about Shanel & Aylwin

Congratulation Shanel Shanty James-Santiago and Aylwin

remember Shanel? alah..that cute sabahan girl who got paired up with me almost every other week during that reality - tv show way back in 2004 (yes! that reality TV show...Hu3) and if you remember that show, you would remember Aylwin, the music director of the show, the MD of Sunday Lollies (betul ke aku tulis ni?) and Ning Baizura's Music Director.

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Anyway, 6 days ago they tied the knot in Taiping after courtship of 4 years (yes it has been 4 years) and i was the first to know they they were dating (i think so) way back then... and tonight they held KL reception in the Hideaway OKR KL.

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I was there, so were our realityTV mates, Misz and Jimmy. Ning and hubby was there and so was Miss J Victor and Nikki and off course Mr Manager.

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I arrived late because as at 8pm i was still in my office trying to finish my work (plus the traffic was super BAD due to balik kampung rush) rushed over to the wedding reception, thinking about food for buka puasa (had coffee in the office earlier)... arrived at The Hideaway around 830pm and saw Mr Manager and Ning... went straight to work (business talk on my new project for Enfiniti for TV) and forgot that i havent eaten.... working still huhuhu...

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But it was a nice gathering for friends and family and i am glad that i made it there, very private, very family, very fren-fren kind. i like. i enjoyed. almost didn't because of work and traffic. but i am glad i did.

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Congratulation again for both Shanel & Aylwin...
read Shanel's own experience on her wedding at her blog.

original posting cheddyusoff.com

about the 3rd time... bigger better !

Ticket promotions Early bird October promotion

The names of all ticket purchasers in the month of October 2008 will go into a draw whereby 10 lucky winners will win a dinner experience with Tiara Jacquelina and Steven Rahman Hughes. Names will be picked on the 1st of November and winners will be notified by phone. For more information, please visit
http://www.pglthemusical.com.my/,
http://www.enfiniti.com.my/,
http://www.axcess.com.my/ or call +603 7958 7877.

23rd September 2008
Press Release

Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical- more magical, more spectacular, more breathtaking than ever before!

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This coming February 2009, Enfiniti pays tribute to LOVE, and celebrates valentine’s month with the story of the legendary love of the heroic warrior Hang Tuah and the mythical princess of Gunung Ledang.

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Tiara on PGLM’s return:
Enfiniti has been asked this question again and again by fans of theatre for the last 2 years – when will PGLM be back?

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We’ve had 2 very successful seasons at Istana Budaya and an also sold-out season at Singapore’s Esplanade in 2006; by now, nearly 60,000 people in Singapore and Malaysia would have watched the show, and many of them are repeat audiences who keep coming back to enjoy the PGL Musical experience, which is such an encouragement for all of us to keep on delivering our best!

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We also had an exciting journey putting on our second musical adventure, P.Ramlee The Musical with two successful seasons in Kuala Lumpur as well as a very well-received run at Singapore’s Esplanade. We learnt so much more from that experience and all through the time we were working on P.Ramlee, my team and I would meet to discuss PGLM in between-we talked about how we would make the show even more magical than before should we ever put it on for a third season. The ideas grew, and our excitement with it, and now we are all revved-up and so looking forward to putting on this exciting new production of the show!

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Tiara on what the Puteri Gunung Ledang project means to her:
I guess it has always been in the back of my mind somewhere to bring the show back, because PGLM to me holds a special kind of magic I have personally never found in any other piece along my years as an actor and producer.

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Story-wise for me, it’s a powerful and empowering woman’s journey, yet the musical version manages to capture moments of girlishness, a carefree, adventurous, impetuous attitude to life which I love, and most poignant of all, the courage to pursue a dream that I think many of us can relate to.

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Production-wise, I must unashamedly admit that everytime I watch the show on a dvd recording, I watch with amazement and can hardly believe how we managed to put all this together!

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(on sets) : I’m continually blown away by Raja Malek’s wonderful sets, which I think will always remain his masterpiece. Malek and Zahim have just returned from a study tour in France and the UK, watching several productions and meeting up with people from the industry, and we have discussed the enhancements they want to bring to the show to make it more spectacular than ever this time around.

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(on script and lyrics) : In a musical, a lot of it is about how the songs and the dialogue move you. I go mmh-mmh-mhhhhh… when I think of how cleverly thought through every line of Adlin’s script and every verse of his lyrics are… I almost feel “geram” thinking about just how talented he is, sometimes. He has earned and fully deserves all the awards and accolades he has won for his writing, he really is a gem. This will also go down in history as one of his best works ever, for sure.

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(on directing) : Zahim Albakri has brought to the show an incredible feel of a world-class stage musical with his vast experience and his influences, having watched almost all the major shows in the world. Many people after watching PGLM have told us that this show can go anywhere in the world and make Malaysia proud, isn’t that wonderful? Adlin’s partnership with him has brought out a strong Malay essence and spirit throughout the show, yet is contemporary, fast paced and very “today”. The elements of the east and west have been beautifully combined. Zahim’s challenge for the coming season is to make the PGLM experience even more breathtaking for the audience, especially those favorite magical moments that everyone loves.

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(on choreography) : Pat Ibrahim has proved his mettle in stage choreography time and time again, with his stunning and awesome pieces of work in both PGLM as well as P.Ramlee. What I love about Pat is that he is continuously reinventing himself. When we discussed the new season, and a possibility of putting on “an exciting new show” now that we have so many months of lead time, Pat was the first to say “Yay! I want to re-choreograph EVERYTHING.” I believe audiences are in for a spellbinding time this season.

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(on music) : With music maestro Roslan Aziz, the proof is in the pudding. He blew us away with the music of PGLM in February 2006. His combination with Singapore’s Dick Lee, who wrote the beautiful music was pure magic. Roslan proved that PGLM wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan when he blew us away again with his music direction in P.Ramlee, and if I know Roslan, something wonderful is already brewing for the new production in February!

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For me, as producer, it’s wonderful knowing you have the best of the best working together on your team, and all of them challenging themselves to do better. We have a great synergy amongst us, great respect and admiration for each other’s work, and each of us continuously energizes the other, that’s something you can’t plan for – it’s either there or it’s not. And as executive producer, I have to equal and even exceed everybody’s effort, not just in putting together the production, but also with my second hat on, in my own performance as Puteri.

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(Tiara as Puteri):
As an actor, I can’t explain it, PGLM has a very special magic about the story, the music and the songs that still gives me the goose bumps every time I think about it. PGLM was many Malaysians first love and first experience watching a Malaysian musical, and will always be my favorite piece of work, my pride and joy forever.
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Ticketing information
Tickets will go on sale through Axcess Tickets from the 1st of October 2008. Due to the Hari Raya holidays, please note the following:
Website: http://www.axcess.com.my/ – from 1st October 2008
Ticket Hotline : 603 7711 5000 – from 3rd October 2008
Istana Budaya – Tickets will go on sale from 13th October 2008
Axcess OutletsFrom 1st October 20081-Utama Shopping ComplexRock Corner, Mid Valley Mega MallThe Actors Studio, BangsarLot 10, Tower RecordsMusic Valley Midlands Park, PenangMusic Valley, Holiday Plaza, Johor Bahru
From 3rd October 2008Stadium Putra, Box OfficeAxcess Office, Jalan Semangat
From 6th October 2008T-Station, Central MarketT-Station, KL TowerTower Records, Gurney Plaza - Penang
Ticket pricesTickets will be priced at the following categories:
RM30.00 / RM80.00 / RM120.00 / RM150.00 / RM180.00 / RM200.00 / RM230.00 *Exclusive Silver Seat - RM 250.00 **Exclusive Gold Seat – RM 350.00 Please note that there will be an administrative charge of RM3.00 for each ticket purchased.
*Exclusive Silver Seat - RM 250 Stall – Mid section of Rows N, O, P, R, S and TEvery purchase of a silver seat will be entitled to a program book.Customers will be able to redeem a program book by producing redeemable portion of the ticket at the merchandise counter at Istana Budaya during the run of the show.
**Exclusive Gold Seat – RM 350 Stall – Row QEvery purchase of a gold seat entitles the customer access to the VIP lounge before the show and during intermission. Light refreshments and snacks will be offered to guests during the intermission. The customer will also be able to redeem a program book by producing redeemable portion of the ticket at the merchandise counter at Istana Budaya during the run of the show.

For more information, please visit http://www.axcess.com.my/ or call the Axcess hotline at 03-7711 5000. The hotline operates from Mon-Fri: 9am to 6pm and Sat: 9am-1pm

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Ticket promotions
Early bird October promotionThe names of all ticket
purchasers in the month of October 2008 will go into a draw whereby 10 lucky winners will win a dinner experience with Tiara Jacquelina and Steven Rahman Hughes. Names will be picked on the 1st of November and winners will be notified by phone. For more information, please visit

www.pglthemusical.com.my,

www.enfiniti.com.my,

www.axcess.com.my
or call +603 7958 7877.

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Look out for more exciting ticket promotions for the coming months of November, December 2008 and the Valentine’s Day special for the month of February 2009!
Enfiniti Productions Sdn Bhd
http://www.enfiniti.com.my/
http://www.pglthemusical.com.my/

About Missing the innocent time of 'yesteryears'

I really do... Those were the time of simplicity the time when no troubles could trouble us. No worries on making mistakes, no fear on anything... Just a day to day life.

Why suddenly I am posting this I can't say why, maybe I am troubled with current happening that I wish I am still as innocent as I am in that photo that was taken by my late dad almost 33 years ago.

Oh I miss those days although I don't hve any memories about it.

God help!

about ingin tahu at FFM21 2008

Alasan? Tak perlu. Tiada siapa yang mahu mendengar alasan kerana sebagai penyanyi yang diberi tanggungjawab menghiburkan audiens, mereka sewajarnya sudah bersedia dari awal.

Namun begitu, ada beberapa persembahan yang cukup menawan ditampilkan.

Antaranya sudah tentu Datuk Siti Nurhaliza menerusi lagu Hati dan Sabar Menanti. Mujur ada Siti yang menyelamatkan majlis.

Begitu juga dengan persembahan Atilia dengan Chedd Eddie Yusof serta Ahmad Fauzee dan Melissa Saila yang mengembalikan memori audiens pada nostalgia filem Melayu klasik.

Terlalu sarat persembahan tempoh hari menyebabkan banyak kelemahan yang dilihat.

Read the original article here

Seronok juga bila ada orang memuji walaupun saya sebenar tidak berapa gumbira dengan persembahan saya malam itu. not my best tetapi i know i had fun with Atilia on stage. she's such a darlin!

about ingin tahu

coming soon: details later but tonight me and Atilia will be rehearsing this :)

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Ingin Tahu

Hati Ini Mahu Tahu

Benarkah Punggukku Betul Rindu

Katakan Cintamu Padaku

Tunjukkan Sayangmu Jangan Malu

Untuk Menanda Janjimu Tidak Palsu

Aku Juga Ingin Tahu

Di Mana Sampainya Cinta Dinda

Betulkah Berada Di Jiwa

Atau Pun Cuma Di Bibir Saja

Tunjuklah Bukti Cintamu Sungguh Suci

Sama-Sama Ingin Bukti

Tandanya Menyinta Satu Hati

Janganlah Kau Menaruh Bimbang

Hatiku Tetap Sayang

Jiwaku Kepunyaan Abang

Itulah Tanda Cintaku Tak Bergoyang

Sama-Sama Ingin Bukti

Tandanya Menyinta Satu Hati

Kasihmu Dan Sayangku Sama

Cintaku Tak Ke Mana

Selalu Memuja Kau Dinda

Itulah Bukti Cintaku Takkan Dua

Sama-Sama Ingin Bukti

Tandanya Menyinta Satu Hati

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about a letter from Singapura

I received an e-msg through my facebook account recently from a lady in Singapore requesting me to feature her letter to you all, this is her dedication to her late grandpa , Tiara and the cast of PRTM as a thank you note for making the musical experience at P Ramlee The Musical, one of her best memory ever... read on...

Perfection Has A New Name

Before I even begin, people would think this feature is pretty belated. Agreed, it’s long overdue but I wanted this to co-incide with my late grandfather’s birthday. I am certain wherever he is, he’s happy I wrote it. Believe me, he would have said it’s about time this girl did something she had been dreaming of doing.

If I told you I am trapped in time, would you believe me? You must think I’m crazy. Well, I’m not and I don’t need any saving either.

When I was growing up, my grandfather used to sat me down in front of the television and play me old movies specifically movies which starred Tan Sri P.Ramlee while he took a nap. Either that or he would play songs by R.Azmi in the kitchen while singing and dancing with my grandmother sometimes. What an awesome pair they were. Now after 7 years he’s gone, whatever he had done during those days became a habit of mine. Without fail, I would always watch Tan Sri P.Ramlee’s movies. The way we speak Malay may not be so fluent but when it comes to his dialogues and one-liners, more than half the time they are being used among us cousins. Imagine my excitement when I heard they were making P.Ramlee The Musical.

Due to various commitments, I missed the first season of the musical but was hopeful it would make its way to Singapore. Early March 2008, while my cousins, Naya and Ella were having a sleep over at my place, we went into Sistics website for upcoming concerts happening here. That was when we came across the musical. How ecstatic we were. This was something I was anticipating. I wanted tickets and I wanted them immediately. Unfortunately it was impossible as booking only began on 25th March 2008, 9.00 a.m. onwards. After gathering the people whom I wanted to watch it with especially my grandma, at 9.05 a.m. my tickets were ready for collection. By then I was counting down the days and nights, I was so looking forward. Two weeks after the booking, my 2 cousins and 1 went for the ‘Under The Banyan Tree’ screening at the National Museum of Singapore. Every end of the month, they would screen old movies under the banyan tree in Stamford Garden. We watched Seniman Bujang Lapok. After which, we were getting impatient for the musical. It was still weeks away.

The anticipation came with a slight disappointment when we learned that Sean Ghazi was being replaced. Being someone who is unfamiliar with the Malay film and music industry today (however I am very much familiar with the yesteryears stars, Jins Samsudin & Nordin Ahmad will forever be my 2 favourite heroes) I was bothered with casting. I hate it when I’m clueless.

All that changed on the night of May 17 2008. Not knowing what to expect, we went in and sat through our first ever Malay Musical. Guess what? It turned out to be one of the greatest, happiest moments in my entire 24 years of living. It would have been the best time of my life should my grandfather was around to watch it with us. It was like a blast from the past. From that day onwards, songs on my MP3 were solely meant for P.Ramlee and Saloma, some R.Azmi even up till today.

Firstly, my heart goes out to Musly Ramli. He’s the man, Period. Besides the voice and striking resemblance, he was an outstanding performer. At certain scenes, I thought he was P.Ramlee. I applauded the amazing cast namely Melissa Saila, Chedd, Atilia and Emelda. Next to Musly Ramli, my standing ovation goes to Liza Hanim. If ever there was anything or anyone as brilliant as Saloma, there she was. She played the role to perfection , and sang the songs flawless. Last but not least, the effort put in for the musical was just phenomenal. The people behind the musical deserved as much credit. They were just as perfect. It was a moment for me, the moment I fell in love with theatre all over again. I wrote and directed a play once during college days and ended the affair shortly after. Little did I know, it would return to me. Probably because of my passion for writing.

If you think this feature is done, well, sorry I’m not quite finished. Bear with me. Even I thought my journey with theatre would end after the musical. That was about to change. I met Tiara Jacquelina by chance at the Singapore Flyer, my work place. She took the ride with her family and I took this chance of a lifetime to thank her for this musical. I made it known I enjoyed it. In fact such a blast I had that I decided to head Kuala Lumpur in the next 2 weeks to catch it for the second time. Didn’t see that coming, did you? Neither did I. I must say, Tiara Jacquelina was one of the nicest and friendliest celebrities I’ve ever met. Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of celebrities’ sightings. She was so cool and it made me looked forward to my second stint. This time, it would just be my brother and I. Sure, second times could either make or break situations even changed opinions.


All I have to say is I had another tremendous time just as Tiara had promised. It was even more fantastic the second time round. We met up with some of the cast members and took pictures with them. My brother who was not into musical had a great time too.

After a month had passed, I still have not had enough of the musical. Would they do it again someday? Perhaps in the near future? One thing for sure, all of us agreed that should they do it again, we won’t miss it for the world. I would have a hat trick even though I doubt it’s enough. My cousins and I had our ‘Under The Banyan Tree’ screenings again at the end of June. We saw Madu Tiga and Bujang Lapok back to back at the same place. We had a great time and kept on talking, going on and on about the musical and of course the legend, Tan Sri P.Ramlee. He left us a priceless legacy. No man could surpass the talent he had, the lessons he gave and the laughter he shared.

Until today, his movies I watched without fail, his songs are still sang and heard. His one-liners and dialogues will always remain in my head awaiting the right time to be spoken out.


Did I not tell you I was trapped in time? I’m not planning to return to today’s time, not anytime soon at least. The golden era will always be a part of who I am, a part of what built my character, carved my personality and a part of what my grandfather left behind. Happy Birthday, granddad. I never had the chance to give to a gift therefore this is it. My prayers are with you as well as Tan Sri P.Ramlee and Puan Sri Saloma always. My humble yet undying words will continue to spread for as long as your memories are by my side.

P/S: I would like to grab this opportunity to thank Chedd for featuring this write-up in his blog. Thank you very much for the chance and the space! It’s deeply appreciated. Here’s wishing you and the team of P.Ramlee The Musical continued success in future endeavours. God Bless.

Best Regards,
Farah

Farah can be contacted through her email or her Facebook profile here.
This posting originally appeared on http://www.cheddyusoff.com/.