Freeing the bound woman by Himanshu Bhatt

A lawyer awakens in a dingy room to find herself tied to a chair and guarded by a manic-looking girl.

Trying to free oneself from being bound, as the lawyer does in the short play called Infant, is exactly what a new double-bill production on the modern female is all about.

Entitled F for Female, the presentation also features a monologue titled T.O.P.

Both short plays are meant to deal with the dilemmas faced by many young urban women.

The production is presented by La Victoire Production in collaboration with The Actors Studio at the latter’s premises in Light Street, Penang.

Infant is written by Fariza Zainul Ariffin and directed by her younger sister Fadzrina.

Acted by Adeline Ong and first-timer Shaleena Saduruddin, it’s about a young girl who was kidnapped and raped, and now seeks vengeance.

In a sequence with doses of intense physicality, the character holds captive the very lawyer who helped her abductors go free.

T.O.P. deals with unwanted pre-marital pregnancy, and the stigma and predicament that arise from it.

The monologue, performed by a focused and crisp Johanna Wee, is written and directed by Janarthani Arumugam.

Wee plays a young woman who is taken advantage of by a boy for five long years, only to be abandoned when unplanned consequences arise. The painful experience leads to renewed feminine awareness and a human maturity.

Very importantly, the script’s conveys the message that, like the duped girl, gratuitous physical expression in romance can be superficial and misleading.

With minimalist set design and concentrated lighting, both plays lend focus to role and dialogue that emphasise relevant issues on womanhood.

* F for Female will have its final two shows today at 3pm and 8.30pm at The Actors Studio Green Hall, Penang. Tickets at RM25 and RM15 (senior citizens and students).

the many ways of using ‘frenshit’

to illustrate the use of ‘frenshit’ in daily conversation, below is an excerpt of a conversation i had with its maker:

*read at your own risk. names have been changed for confidential reasons. the excerpt can or cant be fictional. like theatre, it’s up to your interpretation.

Xxx: eh, where were you the whole sem holiday? sms tak reply, online dint see you…sesat mana????

Yyy: hehe, sorryla… malas la nak reply.

Xxx: frenshit la u!!!! me sms also u dun wan reply. call la urself a fren!

Yyy: aiya, busy mah…

Xxx: with wat???

Yyy: er… holiday with family…

Xxx: where o? frenshit again…go holiday dint tell…curi curi go…

Yyy: family time mah…besides, the place no line…

Xxx: why? u in camerons kah?

Yyy: no…er…bangkok….

Xxx: @^%@%$!!!!!!!! FRENSHIT!!!!!!!!! go bangkok dint tell!!! den, got get anything for me? sure got rite? we kan coursemate….

Yyy: hehehehe…..no..

Xxx: DOUBLE FRENSHIT!!!!!!!!!

[notice here the number of times Yyy uses the term 'frenshit'. conclusion is, 'frenshit' can be punctuated anywhere and anytime you like]

I am not sure though because I always consider them the emotion of the time. I write poetry when I am down or inspired. I cook when I am stressed out because I find cooking very relaxing. The only trouble is, I do not know who to feed. Any volunteers??

Anyways, read my following poetry and tell me if they seem dark to you. Someone told me my poetry is rather Goth. Then again, I am not sure of the concept of Goth either, though I have many friends who are.

Too many nights of being lonely (8 November 2003)

The pain of being lonely is slowly engulfing me like a plague,
Waiting for a cure that does not seem to materialize,
Though many say time is the best cure of all,
If time was a cure, why does it hurt so much?

Bitter Lesson

life gives us the bitter lesson before it rewards us,
but how are we suppose to get the rewards
if the bitterness has already numbed our senses towards the pleasures of life.

Being selfish

If you love those that you are willing to leave behind,
Killing yourself is definitely the last thing on your mind,
The pain might be unbearable no doubt but sooner or later it will past,
However, how long will it take for my pain to past?
Should I consider being selfish for once and risk hurting the ones dear to me….

Candy
They say I’m like hard candy,
Hard and pretty on the outside,
Sweet yet tough,
But I am soft and gooey on the inside,
My insecurities are the filling within the pretty shell.

Copyright ©2003-2006 Adeline Ong

Engulfed by the darkness of loneliness,
I walk upon the shadow of death,
Betrayed by the people I trust,
Jeered by my foes,
Looked down by the unknown.

I’m lost and confused,
A lost glory,
Yet another sad story,
This lil’ one won’t fly again,
Won’t fly again.

Confined in my dungeon of despair,
There is no light,
There is no hope,
The world is now a nightmare,
Every turn is a scare.

And then you came,
Into my realm of bitterness,
You gave me light,
You gave me hope,
Showed me happiness.

You took my wing,
And mended it,
You took my soul,
And healed it,
Showed me the way.

Are you God?
Or just one of His children?
I know there must be,
Some sort of relation.

I feel not worthy,
Of the glory,
You returned to me,
You returned my flight,
With pride and delight.

How can I repay you?
A thank you is never enough,
You replied, “Fly again!�
“Show us your strength!�
“Show us your glory!�

And I did,
I spread my wings,
Felt the wind in my face,
And flew into the sunshine.

The Fool (September 1999)
Once a fool always a fool,
A lost soul drowning in the pool,
Of his own anger and despair,
It seems that no one cares.

Once a fool always a fool,
Trying to act cool,
But instead turned cold,
While being tough and bold.

Once a fool always a fool,
He thinks life is cruel,
He turns down the love,
Of people that were around him,
The lights of love seem dim.

Once a fool always a fool,
Shying away happy times,
With friends that are kind,
They do not seem to mind,
How this fool was like.

Once a fool always a fool,
Not noticing everything,
That has more meaning,
To life and his well being.

Oh, wake up! You fool!
Get up from your dungeon stool,
Why be angry and mad?
Why try to make other people sad?

Do you want to be remembered,
As a slave of your anger?
Or do you want to be seen,
As a sign of danger?

Wake up and smell the flowers,
Start building new towers,
Of friendship and love,
Like the symbol of a turtledove.

It never to late to start,
And if you are smart,
See life as a happy place,
Put a smile on your face.

Always smile,
For it doesn’t cost much,
It’ll go an extra mile,
Someone’s heart you will touch.

Live life to the fullest,
Then you’ll no longer be a fool,
Appreciate everything,
You’ll never know,
When your time is up.

Copyright ©1999 – 2006 Adeline Ong

I want to go back to the days when things were simple…

Gazing at the stars (24/4/2000)

I was bored,
In a camp,
Full of strangers,
Curfew is at ten.

I sat outside,
Thinking of nothing,
Looking into space,
Staring at the sky.

Someone came at my side,
“Look at the stars,�
She beckoned,
It’s beautiful.

For the first time,
I admired the sky,
The moon was full,
The sky was bejeweled,
By hundreds of tiny diamonds,
Decorating the sky.

That’s Orion’s belt,
Oh, there goes,
A shooting star!
I made a wish.
Copyright ©2000-2006 Adeline Ong