FEROZ

On Tuesday December 13 I got a call from Kamarul that Feroz had vommited blood and had been taken to UH. Joe & I rushed there and there he was in one of the emergency rooms. That was the start of one week's visits to UH for visits and worries and having to attend to Feroz's mood swings you would too if you got the pipe down your nose and the tube down your throat for the scope - it was also the parking outside of the UH and the walks to the hospital that added to the tedium. SMSs to my family just in case - finally he was discharged on Friday - with another visit on Thursday and Friday. I had to be unkind and not give him any money so he does not get tempted to buy another beer. The doctors did say his liver is in a delicate condition, one more beer and more veins could rupture. Let's hope Feroz truly believes the doctors!

FACTORY

At the Birdy Post mortem a senior member of our staff commented that klpac was regarded as a factory - churning out production after production back to back and yet he says people do not know where klpac is! This statement disturbed me all day and night and that night Joe & I and a couple of friends were at klpac to watch Candlelight Christmas. Is this the factory that he says his theatre friends are referring to? A factory that is capable of bringing full houses to PENTAS 1 shows - like the 3 shows of Candlelight Christmas and all the shows of Hands Percussion and Dama Orchestra Performances, plus about 80% who watched Octopus in Pentas 2. Is this the factory that brought in hords to watch Short+Sweet for five weeks ending October 31st? The answer is obvious but it still hurt to know that some of the same who benefit from what we provide for at klpac and The Actors Studio can accuse us of being a factory!
Congratulations to Brian Tan and the klpac Orchestra, Susanna Saw and the klpac Choir and the String Symphony led by Dr. Ota who entertained at the lobby of klpac before the shows began for unknowingly removing that stigma that we are a factory.
Today there was also the Gamelan presentation in the same lobby, with 4 dancers from Aswara friends of Cik Gu Ezanin - to me all this is like Magic!
It was nice seeing Dr. McCoy, Twinkle, Omar and Lydia and of course having Charles, Kingsley and Danny.

Merry Christmas all and a truly wonderful 2011!

Much love from Joe and Faridah - the twosome who help factories exist!