It is a great experience. EDU 3217 teaching the language of drama, which I deemed as would be boring class before the semester starts, proved to be one of the most meaningful courses I ever took. It teaches me a lot of things throughout the semester. I learned to write drama. I learned to blog; and I learn to gain Tiresias 'sights' from blindness of plays. I see myself as a whole. I am pleased for being able attends this course.
Dr Edwin, thank you very much. Thank you for being a tremendous teacher. Thank you for being honest with your words. Thank you for being earnest with your teaching. Thank you for everything. Wish you all the best in days coming. Bon Voyage.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Kee Thuan Chye...it's really him.
Thousands thanks to Dr Edwin! I never thought that he would really bring KeeThuan Chye to UPM. He must have worked very hard to get it done. For that, I really thanked him. Your effort is well appreciated.
I was an interesting meeting. Indeed, mesmerizing. Kee Thuan Chye speech opened my eye to the various aspects of a play. He showed me how anything and everything have to be put into consideration in order to create a great play. It was a real lesson. Though the writing a play assignment had been submitted, Kee Thuan Chye reminders could be useful for my future career. I am grateful for being able to sit in his class and listening to his lectures.
From this day onwards, I will no longer let myself to watch a play with a ‘blinded eye’. This I must learn to practice.
I was an interesting meeting. Indeed, mesmerizing. Kee Thuan Chye speech opened my eye to the various aspects of a play. He showed me how anything and everything have to be put into consideration in order to create a great play. It was a real lesson. Though the writing a play assignment had been submitted, Kee Thuan Chye reminders could be useful for my future career. I am grateful for being able to sit in his class and listening to his lectures.
From this day onwards, I will no longer let myself to watch a play with a ‘blinded eye’. This I must learn to practice.
I did it! Yes?
It is done!
I have finished my simulated teaching. I feel really good about it. All the nervousness was gone. How relief I am.
I never thought that teaching is difficult. It always seems to me that a teacher job is very simple; come to class and teach what you have in mind. However, all my previous thoughts proved to be wrong. A teacher job is not simple as that. You have to prepare everything first and overcome your 'fear' before coming to class. And on top of that, delivering the lesson itself needs a serious strategy to achieve the lesson objectives. Together, all these require me to give massive efforts and commitments in fulfilling the course task.
Though I have worked hard to get this task done, I noticed that I have many weaknesses. On of the most notable is my fluency. I always stopped for words. Grammar came next. Together, they dampen the smoothness of lesson delivery. I will improve in the future. This, I promised to myself!
I have finished my simulated teaching. I feel really good about it. All the nervousness was gone. How relief I am.
I never thought that teaching is difficult. It always seems to me that a teacher job is very simple; come to class and teach what you have in mind. However, all my previous thoughts proved to be wrong. A teacher job is not simple as that. You have to prepare everything first and overcome your 'fear' before coming to class. And on top of that, delivering the lesson itself needs a serious strategy to achieve the lesson objectives. Together, all these require me to give massive efforts and commitments in fulfilling the course task.
Though I have worked hard to get this task done, I noticed that I have many weaknesses. On of the most notable is my fluency. I always stopped for words. Grammar came next. Together, they dampen the smoothness of lesson delivery. I will improve in the future. This, I promised to myself!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
My oh My
Today, I did my simulated teaching on set induction. It did not went smoothly as I planned. Huh...too bad for me. I did everything wrong today. Even a well planned 5 minutes lesson plan gone haywire. I don’t know what I should say. I lost my line. I lost my focus...my concentration. Everything!
God, I mustn’t mess up again. My pre-reading session is due in several days. I will improve. I must. Or I will badly ‘damage’ my carry marks. God help me ;)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Elizabeth: Virgin 'Mother' of the Great Empire
‘Elizabeth the Golden Era’
I had never heard about this film until Dr Edwin decided that we should watch it to enrich our knowledge. Indeed, it is a great movie. I must thank Dr Edwin for exposing me to this additional historical knowledge.
This movie is a depiction from the famous Queen Elizabeth history. She was ‘married to England’. The beloved land she swore to throne and protect from any enemy.
I was touched to learn that Elizabeth (a woman) is a human of ‘steel heart’. She ruled England as if she was a great king. In truth, it is the truth. She was a great leader. She protected her land from the great Spanish armada and Vatican coup to overthrown her. It is amazing to know that a woman can be that strong. Elizabeth even defies her personal needs of man’s touch; a brilliant strength for a woman for their species' well known desires for emotional supports.
Elizabeth strength inspires me to be successful in my career. If she (a single woman) can be that successful, why can’t l; a person who have everything I need match her success in her life?
I had never heard about this film until Dr Edwin decided that we should watch it to enrich our knowledge. Indeed, it is a great movie. I must thank Dr Edwin for exposing me to this additional historical knowledge.
This movie is a depiction from the famous Queen Elizabeth history. She was ‘married to England’. The beloved land she swore to throne and protect from any enemy.
I was touched to learn that Elizabeth (a woman) is a human of ‘steel heart’. She ruled England as if she was a great king. In truth, it is the truth. She was a great leader. She protected her land from the great Spanish armada and Vatican coup to overthrown her. It is amazing to know that a woman can be that strong. Elizabeth even defies her personal needs of man’s touch; a brilliant strength for a woman for their species' well known desires for emotional supports.
Elizabeth strength inspires me to be successful in my career. If she (a single woman) can be that successful, why can’t l; a person who have everything I need match her success in her life?
The First is Always the Hardest
I have always been interested with writing arena. I have had some experienced of writing stories, poems and even Haiku. However, being a playwright is something very unusual for me. It took me days to figure out what do I have to accomplish in order to write a play.
It is true; the first is always the hardest. My first play was ‘greatly’ criticized. It took me several more days to accept that I am this bad. I was unable to distinguish between a simple dialogue and a meaningful plays.
I learned from mistakes. The second one was a lot better. I understand that a playwright job is not easy. It needs massive efforts and thinking strategies. Delivering the messages isn’t simple as it may seems to be. You got to have style and technique to make it interesting. Otherwise, the play would end up being an ordinary play. And being an ordinary play is a pain. It has little value.
Eyes of Blindness
“Character is colours”. In any story, character gives life or killed it if not properly develop.
In Oedipus Rex, I noticed that Teiresias character is one of the most fundamental elements that bring life to the play. His role is fascinating; ‘he sees in the dark’.
Teiresias physically is an old blind man. He does not have the looks of a great wise leader. He does not bear a great title like Oedipus, yet he possesses the power of knowledge. He is spiritually enlightened. He sees truth through wall of lies. And more than that, despite his smallness as an anonymous citizen, he dares to accuse Oedipus as the true culprit of their despair. These qualities are simply ‘outstanding’. It made him a prophet who was burdened with the responsibility to tell truth.
I really love Tiresias magical touch in this play. Without him, we could never know the truth from Oedipus Lies; the king who is famous with the riddle solving, but unable to ‘see in the light’.
In Oedipus Rex, I noticed that Teiresias character is one of the most fundamental elements that bring life to the play. His role is fascinating; ‘he sees in the dark’.
Teiresias physically is an old blind man. He does not have the looks of a great wise leader. He does not bear a great title like Oedipus, yet he possesses the power of knowledge. He is spiritually enlightened. He sees truth through wall of lies. And more than that, despite his smallness as an anonymous citizen, he dares to accuse Oedipus as the true culprit of their despair. These qualities are simply ‘outstanding’. It made him a prophet who was burdened with the responsibility to tell truth.
I really love Tiresias magical touch in this play. Without him, we could never know the truth from Oedipus Lies; the king who is famous with the riddle solving, but unable to ‘see in the light’.
King of Plays
Oedipus Rex Play is like a magician show. It is full of surprises. The deeper you study the play, the more it opens up into various knowledge discoveries. I never thought that a play can be so ‘rich’. It overwhelms me in the sense that I feel very small compared to Sophocles. That man lives hundreds of years ago. He never had an A class education system that I have now. Indeed, he was able to invent one of the greatest play ever. I am inspired by this. I am amazes by the way he created ironies, characters and foreshadowing everything. Oedipus Rex is simply great. I am looking forward for day when I could write as good as him.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Who dance? Me?
Let me start this with an honest confession, I do not like to dance. For years, I’ve been trying to change this mindset but it seems that this is really me. I cannot love dancing. This may be due to the way I was mould during childhood. When I was five, my father passed away. My grandparents took the responsibility and raised me up to become who I am today. One important note about my grandparents is that they are very pious Muslim; so devoted that dance is forbidden! Perhaps, from that ideology, I grew up disliking dancing activity. I will avoid one whenever I can. Only in secondary school I started to open up myself from this confinement. However, it was a bit too late. I am too stiff to dance. I laugh at myself whenever I think of me dancing. Very soon, I grew tired of trying and turned back to square one. Then, I entered teacher training institute. Here, I was forced to learn ‘zapin’; a traditional Malay dance. At first, it was a very unpleasant experience. I am stiff and I do not remember the steps. However, with peers’ moral support, I soon started to gain some confidence. I even perform zapin during Johor Independence Day celebration in Johor Bahru. I am very happy for realizing that I am no longer the ‘stiff man’ I used to be. However, I noticed that I did not found the happiness in dancing. I was dancing for the sake of pure responsibility and not enjoying myself while doing it. Well, that is the story of me and dancing. Perhaps, I was fated not to dance but only enjoy to see people dance especially the R&B genre.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Its happening.
Intriguing!
That would be the only word suits to describe the first drama language class.
Dr Edwin successfully narrated the evolution of drama starting from its historical days until what it has become in 21st century. As for me, it was really an eye-opener. I never thought that drama is something more than a live acting on stage.
Enough for now. I have the feeling that there is more to come for next week. Hopefully, throughout this course, I will be overwhelmed with this new found bliss.
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