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Magic Mirror the Musical 2011

November 20, 2011 at 2:00 pm

The name Guanyin is not unfamiliar among Buddhists, as it refers to a bodhisattva who is associated to compassion. Also known as the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin is also revered by the Taoists as an immortal. Guanyin is also the Chinese name for Avalokite?vara Bodhisattva, who was originally depicted as a male bodhisattva, though these days it is usually depicted as a woman. According to the Lotus Sutra, it is believed that Avalokite?vara as a bodhisattva can manifest itself in any form, be it a male or a female, a child or an adult and even a human or a non-human being.

One of the actress portraying ‘Guan Yin’ in Magic Mirror the Musical 2011

Come 25th November till 4th December 2011, Yayasan Guan Yin will present a musical known as ‘Magic Mirror’, which will premiere at Istana Budaya Kuala Lumpur. The musical tells the story of Guanyin, whose heart is still bothered by the many plight and welfare of beings on earth. A terrible war is going on on earth, led by a cruel general who is under the influence of demons. Under his reign, all who dare to go against him are mercilessly slaughtered. As homes are destroyed and families shattered by the raging war, Guanyin appears as a wise old man, who fearlessly guides the soldiers and defeats the cruel general and his men.

In a village, the people are now faced with robberies, abuse and thievery and live in constant fear. The banished general and his cruel henchmen have resorted to becoming bandits and thieves, taking whatever they can get from these simple village people. Guanyin decides to alleviate the situation by teaching the villagers and bandits about love, compassion, patience, tolerance and concern. She appears to the people as a lady in white, who tries to sell a copper mirror at a very high price. Curious to see what is so special about that little trinket, many crowd around her, trying to get a glimpse at the mirror. She offers one of the henchmen a look in the mirror in exchange for a small fee. After a glimpse into the mirror, the henchman turns away with a horrified look and urges the rest to look into the mirror. What exactly did he see in the mirror? Who is this lady in white? Come and watch the musical to find out more.

The musical is scheduled to perform from 25th November till 4th December 2011 and tickets are priced at RM 103/ RM 153/ RM 223 and RM 303. Tickets can be purchased online at Redtix.AirAsia’s website. For the complete performance schedule and further information, please log on here or call AirAsia Redtix Ticketing Hotline at 03 8775 4666 (enquiries only).

Photo (c) Magic Mirror the Musical website

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Jim West Puppets’ Dinosaurs!

November 19, 2011 at 12:00 pm

The word ‘dinosaur’ is actually derived from the Greek word deinos, which means ‘terrible’ and sauros, which means ‘lizard’. These group of animals roamed the earth and were the dominant vertebrates for over 160 million years, spanning from the late Triassic period (about 230 million years ago) until the end of the Cretaceous period (about 65 million years ago). Thanks to many informative documentaries and books about these terrible lizards, people of all ages are now very acquainted with the many different species that once walked on earth.

Despite the fact that dinosaurs are often portrayed as cold-blooded predators that eats just about anything, there are still those who are very much fascinated by them. In fact, there are even cartoon characters based on dinosaurs, like Barney the Purple Dinosaur, Rex the Green Dinosaur and Trixie the Triceratops from Toy Story 2 and 3, and Dino, a dinosaur that exhibits the characteristics of a pet canine in The Flintstones.

Jim West Puppets’ Dinosaurs! Show

If your child is a big fan of dinosaurs, then do not miss Jim West Puppets’ Dinosaurs!, a performance presented by Gardner Wife Theatre. This engaging and funny performance sees the return of master puppeteers Jim West and Jeremy Wingle and combines classical music, puppet construction and facts about dinosaurs into the performance. It is suitable for children from ages 4 – 12. The show breaks down into four sections: Building a Tyrannosaurus Rex; A shadow tale about the Overaptor; A story of a little Brachiosaurus; and The finale, with the construction of a huge Apatosaurus. In-between the sections, Fossil, a small blue dinosaur puppet, will interact with Jim as he searches for his identity and new dino facts.

Jim West Puppets’ Dinosaurs shows will be performed at PJ Live Arts @ Jaya One from 23rd November till 11th December 2011. There will also be two shows in Malacca, held at Cheng Ho Cultural Museum on the 20th 21st November 2011. Schedules for the performances are as below:

20th 21st November 2011 (MALACCA)

Show times: 20th November at 5.00 pm AND 21st November at 10.00 am
Ticket price – RM 55 (General Admission) and RM 45 (Gardner Wife Theatre Friends)

23rd November till 11th December 2011 (SELANGOR)

Show times: 10.00 am/ 11.00 am/ 2.00 pm AND 5.00 pm (show times will depend on the day of performance)

Ticket price – RM 48 / RM 58 / RM 68 / RM 78

For more information and purchase of tickets, kindly log on to www.gardnerandwife.com or call 017-2BUY-TIX (017 2 289 849).

Photo (c) Jim West Puppets

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Accommodation: Casa del Rio

A perfect blend of Portuguese designs and the distinctive Melaka Sultanate, this property is a masterpiece that represents true Melaka history. Just a stone throw from the heart of the historical city of Melaka, it is minutes away from the UNESCO World Heritage Listing. With 66 luxuriously designed rooms and suites, Casa del Rio Melaka Hotel also caters to guests by capturing a breath taking view of the river. Excellent facilities on site includes river cruise, foreign exchange, in room dining, laundry service, well equipped gym and infinity swimming pool. A very beautiful and well appointed property, Casa del Rio Melaka Hotel is a fantastic choice for your stay in Melaka.

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Tourism Malaysia

International Steinway Festival 2011

November 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm

It is very common to hear parents sending their children off for piano lessons these days, compared to earlier times when an average family’s disposable income was lower. While some may go because of their parents’ wishes, there are also those who possess real talent and enjoy playing the piano. Relying solely on talent, without the proper training and education, is not enough to propel them to fame and stardom. Many accomplished pianists do agree that practise and hard work are two of the most important elements in their formula for success. The opportunity to gain experience and proper exposure is vital if one is to become a famous pianist in the music industry.

Steinway Sons’ pianos have been around for centuries and have provided endless entertainment and delight

The International Steinway Festival 2012 is an important festival for aspiring pianists from all over the world. This biennial event is sponsored by Steinway Sons in Hamburg, Germany and strives to identify, encourage and promote young pianists who are in their formative stages of their careers. For the first time since its inauguration in 1987, the festival has opened its doors to welcome one participant from the South East Asia. A regional audition hosted by Steinway Gallery Singapore will see 8 finalists from 8 nations competing for the opportunity to be the 1st prize winner. This winner will appear in a concert along with the other representatives from several European nations.

The Steinway concert grand piano model D-274 is the piano of choice for many concert halls internationally, including the iconic Carnegie Hall

Bentley Music, the sole distributor of Steinway Sons Malaysia, will host a competition to seek the one talented pianist to represent Malaysia in the Steinway Regional Finals. The finals will be held in April 2012 in Singapore. The Steinway Malaysia Youth Piano Competition is also sponsored by BMW Group Malaysia. Malaysian youths aged between 10 and 17 years old as of September 2012 are greatly encouraged to submit an audition video (not longer than 10 minutes) to the organisers. Completed application forms together with a copy of the DVD recording must be submitted to Bentley Music Sdn Bhd no later than 15th January 2012.

A very talented young lady entertaining the crowd with her wonderfully played piece

From there, ten semi-finalists will be short-listed and informed by 23rd February 2012 and these ten semi-finalists will perform at the Bentley Auditorium on 22nd March 2012. Only five out of the ten will be selected as finalists, who will then compete against each other on 23rd March 2012. The winner will represent Malaysia and compete in Singapore from 27th till 29th July 2012. Contestants will have to choose from the four categories that are available in the repertoire listed here. Participants are required to choose a minimum of one piece to perform in their video submission. The semi-finalists and finalists are expected to perform at least two or more of the listed pieces for a duration of no more than 15 minutes.

Who will be the next star pianist from Malaysia?

Each entrant is entitled to prepare one submission only. Early bird submissions received before 31st December 2012 will attract a submission fee of RM150. Submissions received between 1st till 15th January 2012 will attract a fee of RM200. To download the application form and for more information, please log on to the website here.

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Putrajaya, the making of a city

Putrajaya, the making of a city

As a young capital, Putrajaya may not have the character and soul of the great cities of the world, but it is well on its way there with innovative architecture, community-centric town planning and long term ambitions. In relation to many of Malaysia’s other cities like Kuala Lumpur and Melaka, the garden city of Putrajaya is like a new kid on the old block. Granted, it lacks the dramatic history of the former and the age-old culture of the latter but what it has in excess is youthfulness, a modern vision and a spirit to embrace the new.

From crops to city

A walk down its memory lane – or in this case, its landmark 4.2 km-long boulevard – may be short but it is filled with many aesthetically-pleasing buildings, parks and bridges. Barely 16 years since its groundbreaking ceremony, Putrajaya, gleaming in the tropical sun today, is a majestic city fitting of its role as the new centre of the Malaysian government.

What you see today is a far cry from the time when the area was known as Prang Besar. Those were the days when rubber and palm oil plantations dominated the terrain. In the late 1990s, work began to transform the estate into the glossy administrative capital envisioned by then-Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. It was to be his legacy for Malaysia, but at the time, the city was conceived for a more practical reason – to relieve the urban congestion that was slowly choking the capital city, Kuala Lumpur.

For some years during the initial phase of development, Putrajaya looked like a muddy pit where man and nature engaged in heavy battle – an apt reflection of its name (Prang Besar loosely translates into Big War) – as trees were mowed down and earth was flattened to make way for the new city.

Building with care

In the following years, the barren landscape sprouted shiny new buildings connected by a wide and impressive boulevard, while around it, a new township complete with schools, shopping malls and residences were built. It’s interesting to note that Putrajaya’s master plan focused on creating optimum living conditions. For instance, as much as 70 percent of Putrajaya’s total area is still green with more being done to reduce carbon emissions and waste products and to promote cooler outdoor temperatures in the tropical heat.

A broad range of housing types are available to bring people of diverse backgrounds together in Putrajaya. Public amenities and facilities within each neighbourhood are located within five minutes’ walking distance from any point. Solid fencing around the perimeter of a house is discouraged so as to promote interaction and socialization among neighbours (hedges, shrubs and trees are used instead to demarcate one house from the next).

The original streams running through the barren landscape — Sungai Chuau and Sungai Bisa – were flooded over and dammed up to create a chain of scenic man-made lakes that together, make up about 600 hectares or 12 percent of Putrajaya. Entire forests were re-planted, a whole other ecosystem was re-created. A new city was built from ground zero.

The lake district

The lake – its presence too huge to ignore — has now become the main feature of Putrajaya. It functions as both a recreational area and scenic element, as well as being an environmental filter and cooling system. It’s been the venue for high-profile events such as international hot air balloons festivals, flower carnivals, the Le Tour De Langkawi, and international waterski championships.

As many as eight bridges of majestic architecture were constructed over the lake at various points. These have become scenic backdrops for a variety of television commercials and favourite subject matters of the many photography enthusiasts. Visitors can best enjoy the beauty of the lake, and Putrajaya, via a lake cruise that highlights the many stunning landmarks around.

A 38 km waterfront area was developed along a part of the lake with parks, landscaped walkways, fishing piers and viewing decks. A well-kept secret is the public “beach” right next to Pullman Putrajaya Hotel where folks can enjoy some sun while the kids splash away in the water.

The lake also forms part of the wetland park and functions as a habitat for new wildlife to the area such as swifts, moor hens, water hens, wild ducks and kingfishers, as well as migratory birds from the Northern Hemisphere. Needless to say, it offers bird-watchers and nature lovers a fruitful outdoor session.

Landmark buildings

One of the first Putrajaya structures to be completed was the Putra Mosque which, till today, remains an important icon of Putrajaya. Its dusky pink dome, topped with a gold tiled finial measuring 76 metres above ground level, has been the point of reference for many who navigate the roads around the city. Surprisingly, the elaborately-decorated dome took only six weeks to complete due to the use of modern technology which was able to create a perfect mould of the dome. Pre-fabricated sections of the dome were made off-site and mounted on the mosque without the use of scaffolding and in 30 per cent less time than conventional methods.

Today, the mosque, which seems to “float” on the Putrajaya Lake, can welcome as many as 10,000 worshippers in its vast prayer hall. Even so, there was a need to construct another mosque just five years later, the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque which can take in up to 20,000 worshippers at a time. Nicknamed the Iron Mosque because of the 6,000 tonnes of steel used in its construction, it couldn’t be more different than the Putra Mosque just 2.2 km to the north. Influenced by German and Chinese architectural aesthetics, the mosque does away with minarets, fans and air-conditioning. Instead, a fountain courtyard, large open spaces and latticed walls were implemented to cool the interiors and promote ventilation. Other design elements include the use of “transparent” walls on which etchings of Quranic verses seem to float.

Another building worth mentioning is the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications, or better known as the LEO building, short for Low Energy Office. It broke new ground in the area of energy efficiency and conservation in buildings, operating on approximately 135 kWh per m2 a year, with the aim of sustaining on as little as 55 kWh per m2 a year. It has become a model for green buildings that are both beautiful in design and user friendly for the comfort of its inhabitants.

The Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) in Precinct 5 also has a striking architecture. Located right at the end of the Putrajaya Boulevard, “facing off” Putra Perdana, the PICC was inspired by the design of the royal Malay belt buckle or pending, which is best appreciated with an aerial view of the building. From the front, however, the roof – whose sides are “lifted up” — reflects hints of Japanese origami design elements. The rest of the building is made of glass, to illuminate the interiors with as much natural light as possible.

Another distinctive feature of Putrajaya is the 100 metre wide and 4 km long boulevard with the Putra Perdana (the Prime Minister’s office) at one end and the PICC at the other. It’s been said that Tun Mahathir wanted it fashioned after the Champs-Elysees of Paris where parades and celebrations could be held in grand fashion along the main thoroughfare.

The garden city

Besides the Wetland Park, there are at least five other major parks in the vicinity. The Botanical Park has a fine collection of plant exhibits in beautifully landscaped grounds featuring 700 species from 90 countries. The Agriculture Heritage Park meanwhile honours the origins of Putrajaya by maintaining an original tract of the Prang Besar rubber plantation including an authentic rubber processing machine and smokehouse. It also cultivates Malaysian fruit trees in its orchards to give visitors a chance to sample local seasonal fruits.

Within the diplomatic enclave lies a man-made dipterocarp forest; what used to be an oil palm estate is now an urban jungle complete with natural streams, walking trails, and horse-riding trails. Two other unique parks within Putrajaya are the Challenge Park, to promote X-Games type recreation, and the Equestrian Park.

Putrajaya may be small in size at only 49 km square (compared to Kuala Lumpur’s 243 km square), but it certainly packs in a lot with its mixed development. And while it may be relatively young, it’s creating history of its own with landmark architecture, seamless marriage of modernity and nature, and its spirit of community.

For more information on Putrajaya, go to www.ppj.gov.my or www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my.

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