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Playing for Change ... 14th February 2009
Wetbgru omong:
Let's get together and feel all right
That is a short excerpt from Bob Marley's One Love; one of the most recognizable
reggae Jamaican music.
People say there are two things that can make people come together in a consensus: food & music. The former might
be discussed later on, but for today's interest, I'll focus on the latter.
Ebil has done a good explanation of what Playing for Change does as a means to promote togetherness in the name
of the human race. To put it in words, simply, we are a race of humans and we have divided ourselves based on
our own construction of communities (e.g. race, popular affiliations, work identity, self-identity). The basis
of our own presence is the fact that we are humans. Despite that, we prefer to belong to a particular group
that gives us a sense of identity. Playing for Change attempts to transcend this social compliance and remind
us that to be together is definitely not a difficult task. They do this via music.
It is remarkable to see people from different geographical locations being able to sing in synchrony. This shows
that we can work together for a particular common theme. Really, the equation towards harmony is truly simple and
a no-brainer, but we churn despicable evil or inhumane acts from our hearts and brains; the two
mechanisms that
were originally intended for another different purpose.
So, when you listen to the Playing for Change tracks, just bear in mind what have you done that could promote an
understanding between your brothers & sisters. By that, I am not referring to your blood relatives. Remember, we
are in this together, so the person living across the street, or across the hallway, or halfway around the globe,
we are your brothers & sisters.
One love people, one love and stand by one another so that we don't have to worry for the worst.
Ebil says:
From what I have gathered from the sexy Internet, Playing for Change is basically a foundation that helps musicians and
their communities throughout the world by providing music resources; build schools; provide supplies, and a couple of
other things. So basically it is aiding impoverished communities throughout the world through music.
This foundation covered old songs such as Ben E. King's Stand By Me and Bob Marley's One Love to promote its cause.
Watching the videos for the first time on Youtube, I thought it was a foundation to promote peace due to the recent
attacks on Gaza and since they were from a documentary called Playing for Change: Peace Through Music.
Listening to the songs one can interpret them in any way they want. Just because the foundation it is to aid
poverty-stricken communities that does not mean it can't be songs to promote peace ... the documentary is titled that
anyway. The songs can be used to spread L.O.V.E among people of different races and religions, and I do know one country
that badly needs it: Malaysia.
Just as Robert Fripp once said, "Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence."
Those who are supersensitive can replace wine with Milo or any other beverages that you think is the epitome of goodness.
The way I interpret Mr. Fripp's quote: music is the international language of mankind. Some messages and feelings that are
intangible can be clearly expressed; understood; felt through music alone. Thus, this makes music a great medium to spread
messages.
The recent war on Gaza was a great example of bullying. No matter who started the war bottom-line is the fact that it was an
out of proportion war! Children, women, and old people were killed, not to forget the use of phosphorous. Such horrific war
arouses rage among Palestinians.
Hate dominates and this is a mutual feeling between Israel and Palestine. I believe not all Israelis are evil nor are all
Palestinians and I am sure there are people from these two countries who want the ridiculous conflict to end. Sure there
are NGOs and other organisation that would and could spread the peace message, but we could also contribute by spreading
the message through songs.
Playing for Change's covers on songs such as Stand By Me and One Love are songs that would touch people's heart. These are
songs that would make you stop and think why should we view people in terms of race and religion but not as human beings?
Human beings may speak different languages, come from different backgrounds, and have different physical attributes, but it
is these differences that make us unique and well ... humans. Why can we not see one another as just that?
So get rid of your black and white television and buy yourself a high-definition flat screen coloured-television. The world
is a wonderful and colourful place. Once you set aside your differences and start to listen which in turn comes understanding
that is when your eyes will open and realise that everyone is the same. Indeed this is one of the plenty of messages and
feelings one can decipher from the songs covered by Playing for Change.
The songs were covered by people from various parts of the world and they – cheesy as it sounds – sang the songs from their
hearts. Regardless of their backgrounds, they sang with one mutual feeling: L.O.V.E!
Mwhuahuahuahua
I am not an expert in music, but what I can say is that the artists were ridiculously talented and they enjoyed what they
were doing! Personally, I think that is the most important thing when singing.
The song Stand By Me is my favourite. In the video there were two men who captured my heart and attention: Grandpa Elliott
and Clarence Bekker. Grandpa Elliott is an adorable old man who reminds me of KFC's Santa-Claus-looking mascot while Clarence
Bekker has an amazing voice.
Clarence Bekker belted out the song with such intense emotions that I was moved. However, there was another group in the
video that melted my heart: The Twin Eagle Drum Group from New Mexio. Somehow I have this silly feeling of wanting to
smother them with hugs for no reason at all. They were just adorable banging their heads to the beat and the Chief – pardon
me, but I do not know what the guy with the headgear is called – wearing traditional clothes with a headphone on his head;
such as beautiful contrast between two different centuries.
I think what amazed me other than the feeling of togetherness that exudes from the songs is the fact that most of the
artists have never met one another. It is amazing how technology allows the team to group together different sounds from
the worlds. You know that lovey-dovey phrase "So far yet so near"? Well that reflects what is shown in the videos: we live
miles apart and practice different faiths, yet we are able to connect through music.
The choices of songs were critical for they must send the intended messages, thus I could not think of any songs better than
Stand By Me, One Love, and Don't Worry. The intense feelings exuded from the songs made me want to spread the message. This
is important because it means the objective was achieved, which is probably the greatest and hardest aim to achieve.
Mind you that I have never raved about any "spread-the-peace" foundation because I always think the NGOs and other
organisation has done their job. Thus, I do not see the need to contribute. By writing a review on this I personally think
Playing for Change has done what it set out to do: spread the message.
People please go to Youtube and look for Playing for Change. There will be a number of videos and watch the ones where they
did a cover of Stand By Me and One Love. Though our outward appearance is different, but underneath it all we are all humans.
We do not need more animosity in this greying world; there is an abundance of love in all of us, so let us give colours back
to the world!
~*~
The city is built
To music, therefore never built at all,
And therefore built forever.
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Rasa Sayang ... 11th January 2008
Wetbgru omong:
Rasa sayang, ey rasa sayang-sayang ey
Ey, lihat nona jauh rasa sayang-sayang ey
Any Indonesian, Malaysian or Singaporean will be familiar with a segment of the infamous "Rasa Sayang"
song. This song is within the hearts of many and for those who do not know this song, you might as well
stop eating that satay, chicken rice, roti prata and start moving elsewhere other than the
3 countries. What is with this song?
I'm not sure about kids nowadays, but being an 80's & 90's kid, we learned numerous songs that people
call lagu rakyat. Truth be said, the song is more towards unison or should I say, harmonization.
Tell me someone who has sung this song and did not feel a sense of thrill and joy of wanting to sing along
with others beside him without regards for his race, creed or color. Rasa sayang is more of a song
that travels through the hearts & mouths of many. It doesn't matter how well or horrifying (like me) you
sing the song, it makes you appreciate those around you better.
Now we see 2 nations senselessly claiming the song to belong to them. Dude, at times adults can be rather
moronic. I thought Rasa Sayang is the song in which you can mingle with the other person beside you be
it at the beach, in a gathering, at a party, or a jungle for that matter. What do we see whenever we see rasa
sayang being sung by many? We see what the Malay language call "muhibbah". Pardon me for not
knowing the word in Tamil or Chinese. Rasa sayang even through direct and literal translation means "feel the
love" so dude, where did your love go? Need we poke at your tabula rasa until we can find that missing
socket?
I have no reservations towards any Indonesian, Malaysian or Singaporean. Take time to contemplate on how
far all of us have gone through in history together. In my perspective, Rasa Sayang belongs to those who
have an appreciation towards diversity within the regions of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The lyrics
are changeable but the chorus still remains untouched. They feed the lyrics with numerous puns and humor
until you can't decide which one is the best. That's because the lyrics have been altered to suit each natio's
own ambiance. We hear in the Singaporean version pulling the legs of many Singaproean. In the Malaysian
version, they are still advocating for the muhibbah theme. The Indonesian version remains true
to the original version.
Whatever it may be, I can rasa the sayang. If you can't feel that, might as well go
reside in a cave, Neanderthal dude! Now let's give a round of applause for rasa sayang!
Rasa sayang
Ey rasa sayang-sayang ey
Ey lihat nona jauh rasa sayang-sayang ey
Buah cempedak di luar pagar
Ambil galah tolong jolokkan
Kami budak baru belajar
Kalau salah sila tunjukkan
Rasa sayang
Ey rasa sayang-sayang ey
Ey lihat nona jauh rasa sayang-sayang ey...
In the words of Wahid Satay, "Lagu ini penghibur hati."
Upin & Ipin review ... 31st December 2007
Wetbgru omong:
What the heck is an Upin & Ipin? That's what a mat saleh would ask. It's actually a brainchild
of Les'Copaque Production Sdn. Bhd. The Malaysians call it "Let's Kopek", but let us not even
divert our attention to that issue. It's a successful mini series that won this fancy local
award. I can't recall the name, but you have to see it. Comprises 6 mini episodes, if I recall
correctly, and each episode lasts for only 5 minutes. So it won't even take up your prayer time!
What's amazing about this is the dry humor within the storyline. Malaysians tend to have poor
humor (well, to me, anyway. I am not sure about Ebil Bunny), and when they project their humor
into movies & dramas, they suck horrendously. With that being said, Upin & Ipin does require
some understanding of the Malay culture of Malaysia. Creating the kampung concept is an
ingenious allure that appeals to foreign eyes. Delivering the stories from kids' perspectives just
make them even more brilliant. However, enough praising & allow me to downgrade slightly. Although
the animation has traveled a milestone from where Malaysia's animation industry lies, there's still
lots more to be done. I know cartoons aren't meant to be realistic, but I can't help it but see
Upin & Ipin as two imps, and not kids. That's my only reservation towards the series. Let's see
what Ebil Bunny has to say...
Ebil says:
Upin and Ipin ... my first impression: awesome animation! Like Wetbgru has mentioned, Malaysia's
animators have finally pushed themselves far. The animation does not look robotic and the humour thrown
in to the story wasn't the dull humour that comes along with being a Malaysian.
The story revolves around twin brothers Upin and Ipin who live with their eldest sister and grandmother
at a kampung area. Each episode is within five minutes long and concentrates on the brothers
experiencing their first fasting month. Within such a short length, I am very impressed the animators
managed to get their point across to the viewers. Due to that, I bow to them and partly because I am
quite hopeless at getting my points straight.
In addition, the story showed viewers the kampung environment and this includes the games played.
The games were quite refreshing because it pulled me down memory lane and relived my childhood, thus,
successfully making me envious of my little cousins who run around screaming without worries of
assignments and responsibilities.
This I say to my readers: "Tengok, tengok, tengok. Best, Best, Best!"
Yusuf Islam Review ... 29th December 2007
Wetbgru omong:
Some still refer to him as Cat Stevens, but the person I am talking about now, is Yusuf Islam.
Only lately he has been one of the influential figures for me to understand the depth of Islam.
His writings transgress the mere meaning of words and offer you invaluable contemplations. It's
sort of a profound learning when one hears of his story & his voice tells Islam in an educational
and thought-provoking manner. I find his music to be meaningful and rational, sort of like
Sufists' whirling dervishes.
That being said, Yusuf has learnt to utilize his God given potentials for the benefit of others.
It does give you great inspiration & shows just how far one can travel if he or she believes &
is willing to change. Change is not just temporal, but surpasses to the world that comes after this
temporal world. It's wonderful to know there are still people who believe in this.
What's wonderful about Yusuf's songs is that they can be hold to be religious and can also serve
as contemplative purposes. Whatever the reason may be for you to listen to Yusuf Islam, he has
helped me to see the beauties of Islam. Remember that one must change by himself or herself before
one wants other to help them.
The Golden Compass ... 25th December 2007
Wetbgru omong:
Alright, where shall I start? Clearly the film industry are exploiting books & has reached its peak of
gluttony. Not to degrade any fantasy enthusiasts. Heck, I am one, but where do we draw the line of saying
we've had enough? The Golden Compass, like all fantasies, revolves around a similar plot. I have yet to
see a movie that will actually surpass the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Clearly the trilogy paved a magnificent
pathway for fantasy stories to come to live, and of course, with our high intellectual technological
thingamajigs, we can make the impossible possible.
With that being said, The Golden Compass was like a simple night at the movies. It does have its own flair
but then again, we know where the storyline is heading. The three letter word. No, not @*%$!, that's four
and whatever that may be. It's Bush's favorite past-time, heck no, Bush's only activity in his mind; W.A.R.
You see slash here, slash there, but since this is in the North, you don't see blood much since yeah, blame
it on the bad weather. Heck, they should have a weather channel with those fancy gadgets around. The storyline
crumbles as you progress delve deeper into the movie, but the movie is as foggy as taking a hot shower. Of
course we can justify that since it is in the cold arctic, so at least that's the only realistic element.
What I find amusing about this movie, is the fact that it tries to explain the corruption and evil within
humans through the use of animals. Haha, well, since animals are known for their animal instincts, I find
it rather appalling to label these animals as the "daemons". The fact that the humans are tied to their
respective daemon, just makes it more philosophical. Actually, I find The Golden Compass to be a philosophical
movie rather than a child's fantasy. It does relate to some of the religious elements of certain religions,
but the fact of the matter is its close connection with classic philosophy. I truly adore the concept of evil
within us, and how they explain the growth & development of evil progress within humans. It's a rather
intelligent way of explaining it, and it might be good for use as an explanation tactic to the kids. Of course,
this would just corrupt their belief system, whatnot with their plasticity to learn and assimilate & integrate
information. I just find it rather remarkable to be able to put philosophy in a literate manner.
That being said, The Golden Compass is an interesting source if you would want to be philosophical on the
concept of good & evil. What's more, it challenges how you view the establishment of evil within us. Now,
that is a worthwhile debate to contemplate.
Ebil says:
'The Lord of The Rings' and 'Harry Potter' storylines are based on an ancient plot, but among the many stories with such
similarities, those two shine from the rest. I think this has to do with the well-developed characters and the
mysteries surrounding their worlds. Thus, at the end of the movies the authors got me begging for more and caused my
brain to wonder about their worlds.
However, 'The Golden Compass' movie did not get me into hyper mode. At first the movie managed to grasp my interest,
but one-quarter through my brain started to slowly shut down ... it nearly shut down. Only the loud clashing of armours
and background music kept me awake. The storyline goes something like this:
- Headstrong girl becomes 'The One'
- Girl collects her army
- Girl goes fighting
- Final showdown with 'The Evil One' ... to be continued in the next two movies
Oh do not forget the addition of talking polar bears and witches.
I have come across stories with similar plot and yes it is hard to create something original. Though an idea is not original
you can brush it up and make it shine. This however is not the case for 'The Golden Compass'. The plot was too overused which
in turn killed any interest that I have. However, the story does have some interesting topics for my lazy brain.
The story questioned religion and some other topics by representing them as magistrates/government in the story. That alone
made me believe 'The Golden Compass' is not a normal fantasy books for teenagers or children. The depth of topics touched by
the book, but explained in ways children can understand, is something that made me reluctant to give up on this movie. I am
interested to learn what other topics will be discussed, but I am still not interested in the plot e.g. who will die.
I guess the reason why I am very much averse to label the movie as 'great' is because of the main character: Lyra. I do
not like her bluntness and it feels like she is begging for attention and has a big head. These traits of hers made me
want to knock her head with something blunt. Then again, maybe those things that make her her will be helpful in her future.
Regardless of what the reasons may be or if her character will mellow down in the next two movies, I am not keen to know.
'The Golden Compass' may not be a favourite of mine nor will I find it on par with 'The Lord of The Rings', but it gives us
some things to ponder on. |
