Diary of an Artist

This is certainly a diary of an artist, an open diary that other people could read about what's going on in our mind. Though I have not been well in the past few days, been resting a lot and watching movies while reading. In between that I continued to do few things like attending meetings, but here what I am thinking at the moment:

1. Popular Culture, Popular Art as opposed to Folk Art

2. Post-Colonialism in Malaysia, esp. Malay

3. Special space for artist's refuge place, pendopo/ balai/ wakaf in the city in a uni/school

4. A tree and a chair, even better a buai

5. Pohon beringin in wayang and wayang story

6. Our past leaders - Tun Razak and what's important in his life

7. and I am particularly interested in "Tanah" that could mean many things, tanah pusaka, cerita org tua2 tentang buka tanah hutan and hantu jembalang, saka, mother earth

8. Bobohizan and harvest festival among indigenous people including the old malay people

9. Anglo minds among us in the KL urban space and back to the malay Minds and modern malay minds

10. ??????what to do with my life and my art forms

Nora Zain; Selipar Jepun; Stiletto Merah

Mungkin baru minggu lepas saya dan rakan sepejabat saya, Reza Zainal Abidin, seorang pelakon-pengarah teater, yang sekarang mengajar pengurusan di ASWARA, bersembang kosong tentang filem dan teater serta filem2 yang meransang kita untuk membuat teater. Saya memberitahu dia saya tertarik dengan Nora Zain, agen perisik filem Melayu hitam putih yang dimainkan oleh Saadiah. Kami dua orang ni memang peminat filem Melayu, kita selalu bincang tentang our favorite parts and I am sure there are a lot more people out there yang suka citer pasal ni. Cuma sekarang ni kita dua orang mengajar budak2 mencari idea, to be creative and also to be rajin to look, research, read and analyse things that we see and watch. Saya cakap kat Reza yang saya dah mula masukkan sikit citer pasl Nora Zain ni dalam teater Selipar Jepun, tapi merancang nak sambung lagi citer pasal tu, mungkin dalam Stiletto Merah atau mungkin menjadi citer yang baru totally, why not. Few weeks ago I showed my students PGl versi 1961 dan memang ramai yang belum pernah menontonnya dan semamangnya filem itu senang nak dapat kat Music Valley in any shopping mall, unless these shops are closing down, u know with bad economy and all. They students thoroughly enjoyed the film and have their own oppinion on that with regards to traditional arts as well as modernisation of culture. Now back to Nora Zain, Reza already found the vdo and perhaps kita patut tengok balik as all these while my thinking about her was just based on my memory from childhood. I think that would be fun! Perhaps I should continue it in Stiletto Merah where Yee Aji Whe, got inspiration from. What do you think?