I love Folktale :D

Before I start, Hey everyone~ it has been a while since I last posted anything here. I thought I may as well post this since I have free time right now. 

Let’s start with local folktale from Malaysia, Ulek Mayang.

                Ulek Mayang is a classical dance from the state of Terengganu in Malaysia. It is a type of worshipping dance in which a unique song is sung accompanied with a Malay orchestra comprising drums, gong, violin and accordion.

                The Ulek Mayang is said to have originated with a sea-princess who fell in love with a fisherman. The princess enchanted the fisherman so that his body remained unconscious. A bomoh (shaman) conducted a healing ritual to bring the fisherman's soul back, to which the princess responded by calling on five of her sisters. The battle between the bomoh and the 6 princesses continued until the seventh and the eldest princess appeared and put an end to it.

"I know all your origins” says the eldest princess and she commands everyone, "Let those from the sea to return to the sea, and those from the land to return to the land".

The grateful bomoh and the fisherman’s colleagues present the princess with coloured rice as an offering to the spirits of the sea. This practice, along with the Ulek Mayang dance, continued until the Islamic revival movement of recent decades.

                The dance consists of 10 to 15 people in a circle to worship the seven princesses (the sisters of the sea-princess). It is usually conducted at night. The Ulek Mayang song is usually sung to accompany the dance.

                The Ulek Mayang song is a unique song accompanying the dance. The song is claimed by some Malaysians as haunted for it gives goose bumps and creepy feelings, especially if played at the beach.

Ulek Mayang Lyric with Literal English translation

Ulek mayang ku ulek Ulek dengan jala jemala Ulek mayang diulek Ulek dengan tuannya puteri Ulek mayang diulek Ulek dengan jala jemala Ulek mayang diulek Ulek dengan puterinya dua Puteri dua berbaju serong Puteri dua bersanggol sendeng Puteri dua bersubang gading Puteri dua berselendang kuning Umbok mayang diumbok Umbok dengan jala jemala Nok ulek mayang diulek Ulek dengan puterinya empat Puteri empat berbaju serong Puteri empat bersanggol sendeng Puteri empat bersubang gading Puteri empat berselendang kuning Umbok mayang diumbok Umbok dengan jala jemala Nok ulek mayang diulek Ulek dengan puterinya enam Puteri enam berbaju serong Puteri enam bersanggol sendeng Puteri enam bersubang gading Puteri enam berselendang kuning Umbok mayang diumbok Umbok dengan jala jemala Nok ulek mayang diulek Ulek dengan puterinya tujuh Puteri tujuh berbaju serong Puteri tujuh bersanggol sendeng Puteri tujuh bersubang gading Puteri tujuh berselendang kuning Umbok mayang diumbok Umbok dengan jala jemala Nok ulek mayang diulek Ulek dengan tuannya puteri Tuan puteri berbaju serong Tuan puteri bersanggol sendeng Tuan puteri bersubang gading Tuan puteri berselendang kuning Umbok mayang diumbok Umbok dengan jala jemala Nok ulek mayang diulek Ulek dengan tuannya puteri Ku tahu asal usul mu Yang laut balik ke laut Yang darat balik ke darat Nasi berwarna hamba sembahkan Umbok mayang ku umbok Umbok dengan jala jemala Pulih mayang ku pulih Pulih balik sedia kala

I croon for the Mayang Croon it with nets Croon for the Mayang Singing together with her highness the princess Croon for the Mayang Croon it with nets Croon for the Mayang Singing together with the second princess Second princess wears a slanted blouse Second princess sports a slanted headdress Second princess wears ivory earstuds Second princess has a yellow scarf on Persuading the Mayang Persuade it with nets Wanting to croon for the Mayang Singing together with the fourth princess Fourth princess wears a slanted blouse Fourth princess sports a slanted headdress Fourth princess wears ivory earstuds Fourth princess has a yellow scarf on Persuading the Mayang Persuade it with nets Wanting to croon for the Mayang Singing together with the sixth princess Sixth princess wears a slanted blouse Sixth princess sports a slanted headdress Sixth princess wears ivory earstuds Sixth princess has a yellow scarf on Persuading the Mayang Persuade it with nets Wanting to croon for the Mayang Singing together with the seventh princess Seventh princess wears a slanted blouse Seventh princess sports a slanted headdress Seventh princess wears ivory earstuds Seventh princess has a yellow scarf on Persuading the Mayang Persuade it with nets Wanting to croon for the Mayang Singing together with her highness the princess Her highness the princess wears a slanted blouse Her highness the princess sports a slanted headdress Her highness the princess wears ivory earstuds Her highness the princess has a yellow scarf on Persuading the Mayang Persuade it with nets Wanting to croon for the Mayang Singing together with her highness the princess I know all your origins Let those from the sea to return to the sea Let those from the land to return to the land I presents the coloured rice I persuade the Mayang Persuade it with nets I heal with Mayang Bringing back to health

Note: Mayang is a coconut-palm blossom used to chase away spirits

Credit : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulek_mayang

1 liter of tears

Yesterday I spent most of my time in school at the library to help my friends prepare for debate competition. After recess, when I walked around the library, I saw a book. The title was “I don’t want to be crazy” by Samantha Schutz. The book caught my attention so I took it. I put it beside me just in case if I had free time, I want to read it. I took a quick look at the back of the book to look for the description. It was a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. In the end, I don’t have a chance to read the book because my teacher took it. It seems like the book caught her attention too and after that, my friends took it.

The book somehow reminded me of a drama I watched around a year ago. It was based on a true story about a teenage girl named Aya Kitō was diagnosed with a disease called spinocerebellar Degeneration when she was 15 years old. The disease causes the person to lose control over their body, but because the person can retain all mental ability the disease acts as a prison. So in the end she cannot eat, walk or talk.

Through family, medical examinations and rehabilitations, and finally succumbing to the disease, Aya must cope with the disease and live on with life until her death at the age of 25.

                Shortly before her death, her diary was published. Initially, the diary's purpose was for Kitō to chronicle impressions she had about how the disease was affecting her daily life. As the disease progressed, however, the diary became Kitō's outlet for describing the intense personal struggles she underwent in coping, adapting, and ultimately trying to survive her disease. As she notes in one entry, "I write because writing is evidence that I am still alive."

                The diary was given the title of “1 liter of tears” also called A Diary with Tears or A Diary of Tears. The diary has sold over 1.1 million copies in Japan alone.

                I heard that the book can be bought at Kinokuniya Bookstore at KLCC. Now I really want to buy it.

>Nana

On one fine day...

I am sooooo bored >_<

and so.. to end my boredom, i decided to listen to songs on Youtube and end up editing some picture :D

even though I'm using Adobe ImageReady CS2 that I don't know much on how to use it, I'm quite proud of the outcome O_O 

Mother's love

♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥* A MOTHER’S LOVE♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*

A mother’s love is special
Her heart is pure and kind, And no matter
what she's doing
She'll always find time.
Time to stop and listen,
And wipe your tears away.
To smile and make things better
In every single way.
She goes about her business
Doing what she has to do,
But you know that if you need her
She is always there for you.
So when you say a prayer tonight,
Say thanks to God above.
For giving you the privilege
To have known a mother’s love.

Sometimes, at night, before I went to sleep, I imagined what if one day, I lost my mother...  What will happen to me and my family?

When I tried to imagine the day we had her burial, looking at her cold body, her face… I just can’t imagine what I will do… can I hold back my tears? I don’t think I can… but it is not nice to cry in front of the dead… 

Last Sunday, I dreamed about my dad. He died. In my dream, I looked at his face, it hurts a lot. When I woke up, I can’t get the feeling out of me… If only they will be with me through all my life.

Ya Allah please don’t take my parents before I give them their dreams that they didn’t get the chance to fulfill. 

it's been a while~

Hello people ~
it's been a while.. :D
can't update for a while before because the internet is making me crazy >.< while the internet is good right now, I want to use this opportunity to write something in my blog ^_^
hmm.. it has been 2 days after I went for inter-school netball competition. After 3 month of hard work, we brought silver medal  and bronze medal both for U-18 and U-15 category! Furthermore, my face got darker due to sunburn.. a lot of teachers told me, my face got darker. T_T
Anyway.. Let's sing~ 

Vektor 58

When I was wandering around facebook, I found something interesting :D Some people call it Malaysia's version of 'Transformers'.


Vektor 58 
Chain-FX'x first live-action television series 'Vektor 58'. Follows the story of a young girl befriended an alien bio-mech creature she named Arif, who lost his memories from when he crash landed on Earth.

Vektor 58 teaser- Lia featurette

Vektor 58 season 1 trailer

Story by Muhammad Fasya Daud
Written by Amir Hafizi &Fairul Nizam Ablah
Directed by Roshfaizal Ariffin

CAST:

LIA: Ain Satar
ARIF: Ku Mohd Amirul
JULIA: Nor Intan Bhaizura
ANA: Fazlina Datuk Ahmad Daud
NASIR / GREEID: Jefri Jefrizal
IZAK: Mohd Kamarulzaman (Ce’ Kem)
JASMIN: Nur Iylia Insyirah
AZRUL: Norman Hakim
BLOCH: Fadzlie Rahim
MR KAMAL: Ridzuan Hashim
CIKGU NOR ZAIHAN: Nasha Aziz
REPORTER: Elyana
NEWS ANCHOR: Dynas

ATUK DAUD: Datuk Aziz Singah

KAK GEE GEE: Ogy Datuk Ahmad Daud
DR. DEWI: Pushpa Narayan
JAY CHEN: Alan Yun
HARUN LIMAU: Azmaa Aizal Yusof
TOK KETUA: Kaza
YOUNGER LIA: Melly Amalin
YOUNGER JASMIN: Puteri Asyeila Azhar (Upin Ipin)
SYAFIQ: Syafiq Sukar
FARAH: Farah Nabila Saipuddin
AFFAN: Firdaus Affan Saipuddin

Credit : http://vektor58.blogspot.com/

Anime

It has been a while since I last wrote a looooooong post. Hehehe…

Just when I was thinking what kind of post I should share, I think I’ll go with the one that I’ll always look forward every weekend. Anime! The anime I’m watching weekly these days are Guilty Crown and Area No Kishi. I have watched a lot of anime for the past 5 years and I have to admit, most of the English vocabulary I got was from watching anime.

So...      

What is anime?

Anime (アニメi/ˈænɨmeɪ/ or /ˈɑːnɨmeɪ/) is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation." In English-speaking countries, anime refers to a style of animation originating in Japan. Anime, like manga, has a large audience in Japan and recognition throughout the world. Distributors can release anime via television broadcasts, directly to video, or theatrically, as well as online.

The History of Anime

                The history of anime began at the start of the 20th century, when Japanese filmmakers experimented with the animation techniques that were being explored in the West. During the 1970s, anime developed further, separating itself from its Western roots, and developing distinct genres such as mecha and its Super Robot sub-genre. Typical shows from this period include Lupin III and Mazinger Z. During this period several filmmakers became famous, especially Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Oshii.

In the 1980s, anime was accepted in the mainstream in Japan, and experienced a boom in production. The rise of Gundam, Macross, Real Robot, Dragon Ball, and Space Opera set a boom as well. The film Akira set records in 1988 for the production costs of an anime film and went on to become a success worldwide. Later, in 2004, the same creators produced Steamboy, and later took over as the most expensive anime film. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross also became a worldwide success after being adapted as part of Robotech, and Megazone 23 also gained recognition in the West after it was adapted as Robotech: The Movie.

The success of The Walt Disney Company's 1937 feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs influenced Japanese animators.In the 1960s, manga artist and animator Osamu Tezuka adapted and simplified many Disney animation-techniques to reduce costs and to limit the number of frames in productions. He intended this as a temporary measure to allow him to produce material on a tight schedule with inexperienced animation-staff.

The 1970s saw a surge of growth in the popularity of manga – many of them later animated. The work of Osamu Tezuka drew particular attention: he has been called a "legend" and the "god of manga". His work – and that of other pioneers in the field – inspired characteristics and genres that remain fundamental elements of anime today. The giant robot genre (known as "Mecha" outside Japan), for instance, took shape under Tezuka, developed into theSuper Robot genre under Go Nagai and others, and was revolutionized at the end of the decade by Yoshiyuki Tomino who developed the Real Robot genre. Robot anime like the Gundam and The Super Dimension Fortress Macross series became instant classics in the 1980s, and the robot genre of anime is still one of the most common in Japan and worldwide today. In the 1980s, anime became more accepted in the mainstream in Japan (although less than manga), and experienced a boom in production. Following a few successful adaptations of anime in overseas markets in the 1980s, anime gained increased acceptance in those markets in the 1990s and even more at the turn of the 21st century.

Animation technique

Like all animation, the production processes of storyboarding, voice acting, character design, cel production and so on still apply. With improvements in computer technology, computer animation increased the efficiency of the whole production process.

Anime is often considered a form of limited animation. That means that stylistically, even in bigger productions the conventions of limited animation are used to fool the eye into thinking there is more movement than there is. Many of the techniques that are used comprise cost-cutting measures while working under a set budget.

Anime scenes place emphasis on achieving three-dimensional views. Backgrounds depict the scenes' atmosphere. For example, anime often puts emphasis on changing seasons, as can be seen in numerous anime, such as Tenchi Muyo!. Sometimes actual settings have been duplicated into an anime. The backgrounds for the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya are based on various locations within the suburb of Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.

The large majority of anime uses traditional animation, which better allows for division of labor, pose to pose approach and checking of drawings before they are shot – practices favored by the anime industry. Other mediums are mostly limited to independently made short films, examples of which are the silhouette and other cutout animation of Noburō Ōfuji, the stop motion puppet animation of Tadahito Mochinaga, Kihachirō Kawamoto[39] and Tomoyasu Murata and the computer animation of Satoshi Tomioka (most famously Usavich).

Figure 1- Tokyo view (Guilty Crown)

Fansub

                A fansub (short for fan-subtitled) is a version of a foreign film or foreign television program which has been translated by fans and subtitled into a language other than that of the original. They translate the dialogs and sometimes they even translate the songs.

Figure 2- Example of fansub (Ao no Exorcist)

               

For more information, visit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_anime

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fansub