Happy New Year!

I've been working and travelling. No chance of taking pictures of my beautiful KL. I'll be back in Malaysia towards the end of April. And because a lot of clients and theatre associates want to know what I'm up to, I've decided to, occasionally, blog over at my online CV. If you (and I miss all of you!) want to read my latest exploits head over to Edwin Sumun.

I wish the eternal blessings of the universe to you for a good year. Love always.

mistletoe & wine

I know I'm not the only one feeling that the year went by faster than the previous one. However, I'm eternally grateful for 2007. Work, love and life, to sum it up in one word, fantastic! Looking forward to closing the year and ushering in the new one.

And yet, we live in a time of unrest, adding to the already strained society trying to find a comfortable balance. The fluffiest of fluff makes it to the cover of news, sometimes washing over the important stuff that matters.

So, where does that leave the individual? How can I claim what is right for me when I have to dismiss my dreams and join the unrested thousands and grab what is right for all?

These days, I feel we're not asking the proper questions. Questions that have answers. An acquaintance asked me what I thought about our recent government-tagged upheavals. I said we're thinking too literally. It's time to spread out and go lateral. And we forget we're not a western nation. We live in a region going through a materialistic phase. The rest of the world is in post. For us, it's all about gain and it's dirty.

My suggestion: Play the game but join it with intention to unlevel the playing field. Play fair and make it smart. Nobody likes to sprayed with acid.

Which brings me to this time of year. A season of giving. So give it your best shot.

burger me senseless

The Daily Grind is now open for business! This is a shameless promo for a dear friend's brand new F&B outlet. Juicy burgers and killer milkshakes. Where? Bangsar Village.

We were there last night, beers all round and stuffed. My burger craving is finally satiated. I've been waiting years for a good burger in Kuala Lumpur. Now it's here, I have no need to have a burger the first thing after arriving in Singapore.

I've also posted some shots of the delectable food over at my Flickr page. Go have a look, salivate and make your way to The Daily Grind.

Burger yourself senseless!

*virtual subliminal message: Kylie X is now in Malaysian music stores. BUY!

let me serve you

This part of the world is currently enjoying an expensive consumer lifestyle. We're slowly but surely being given what the rest of the consumer world recognizes as customer service. But with all the staff training sessions and plethora of new(?) products, do we really care if service is with a smile but the product doesn't live up to advertised quality? Will we part with wads of cash simply?

Yes. No.

I'm a sucker and I spend. My latest acquisition, a new broadband service. 2 to be precise. Maxis Broadband and iZZi. I got a full refund for the latter after only 24 hours. I must admit, iZZi is more cost conscious but reception is slower than Streamyx. I live in the middle of the city where there are 4 antennas covering a combined 53km radius. When I returned the wireless modem and get my refund, the sales staff asked if I lived in a condo cos the higher you go, the better the reception claiming the antennas are placed on hilltops.

I'm sorry. Pardon? RM98 a month. 12 months paid upfront + activation fee. Came home with the modem and CD-ROM. Couldn't install. Drive back in traffic only to be told I needed to download a driver which was not included. Got it. Came back home. Plug and no play. 100kbps was the fastest speed I got for living ground level.

So, I decided to sign an 18 month contract with Maxis Broadband. RM138 a month. Only needed to pay RM100 activation fee. No problems connecting. All sorted in 20 minutes of signing up and logging on. I'm now clicking an average of 650-800kbps at home. 2 Mbps around the city centre. Blazing (for now.) But 18 months, you know?

iZZi and Maxis staff smile a lot. Very friendly. Great.

So how?

We're suckered into a snappy lifestyle.

Slowly but surely, we're losing the battle.

THEY are winning the war.

Let the buyer beware. Blue pill? Red pill?

Ten-Ten-Ten!

November has seen me emceeing several 10th Anniversary events. I just came home from one.

I thought it was funny but then, you know the universe has a way with things. I realized today that 2007 marks 10 years since I decided to return home. 1997 must've been quite a year.

What happened then? Let's take a short walk.

1) I graduated from Uni. A political scientist (really?)
2) Tony Blair is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
3) I failed my final auditions to enter The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art AND The Guildhall of Music & Drama
4) I played Macbeth in Germany (maybe that's why i failed to get into Drama school)
5) I retire from acting, packed up and came home.
6) President Bill Clinton bars federal funding for any research on human cloning
7) I get a job as Research Manager for a production company
8) Diana, Princess of Wales...gone
9) Mother Teresa too
10) Hong Kong returns to China
11) I'm asked to join The Instant Café Theatre Company
12) Stock markets around the world crash because of a global economic scare
13) The term "weblog" is coined by Jorn Barger
14) I decide to stay and not go back to Europe
15) My career as an actor in Malaysia begins.

Ta-da! 10 years on, I know who I am and accept the joys and pains the universe has showered on me.

Yes, this is a feelgood post. We live in a bad place now and we need to unlearn and relearn the lessons we learnt so many years ago. Things will always change and we must change with them. How else can we walk freely forward?

Stay locked and stubborn if you wish. Your choice. I made mine.

Eid is now!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri! It's been a whole month of fasting and facebooking. Ramadhan is like Lent, you give up (some say sacrifice) a certain number of things to prove to your God that you have, are and will continue to be a good person. Did I fast (give up food??) Did I only log on to Facebook once a day? A big fat no. I ate more than ever and you know I poked all day long. But I am a good(ish) person.

However today, we celebrate all that is good and wish each other the holiday greetings. I sit back and thank the Universe and the memory of my late father for all the joys they have given me so far this year. 2007 is moving fast and I'm riding the wave as if channeling Kelly Slater's spirit.

What do I have to celebrate? I'm directing a play with 2 incredible actors, I'm dating someone, I've already been booked for 2 huge shows for 2008 and next week, I perform in my 2nd Jazz show. Positive thinking is definitely the way to go.

My friend's have told me of this book 'The Secret' and I think it's fabulous how some people have started to sort themselves out from just reading it. I have no need to read it. I believe enough to know there are no secrets when it comes to my life. It's whether I choose to accept the answers that stare me in the face. Or ignore them cos I'm too damned blind.

And best of all, Kylie Minogue returns with her best album to date to give me the tunes to dance as I close the year. Kylie X will be released November 26. Mark it!

2 months to go. 2008. Hell yeah!

facebooked

I really must slap myself for not only succumbing but being a bad crack-addict on this thing called Facebook. Why oh why is it so good? I really should be doing things like ironing out the details of the play I'm about to direct, wash my filthy car, eat...

So, here I am taking a break from it.

The traffic in the city has become unbearable. The heat is unbearable. Though blue skies are a comfort to see. No hazy hazy. I was a near a damsel in distress at class today. If the temperature went up by one degree, I would've fainted and my students would've stomped all over me.

I'm speaking nonsense. It's not that hot. My students were very well behaved today. And they actually finished their homework. A first for this class.

This heat is making me loopy.