Mr. Haxa Does The Blogs

In Price War - Consumers Win! The 'Deadly' Battle between Malaysian Bookstores VS. Hypermarkets

DSC_0136, originally uploaded by haxa.

The last edition of Harry Potter proves to be "deadly" in the price war battle among the major bookshops vs. hypermarket in Malaysia. Apparently, on the first day sale of the book, MPH, Times, and Popular boycotted the sales and only deliver the books to those who pre-ordered.

On my shopping spree yesterday, the Harry Potter book was one on my list and when asked the sweet book-consultant-cum-cashier at Borders, The Curve; I was told that the adult edition (as you see in the photo) is out of stock as they are already pre-ordered. She quoted me the price of RM109.90! I was told that the children edition which is also in hardcover only with cartoon front cover is still available, but I was not interested.

So, when we were at TESCO during grocery shopping, there were few more books on the shelf. I quickly grabbed one as I noticed that I have to only pay RM69.90 for a copy!

I also chatted with some aunties who were asking me about the two different covers. I told them about the adult and kiddie version and they informed me about the whole price war that made it in the news.

It turned out that hypermarkets such as TESCO and Carrefour are joining the fray in grabbing Harry Potter last-book-global-mania and passing the cost savings to consumers by selling it only at RM69.90. MPH went further by canceling all events on the book sales.

This is a good lesson for all these greedy bookstores. For so many years, Malaysians have been deprived of good books at best price as  they are charging us at exorbitant price. This price war is an indication that perhaps TESCO and Carrefour might shelf more books in their stores, which only means that we as consumers can buy more books! Perhaps I should boycott some of these bookstores!

McDonald's New Grilled Chicken Foldover & the new Asian Body Mass Index (BMI)

The McDonald's new Grilled Chicken Foldover, which I just had for lunch just now is YUMMY! Finally this menu is now in available outside Klang Valley. I had my first in KL 2 months back.

Check out this new Asian BMI (it's available on the McD promo paper/flyer that they use to put on your tray). Is your weight healthy? The latest Asian Body Mass Index (BMI) cut-off levels is a good way to find out:

Asian BMI = Weight (kg) / [Height (m)] x [Height (m)]

Asian BMI (for adults). If you are:

• Below 18.5 - you are underweight
• Between 18.5 to 22.9 - your weight is healthy
• Between 23 to 27.4 - you are overweight
• 27.5 and above - you are obese

There's one thing I love about the campaign for this Grilled Chicken Foldover. McDonalds uses active instead of healthy "At McDonald's, we are getting active!"

A picture of a girl doing exercise outdoor in her balcony with the Grilled Chicken Foldover outside the exercise mat depicts the healthy lifestyle McD is promoting especially after the documentary film 'Supersize Me'. Looks like McD is now promoting active lifestyle and tell us to make more informed decision in choosing what to eat based on what we do.

Thanks to this product, I am now visiting McDonald's. But only for the Grilled Chicken Foldover and the Coke Light! No fries, thanks!

The grilled chicken foldover is the best lunch meal to supply you with good amount of carbohydrate, vegee, protein, and vitamin. For the first time, McD's vegee tastes so fresh to me. And the pita bread is prepared just right. Wonder if it was made of Pillsbury flour. Will ask around!

So, what's your BMI today?

Review | Teater: Demi Zaitun

Dramaturg, Director: Noordin Ahmad
Produced by: Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka
Date: July 29th - August 4th, 2004
Venue: Auditorium DBKL

I watched this show on the opening night with some bloggers' friends. I love the fact that the director gives us a "mental masturbation" on few concurrent plots on a unified theme. And based on mixed reactions from friends after the show, I think that it is a challenge to use theater as a medium to produce something as non-linear as Demi Zaitun. For non-linear film such as The Hour, it was successfully done because of the versatility of the medium.

Nevertheless, my review is that this one of the best religous theater I have ever seen. It uses the verse of At-Tin (The Fig) as reference:

4. Certainly We created man in the best make.
5. Then We render him the lowest of the low,

And runs different stories namely; the history and reality of Malays in Penang , the love of Tina and Izzikri, and the madness of a professor. I give high points to well-written scripts; rich historical background, choreograph, well done boria scene, and good acting by these ensembles:

Casts:

a. Betty Benafe (Tina) "Yang saya dengar, pada suatu bulan Muharram, masa permainan sedang rancak berjalan, tiba-tiba pemain-pemain boria ini jatuh menggelupur, mulut berbuih, mata terbeliak dan terus mati. Sungguh dahsyat. Sebegitu ramai yang mati, jenazah diusung ..."

b. Sahronizam Noor (Izzikri) "Jerman berperang dengan British, Tanjung kena tembak. Jepun berperang dengan British, Tanjung kena bom. Mana boleh jadi begini? Salah datuk nenek kita barangkali?"

c. Ahmad Tarmimi Siregar (Farouk Khan) "Renungilah sejenak segala malapetaka yang telah tersurat di dalam lembaran sejarah, bagaimana Semenanjung Tanah Melayu yang telah didaifkan dan figuratively speaking telah dirogoli oleh bangsat-bangsat ini!"

d. Normala Omar (Mami) "Pak penakan saya nama Cik Mat jadi kepala penyamun. Dikeluarkan dari dalam tempayan. Sejak malam tu, orang gelar dia Cik Mat Tempayan. Amboi, orang Melayu Pulau Pinang cukup kreatif dan bijak fasal bagi gelaran!"

e. Sarah Shahrun (Prof. Angeline) "Di dalam dunia yang agak kasar, saya telah ketemu dengan sesuatu yang paling halus. Sebiji zaitun dari gunung yang barakah datangnya bersama hujan."

f. Zulhaila Siregar (Suara Syahdu) "Dan yang paling memilukan adalah kekesalan; kekesalan yang boleh memporak-perandakan keseluruhan sahsiah dan menghilangkan makam yang pernah dianugerahkan dengan rahman dan rahim"

g. Norzizi Zulkifli (Yasmin) "Kahwin mutaah, kahwin seks untuk terus hidup! Hidup senang, mewah. Segala-galanya halal!"

h. Mazin Ameen Siraj (Inspektor Shiraj) "A few of my Malay friends have told me that, by and large, the Penang Malays have a defeatist attitude. Suka a-a mengeluh saja!"

i. Adman Salleh (Prof. Amin) "Jatuh kasih dengan pemuda dunia. Tetapi dia terpaksa balik ke kayangan dengan hati yang lara."

j. Safura Ya'cob (Nadia) "Profesor yang dijadikan Tuhan di tahap yang tinggi, janganlah menurunkan diri ke tahap yang sungguh rendah."

This theater does not only deliver entertainment, but strong message that we have to keep dear and near to our heart. For that, I have reread Surah At-Tin and finally understand what the laurette (director) conveys in this production.

Commentary of Chapter 95 (Al-Tin - The Fig) of the Holy Quran
by Dr. Basharat Ahmad
Translated by Imam Kalamazad Mohammed

Introduction:

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
1. By the fig and the olive!
2. And Mount Sinai!
3. And this City made secure! -
4. Certainly We created man in the best make.
5. Then We render him the lowest of the low,
6. Except those who believe and do good; so theirs is a reward never to be cut off.
7. So who can give the lie to thee after this about the Judgement?
8. Is not Allah the Best of the Judges?"

This chapter was revealed at Makkah.

In the previous chapter, Al-Inshirah (The Expansion), Allah, Most High, had promised the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that his reputation would become exalted. In this chapter, it is stated that man is the best of all creatures, and by nature, he possesses the highest talents and capabilities; and to get the best results, they must be used in a measured manner. If proof is needed, we should look at those people who nourish their natural potential according to the commands of Allah and who maintain their true nature on the principle of moderation and see how high they rise in life. These are the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed His favours and who walk along the straight path which is the way of the prophets and saints of Allah. Thus, those who develop their God-given aptitudes and abilities attain such a high rank that they are regarded with honour both in this world and the next, and among them, the prophets Moses (AS) and Jesus (AS) and the prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, have been specially mentioned in this chapter and evidence of their being the best of Allah's creation has been professed.

References:
1. Demi Zaitun: Pementasan Teater Perdana, Buku Program, 2004
2. Commentary of Chapter 95 (Al-Tin - The Fig) of the Holy Quran, Dr. Basharat Ahmad, Online

OPs OPHELIA: a FaShioN opeRa - Promo Part 1

OPs OPHELIA: a FaShioN opeRa - Promo Part 1

I would like to invite everyone to this show. Come and watch the most breakthrough contemporary devised piece of tantztheater that combines the elements of dance, theater, opera, and fashion in a performance. Details of the show follow below. Do visit us at http://www.artsee.net/ophelia for more.

-haxa-
Publicity Manager
OPs OPHELIA: a FaShioN opeRa

Artsee Networks presents
OPs OPHELIA: a FaShioN opeRa
http://www.artsee.net/ophelia
a performance project for a contemporary audience combining fashion, music, and dance-theatre

Conceived and Directed
by Rohaizad Suaidi

Featuring
Adlin Aman Ramli, Anne James, Fang Chyi, Juliana Ibrahim, Junainah M Lojong, Kiew Suet Kim, Marion D'Cruz, Maya Tan Abdullah, Susan Sarah John and a cast of over twenty performers.

Producers: Rohaizad Suaidi & Llewellyn Marsh
Executive Producer: Vernon Emuang

June 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 2004

All performances start at 8.30pm
Two shows every Sundays (June 20 & 27 at 6.30pm and 9.00pm)
at the Stor Theater @ Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka (DBP)
Dress Code: Glamour

Tickets:
RM 22 Student Concession (All performances except
Charity Nights on June 17 & 24)
RM 37 Tuesday (June 22) Wednesdays (June 16 & 23)
RM 47 Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays (June 18-20, June 25-27)
RM 67 Thursdays (Charity Nights - June 17 & 24)

For tickets and further information please call or SMS 016-284-7646
Web Site (Blog): http://www.artsee.net/ophelia

With Support of Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka (DBP)

OPs OPHELIA: a FaShioN opeRa
Artsee Networks is pleased to present OPs OPHELIA: a FaShioN opeRa, a tanztheater (dance-theatre) production that combines the performance elements of fashion with music, dance and theatre, to be staged at the DBP Stor Theater from June 16th to 27th.

Conceived, directed and co-produced by Rohaizad Suaidi who lectures theatre fulltime at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the performance is a celebration of women and the roles they play in society.

OPs OPHELIA takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet,” pre-Raphaelite paintings of Ophelia, German writer Heiner Müller’s “The Hamletmachine,” and the book “Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls” by clinical psychologist Dr. Mary Pipher.

This production aims to theatrically present the struggles and challenges experienced by Malaysian women of different age groups, social classes, spiritual backgrounds and sexual identities in their journey through the male-dominated cultural landscape to find their true selves.

We would be grateful if you could assist us in our efforts though publicity or sponsorship. Your efforts would help us in a big way in reaching as many Malaysians as possible.

We thank you in advance and should you have any queries at all please do not hesitate to contact us or visit us at the http://www.artsee.net/ophelia

Regards,
haxa
Publicity Manager
OPs OPHELIA
[email protected]

The Main Players in the Project
Vernon A Emuang - Executive Producer
Rohaizad Suaidi - Director, Producer
Llewellyn Marsh - Producer, Vocal Director
Jerome Kugan - Composer, Music Director
Nell Ng - Special Choreographer
Shegar - Costumes, Makeup
Nizam Zakaria - Website, Multimedia
Bernice Chauly - Photography
Linus Cheung - Video
Maya Tan Abdullah, Bernice Chauly,
Adlin Aman Ramli - Text Construction

Cast:
Principal :: Anne James
Principal :: Fang - Chyi
Principal :: Maya Tan Abdullah

Ophelia :: Chen Chuin Min
Ophelia :: Dara
Ophelia :: Doreen Chan
Ophelia :: Fyrul
Ophelia :: Juliana Ibrahim
Ophelia :: Junainah M Lojong
Ophelia :: Kiew Suet Kim
Ophelia :: Maya Suraya Ahmad
Ophelia :: Poh Chuan
Ophelia :: Revathi Murugappan
Ophelia :: Foo Zee Shan
Ophelia/Bonang :: Susan Sarah John
Ophelia :: Tang Ching Yee
Ophelia :: Zuraida

Hamlet :: Adlin
Hamlet :: Zalfian Fuzi

Celloist :: Phui Leng

Male Chorus :: Nordin
Male Chorus :: Zihan

Video Dancer :: Marion D'Cruz
Video Hamlet :: Ghafir Akbar
Video Ophelia :: Sasha Bashir

For Sale: Brand New Philips 42" Plasma TV

A friend won this through contest
Model : 42FD9953
Market Price = RM20,000
Offer Price = RM16,000
Warranty Included.

E-mail me at [email protected] if you are interested.

Cheap Air Ticket to Bangkok

A friend of mine just won two air tickets to Bangkok. For some reasons, unable to go, and decided to sell it off at a very attractive price. Here are the details:

MAS' Bangkok Return Air Ticket x 2
Value = RM950 x 2 = RM1,900
Expiry Date = 31st March 2004
Selling Price = RM1,450 for two tickets! (Negotiable)

Interested? E-mail to [email protected]