash or card just twenty minutes before showtime.

A stained glass window

The ceiling with the Wau Bulan

Do not try to compare it with Boradway or West End for it has a naivety and a rawness that is particularly engaging. I would strongly recommend it to all visitors to get a feel of the vibe that makes Kuala Lumpur , the city that rose from the MUD.

The enthusiastic star cast