Tuesday, June 29, 2010

MCAT 2010 Schedule

Exhibition Schedule:

  • Title : Negaraku...
                   'Nationalism & Patriotism' The Aliya & Farouk Khan Collection
  • Date : 3rd July – 30th Sept 2010
  • Venue : Galeria Sri Perdana, Kuala Lumpur


  • Title : Social & Cultural Values in Contemporary Art
  • Date : 15th July – 30th Sept 2010
  • Venue : MaTiC | Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Show


  • Title : Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku...
                   ‘Contemporary Social and Cultural Heritage’
                   The Aliya & Farouk Khan Collection
  • Date : 1st August – 30th Sept 2010
  • Venue : Galeri Seni Rakyat, Melaka



Seminar Schedule:

  • Title : Malaysian Contemporary Art Seminar |
                 A Curatorial Discourse on the Making of an Artwork
  • Date : 8th July – 10th July 2010
  • Venue : 12 Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

  • Title : Malaysian Contemporary Art Seminar |
                 The Aliya & Farouk Khan Collection Seminar
  • Date : 1st – 3rd August 2010
  • Venue : Galeri Seni Rakyat, Melaka


  • Title : Malaysian Contemporary Art Seminar |
  • Date : 18th -19th August 2010
  • Venue : Penang

  • Title : Malaysian Contemporary Art Seminar |
                 The Influence of Mahathirism on Contemporary Art
  • Date : 20th – 24th Sept 2010
  • Venue : MaTiC, Jalan Ampang

  • Title : Malaysian Contemporary Art Seminar |
                 The Aliya & Farouk Khan Collection Seminar
  • Date : 27th – 1st October 2010
  • Venue : IMCAS, Danga City Mall, Johor Bahru





Sunday, June 27, 2010

In the Spotlight: 1MCAT 2010 Press Release

MEDIA RELEASE:
MINISTRY OF TOURISM MALAYSIA UNVEILS NEW ART WAVE
TO ATTRACT HIGH-YIELD TOURISTS




KUALA LUMPUR, 23 June 2010 - The Minister of Tourism Malaysia, YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen today announced yet another exciting and innovative tourism product, the “1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism 2010” (or MCAT 2010) Festival which aims at targeting more high-yield tourists to come to Malaysia.

MCAT 2010, the brainchild of YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng as an effort to spur the development of the local contemporary art scene, is the first ever Malaysia’s contemporary art event and will be held annually from July to September each year. It will showcase the most explosive, dynamic and provocative art produced by internationally-acclaimed Malaysian-born artists, and hosting of exhibitions as well as seminars nationwide.

For a start, MCAT 2010 is aimed at establishing Malaysia as a reputable destination for art aficionados in the region to enjoy and acquire contemporary art, with museum-quality pieces. It is also hoped to create initiates among owners of art galleries to launch new pieces by young artists that will set the trend for the next few years.

Speaking at a media conference, YB Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng said the Ministry believes that MCAT 2010 will educate, excite and inspire both local and foreign visitors particularly on the beauty and variety of contemporary art.

“We are indeed very glad to introduce MCAT – Malaysia’s first Contemporary Art Tourism Festival. With rising interest and demand for contemporary creative works, I hope that this event will serve as a meeting point for art enthusiasts, gallery owners, artists as well as new generation of collectors from all over the world in forging business alliance, acquiring new contemporary art works, sharing ideas and exchanging information - all under one roof. Of course, to discover and learn about the new contemporary Malaysia.”

“The Ministry of Tourism Malaysia hopes through 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Festival, we will be able to attract more high-yield tourists which is expected to also increase the contribution towards the economic spin-off through new market niche areas in the tourism industry.

“Through this new innovative, tourism industry being among the 12 main National Key Economic Areas (NKEA), we believe the country will be able to achieve the goal as stated in the 10th Malaysia Plan that the industry will contribute RM115 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with two million jobs created by 2015,” added Dato’ Sri Dr Ng.

Local and foreign visitors who enjoy spending time browsing in art galleries, will have the opportunity to view many sculptures and art works, revealed for the first time in Kuala Lumpur at Galeria Seri Perdana, Starhill Art Gallery, National Art Gallery, PETRONAS Gallery, Malaysia Tourism Centre (or MaTiC); Folk Art Gallery in Melaka and IMCAS 2010 Danga City Mall in Johor.

Among the key highlights of the Festival will be a display of Aliya and Farouk Khan’s personal collection as well as several exciting and vibrant works by some of the best internationally-acclaimed Malaysian artists, both young and established ones such as Abdul Multhalib Musa, who is regarded as one of Malaysia’s leading contemporary sculptors; Fauzan Omar; Annuar Rashid; abstract expressionist Yusoff Ghani; Eng Hwee Chu; visual artist/writer A. Jegadeva; Dhavinder Gill and many more.

Other art works that will be showcased include those by Ahmad Zaki Anwar, Hamir Saib, Tan Chin Kuan, Shooshie Sulaiman, Eng Hwee Chu, Umi Baizurah Mahir, Kaw Leong Kang, Anthony Chang, Rajinder Singh, Bayu Utomo, Fauzan Mustapha, Stephen Menon, Ivan Lam and the list goes on. Besides the presence of curators and art collectors during the three-month period, world-renowned speakers such as Mika Kuraya from Japan and Russell Storer from Australia will also be there to conduct the seminars.

The Ministry of Tourism Malaysia is also highlighting the Festival via its “Tourism Art Trail” - a directory that contains a listing of contemporary art galleries, seminars and talks on Malaysia’s contemporary art scene, information on places where tourists can visit as well as events that they can attend or participate.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Prepared by the Corporate Communications Unit, Ministry of Tourism Malaysia.
For further information, please contact T: +603.4043.0462 or email info@motour.gov.my





Press Conference Photo: MCAT 2010




She looks forward on the success of 1MCAT 2010






CREATIVE BUNCH: Dr Ng (standing third right) with local art aficionados after announcing the '1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism 2010' festival



Spot the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism 2010 Exhibition at Petronas Art Gallery and National Art Gallery this July!

Kindly visit www.motour.gov.my for more information



Saturday, June 19, 2010

Karate Kid: I will never say never!

The first Karate Kid was released on 1984. The main actor was Ralph George Macchio and his teacher was Noriyuki "Pat" Morit. The movie was directed by John G. Avildsen and it was a success. This year, director Harald Zwart has attemped to remake the movie and it was outstanding and a very great remake. I think, the tiny thing that might become the issue is that  Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in the first Karate Kid was really trained to practice Karate, compared to Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) which was trained to practice Kung fu. However, the remake will not let you down. 5 star!



Karate Kid (1984)


High school senior Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) moves with his mother (Randee Heller) from Newark, New Jersey to Reseda, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Their apartment's handyman is an odd but kindly and humble Okinawan immigrant named Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita).

Daniel meets Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue), a high school cheerleader, but earns the anger of her ex-boyfriend, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), a karate student. Johnny is the best student at the Cobra Kai dojo, where he is taught an unethical, vicious form of martial arts. Daniel knows some karate from books, and from a few months' experience at the YMCA, but is the victim of repeated beatings from Johnny and his friends.

When Miyagi witnesses one of the beatings, he intervenes and defeats all five Cobra Kai with ease. Awed, Daniel asks Miyagi to be his teacher. Miyagi refuses, but agrees to go with Daniel to the Cobra Kai dojo in order to resolve the conflict. They confront the sensei, John Kreese (Martin Kove), an ex-Special Forces Vietnam Veteran who sneers at the concepts of mercy and restraint. Kreese and Miyagi agree to a match between Johnny and Daniel in two months' time at the "All Valley Karate Tournament", where Cobra Kai students can fight Daniel on equal terms. Miyagi also requests that the bullying stop while Daniel trains. Kreese orders his students to leave Daniel alone, but threatens that if Daniel does not show up for the tournament, the harassment will resume and Miyagi will also become a target.

Miyagi becomes Daniel's teacher and, slowly, a surrogate father figure. He begins Daniel's training by having him perform laborious chores such as waxing cars, sanding a wooden floor, painting a fence, and refinishing Miyagi's house. Each chore is accompanied with a specific movement, such as clockwise/counter-clockwise hand motions. Daniel eventually feels frustrated, believing he has learned nothing of karate. When he expresses his frustration, Miyagi reveals that Daniel has been learning defensive blocks through muscle memory learned by performing the chores.

As Daniel's training continues "in the open," his bond with Miyagi becomes closer. He learns that Miyagi lost his wife and son in childbirth at Manzanar internment camp while he was serving overseas with the United States Army during World War II. The loss of his family and Daniel's loss of his father further strengthens the father-son surrogacy. Daniel also discovers that the outwardly peaceful and serene Miyagi was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for heroism against German forces in Europe.

Through the teaching, Daniel learns not only karate but also important life lessons such as the importance of balance, reflected by the belief that martial arts training is as much about training the spirit as the body. Daniel applies the life lessons that Miyagi has taught him to strengthen his relationship with Ali.

At the tournament, Daniel surprises everyone by reaching the semi-finals. Johnny advances to the finals, scoring three unanswered points against a highly skilled opponent. Kreese instructs Bobby Brown, one of his more compassionate students and the least vicious of Daniel's tormentors, to disable Daniel with an illegal attack to the knee. Bobby reluctantly does so, injuring Daniel but getting disqualified in the process. With Daniel unable to continue, Miyagi assures him he has already proven himself. Despondent, Daniel believes that if he does not continue, his tormentors will have gotten the best of him. He persuades Miyagi to use a pain suppression technique to allow him to finish the tournament. As Johnny is about to be declared the winner by default, Daniel hobbles into the ring.

Kreese directs Johnny to repeat unethical moves to achieve victory. Despite the moves, Daniel gets up each time. Ultimately Daniel and Johnny are tied. Daniel, barely able to stand, assumes the "Crane Kick" stance and delivers a blow to Johnny's chin, winning the tournament. Johnny, having gained newfound respect for his adversary, takes Daniel's trophy from the Master of Ceremonies and presents it to Daniel himself. Miyagi looks on proudly as Daniel celebrates his victory.



Karate Kid (2010)

12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and his mother (Taraji P. Henson) arrive in  Beijing from Detroit to start a new life. Dre develops a crush on a young violinist, Mei Ying, who reciprocates his attention, but Mei Ying's classmate Cheng, a kung fu prodigy whose family is close to Mei Ying's, attempts to keep them apart by beating Dre, and later harassing and humiliating him in and around school. During a particularly brutal beating by Cheng and his friends, the kindly maintenance man of Dre's building, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), comes to Dre's aid, revealing himself as a kung fu master who adeptly dispatches Dre's tormentors.

After Han mends Dre's injuries using fire cupping, they go to Cheng's teacher, Master Li, to attempt to make peace, but the brutal Li, who teaches his students to show no mercy to their enemies, challenges Dre to a fight with Cheng. When Han declines, Li threatens him, saying that they will not be allowed to leave his school unless either Dre or Han himself fights. Han acquiesces, but insists the fight take place at an upcoming "Open Kung-fu Tournament"(LOL!), and that Li's students leave Dre alone until the tournament. The amused Li agrees.

Han begins training Dre, but Dre is frustrated that Han merely has Dre spend hours taking off his jacket, hanging it up, dropping it, and then putting it back on again. After days of this, Dre refuses to continue, until Han explains to him that the repetitive arm movements in question were Han's method of teaching Dre defensive block and strike techniques, which Dre is now able to display instinctively when prompted by Han's mock attacks. Han emphasizes that the movements Dre is learning apply to life in general, and that serenity and maturity, not punches and power, are the true keys to mastering the martial arts. During one lesson in the Wudang Mountains, Dre notices a female kung fu practitioner copying the movements of a cobra before her, but Han informs him that it was the cobra that was imitating the woman, as in a mirror reflection. Dre wants Han to teach him this technique, which includes linking Han's hand and feet to Dre's via bamboo shafts while practicing their forms, but Dre's subsequent attempt to use this reflection technique on his mother is unsuccessful.

As Dre's friendship with Mei Ying continues, she agrees to attend Dre's tournament, and does Dre her upcoming recital. After sharing a kiss at an outdoor festival, Dre persuades Mei Ying to cut school for a day of fun, but when she is nearly late for her violin recital, which has been rescheduled for that day, Mei tells him that her parents have deemed him a bad influence, and forbid her from spending any more time with him.

When Dre finds Han drunk and despondent, he learns that it is the anniversary of his wife and son's deaths, which occurred years ago when he lost control of his car while arguing with his wife. Dre reminds Han that one of his lessons was in perseverance, and that Han needs to heal from his loss, and tries to help him do so. Han then assists Dre in writing a note of apology to Mei Ying's father, who, impressed, allows Mei to attend the tournament.

At the tournament, the underconfident Dre is slow to achieve parity with his opponents, but soon begins to best them, and advances to the semifinals, as does Cheng, who violently finishes off his opponents. Dre eventually comes up against Master Li's students, in particular a classmate of Cheng who is instructed by Master Li to break Dre's leg. When his student insists that he can beat Dre, Master Li sternly tells him that he doesn't want him beaten, but broken. During the match, Li's student delivers a devastating kick to Dre's leg, along with a series of brutal follow-up punches. Although Li's student is disqualified for his illegal strikes, Dre is incapacitated, which means Cheng will win by default.

Despite Han's insistence that he has earned respect for his performance in the tournament, and that he needs to learn when to walk away from a fight, Dre convinces Han to use his fire cupping technique to mend his leg, in order to see the tournament to the end. Dre returns to the arena, where he confronts Cheng. Dre delivers impressive blows, but Cheng counters with a debilitating strike to Dre's already injured leg. Dre struggles to get up, and adopts the one-legged form he first learned from the woman on the mountain, attempting to use the reflection technique to manipulate Cheng's movements. Cheng charges Dre, but Dre flips, and catches Cheng with a kick to his head, winning the tournament, along with the respect of Cheng and his classmates, both for himself and Mr.Han.


Reasons to watch Karate Kid 2010:

  1. Jaden Smith acts very well. He inherited his father's style.
  2. If one of the objective of the movie is to promote the beautiful culture of China, then it was a great success! I wish malay movies are creative and good like this one.
  3. Dre Parker moves to China to learn kung fu is more realistic compared Daniel who move to California and ended up learning Karate! (Karate is originated from Japan) xD
  4. This is a great movie remake. The director keeps the story line the same, but he successfully remakes the content of the movie.

Click here for Karate Kid OST Justin Bieber - Never Say Never ft. Jaden Smith.mp3 download
Click Here for Karate Kid OST Justin Bieber - Never Say Never ft. Jaden Smith.mp4 download


Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Colours of 1Malaysia 2010

5:00 pm : Pre-show






8.00 pm : Arrivals of Respected VIPs





9.00 pm : Main Performance










The main highlight was the Colours of 1Malaysia Dikir Barat. 5,500 participants were involved to make it a success. A performance that was acknowledged by the Malaysia Book Of Record as the show with the largest number of participants. This was during the practice session. 20th May 2010, PWTC.



This was during the actual event. I'll definitely going to get the full version of this performance from RTM. Thanks to
eyriqazz for being able to capture this although it was short.



News coverage. Credit to The Star.



P/S: Dah ter jatuh cinta dengan lagu citrawarna 1Malaysia ni. Pak Ngah memang penulis lirik melayu yang hebat. Tak dapat dinafikan lagi.



Dapat gak bergambar dengan Dato' Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen sebelum beliau berangkat pulang. huhu..

Kindly visit Ministry of Tourism's official website for more Colours of Malaysia pictures!


Errmm... By the way, another part of Co1M rehearsal. Very nice!