Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

NST Online: StreetsJohor

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 05:26 PM PDT

'The Curse' lifted by a gifted cast

2011/06/21
By Shenton Thomas De Silva

THE Parent-Teacher Association of SMK Permas Jaya 3, Pasir Gudang, recently staged The Curse, a spellbinding theatre play, at Dewan Sultan Iskandar, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Johor Baru.

More than 3,000 students from several schools were in attendance.

The play is based on the Malaysian novel by Lee Su Ann, about a girl traumatised by the murder of her sister.

Last year, the school performed The Pearl at Dewan Serbaguna, Johor Jaya, which attracted about 2,700 students. The Pearl is based on a novel by John Steinbeck.

School principal Kamisah Aziz, said theatre and drama would encourage creativity in the students, and promote the use of English.

"The show involved students of all races, in line with the 1Malaysia concept," she said.

Kamisah said the school would continue to stage more of such performances if the response was encouraging.

The play, organised with the help of the Johor Education Department, will next be presented at Dewan Serbaguna in Johor Jaya on July 2. Show times are from 8.30am to noon, and 8pm to 11pm.

Johor Education Department academic management sector deputy head Abu Talib Abdullah, who is also the Bahasa Malaysia department principal assistant director; English department principal assistant director Shanmuganathan Suppiah, and Pasir Gudang district education office English language officer Baharuddin Ishak were among those involved in the organisation of the play.

It was produced with the help of Yayasan Warisan Johor and Akademi Seni Budaya & Warisan Kebangsaan Johor (Aswara).

Talib, who opened the play, hoped the staging of The Curse would generate more students' interest in theatre.

"This is also a step forward in efforts to improve the standard of English among students in the state," he said in his speech.

Talib said involvement in theatre would keep students away from negative activities.

Shanmuganathan, meanwhile, said the play was "educative, informative and entertaining".

"I would personally give the performance 10 out of 10," he said.

The English department principal assistant director expressed the hope that it would spur students to join or start drama or theatre clubs in their schools.

SMK Taman Tun Aminah student E. Povaneswari, 17, said the play taught her a new way to improve her English.

Her schoolmate Wong Hui Shan, 17, said she was encouraged to read more English books after watching it.

"The plot and dialogue were easy to follow," she said.

Huda Mansor, 17, from SMK Sultan Alauddin, loved the teamwork displayed by the cast.

She said the actors performed well as they managed to evoke varied responses from the audience.

"They made us cry and laugh. We were able, in a way, to join them in the story."

Johor Baru district education officer for secondary schools Ruzana Saat said the students delivered an excellent performance.

Nor Fadzleen Saidon, who teaches at SMK Tasek Utara, Johor Baru, said the students performed beyond all expectations.

The actors rehearsed between five and eight hours a day for four months.

Production manager Munira Abdul Razak, 25, believed that the cast would have done even better if they had had more time to rehearse.

Director Hafeezah Sulong, 34, lauded the actors for their admirable achievement despite their lack of proficiency in English.

She was particularly impressed by Norsyahirah Ahmad Tarmizi, 17, who played the lead character Azreen Saleh.

Norsyahirah managed to memorise 36 pages of script in three weeks.

"She has great potential," said Hafeezah.

Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Long-lasting creations Jaro can be proud of

Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:17 AM PDT

Long-lasting creations Jaro can be proud of

THREE things took place recently to set me off on a quest for my Jaro mementos -- a visit to the new Johore Area Rehabilitation Organisation (Jaro) showroom, my wrestling match with our furniture cushions and reading about batu seremban, a childhood game, in an in-flight magazine.

These events may seem unrelated but please bear with me to see how it all link up.

It all started when I had a peek at the revamped display of new products in the Jaro showroom at Jalan Sungai Chat, Johor.

I used to frequent Jaro with my mum and aunties, and their friends Auntie Milly and Auntie Winnie who were the managers there.

After being introduced to their range of beautifully handmade products, I became a fan of these useful items and often bought them for myself and souvenirs for visitors.

Jaro has a proud heritage in Johor Baru and is an established brand for quality products that are made by people with disabilities.

Since 1952, the disabled have been given opportunities to be gainfully employed in bookbinding, basketry, tailoring, and handicrafts in the shelter's workshops.

Every Jaro product is unique because its quality and workmanship depends on the effort and determination put into its creation.

For as long as I can remember, our sitting room furniture has been made of cane or rattan, probably because woven rattan is attractive and cooling to sit on in our tropical climate.

Since my parents returned to live and work in Johor Baru, all our sitting room furniture have been bought at Jaro.

When the cushion covers need to be changed, it's my job to put on a fresh set of covers. It takes a bit of skill to manoeuvre the large squares of cushions snugly into the fitted covers and while this procedure entails some serious wrestling with the cushions, this time, I paid special attention to the fabric because this set of covers has lasted more than 20 years.

And when I flipped over one of the covers, I was impressed to see that it proudly bore a label with the distinctive Jaro logo.

This drove me on in my quest and I quizzed mum to find other Jaro products in our home, besides the furniture and her pretty pot-holders.

Mum routinely clears our storeroom, so she knows what we have accumulated over the years, and knows the exact location of the Jaro rattan basket which I used as a vanity case was in the storeroom .

It was hard work to reach this little woven basket on the rear top shelf but halfway in my quest, I discovered another Jaro-made rattan shopping basket.

I recognised it instantly because we carried it with us on many picnics and it was used to safely carry a flask and the other paraphernalia for making baby feeds on outings.

This basket had served us well and even though the rattan had mellowed to a darker shade, its base and sides remain firm and strong.

Soft toys were popular in Jaro and there used to be a wide range of cute and cuddly stuffed toys.

I remember buying a long snake patch-work soft toy to drape over the back seat of my car.

Propped up to display its mouth, wide open with fierce-looking fangs, this snake attracted a lot of attention and surprised friends and colleagues who took a ride in my car.

As I searched through my collection of photos, I came across a picture of me holding a soft toy made by Jaro but I cannot recall where that shot was taken nor have any idea of what happened to the doll. I only remember that I carried the doll everywhere because it was a gift from someone special.

Just as I thought I had exhausted all avenues in my nostalgic quest, I spotted the woven rattan chest, neatly aligned at the foot of my bed.

Buried under a pile of knick-knacks, I had become so familiar with it that I did not realise that this 1.2m by 0.6m Jaro piece had indeed become a treasure chest filled with many precious mementos.

Even as my Jaro products remain beautiful and useful today, I'm excited about the new Jaro and its range of updated and eco-friendly products.

In keeping with the Jaro tradition, their new range of products are also made of materials such as rattan, paper and cotton for a new generation of customers looking for green-living solutions.

It is poised to become a popular destination for everyone who appreciates quality handmade products and I'm sure green consumers will be thrilled by products made from recycled materials or come from sustainable sources.

And yes, they still make fun items like batu seremban game sets but I won't need one just yet because I already have a set of my own which I bought from Jaro a long time ago.

Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Selasa, 21 Jun 2011