MXV • Views from a KAPJAI

RELAY for LIFE 2012 Media Launch took flight on Tuesday, Sept 4th, 2012. This will mark the 4th  RELAY for LIFE  that I'll be participating in along with the celebrities organised by our hero Dato' Yasmin Yusuff. It was special today as I was with my sister Stella who is a cancer survivor. We were in matching purples. Relay for Life is an overnight, community-based event to celebrate cancer survivorship and raise funds forNCSM’s cancer awareness projects.  RFL starts with the Survivors’ Lap, a testimony to the fact that so many people today are surviving cancer. Cancer survivors from the community walk the first lap around the track to celebrate their victories while everyone cheers them on. The main aim of this event is that the track should not be devoid of people throughout the 16 hours. The most inspirational time of Relay is the Luminaria Ceremony which happens at dusk when cancer survivors are honoured and those who have lost their battle with the disease are rem

I once had the amazing chance of being an usher for the revival of Big River (Tony Award for Best Musical '85) at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway in 2005. BIG thanks to Tamar Kummel and Sean Harris!!! Big River won big in 1985 with 7 major Tonys. The Revival won a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre cos the whole production was so special - it was notable because it featured both deaf and hearing actors performing together. Amazing experience. Amazing! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_River_(musical) http://www.rogermiller.com/bigriver.html BIG RIVER MONTAGE - DEAF WEST THEATRE

Malaysian Noodles - take a pick. Dry, Curry, Traditional, Soup and more!

EXACTLY A WEEK ago today. Maybe cos it is only kinda sinking in now. My first personal Kakiseni BOH Cameronian Arts Award nomination and first win. Always been thrilled to see practitioners in the industry get recognition but when it came to this, I was numb. Struck silent by thanksgiving and humbled to tears. I had twitted to wish Pat Ibrahim a win - to be recognised for so much hard work and exemplary dedication. All I could think was, I know how he must be feeling. When my name was announced, 34 years of performance (since 1st paid) flashed before me. "What should I do?" I asked myself. Well, there's always a first no matter how late. So thanks to all who have been along this journey of mine. In the words of "Avatar" - "I See You". Photo by Jon Chew •

Kakiseni's 9th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards 2012 at One World Hotel.  (29th April, 2012) Best Choreographer:  Michael Xavier Voon for Dreamgirls,  musical direction by Casey Koh,  directed by Joanna Bessey,  presented by Broadway Academy. Thank you  Kakiseni SB ,  BOH Tea Malaysia ,  BROADWAY ACADEMY (M) SDN BHD , Entire Dreamgirls Amazing Cast & Crew, Family, Friends and most of all God.

SHOUT! THE MOD MUSICAL (Staged in 2009 & 2010)  - Direct from Broadway with exclusive rights featuring an ALL MALAYSIAN BROADWAY CAST swinging to the beat of the SIXTIES. ALL FEMALE grooving go-go cast! Starred: Ning Baizura / Nikki Palikat / Tria Aziz / Shanel Sha nty James / Tisha Zarina / Joanna Bessey / Stephanie Van Den Driesen. Directed & Choreographed by Michael Xavier Voon (HipHopera/Storyteller/ Malaysian Idol). Musical Direction by Casey Koh. Costumes by Maggie & Casey Koh. Set Design by Melissa Teoh (AirCon). Lighting Design by Lim Ang Swee (Frogway). •

IT WAS AT a Christian Dance Conference that my work was first described as Prophetic Dance Warfare. Later, "Diaries 09 (Diaries in Black)" was created in 2009 out of a political climate which suppressed human rights and the freedom to even hold candle vigils in Malaysia. Here is our sharing... Message from  Lucy Jarasius  (FaceBook):  The last section was especially salient for me, MXV! Something about it seemed to speak to the heart of the matter, and although the movement was contemporary, there was something particulary Malaysian that cam e through. Last night, I had the rare privilege of seeing Sydney Dance company in a "preview"/dress rehearsal, and I'm telling you the truth, what you put together in this vid you posted was really of peer quality... and that's saying something for some of your dancers whom you have shared were relatively novice in performing work at that level. Bless you, and keep on creating! It's prophetic to be dancing in a non-

Click and be wow'ed! "Mystery Planet Creature with Amethyst" by Dain Fagerholm •

This was my second Graduation Commencement Ceremony in 1987, posing with my 3 Professors: Don Meyers, Susan Cahill & Charles Hardy. They were 3 of the many professors who helped me achieve a Magna Cum Laude of 3.84 GPA along with Dean's Lists in all 8 semesters. My degree up till then was a Bachelor in Liberal Arts in Selected Studies: Fine Art core with Graphic Communications and Performing Arts as the minors. A special thank you to Professor Verner Johnson for having been my advisor, counsellor and best friend. Without you... there won't be today. God Bless. •

Sometimes we get into a mad cycle of replaying the same movie images in our heads which in turn affects our emotional health. Arrest it, make a new movie with a renewed zest for beautiful possibilities. Embrace the flaws and anticipate the delightful accidents even, for the sum of the whole far surpasses the blemishes of simply being. •Practical Tips fr Productive Living• Stop spending time with the wrong people.  – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends. Stop running from your problems.  – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handlin

My Dream for Malaysia: A Race Relations Act & Race Relations Commission to recommend a ban on mono-ethnic political parties.

Was in stitches reading this hilarious piece about what to give up for the new year. Charlie Brooker The Guardian, Sun 8 Jan 2012 20.00 GMT Of all the irritating "Keep Calm" bastardisations, the most irritating of all is the one that reads "Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake". Cupcakes used to be known as fairy cakes, until something happened a few years ago. I don't know what the thing was, because I wasn't paying attention. All I know is that suddenly middle-class tosspoles everywhere were holding artisan cupcakes aloft and looking at them and pointing and making cooing sounds and going on and bloody on about how much they loved them. I wouldn't mind, but cupcakes are bullshit. And everyone knows it. A cupcake is just a muffin with clown puke topping. And once you've got through the clown puke there's nothing but a fistful of quotidian sponge nestling in a depressing, soggy "cup" that feels like a pair of paper knickers a fat man has be