Simulated-teaching

It was nerve-wrecking for me. Really. Why? The thoughts of being scolded that you’re doing wrong in front the whole of the class is my weakness’ .I guess being one of the first people who were chosen to do the micro-teaching did gives me some advantage such as finishing my work earlier than other, seeing and understanding more my weakness and strength in teaching and helping my friends to tell them what they need to do to make their micro-teaching better.

Simulated-teaching help me see what a good set-induction is all about.

One of the best was Ira’s set induction. The clippings that she used capture the essences of understanding a character and their traits.

My set-induction was very simple, a role-play. My small mistakes was I did not used my student’s to play do the role-play instead I let my partner do it. This is actually wrong as set induction is a time where teacher let student’s opportunity to experience the usage of the language. I must admit that a practice of what we decided to teach gives us the more room for improvement.

This week the pre and while-reading simulated teaching has started and I have learned quite a few things that I should be focusing about. The length of an extracts that we choose for pre-reading should not exceed more than a page, teacher need to practice their pronunciations so that you are able to be a good model of the language used in class, the importance of teacher mastering the text they chosen. Last but not least, the most crucial in teaching is to give a clear and understandable instruction so that your student’s will understand what they are supposed to do. Good teaching is not just preparing good lesson plan or worksheet. It is the quality of how the teacher presented her lesson and how they attract students’ interest to learn what she/he is teaching.

Nothing will come of nothing.

Truth been said that Shakespeare is an outstanding playwright in the literature world. Lear is a character that defines the true meaning of moral blindness in human. The damage is done with single stupid decisions on playing childish games that he created for him selves. The tragic flaw of Lear.

Love is something that I believe goes beyond any kind of measurements.

It cannot be measure by how you professed it, or how much would you sacrifice for it. Love is a big word that goes beyond any kind of measurements. That was is love is all about. Doesn’t matter it is for your God, your family, your boyfriend, etc. As corny as it sounds, I truly believe that loves did makes the world goes round. J

I must admit that I was really attracted to The Fool character. Though his name contradicts through his utterance, he is actually the wise man in the play. Fool makes you think how fragile a man can be. His cynical speeches when he speaks in riddles tickle the humor elements in this tragedy. One of the my favorite riddle from Fool is

“ Have more than thou showest,

Speak less than thou knowest,

Lend less than thou owest,

Ride more than thou goest,

Learn more than thou trowest,

Set less than thou trowest,

Leave thy drink and thy whore,

And keep in-a-door,

And thou shalt have more,

Than two ten to a score.”

The Fool character guided Lear throughout his journey of enlightenment.

Fool in my eyes is in a way portrayed the image of the unsung hero. An important person that is as important as the hero in the story but always less talk about because of ones stereotypical duty in a story. His witty and mockery speeches are unforgettable unlike Tiresias in Antigone who is more serious yet play pretty much the same role in the play. He did not really educate the king but he warn the king of the future that he sees.

P/S; Happy Eid-Mubarak.. :)

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow…

I bet most of you remember where that line came from right? Macbeth.

I never really read it, but was given the chance to watch it was a magnificent experience. Though at first, I was struggling with the Shakespearean language. I think I manage to understand what they saying with my small experience reading King Lear in class(maybe we really need to find that “ Shakespeare’s For Dummies” book huh?) . Having the background knowledge of the synopsis of the story also help. Back to Macbeth movie, it was very gory and bloody on the killing and fighting scenes. Pretty much reminded me of Wong Phui Nam’s Anike, just in a Malay setting.

The actions and speeches of Macbeth say it all. Human will never be safe when they go against God’s Law. Macbeth losses his crazy wife and died with still greed and vanity of his so-called-power. All started by his own ambition and unconditional support from his greedy wife. Made them a perfect match from hell. Speaking in woman points of view, I think Shakespeare is also trying to point out on how powerful a women’s voice for a man. In this case a wife’s voice for a husband. As the saying goes, there is always a woman behind a man’s success. Well, not really applicable to Macbeth since both the man and wife died at the end of the story, but I think you get my point, right?

Sarah Kane’s 4:48 Psychosis

When we were asked to watch a play I was really excited! I have watched a few play during my diploma years it just that it is all in Malay. I always wanted to go to KLPac , Actor’s Studio but only manage to go to Istana Budaya to watch Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical. We finally manage to get a ticket,(thanks to Ira for getting the ticket for us)I can now shouted at the top of the roof that I have watch a “real play”.

Before I start talking about my experience watching the play,let me introduce you a few interesting fact of the play.

• 4:48 refers to the darkest hours before dawn
• Mainly about a women who suffered from serious psychological distress.
• Most believe that it was the fragment of the playwright’s mind as this was her last work before she hung herself in the hospital where she too suffered the same psychological distress.

Well, the play? It was magnificent performance.Susan Lancaster,Samantha Schubert,and Malik Taufiq brings out the sense of reality to what the play is all about. The set was very simple, a few doors, and stairs in a very dark room.

Having the opportunity to meet the director of the play, Gavin Yap himself, I asked him why did he choose to make the set that dark and simple, his answers was simple “ It’s not as important as its words, what is being said, its emotion, if you have that, you don’t need the props, so much of it was in darkness…..It is because that you don’t really need to see. You know, the less you see, the more you think?” Well said. Throughout the play I was touch by the emotion, by the experienced of the person, and her sense of insecurity. Makes me asked myself a lot of questions I never thought about. Most significantly makes me feel thankful towards everything I have in life..Maybe this is what Dr.Edwin said about a “real play”. I definitely enjoyed watching PGL the musical, but that was it. I don’t have that significant feeling and it doesn’t really give me anything to think about. One thing for sure, I definitely will be back to KLPac anytime soon!Happy fasting for all my Muslim’s friends.

watching the movie....

What can I say about the movie?Hmm...overall?I think it was a fun movie.I was expecting Professor Higgins to be more handsome and Freddy too.I know it sound superficial,but as I read the text , I was also having this set of images that i thought I could expect to be see in the movie..I actually enjoyed the movie even though it was a 1983 movie in black and white.
I wished I could be in a play where they actually play it in front of me.
The portrayal of Eliza's characters were brilliant...I love the scene when she takes a bath for the first time.It was so funny.
Language wise, I think it is great that they stick to the original text as close as they can.
Some of my friends were a bit disappointed with the ending while i think the movie ending is much better..We all knew what happened in the play that we read,but in the movie the ending somehow gives some kind of hope for Eliza and Professor Higgins.But hey?Who wouldn't like a happy ending right?

Reading Shaw's work

Reading a modern theatre such Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw was such an exciting experience to me.The witty and cynical way in Shaw's portrayal of every single characters in the story was mind blowing.Reading it in class, I find myself to be more cautious reading every line by line so that I can actually understand what Shaw is trying to tell in his play.Maybe because the recent experience of reading Antigone makes me realized that reading a play takes more than just literal understanding.I'm a slow learner I must say.But reading it in the class really helps me a lot.(Though the book that we bought missed a few of the most important scenes.)
I also discovered that Pygmalion actually was a myth.Adapted by Shaw in his own ways, he changed the ending.In the myth Pygmalion,the man that created his statue actually falls in loved with his own creation,Galatea. And at the end of the story, marry her when she turns into a real human.Whilst, Professor Higgins have no affection towards Eliza at the end of the play even though he manage to turn her into a lady.The relationship was just between a creator to its creation.Or shall I said like a God to its creatures?
Pygmalion was a witty comedy for me.( Though some of us failed to get the jokes)Its funny and cynical,but also has this little piece of romance in it.I have not watch "My Fair Lady " yet.But I wish to do it as soon as I can.I am just looking forward this Friday class to watch the real Pygmalion movie so that I can share the experience with you..

The tragic Creon?

We have finally finished discussing Antigone in class.My mind was blown by some off the class discussion as sometimes I fail to see the underlying meaning of a literary text.The constant metaphor of human as a captain to its own ships really gives a deeper meaning towards me.I believe that is righteously true..We are what we choose to be.A captain to our own life,whether we gone through the steady course or the big strong waves in our journey.It is our decisions how we control it.In Creon case,I think he failed to navigate his ships.Creon was full with hatred and arrogance.To whom?There goes a bigger questions..The first time reading through the text I thought Antigone was the tragic hero,but reading it again I think Creon is no doubt the tragic hero here.Going againts God's,disrespecting the wise Tiresias,are just to name a few of his flaws.
At the end of the day Creon was defeated by his own actions.As Dr.Edwin discuss the theme with us which is"The price to pay for going against God's law" summarized our study on Antigone, I had to say that I have truly learnt a lot in this text.Not just the language of it, but also the messages that Sophocles tries to tell.As corny as it sounds, I have to say that Nazmier is right," Love is Sacrifice".
Antigone might lost her brothers and her life but Creon lost his son, his wife and his sanity.I say,Creon is the real tragic hero.

The one that caught my eyes

I used to work with Pahang's State Museum Board as a personal assistant.There I have the opportunity to watch a lot of traditional dance show and this one particular dance really caught my attention,The Endang Dance.

This particular dance was influence by Sumatra and practice by the Minangs community in Negeri Sembilan.The unic dance movements symbolize people plucking leave and wiping sweats.
The dance famously known song is Din Din Barindin.The song starts slowly but increased its tempo,this is when you see the movements getting more and more energetic as the movements follow the tempo.
I really enjoy watching this dance as it is really different and the dancers lookvery beautiful with the costumes and the movements.Though I think they must be having a lot of pain sitting in their position for quite along time.

The makyong dance.

I strongly believe that the whole issue of Mak Yong dance was controversial because it involves the element of shamanism.This is what contradicts the value of Islam.As a muslim, I believe that with right intention,there's a right values in what one did.Threfore I think that Makyong should not be banned from its rightous origin. In Ramli Ibrahim's work In The Name of Love,its clearly stated how the treatment for the Mak Yong practioners had been nowdays.They even moved to one state to the other just to continue dancing the Mak Yong dance.
There is no point of banning this dance as we have more bigger things to be concern off.We should be more creative in giving solution on the shamanism issues.
Maybe slight changes in the chants could solve it.What I'm trying to say here is that we can always work something out if we want something.Regardless of what our faith is, it's shallow to say that a dance can't change one faith unless they want it.Makyong has been recognized as untangible heritage.I say,keep Mak Yong ALIVE!

hello?

Dear friends and my fellow readers, this is the first time for me to write an educational blog as i am so used to write for my own personal blog.So,all comments, good and bad are really much appreciated.=) This week of class has been the intro of what drama is basically all about.As i have learn that all this time, me weeping at the very end of any good production of movie,drama, and play has the name for it,i guess why don't i just used for my blog name?Yes,that's right people.I always have my Kleenex with me..But hey, i knew that most of us gone through the same experience right?Don't tell me you guys didn't cry at the end of Armageddon?Why don't you guys share with me that catharsis experience?