Mengenang Malam-Malam Tahun Baru

Empat Malam Tahun Baru Yang Lalu

Di Washington DC, menghabiskan cuti musim sejuk (dan duit biasiswa) di ibu kota pentadbiran Amerika. Siangnya menggelinjang Washington Monument, War Memorial, White House, Smithsonian dan beberapa muzium lain. Pada hari tahun baru menaiki bas ke New York City. Tiga hari di sana.


Tiga Malam Tahun Baru Yang Lalu

Siangnya di Manchester, meraikan Aidiladha di sana. Petang menaiki kereta api ke Leicester, namun kenduri dijanjikan ditangguh ke lain hari. Seusai Maighrib berkereta api lagi - ke St Pancras International yang berjiran dengan King's Cross. Gerun menyaksikan khalayak mabuk-mabuk mengusung botol arak di jalanan sambil menunggu rakan menjemput di perhentian. Esoknya menggelinjang London habis-habisan. Berjalan kaki sehari suntuk dari London Bridge ke Tower Bridge ke Trafalgar Square ke Bond Street ke Hyde Park ke Marble Arch dan lain-lain. Sangat puas.


Dua Malam Tahun Baru Yang Lalu


Di Manchester, siangnya dihabiskan dengan bermalas-malas di rumah teman yang menumpangkan kerana malamnya telah berjanji dengan beberapa rakan yang lain untuk menonton The Kite Runner di Deansgate. Hampir terlewat kerana terlepas bas sehingga terpaksa memecut dari perhentian di hadapan Manchester Library ke pawagam. Wayang usai sebelum tengah malam, segera pulang sebelum terperangkap dalam khalayak kegilaan sementelah St Albert's Square lokasi meraikan tahun baru dengan budaya hedonisme. Menyinggahi sebuah kedai fish and chips di Rusholme untuk membawa sedikit snek pulang, tergamam sejenak apabila tuan punya masih ingat kunjungan ke premisnya semusim yang lalu. Bunga api meletus tatkala senang enak mencicip kentang goreng bersiram cuka dan kuah kari sambil menonton Vendetta bersama Hanee.


Satu Malam Tahun Baru Yang Lalu


Hajat asal untuk ke Denver kerana sejak di luar negara belum pernah meraikan tahun baru di Colorado. Namun perang di Gaza sedang menggila, maka tenang di rumah sahaja. Sambil meneliti tafsir Al-Quran pada Surah Al-Israa' yang menghuraikan segalanya tentang bangsa Yahudi, sempat juga menonton Anderson Cooper dan pasangannya seorang pelawak wanita mengacarakan rancangan countdown tahun baru dari Times Square, New York di saluran ABC.


Malam Tahun Baru Yang Ini


Di Kuala Lumpur :)

I Am No More a KLPAC Virgin

The first and last time Afni and I went to a play together was three years ago at the Royal Exchange Theater in Manchester, England. We saw Cyrano de Bergerac, a classic by Edmund Rostund and we had an awesome time.

I went to England once again a year later but show listings, academic commitment and pre-scheduled travel arrangements worked against us. I managed to see some pantomimes (Dick Whittington at The Lowry in Salford, Peter Pan at the Royal Nottingham Theater and Cinderella at the Lyceum in Sheffield) and a play (The Midnight Garden, an adaptation from a book by Philippa Pearce at the Library Theater in Manchester) but we were unable to share our thoughts on a mutual performance.

But fast forward 365 days and 5000 miles later, we managed to sit next to each other again at KLPaC or Pentas Seni KL in Sentul West to see a play entitled A Light in KL City. This was the first Malaysian professional play for us both after our return to this beloved country. I went to a musical two months ago but that I did not really count that as a real theatrical experience. Thinking back, the last play I went to in Malaysia to was Dejavu - and that was like four, five years ago!

Thus, I (I'm excluding Afni from this personal commentary as I do not believe in speaking on the behalf of others) went to KLPaC with an open mind, and was really excited to witness something 'Malaysian.' I was an avid theater-goer when I was in Colorado - the Denver Center for Performing Arts was my frequent haunt over the weekends. I admit that the plays I've seen have taught me a lot about issues concerning American cultures and people but I was craving for another flavor that is more familiar to my own self-identity.

And being me - I seldom have expectations when I venture into something new. It is not like I have no benchmarks to based my evaluations on, it is more like having no pre-conceived notions on something. Or to make it simple, I do not judge before I find it out for myself.

Okay let's talk about the venue. KLPaC is impressively designed. I love the building but the location of being way inside the park is a little dodgy. If I was by myself alighting the KTM Komuter at the Sentul station, I do not think I have the guts to walk to the venue by myself. The park is very quiet, a perfect place for young girls to just simply 'disappear,' if you get my drift...

Tickets are RM30 but because it was Christmas Day they were RM20; free seating, which according to Afni "tak best sebab orang berebut macam naik bas." Free seating is lame, if you asked me. It brings the worst out in people. We managed to get good seats without berebut-rebut macamlah teater tu start terus kalau bertolak-tolak nak masuk pun, right next to the reserved seats for the official patron of the production, the actress Azean Irdawaty and her entourage.

A Light in KL City revolves around a dimmed, cheap hotel ironically (or maybe sarcastically intentionally) named Chahaya Inn. The hotel was already sold to the developer to be stripped down and replaced by a more grandeur establishment (a clash between zen-minimalist concept and good feng shui). On the last day before eviction, the residents of the hotel reminisced about their lives and how they came to call Chahaya Inn their homely abode.

They are:
1. Tina, a Malay-Muslim prostitute
2. Kak Ju, an age-ing 'has-been' actress from Jalan Ampas
3. Apai, an old 'apek' who needs to keep his mouth shut
4. David, a stranded Caucasian traveler
5. Drashan, an illegal Indian immigrant
6. (I didn't catch her name), a juvenile Chinese girl prostituting herself to deal with sex abuse issue at home

and watching over them all is Rosa, the housekeeping lady who later was revealed to have seen more than she wanted to.

To be more precise, these people are LOSERS, with no other places to go. Cliche, with capital C, don't you think?

The first half of the play was okay, each character was aptly given their own limelight so everyone can shine. But after a seeing the young Chinese girl playing around with her panties, and Apai kept screaming that he had to berak at precisely the same time every morning, I could not help wondering - where are all these leading to?

Does the impeding demolition of the hotel really bring out the worst (and best) in its residents, some of them living there longer than the other?

But most importantly - must there be TWO prostitutes in ONE play?

Is such a topic is such a taboo that even the mere sight of these ladies acting as c*ckteasers evoked eruptive glee and laughter from the audience? Wow. Was it that easy to get people's attention in this country? No wonder if you pay attention to the most popular article tab on one of the national newspapers, you will see that the topmost articles would usually have the words rogol or seks in them.

As much as I did not unerstand what was mentioned above, I also did not get the purpose of having a second scene in a completely different era (first scene was in present day, second was during the war) with different characters sans Rosa. Alright, so the writers wanted to showcase the significance of Chahaya Inn. But having the main character Anita playing (and sharing her bed) with the hearts (and you know what) of two men - a captain from the British army and a Malay communist - at the same time was uncalled for.

I DO NOT GET IT. Yes sex sells but do Malaysians really need that?

Besides, I think the adventure into the past was a bad attempt to appear intellectual. It felt choppy, and disconnected from the first scene. Furthermore, I did not really like the part of the communist boy's monologue on being a persona non-grata in Bangkok. It tried to evoke sympathy and empathy, but I do not really feel sympathetic towards Chin Peng and the likes.

Some who are more politically-inclined might noticed the mantra "One Malaya" being on the radio to raise the nation's spirit to fight communism, followed by the exclamation of "To h*ll with One Malaya!" from the actors - twice.

Okay, I am stopping here so that I would not give out too much. Go see it for yourself, the show is on until December 27th. Do support Malaysian independent performing arts productions, but if you can, try to avoid taking them at face value!

Kisah di Sebalik Batu

Lawatan padang ke singkapan bentukan (formation outcrop) Semantan di sisi Plaza Tol Temerloh Khamis lalu mengingatkan kembali kepada beberapa perkara penting yang berdikit-dikit meluput daripada pegangan seharian.

Tuhan, terima kasih kerana sering mengingatiku sedangkan aku sentiasa lalai daripada mengenang-Mu!

Cerpen PROTOKOL CINTA dalam Dewan Sastera Disember 2009

“Suatu tindak balas alam.”

Pernyataan, bukan persoalan. Dominique mengorak senyum, mempersilakan duduk. Dhaliza tercegat, berkerut. Pernyataan itu tidak lucu. Cuma terlalu klise. Dan Dhaliza – ah, dia sudah mengagak. Pelajar petah itu pasti akan memburunya selepas kuliah. Berdebat. Sehingga puas, meski kalah lebih acap. Dhaliza – gadis muda sedang ranum dari Malaysia – terlalu persis Dayang Umairah.

Protokol Cinta
oleh Rebecca Ilham
Dewan Sastera Disember 2009

Alhamdulillah, setinggi-tinggi puji ke hadrat Ilahi atas limpahan rezeki yang tiada putus. Syukur saya panjatkan kepada-Nya atas penyiaran cerpen Protokol Cinta dalam majalah sastera terulung - Dewan Sastera. Sungguh, dalam usia penulisan yang setahun jagung dan ilmu pengarangan yang terlalu cetek, saya tidak pernah bermimpi untuk melihat karya dicetak di atas halaman licau Dewan Sastera.

Sebagai latar, cerpen Protokol Cinta ini telah saya sudahkan lewat cuti musim panas pada tahun 2007. Temanya telah saya perap semenjak di Amerika lagi - tentang kesan rumah hijau dan pelestarian alam sekitar. Selaku pelajar aliran sains di sebuah universiti kejuruteraan tulen yang sangat peka terhadap isu seputar pelestarian alam sekitar, saya berasa terpanggil untuk berkongsi serba-sedikit pengetahuan yang diperoleh. Matlamat utama adalah untuk mempermudahkan ilmu sains agar pengetahuan itu tidak kekal eksklusif kepada sebilangan orang sahaja tetapi dapat dinikmati lalu dihayati oleh segenap khalayak.

Semasa di Amerika, sebaris ayat saya pegang kemas - "Suatu retaliasi (disunting menjadi tindak balas oleh editor) alam" lalu dibawa pulang ke Malaysia, sehari selepas cerpen Langit Lazuardi disiarkan di akhbar Berita Minggu. Berbekalkan ingatan terhadap intipati opsyen subjek Kimia sewaktu mengikuti program persediaan beserta kajian lanjutan untuk menjadikan karya kontemporari dan evergreen, saya mengarang berdikit-dikit setiap hari di rumah di Batu Gajah, Perak ketika itu.

Seusai menulisnya, saya ajukan cerpen ini kepada sebuah penerbitan atas saranan mentor penulisan. Namun rezeki Protokol Cinta banyak kali, dan lama tertangguh. Saya tidak akan menyenaraikan setiap satu, tetapi pengalaman itu tentunya dialami oleh sekian ramai penulis baru yang masih tercari-cari identiti kepengarangan peribadi. Seorang teman penulis senior juga pernah menegur tentang tajuk yang menggunakan perkataan 'cinta' yang katanya lekas sekali dihakimi editor sebagai bauran picisan. Namun saya terlalu berat hati untuk menggugurkan sepatah kata itu. Sebabnya - hanya terjawab di penghujung cerpen ini sendiri.

Terima kasih kepada editor, Puan Rozninah Ab Azib atas peluang, kepercayaan dan dorongan. Terima kasih juga kepada Kak Nisah Haron yang tidak menolak sewaktu saya mula-mula melamarnya pembimbing. Inshaallah saya akan meneruskan perjuangan yang telah diorak!