ASAM

ASAMtv Live from Polyfonix: Charles J Tan

2010-12-12T11:23:00.002+11:00

ASAMtv Presents: Love Strips no. 1

2010-12-08T09:53:00.000+11:00

by Lutfi Hakim and Jiayueh Choong for ASAMtv.

Like us on Facebook! http://on.fb.me/theasam

Sketch video up!

2010-11-03T09:00:00.001+11:00

The Asam crew scour Fitzroy Gardens for subjects to capture with their pen, camera and videocameras.

This is the first time ASAM has organised a sketch event, and there will be more to come.

Join us next time!

Video by Lutfi Hakim for ASAMtv.

ASAM sketching session 1

2010-10-30T05:03:00.006+11:00

So we successfully held our first ASAM sketching/photography event.

Turn-up was good, those who woke up early on a sunny Sunday morning reaped benefits in the form of colourful pictures (to add to their collection).

Picture credits go to Christina Seow, Charlene Chen, Tom Kitchen, Ratna Wu, Sue-Anne Lim. For beautiful old-school camera pictures, you can follow Charlene at http://plasticstory.tumblr.com/

Some more pictures of...

Pity Poetry #1

2010-10-23T10:13:00.000+11:00

We try something new this week: Pity Poetry.

This the chance for all the ASAM (otherwise known as Aku Sepi Aku Merana) fans out there, to share their emo-ness to the world.

Don't limit your unhappiness to status messages and constricting tweets, put them here for all cyberspace to see for eternity.

As Shrek would say, 'better out than in!'

As no proper poet managed to send their pieces in time, as the editor I thought I'd get the ball rolling with 2 cringingly amateur, but definitely emo, poems of mine.

If you think you can spare me further embarrassment in the future, send your works to asam.melbourne@gmail.com - Ltf

Soul-baring begins after the jump

Melancholic Me Machine

Melancholy
Bites
Hard
Deep
And long.

Hello...pass me by
Hi...walk on by
Hey...he didn't see
OI!

Sit down at the table
The wallflower the wallflower
Look around for a turn
Burn burn
Open your mouth say something
Learn learn
Lights shut doors close
Done done

Lose your person
Be a machine
Goodbye melancholia
Just function
Process
Then end

Stuck in circles

My words
Have to reach you
Just over this table
With empty dishes
And a candle
That flickers dim
I have to tell you
Now
I try
I never get there
Yet another riddle, again!

It's so clear in my head
But my tongue
holds it down
and for too long
Go!

You leave
We hug
Pat our backs
Good Show

and we leave
to our homes

Best of October's ASAMevent 2010

2010-10-20T13:12:00.001+11:00

Videos after the jump

More to come.

3rd ASAMevent and counting

2010-10-20T13:07:00.000+11:00

I always been in love with live acts where spontaneity rules. Sure, there are hiccups, but a person is only a mere human being. This is the philosophy of ASAMevent.

So what is this ASAMevent? ASAMevent is a platform for people to share their stuff with others. To express their feelings and thoughts to the audience rather than keeping it to their self. Better yet they do it by expressing those sentiments through their songs, poems, movies, and etc.

continues after the jump

We know that many of you are scared to stand in front of others because of the negative imaginations you create in your head. Truth to be told, negative thoughts would always linger around you, but for how long you would want to be a slave to your thoughts? Instead of wasting your time thinking of what others would think, why not you just go out there and show what you are capable of. Its true that you'll never make everyone happy but there will be people who like your stuff. They might have the same state of emotion as yours. They might have the same thoughts as yours. They might change them because of your music, poems, movies and etc.

Just because negative thoughts are easy to be build doesn't mean positive ones are impossible.

Praise to God, the third ASAMevent went on as planned despite all the hiccups, crazy moments, and dramas happening backstage. We're never truly satisfied with our events because we wanted to push ourselves to do better for you guys. Thanks to all our awesome performers who never fail to impress us. And to the audience that made ASAMevent just the way it was. :)

Local boys Fear of A Brown Planet bring up the heat at Allah Made Me Funny's Melbourne gig

2010-10-16T08:00:00.001+11:00

A group of people walked out of the audience after a joke about ANZAC Day. ‘It’s not funny!’ a lady shouted to the comic before walking out with the rest of the group. The comic, Amer Rahman, coolly replied, ‘Then why is everyone else laughing?’

continues after the jump

It was the tensest moment of Allah Made Me Funny. The show, which also featured the Fear of a Brown Planet boys (hence, Amer), was not a show for politically correct humour. Why should it be? When your line-up consists of a black guy, 3 brown guys, and a Palestinian from Kuwait, political correctness would limit their brilliance, and waste our time. TV serves us enough PC, shows like this should keep it real and poke and ridicule the inconsistencies of the establishment and really push through how it feels like to be a minority. And they better make sure their words bite.

The walk-out showed that this sort of material can still rub some people raw. Local Melbourne act Fear of a Brown Planet, comprised of Amer and Nazeem Hussain, were sharper and more pointed in their observations than the Americans. Their jokes were attack after attack on ‘white people’, proving that ‘white guilt’ continues to be a gift that keeps on giving for ethnic stand-ups. I knew I would’ve squirmed in my seat had I been the target of those jokes. It was one of the rare occasions where you’re better off as a ‘coloured person’ in Australian society.

The Americans held their own of course. What they lacked in savagery, they made up in polish and poise.
You really can’t go wrong when you have greats such as Preacher Moss and Azhar Usman in the house. They make the business of making people laugh seem deceptively effortless. Theirs were more measured performances. They brought some heat to the stage, but didn't really try to burn anything down.

It was an interesting contrast. On one hand, the Melbourne boys brought to the stage a racial approach to humour, while the Americans, pardon the cliché, seemed to want to hold hands and sing Kumbaya. The bigger irony is America’s supposed to be the racist country while Melbourne’s the celebrated multicultural city. You wouldn’t have thought that through the show, not with jokes about Melburnians randomly bashing up Punjabi-speaking commuters in trains.

Maybe it’s just the boys. Maybe Fear of A Brown Planet is a gross misrepresentation of Melbourne, ,and by extension Australia, as an ignorant city full of xenophobes. They may be painting a false picture that no local can recognise, simply making these outrageous statements to get themselves notice. The young crowd of ethnic minorities who whoop and cheer at them may just be happy to see someone who likes them under the limelight for a change. This same crowd of dedicated fans which attend every Brown Planet gig certainly because they like what they say, but maybe also because they can identify with what’s being said.

Maybe Fear of A Brown Planet is actually on to something.

Joaquin Phoenix doesn't want to be famous?

2010-10-13T08:00:00.004+11:00

We will never know if Casey Affleck made a mistake when he let slip that 'I'm Still Here' is a work of fiction early in the film's release. The announcement, planned or otherwise, colours how a viewer views this mockumentary.

For a long time, the many stunts, appearance and media buzz that sprung from Joaquin Pheonix career change allowed the project to be question mark in the public's mind: is this actually happening?
The number of views, column inches and airtime that the Letterman appearance alone generated showed how valuable this confusion was to the makers of the movie.

Continues after the jump

For the benefit of those without E!, I'm Still Here follows the supposed career change of award-winning actor Joaquin ('Walk-in') Phoenix from movies to music, more specifically rap.
Having tire of directors, producers, and writers telling him where to stand, what to say, where to look, 'JP' looks to the music industry as a way out of his 5 star rut and an opportunity to fully realise his creativity.
His attempt to establish himself as a real rap artist is littered with A-Listers from the entertainment industry along with the obscene pleasures that stardom allows.
The movie consists of doco-style footage, beginning from the point where he makes his sudden announcement on the red carpet of a movie premier.

Like a star on its last legs, we see JP physically expand the more he nears his point of implosion at the end of the movie. The chiselled bod flabs out, and his appearance gets rattier with every frame.

It seems almost inappropriate, but comparisons can be made between this movie and MJ's final bow 'This is it'.
Both feature circles of deferential, adoring aides who will not question the wisdom of 'the talent' no matter how far down he's slid. Out of love, they agree with whatever he says and rationalise whatever faults.
No one says no to JP. By doing so they become enablers of his self-destruction.

Is this project then an honest exploration of celebrity or a couple of A-listers' self-indulgent way of spending some lazy millions? For the amount of effort it took the makers to craft the elaborate hoax that actually put their credibilities on the line, I give them the benefit of the doubt.
There is more to 'I'm still here' than the graphic benefits of stardom portrayed. There is thought amidst the chaos: the pain in the pleasure of the empty lifestyle, the frustration of not being able to see a real way out of an unfulfilled life, and the humiliating disappearance into nothingness.

It may not be immediately obvious, but any lingering doubts of Joaquin Phoenix's talent vanishes after this outstanding performance.

Letterman vs JP , Round 2

Short Flicks 2010: good stories shine through anyway

2010-10-09T08:00:00.014+11:00

I guess it’s natural to be dismissive of home movies. We generally like our entertainment to be shiny and smooth-looking, qualities generally absent from the grainy outputs of our wannabe auteur friends.

For the technical purist, La Trobe Student Film and Theatre’s Short Flicks, would have been an unmitigated disaster. In the time it took to watch the 9 shorts, you would have learned a lot about how not to shoot a film.

continues after the jump

Not being a friend’s home screening, slipping out for a drink midway wasn’t an option. Sitting through it was the only polite thing to do, besides being the only option. Slinking out unnoticed from the middle row of a cinema is actually very hard to do.

By now, I would’ve made a fair number of new enemies with the above review, but wait seething friends, there’s more!

Films are more than just dollies and good lighting and good, levelled sound, it’s also about the story.

Technique has to come paired Tale. We end up with Avatar otherwise.

The short films screened at Short Flicks offered many different stories to the viewers. The coordinators selected very well, and judging by the audience’s reaction, their efforts were much appreciated.

The beauty of the short film format is the flexibility to experiment and really be out there, without having to really worry about trivial matters like continuity, plausibility and the like.

The shorts on show demonstrated this. The final selection covered a wide range of genres, from bro-coms to surrealist love stories. There were few dull moments in the program.

WHAT WE LIKED:

Blended

Built around the simple premise of being slusheed by a masked stalker, George Lingard’s beautifully shot tale of suspense plays on the paralysing dread we feel when facing predictably bad days.

In the dark

Is there a term for human-furniture romance? This short film follows the budding romance between a girl and a desk lamp. A surreal love story set in the suburbs, we see how everything just wants to be loved.

Eulogy

Almost like a stoner movie of two bros writing each other’s eulogies. Almost.

Short Flicks introduces future auteurs

2010-09-29T09:00:00.002+10:00

by Syar S Alia

Short Flicks is a short film program held by La Trobe Student Theatre & Film and has been going on for more than 10 years. We ask for script submissions - they can be about anything and can be anywhere between 1 minute (or even less if you want) to about 20 minutes (we negotiate with those who want to do something longer, we try and encourage people to keep it simple) - sometime in May, select from those submissions a handful to support and fund. We have 9 this year that has made it all the way from script, and on October 4th when we show them at ACMI cinemas, to screen.

continues after the jump

Our 9 films run the gamut from comedy to film noir to drama to the surreal. There's a simple romantic comedy by Alison White called That Voice Inside Your Head. An irate busker harasses a man by throwing smoothies in his face in Blended by George Lingard. Shed by Kiefer Findlow shows the tense conditions of an interrogation. Departure is a project by Eugene Ford he hopes is a small beginning to a larger future project that tells the story of a young gay man sent away to a Christian "deprogramming" camp. Janus by Beth Myring is a noir about a woman running away from her husband and other pursuers. Two friends discuss what they would say at the other's funerals in Eulogy by Tom Keele. Matt Harvey makes a mockumentary about how mp3s are affecting the life of buskers in iBusk. Mark Petrolo's It Killed The Cat tells the tale of a housesitter, a houseowner and a cat. And In the Dark by Sean McCart tells the story of two housemates and a chatty household appliance.

We're really proud to present these films which premiere on October 4th at 8pm in ACMI (the Australian Centre of the Moving Image). A lot of the films that have been made under the auspices of the Short Flicks programme (an estimated 100 or more have been made during its run) have gone on to feature in other film festivals and competitions so if you come, you might catch the first works of a future Scorsese or Godard.

Tickets are $15 full and $10 concession. We'll be meeting up afterwards for a chat and a drink (not provided, unfortunately) at Transport Bar in Federation Square so any attendees can have a chat with the filmmakers and the cast and crew if they like.

Phone 9479 1198 or email latrobeshortflicks@gmail.com for more info (on the event OR to participate in the future!) and call 8663 2583 for bookings.

In Sydney: The Robots Came... and Went

2010-09-18T15:52:00.023+10:00

When I first came to Melbourne, I was intrigued with public sculptures in the city, like the three business men and the dog at the corner of Collins and Swanston St, which is apparently named Larry Latrobe!

credit: http://melbourneartcritic.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/melbourne’s-public-sculpture/

I mean, sculptures makes us stop and ~~stare~~ admire, and think; which is what I was happy to see happen in Sydney for The Robots Are Coming exhibition (being part of the organizing team that made it happen).

continues after the jump

The theme of the exhibition was ‘the impact of technology in today’s society’, featuring 5 robots designed and built mainly by emerging artists.

There was GLOW, a robot that lights up. It was built by Poppy Suksomboon, a light designer who wanted to raise awareness on lighting efficiency. She picked up the television from a junk pile on the side of a road whilst driving by one day.

I managed to witness an excursion by a nearby pre-school to visit the robots, since the exhibition coincided with the letter of the week, R! The children were absolutely delighted when one of the teachers switched GLOW on.

AERO ROCK—winner of crowd favourite prize. It was built by John Sungjin Lee, a aeronautical engineer who sourced his materials from a second hand junk market. An old school projector was used for the head, apparently Wall E-inspired,and a pet cage formed most of its abdomen.

He ripped out his drawers from his study table to make the wings of the robot (just right under the shoulders)! Now that’s dedication.

John later demonstrated to us that his robot is safe to sit on.

BINBOTS, constructed from scratch by Luke Hespanhol to resemble city council bins offering flowers to passer-bys to lighten up their day.

A simple concept, but adored by many! Reasons being that it’s technology for an environmental cause, besides looking pleasingly cute.

ALICE—winner of grand prize, judged by a panel of 7 judges, consisting of journalists, art critics and engineers. Alice’s winning quality was its interactive element, inviting its audience to play with the curtain of mirrors pieces, to see oneself as a robot in the reflections; because robots are essentially a reflection of humans.

Also, one judge quoted that they could see it being a friendly display in their garden!

For the prize giving ceremony… we had it on a milk crate stage (which I slaved my back carrying it up and down the train station, borrowed them from nearby cafes)!

The Robots Are Coming was an initiative was organised by Robogals, a Australian-based, student non-profit organization that has expanded to the UK, forming 12 chapters across two continents in just 3 years. Robogals engages female school students in engineering and technology topics from a young age, with the long-term aim of increasing female enrolment in engineering, science and technology courses at universities.

In pursuit of this goal, Robogals’ primary activity is training university student volunteers in LEGO robotics and then sending them to visit primary schools to teach young girls, and to mentor teams in the FIRST LEGO League robotics competition. An important goal of the organization is not only to have a positive impact on the schools, but also to provide a rewarding experience for the dedicated university students who volunteer their time and skills to the project. Robogals has taught over 850 girls this year in Australia alone.

The organisation was set up by a group of female engineers within the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Melbourne in July 2008; stemming from a realisation by founder Marita Cheng that their faculty substantially lacked of females.

Since then, Robogals has been expanding through holding Bootcamps and Conferences.

Organised as a publicity stunt to raise awareness about Robogals, the exhibition was held from 5-11 September 2010 at Wynyard Park in Sydney, a transportation hub. We estimated that a good hundreds of thousands of pedestrians/commuters saw the robots or had lunch with them.

The exhibition is inspired by the Berlin Buddy Bears, where artists’ conceptions of bears have a dominating presence as decorative elements in the streets.

All in all, it was a good example of a rare collaboration how engineering ties into (everyday street) art.

Picture credits go to Luke Hespanhol

Spring 2010: what to wear?

2010-09-18T14:50:00.002+10:00

Say goodbye to harsh weather and icy winds, Melbourne, because winter is finally over. It's finally time to keep our heavy coats away, reorganize our wardrobes and make way for spring. This season, it's a lot about getting girly and feminine- lace, nude, light-wash chambray and flowers!

Style tips and more after the jump!

Lace, leather and nude

Lace has been making a strong comeback for the past few seasons and it seems that it's not going anywhere, so count on it as your spring staple. Seductive yet playful, work nude lace for spring and match with a light colored leather jacket and a pair of brogues.

Light-washed denim, chambray shirts, skirts and accessories

Light-washed chambray shirts are back this season. So laid back and relaxed, wear it fitted with jeans or oversized over a pair of leggings. Looking for a more flirtatious look? Chambray frilled short skirts are youthful and can be paired with many other spring-friendly wardrobe staples. The key is that you shouldn't wear them both together, but a piece of the two can definitely be worn with denim accessories.

Flowers prints and accessories

Spring is not complete without flower prints! Be prepared to look ultimately feminine with soft fabrics - they emphasize femininity. Get a a dress, maxi, or loose shirts and make your key pieces pop out by pairing them with jeans or a plain skirt. Finally, be sure to indulge in spring by wearing flower headbands, clips and rings.

Now you know what's hitting the stores this season, have fun dressing up!

'14 years on, Sheila on 7 is still our home'

2010-09-18T09:00:00.003+10:00

ASAMtv is super excited to introduce our latest guest: SHEILA ON 7!

video after the jump

We spoke to Duta, Eross and Adam after their extended set at the Melbourne Town Hall.

After 14 years of Sheila on 7, gaining spouses and losing spouses along the way, their music still top the charts and thrill fans the world over.

Sheila on 7 performed in Melbourne as one of the acts featured in PPIA Monash's SoundSekerta Awards 2010.

Presenter: Azrina Iqbal
Camera: Nazir Harith
Producer: Lutfi Hakim

Make anything a reason for you to write

2010-09-15T09:00:00.020+10:00

So you're a writer in your mid 20s/30s. Yes young, and have everything else against you. Are you being overly critical

or is it just the nature of young ones to feel insecure and think that nothing is right.

Credit: Dylan

When, you first picked up a pen and wrote, you just wanted to bash everything up, from the public's bad taste in music, typical soapy films that you think should only be in vcds, not in the cinema, on how cities should have more green places and so on and so forth.

Apart from maybe causing an uproar to the readers, you gain something. You revise your style of writing, your language, and your content. Maybe back then you are 'too young' and wanted some attention from the readers that you opt for extreme edgy kind of writings. Though, not all things suddenly turns wrong. It's just you.

continues after the jump

Credit: VancouverFilmSchool

I went for a lecture that was held during this Melbourne Writers Festival 2010 on young people and the media. Three obviously young confident speakers gave their bits on how the young cope/work in big media company where the old guards are not preparing to back off yet.

They spoke basically about everything. And it's kind of true that veterans in the media still are not prepared for the influx of young people charging into media companies; it obviously makes sense. Since they still think that you should take some time before taking up the big jobs in media company.

What the speakers agreed on were that young writers should not take this as an obstacle. Instead, take it as an encouragement to explore more. Go to places, do research, interact with people and write, write and write. Be confinfident and act professionally. There will always be critics, but you yourself have to put up your act together and improve. You just have to find a way to become better.

Not all old people share that perception of young writers. There are those, who really want to see you succeed so you as a young writer should take the opportunity to engage with them. Since their knowledge and experience contains everything you need to become a good writer.

For those who are interested in this field, the same old remedy you should put in mind; hard work, never give up and explore more. As these are the things that the three of them agree upon.

So wanna be a writer?

sunday sketching, 26/9/2010, 10.30am

2010-09-14T22:45:00.007+10:00

Date: Sunday 26^th September

Time: 10.30am

Venue: Fitzroy Gardens, meet outside conservatory

http://www.fitzroygardens.com/Index%20Page.htm

Activity:

Photography, drawing

You need not be an amazing artist, just bring some pen and paper or your camera. Meet us, get into chat mode, and we’ll get some creative juices flowing in no time! And soon, we’ll be exchanging notes and ideas! It’ll be fun!

And the best part is, it’s FREE! (Did you know that people pay amounts to sketch at life drawing classes?)

Jia's story after the jump

Our story begins…one drizzling day in Melbourne, two ~~jobless~~ young girls

decided to hang out at Federation Square to sketch for inspiration.

The end result:

Determined to add more cute doodles to their sketchbook, for future uses besides brushing up on their hand drawing skills, the girls began roaming cafes and random spots across Melbourne city, sitting down to doodle/sketch more.

Until one day…

So they approached the ASAM team…

Hence ASAM sketching is born!

What to bring:

· your own sketchbook/papers
· pens/paint/brushes/pencils
· camera for photography-lovers
· newspaper/picnic rag (to protect thy royal bottom from mouldy wet patches)

What you will get out of it:

· pretty pictures to add to your folio
· more artsy friends/~~more people to promote your business to~~
· fun!

How to get there:

· From Collin St, take tram route 109 to box hill/ 112 to Preston
· From Flinders St, take tram 75 to Vermont South
· Alternatively take the free city circle tram from Flinders St, heading to Spring St. Ask driver for stop near gardens.

Contact Jia at 04 03 568 650 if you get/feel lost.

We 'eid' too much

2010-09-11T09:14:00.000+10:00

We're taking a break to rest our bursting stomaches today.

Who knew having so many nasi himpits, rendangs, almond londons, tat nenas and assorted other juadah cause so much discomfort!

From the ASAM family, Selamat Hari Raya!

Cory Doctorow: Artists earn more from sales if they do more

2010-09-08T09:00:00.006+10:00

Don’t hate that downloader, he might be making you rich. ‘The most profligate downloaders are the most profligate anything,’ according to Cory Doctorow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, ‘They are the ones who enjoy the most music, the one who downloads the most music and goes to the most gigs.’ Artists and content creators risk destroying valuable, financially lucrative, relationships by coming down hard on the illegal activity of these fans.

credit: Meet The Media Guru

Mr Doctorow was in Melbourne to give a lecture titled ‘Copyright versus creativity’ as part of this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival.

He suggested that improving the leverage between artists and distributors is the key to better financial outcomes for content makers, and not by increasing the ever-tightening grip of copyright laws. He cited as an example the income distribution from song purchases on Apple’s iTunes Music Store. Apple takes half of every 99 cents a song sells for through iTunes’ American store, and the remaining 50% is shared between the label and the artists. The label makes a contractual claim to 6/7th of that 50%, which gives the band roughly 7 cents to share between them.

‘The best way to improve artists’ lives is by making it cheaper for them to get paid,’ he explained. Labels, publishers, and closed distribution channels like iTunes incur costs in making a work public [VIDEO LINK]. They print it, promote it, distribute it, they basically take the risk of making a business out of the artist’s content. They stand to lose or gain from the product offered, just like in any other business activity, and can claim the lion’s share of revenue for their effort.

Doctorow calls for artists to do more for their selves to loosen the grip that labels and publishers have over their work.

‘The more an artist can do for herself, the more control she has over her destiny,’ he said.

Marriage, the invitation to bridal misery

2010-09-04T09:00:00.007+10:00

By Jiayueh Choong

credit:

LadyVampiress

So I’ve found the reason why Disney insists on playing on the sappy story line where the ditzy princess’ aim in life is no higher than settling for marriage with Mr. Love-at-first-sight.

Ever noticed that treasure-seeking adventure stories mostly involve an exploding temple/shrine/cove? I believe that therein lies a subconscious moral, to warn us that money should not come that easily to those who don’t work hard for it. Robbing/taking treasure that you did not collect comes with great life-threatening risks.

Likewise with mainstream stories which revolve around a gay couple. The reason why Jake Gyllenhal’s character in Brokeback Mountain had to die was, conspiredly, because it was not natural(right) to be homosexual. The original Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid—you know the one where the mermaid had to die because interspecies love was deemed unnaturally wrong? Poor dear had to turn to sea foam, because sea maids don’t got no soul—was also to ‘educate’ us precisely what Brokeback Mountain did.

So I’ve always thought about the “Marriage Benefit Imbalance”, confirmed by Elizabeth Gilbert’s discussion about it in Committed (Eat Pray Love’s sequel).

The Marriage Benefit Imbalance is about how women always lose out in marriages, compared to men.

Compared to single men, married men are more likely to live longer, accumulate more wealth, excel in their careers; and less likely to suffer from alcoholism , depression and drug addiction. Married men are also less like to suffer a violent death than single men.

Now looking at females—compared to single women, married women do not thrive as much in their careers, they are significantly less healthy and more likely to suffer from depression. The worst part is that married women are more likely to suffer a violent death, most of the time, at the hands of a husband.

This coincides with ‘the western problem’—when women in any one society become more educated and subsequently financially independent and autonomous. Now having a lot more options in life than settling down to make family, they delay getting married and child-bearing in exchange for pursuit of their dreams.

If you follow my train of explanations, it would be not be surprising if I say that romantic comedies are not supplied to benefit the female audience, but rather to persuade them into binding themselves into contract that provides diminishing returns. i.e. Nagging at the ever static husband, and minding troublesome kids.

Not to say that people don’t marry for love, and we should (just not all the time though haha!). One of the many more observations Gilbert has made about marriage is that when people start marrying for love, the divorce rates escalate.

Committed is a personal reflection of Gilbert’s frantic research into the topic of marriage, as she is required to marry her Australian/Brazilian sweetheart Felipe, to secure him permanent residence in the United States. Gilbert positions herself as a marriage skeptic—as Felipe and her having been survivors of two very bad and separate divorces—and uses the research as a checklist to make peace with the condition of getting marriage, which she sees as forced onto her by the US government.

Committed stays true to Gilbert’s style of writing, never forgetting to include insightful life anecdotes to prove her arguments, while remaining (irritatingly) self-righteous at times. It is more matter-of-factly narrated compared to Eat Pray Love—instead of dictating the sequence of events as it goes, Gilbert seems to be addressing the reader more, regarding the concept of marriage.

Committed is a must read for anyone of any age who is considering/non-considering marriage.

A backstage ticket to Malam Gemilang 2010's trailer shoot

2010-09-01T09:00:00.002+10:00

In a special collaboration with KUAM, ASAMtv goes behind the scenes of this year's Malam Gemilang trailer shoot.

The producers recreate the feel of a 60s cocktail party on a chilly afternoon in a Melbourne suburb, with cues from classic P Ramlee films, giving it a unique Malaysian flavour.

Check out the costumes!

Video by Lutfi Hakim for ASAMtv.

Malam Gemilang 2010 Trailer after the jump.

Just Acapella it!

2010-08-31T09:00:00.000+10:00

So you think you got talent eh? Rest assure, your not the only one with the talent. Here are round of talents that i've managed to gather, thanks to Youtube that had made the talent-sphere more reachable which might inspire you out there to go for extra mile. Seriously, don't hold back, unleash your talent. Who knows you might change the world. ;)

The Acapella.

So it's Merdeka again...

2010-08-28T09:00:00.045+10:00

The humidity, the heat, the haze, we are thousands of miles away from all that.

credit: Zaiful

The cramped units of the cheap flats, the perilous hours on the roads; some of us have never seen that, some of us would rather forget.
But come the 31st, we raise our hands chant, 'Merdeka.'

It was a Merdeka dinner, for investors. Elegant crystal glasses next to fine delicate cuisine, these were people with interests in the country's continued prosperity. Here they were, raising their glasses to our country's independence, toasting to a good year ahead. Nevermind they weren't Malaysian.

It just seemed bizzare.

Maybe it's becaues they're old and I'm young, and my friends are young. Merdeka's a nice excuse to have a party but you don't really think about it.

What for? There's residency requirements to worry about, you've got to keep a constant eye out for jobs on seek; it's not easy to fit that within the schema of 'Malaysia Merdeka Maju Jaya'.

Malaysia's Merdeka is our history, but Melbourne is our present. We owe great gratitude to our forefathers for getting us here but that gratitude's not going to move us forward in life.

The date reminds us where we come from. It just doesn't inspire us the way it inspires the investors.

credit: Zunar

Wanita dalam Pasungan: Some girls just don't get it

2010-08-28T09:00:00.025+10:00

This movie was made in the late 70's, we were reminded halfway through the Q&A. 'Women in Indonesia then weren't expected to voice out,' Hendrick Gozali, the illustrious Indonesian producer, said. Male figures were not to be challenged. The thought itself was indecent for women.

So goes the thread in the movie 'Wanita dalam Pasungan' (Shackled Woman), a movie from 1980 screened as part of the Indonesian Film Festival. Fitria, a Javanese girl from Jogjakarta, is put under pasungan by her father to lift her insanity. He locks her away for years until a nosy Jakartan reporter discovers her existence and convinces her to tell her story.

She lived in Jakarta in domestic bliss with husband Andy and children. Until an old friend arrived.

Marni's arrival in the city sparked Fitria's jealousy. Marni and Andy's intimacy soon became the neighbourhood's gossip fare, creating doubts in Fitria's mind. 'Why shouldn't he like Marni?' Fitria imagined, 'she's prettier, she's more tender, she makes a better wife.'

A letter found in Andy's shirt pocket brought thing to a head. Unwilling to confront her husband, Fitria gave in to black magic as a solution. A few drops of penawar was all it was going to take to make Marni forget Andy, but not long after she dies.

Believing that she killed Marni, Fitria started having psychotic episodes. Her father came over from Jogja and challenged her to eat dung to prove her sanity, which she does as her ultimate rebellion against her father.

Women have voices, Men have hearts

There were many points in the movie where I felt that not much has changed, if at all. The housewives' suburban conversations could've been lifted from an episode of Desperate Housewives. Conspiratorial and ever distrustful of their men, they tire themselves sharing notes with each other than working out their issues with the husbands.

Have men changed? There's no definite answer to that. But in Fitria's case, she had beside her a caring, considerate and sympathic husband, who never stopped trying to find out what bothered her. Does she respond in kind? No. Instead she stonewalls, not even allowing herself a chance to see how good a husband Andy really is.

This is the real tragedy in this tale. It isn't the years after she spends shackled, or that her children grew up without a mother; it's the fact that society's expectations on women won out even in situations where it was ridiculous.

This was a cautionary tale in 1980 when the movie was first released. It's just as timely today.

Could that be why Mr Gozali chose this film out of many to be featured in this years Indonesian Film Festival?

CINtA: Nafsu pintu iman?

2010-08-25T11:20:00.005+10:00

Tema Cinta sememangnya tema yang laris didagangkan didalam mana-mana produk baik dari penulisan, komposisi musik maupun filem. Namun intepretasi seorang karyawan dalam mempersembahkan tema ini berbeza-beza selari dengan apa yang seorang karyawan mahu audien mereka rasa.

Lambakan filem-filem yang menjadikan cinta sebagai tema utama dalam penceritaan mungkin kadang merimaskan namun harus kita sedar bahawa ini adalah satu tema yang universal dan utuh untuk dipersembahkan sejak mula manusia bekarya.

CINtA adalah satu filem pendek arahan Steven Facius yang baru sahaja tamat pengajian di Jakarta institute of Art dan karyanya ini adalah projek akhir tahun graduasi. Cinematografi filem ini memang baik disamping warna gambar yang merefleksikan elemen ikhlas dalam menyampaikan karya. Mungkin pembaca terpinga dan rasa seakan pernah menonton filem ini dek kerana terdapat beberapa filem keluaran Malaysia dan Indonesia yang menggunakan tajuk yang sama. Namun karya Steven Facius ini bukan seperti kisah cinta yang lain yang sarat memainkan emosi penonton yang fokus semata-mata pada hubungan antara sang teruna dan dara (Yang berakhir dengan pasangan berjaya melalui lautan duka lara dengan cinta mereka)

Menggunakan pendekatan naratif yang saya fikir amat menarik sekali, penonton diperkenalkan pada situasi dua watak utama tanpa perlu melalui proses introduksi (musika, sentimental) yang panjang. Ia berkisar antara hubungan antara dua insan agama berbeza. Pada mulanya saya skeptikal kerana sudah kerap disajikan hubungan sebegini yang berakhir dengan sama ada tindakan ekstrim pasangan kekasih ataupun yang seorangnya menganut agama pasangannya.

Ianya bermula hanya dengan permintaaan A Su seorang lelaki cina Buddha yang mahu memperisterikan Siti seorang perempuan muslim. Kedua pasangan ini pada kiraan saya sudah pun nekad untuk hidup bersama disamping kesungguhan A Su cuba untuk mendalami agama Islam (dapat dilihat pada babak-babak awal) agar nanti pernikahan mereka boleh dilalui melalui proses yang sah.

Namun kedua keluarga mereka menjadi penghalang. Di pihak Siti, kedua ibu bapanya sudah punya calon untuk dia, manakala bapa A Su menentang keras kerana peristiwa silam yang berlaku pada ibu A Su yang sudah pun meninggal dunia.

Jalannya ceritanya seakan menuju ke pengakhiran kebiasaan. Dimana A Su melaungkan syahadah (salah satu keperluan dalam memeluk agama Islam) di hadapan rumah Siti. Namun bapa Siti keluar dan bertempik bahawa A Su memeluk Islam tidak ikhlas dan hanya menurut nafsu. Kata-kata Ah Su sebagai jawapan kepada bapa Siti sangat menyentuh,

"habis siapa saya?"

kerana pada sebelah keluarganya bapanya sudah tidak mengakuinya anak, dan menurut bapa Siti dia bukan Islam dek kerana telaah bapa Siti, A Su tidak ikhlas. Yang sekaligus melontarkan persoalaan kepada penonton apakah soal ikhlas mahupun tidak, adakah ianya hak insan untuk menilai?

A Su pulang kembali ke bapanya, dan disitu Siti lari ke rumah A Su dan ternampak akan pertengkaran A Su dan bapanya yang kemudian sekaligus membawa cerita ini ke daerah yang lain. Siti menulis surat kepada A Su yang dia akan menikah dengan pilihan keluarga. Babak perbualan Siti dengan ibunya saya kira bagus kerana lain dari cerita konvensional dimana si anak memang sudah tak hirau akan nasihat ibu bapa. Di sini ibu Siti melontarkan persoalan rasional yang membuatkan Siti berfikir dari menurut emosi secara membuta.

Akhirnya A Su dan Siti bertemu buat kali terakhir dan Siti memberikan penjelasan akan kenapa cinta ini tidak boleh lanjut. Dan cerita di akhiri dengan naratif daripada Siti. Kedua manusia ini membawa haluan sendiri dan tidak bersama di akhir cerita.

Saat Siti melihat pertengkaran A Su dan ayahnya adalah saat dimana saya rasa Siti kembali menguasai dirinya dari emosi dan berfikir secara rasional yang cinta antara dia dan A Su sahaja tidak cukup untuk menjamin kebahagian. Di sini Siti seakan mampu menerjah ke masa hadapan akan keperitan yang bakal dilalui oleh mereka jika bersama, resepsi masyarakat, disamping terpaksa melukakan orang tua mereka yang bagi saya adalah satu tindakan yang amat bijak.

Ya, mungkin anda boleh memperdebatkan cinta mampu mengatasi semuanya namun dalam kehidupan realiti ianya tak semudah seperti dalam cerita filem 'happy-ending-love-will-triump-all" yang lambakan berada di pasaran paparan cerita cinta yang mudah sahaja menggadaikan prinsip-prinsip atau keutamaan lebih besar seperti soal keyakinan, hubungan kekeluargaan, masyarakat dan perjalanan hidup di masa yang mendatang.

Pokoknya harus tahu meletakkan aras cinta insani kerana hakikatnya, bukan cinta insani asbab tunggal kita untuk hidup bahagia di dunia ini.

Tayangan filem CINtA ini adalah sempena Festival Filem Indonesia yang ke-5 di Australia yang berlangsung pada 20 hingga 29 Ogos 2010.

Crashing at SoundSekerta event.

2010-08-21T09:00:00.001+10:00

Oh My Goshhhh, we did our first international artist interview!! Sorry for being all over excited! Pardon me.
Ok (exhale, inhale) . Last week we TERJAH at our neighbor nation event to see on what is the fuss about it. SoundSekerte as they call it, is a anual event held by PPIA to celebrate the traditional Indonesia culture and the modern indonesian culture.

For a start they have the coolest host ever. Pulling of lots of seriously good jokes that had made the audience laugh their lungs out (though we were having a problem understanding the jokes are). Apart from the traditional performance they also held Awards for the Indonesian studying/living here.

Lets go to best part, they have Ello for the first guest artist performer. At first I was kind of blur on who is this dude that have some kind of affaction with lots of this Indonesian girls. After singing Oasis and Radiohead cover, I have to admit that this macho-like dude is GOOD! I was informed that he was an Indonesia Idol winner, so no wonder. I should have studied his song earlier before coming to the event since most of his Indonesian song I really haven't have heard of. Yeah what a loss.

Right after that, the one and only Sheila On 7 came off rocking the stage. This is my all time favorite Indonesian band which I've listen to over and over during those schooling days. Playing their top-chart songs, they sure knew the audience mood well! Eros couldn't have been better with those smooth lead which I've been dreaming to watch him play live.

Overall it was awesome stuff by Sheila On 7. 14 years and still rocking. The best part is, we got them on ASAMtv!!! which would be at the web anytime soon, kan Mr Editor ;)
Roger and off.