Long live creativity!

"Picasso once said that all children are born artists. The trick is to remain an artist as we grow up. I believe this passionately: We don't grow into creativity; we grow out of it." ~ Sir Ken Robinson ~

Love the story about Gillian Lynne. Do watch the whole video... he makes so much sense. If you're more of a reader, go here to read the entire transcript.

I don't ever ever ever want to grow out of creativity.... EVER!!! ;-)

Almost famous?? ^_^

As I bask in the remaining few months of my life as a full-time arts practitioner... I too, shall bask and soak in whatever spotlight that I had managed to shamelessly grab for myself this year. It's been so much fun that time really flew... light-speed!!

Timeout Penang - Aug 2012

**For the link to the original article, click here

Female magazine - Nov 2012

**note: correction on this article, I am 34 & it was a year ago that I made the decision that drove my parents bonkers. hehehe. ;)

Sweet Success!!

Outdated post: Had absolutely no time for the past 3 weeks but better late than never. After being rivals or competitors wt hubby as performers in last year's Short + Sweet Musical Festival, this year we decided to collaborate and write a musical together after attending the superb Short + Sweet Musical Workshop several months ago by Llew Marsh and Onn San.

The verdict of our collaboration???

A record-breaking 7 awards!!!

- Best Overall Production

- Best Director: Freddy Tan & Siti Farrah Abdullah

- Best Musical Director: Clarence Chua

- Best Lead Actor: Malik Taufiq

- Best Lead Actress: Anrie Too

- Best Supporting Actress: Lynn Goh

- Glitz and Glamour Award for Costumes & Make-up (by Zef)

A big big CONGRATULATIONS to the entire team of The Geongxi Is A Vamp!! Geongxi Geongxi!

If you've missed it, (like us :( as we were performing for Empress Wu next door in Pentas 1)... here is the video of the show! Knock yourselves out!!

The Geong Xi is a Vamp

Hubby & I decided to give our first attempt at writing & composing a musical this year, for the Short and Sweet Musical Festival. So, we came up with "The Geong Xi is a Vamp"... a comedy about clashes of culture, parental expectations, and finding acceptance. Directed by our fellow Malaysian Girls casts, Freddy Tan and Siti Farrah Abdullah. They've put together a great team, musical director: Clarence Chua (our nephew) with his awesome team of musicians, casts: Malik Taufiq, Anrie Too, Lynn Goh and Alfred Loh... featuring Freddy Tan, the director himself too, and make-up: UiHua and Zef.

 

After watching the first rehearsal last night, we laughed tergolek-golek and are totally amazed with how they brought our story and music to life!!! LOVED it!!! We really wish we can watch it, but we'll be performing for Empress Wu next door concurrent with the Festival. We can only meet our beloved Geong Xi family backstage in the green-room.  

I really really enjoy watching words and musical notes come to life and developing my writing/composing skill could very well be my next passion. If it works out, it'll be the best solution to my dilemma of juggling the arts and the corporate world. Cake, oh cake! I may have you and eat you too??? ;-)

So, if you can find the chance to catch The Geong Xi is a Vamp, please do... and tell us what you think!!! :D

Checking off!!

In a blink of an eye, it has been more than 4 months since I left the rat-race. With any kind of time-off... if your not careful, you may end up lazing around without getting anything done, without figuring anything out. I thank God, I have had the opportunity to do A LOT of what I had set out to:

1st vacation with Mom ☑

We went to Taipei & spent some good mother-daughter quality time together. Never had the opportunity to it before due to time constraints. It was always my sister who accompanies my mom on her travels, because she is a teacher with loads of time off work.

Watch Broadway Musicals in NYC  ☑

I had the opportunity to catch the 3 multiple Tony Award winning Broadway shows: War Horse, The Book of Mormons and Once. And OMG, Broadway was superb!!! I really really hope someday our performance arts industry will reach that level... and I hope that someday is within my lifetime. ;-)

Visit Sui Poh in Boston ☑

Something I had wanted to do since Sui Poh moved to the states 8 years ago. The girl I spent most of my teenage and university days with... flew off and started a new life in the states. I miss her like crazy, and I miss her even more now that we got reacquainted during my visit. I do hope to pay her more visits... but I don't have the money for many US trips AND a 1 year sabbatical. hahah

Wrote a Musical ☑

Co-wrote and co-composed The GeongXi is a Vamp with hubby... eastern culture meets western culture, and vampires. And we got an AWESOME team of directors, musical director, make-up guy and actors to stage it. If you are going to watch it at the Short and Sweet Musical Festival this year on 26 - 29th Sept @klpac, please vote for Musical #6!! ;-) I am so excited to see it come to life!! Which will probably be on video only... unfortunately, I will be performing next door at the same time... and will not be able to watch it live. Sobs!!

Cast in a Dama Production ☑

This is the reason I cannot watch my own musical. I am performing in Empress Wu: The Musical... an epic story of the rise of Lady Wu to become the first ruling Empress of China. The ups and downs of her life and all the people involved. This production is the grandest one I have ever been in yet, and it is also the most professional art journey I have ever experienced. With private lessons on English and Mandarin speeches respectively, and even a class on Tang Dynasty gestures and mannerism... all the details of that era is being brought to life. I can't wait to try on my costumes!!! All the music were originally written for this production and the arrangement is also so grand that it gave me goosebumps!

Act in a TV show ☑

Although I was just an extra, I had the opportunity to see how a TV show was staged and shot. It is definitely simpler than theatre as you can always re-shoot if anyone makes a mistake. But is was loads of fun anyway, because it was for a sitcom. I'll be on air in Oct!

Do a dance gig ☑

Thanks to the talented Kerry-Ann , I had the opportunity to take on a dance gig. Normally, I would only stick to the comfort zone of strength and only do singing gigs. It's stressful to learn up and remember choreography in a span on 2days. But it paid off and I really appreciate how she always has so much faith in me to give me these challenges. =)

Free-lance work ☑

I am still trying out some free-lance jobs which included working for a medical magazine, sales of financial products, perhaps NGO work and emcee/radio-DJing. All new experiences taught me new things that I would not have learnt had I remained in the comfort zone & routines of the corporate world. Even if I do not continue these jobs forever, I have decided to ensure I close enough deals each year to keep my financial license active forever, to continue keeping in touch with all these people I meet along the way as every valuable relationship starts of with strangers. Meeting new people will always help you learn new things or see things in new perspectives.

Not bad eh?? Although a part of me do miss marketing and going back to corporate is very tempting as I watch my savings shrinking by day. But I should persevere a little longer... no??? I still have not ventured into my own business, which was something I put off indefinitely as it required a little too much time commitment which will hinder my passion in the arts. Maybe someday that dream will rise above my artsy dream?? I'll know when the time comes. For now, arts is my first love... I still hope to land a gig in WIP: Bangsar Shopping Complex in November and I still have Everworld: The Musical in December. See you in 2013, corporate world??

A Life of Epic-ness!

As I struggle climbing that steep difficult discouraging 1st phase of my life free-lancing, I make sure I frequently reflect upon the motivation behind my quitting the cushy corporate life. The stage and the spotlight!! Yes, I love the stage and the spotlight!!

This time, I get to work with the theatre company that I had craved to work for since I first saw their production. Not only did I like what I saw, but I have heard many of my arts performer friends rave about their team's warmness and professionalism. FINALLY, I am proudly in a Dama Orchestra production... and this has to be the most epic story of ancient China.

Empress Wu: The Musical

The team is exactly as people have raved about, super professional and really nice. They have been so organized and structured (creativity meet order... my universe!!). Everyone is so committed to the production and there isn't a single person in the production who does not commit to this production like it is their one and only career... doesn't matter if they are in it part-time only. We are given proper Mandarin classes, English classes, ancient Chinese movement/mannerism class, ... I have never been so proud to be Chinese ever! And don't get me started on the costumes!!! I'm soooo excited!

As for my role, I get to play someone older... a mother. Me? A mother?? hehehe. Ok, lotsa work to be done on character background and character analysis then.

Please come watch.... public show tickets are almost all gone. Do come for the charity nights then, you can do something good while you get entertained with the most epic story of an ambitious woman in the ancient patriarchal times!!

EXCITED!!! :) :) :)

Can't have it all... can I?

I know I have lotsa exciting things to blog about such as my nice long trip to the US, my Broadway experience... or my long-time dream to be cast in a Dama Orchestra production finally coming true. (yayyyyyy!!!)

But I realize I am back to reality... and I have paths to try and decisions to make. That was the sole purpose of this sabbatical. The fantasy part of this sabbatical is over. No more overseas trips lined up, no more Broadway-dreaming, no more siu lai lai-ism. Just the falling sands in my hour-glass telling me that my sabbatical time and my sabbatical funding is running. Sure, I've planned for a year... but a year can go by in a blink of an eye without getting a conclusion if I am not careful or disciplined to see through my plans.

I need to make a choice for my future... so, what are my options??? Let's be analytical and practical... my 3 main sources of joy in my career: my passion in performance arts, my fascination for marketing and like every other human on this planet... money! With that, I've plotted my Venn Chart:

Perfect Option: Note that the middle section where my perfect career choice lies... does not exist. No corporate giant would be happy pay big bucks to hire a marketeer who is committed to moonlight as an arts performer... no matter how good you are. That is a fact that I have learnt and accepted while juggling the arts in my last 2 jobs. In fact, they were both jobs which I did enjoy doing. :-( Start my own company?? Spoken to a few entrepreneur friends and more often than not, this requires even more time commitment than the rat-race, which means no time for arts!!

Option 1: Corporate rat-rate; been there done that, can always go back... but giving up the arts is NOT an option at the moment.
Option 2: Financial product salesperson; cold calls to strangers who hang up on you, stands you up for appointments but it sure pays damn well. Not attracted to the process but I do like the money and time flexibility. KIV.
Option 3: Free-lance marketeer; not always available and doesn't pay much. You can end up doing mostly sales free-lancing for them rather than actual marketing. Just landed my first free-lance marketing/sales job with a magazine... no fixed pay, just variable pay based on my output. Fair enough. Will give it a try first, I start today.

First step taken... let's see how it goes. Will not give up hoping or looking for that elusive but precious center piece of my Venn Chart. Wish me luck!! =)

Today's discovery: Faridah Hameed

Was listening to BFM in the car today...



Discovered a new speaker / writer that I like: Faridah Hameed of WowXperience!

"Bitching about somebody actually reflects on you more than it does on the other person"

"Women are consensus seeking and we listen. We want to create a work place where people get along. We are more careful about hurting people's feelings"

"It the talent that counts... The reality is our looks fade, right?"

Brings back the lui-keong-yan semangat in me. After slightly over a month of sabbatical, this is the first time I kind of a-sorta... miss the corporate world. Like!!!! :-)

I am my mother's daughter

An awfully outdated post... but Mother's Day this year was finally different. Not just the usual dinner and ang pau... but real precious mother-daughter time away from everything. Being a mother is a full-time job... like 24hr, 7days/week, 53weeks/year. No break... no time off. So, being away from the family and the home is sort of a break... I said sort of because, even then, all the way in Taipei... she is still my mother. I am glad to finally spend that quality time with her; exploring foreign places, walking helluva a lot, explore new food, shopping and pillow talk every night for a week. It was nice... sometimes you don't realize that you don't take the time to get to know a person better just because that person is there, everyday. 

I sure hope mom enjoyed her Mother's Day this year with me... I certainly enjoyed it with her. :-)

Parental Choices

When we were young, we used to hang on to our parents with our dear life. Nope, there are no other human beings we could trust except these 2 adults who gave life to us and spend every single day with us. But, as we grow older, we start to have our own lives... we develop wider social circles and we get married.

Our parents' place in our lives become smaller and smaller without us noticing it. Time spent with them gets less by the year... time spent on work gets more by the year. In this day and age of the busyness era, everyone has to learn to prioritize. Work puts food on the table and a roof over our head... yes, that become priority numero uno! It doesn't help when most of us have only 15 days of annual leave per year. 15 measly days. And so it becomes very easy to prioritize everything else over them...

1 week vacation (minus weekends is 5 days leave) with your hot stud hubby or 1 week home with nagging parents??

1 week off for a performance tour (or whatever your hobbies/passion may be) or 1 week of balik kampung with your mom to see more relatives who will ask you "when are you having a baby?"???

Another 1 week off for a girly beach vacation with you BFF or to visit a faraway BFF that you only get to see once in a blue moon or 1 week off to bring your mom for an unadventurous elderly-friendly holiday???

And there goes your 15 days of leave!! Haven't even counted emergency leaves, church missions, extension of business trips in exotic places, etc etc.

The answers are very easy. Wayyy too easy to choose... that we often forget that, they made the choice to have you. They prioritize having to spend their time, effort, money to bring you and raise you into this world... sacrifice their youth. A much much much more difficult choice than to choose the latter in ANY of the above. A choice so difficult that I myself have decided not to go down that path. But they went down that path already.

So this year, while I am on sabbatical... incomeless as I may be, I will finally have the luxury of time. The luxury of time to go home more, time to go for my very first (yes, first. shame on me) vacation with my mom. And I am looking forward to it. While selecting photos for this post, I realize I do not have a single photo of me and my mom alone. With dad, plenty but not a single one with mom alone. Tomorrow, will be my very first trip with my mom alone... and it will be the first of many photos of me and her alone. It is never too late to make the other choice to be with them. =)


Happy Mother's Day!!!