“Irashaimasen!” exclaimed a row of strange looking figures clad in psychedelic costumes and vibrant wigs. Friendly faces ushered customers into this surreal dimension of manga, anime and soulful Japanese music. Passersby shot looks of confusion, amusement and recognition at the cosplayers. Those who were curious enough went in.
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In conjunction with the TUMC Charity Carnival on the 31st of July 2009, the Taylor’s Anime Society (TAS) organized a Maid Café to raise funds and inject some excitement into the students of Taylor’s UniversityCollege.
“Well, the idea of Maid Café is very popular in Japan, so we (members of TAS) were very excited about this project,” said Danial, the President of TAS. He adds that the particular venture was inspired by both the manga Ouran Host Club as well as the Maid Café fad which is all the rage in Japan. Wee Liang Mei, an active member of the society was accredited for her effort in pulling in volunteers to play the role of waiters and waitresses.
This bunch of people did not take their task lightly, as there were training sessions held by the more seasoned cosplayers, to ensure that the event would run without any glitches. The members also went through great lengths to rent or purchase their own costumes. The classroom was decorated entirely by the paraphernalia collected over the years by the dedicated members of TAS. Various posters, cards, figurines were on display for the viewing pleasure of the patrons.
One can say that all their work has paid off as the response was better than expected by the members of TAS. Many of the customers who had savoured a taste of this out of this world experience sang praises for the enthusiasm shown by the cosplayers. “They were very much in character,” said an impressed Dave Ng. “5 stars for creativity!” said Arellynn Yeo animatedly.
It would be safe to presume that this event has pacified the high expectations of anime fanatics, as Tan Tzy Wey, an avid anime enthusiast said, “I would definitely come again.”
Today might have been uneventful for many students in campus, but not for a select few. Not them at all. They have proven their mettle the day before, facing grueling questions having to do with biology and science in general, and they have emerged as the clear-cut chosen to compete in the final leg of the annual event hosted by the Pre-Medical Society: The Pre-Med Science Quiz. Oh yes, today, five hopefuls will indeed test their true knowledge and only one of them can be the true victor of the competition.
The event began at about 4.00 p.m. today, and the five finalists, Khaw Hawn Juet, Syazwany, Michelle Yip, John Ling, and another individual who wanted to be referred as only Yip, gathered at the front row of Lecture Theater 2 with much anxiety, and of course, nervousness. All of them had, of course, the ambition of becoming doctors in the future. “I want to understand more about the potential of the human brain,” said Syazwani, a demure maiden, soft-spoken and gentle. “Because you see: if we are only using such a little proportion of our brains, who knows how much we can do if we use it all?” Indeed, there is truth in her words.
Khaw Hawn Juet, however, wants to be a cardiologist. When asked about the heats (which commenced on the day previous), Khaw said that they were “terrible”, and that he “should not be here”. According to him, Khaw joined only to gain some additional knowledge he might have not gained from the textbooks. On the other hand, Michelle Yip was surprised to be in the finals at all, confirming Khaw’s words that the heats were absolutely difficult for them.
Before the finals kicked off, the Teacher-Advisor for the Pre-Medical Society was called to make a speech. “I would like to congratulate the finalists,” she said, and stated that this quiz was held to challenge the contestants’ knowledge in biology, as well as other sciences, and to impart other know-how related to biology to them. In her speech, she told all that she hoped that more people would get motivated to pursue a career in medicine, and thanked the committee who made the event so successful. “I also hope that those who join the society will embark a quest in the medicinal field with conscience and integrity,” Miss Ho added before giving the floor to the hosts of the event.
To start off with the quiz, or, as the hosts said, “To warm you guys (finalists) up”, two trick-questions were set, which came as surprises to the finalists. The first of these questions, enquired upon the name of the current head of Mercy Malaysia, which answer none of the finalists got right (The answer was: Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus).
All in all, the event went on quite smoothly, despite quite a few hiccoughs. There were also moments in which the finalists provided the most hilarious answers. Among them, was: If you were stung by a venomous insect, what type of shock would you suffer? Two of the answers were “culture” shock and “heart” shock respectively. There was also one rather quirky question involving an X-ray of a left hand with a ring on the ring-finger, and the finalists were asked the significance of it. To this, most of the finalists answered that the person who underwent the X-ray was married, but the judges’ answer was that it was the first X-ray, and the hand belonged to Wilhem Conrad’s wife. There was a minor argument about the answer, but the judge’s decision was final.
When all the 15 questions were answered, the hosts asked the finalists how was the quiz, to which they replied, “Lame” in utter Malaysian style, in miraculous unison. However, they all agreed that the questions were better than those in the heats, and were seconded by the hosts as well.
After much contemplation, the winners were announced, and the prizes were given by both the Chief Judge (the Pre-Med Society President: Nadia) and the co-Teacher Advisor, Mr. Bala. In fourth and fifth places, with a prize of RM 25 each, were John Ling and Syazwani respectively. Coming in third place, was Khaw, winning a prize of RM 50. Yip, ever humorous, was the runner-up for the quiz, walking away with RM 100, while Michelle Yip was the champion, who received the grand prize of RM 150. “It was a good experience,” said Michelle, before leaving in elation.
“I’m surprised that I didn’t get last (place),” John Ling said, while Yip was happy, and was in “good spirits”, and thanked his luck, and his biology teacher.
It was a tragic tale, the story of a young girl, stricken by leukemia, who endeavored to fold a thousand cranes in order to get one wish - to return her state of health. Such is the tale of Sasaki Sadako, a girl who had survived the bombing of Hiroshima ordered by Harry Truman at the ending exodus of World War II, and had contracted the “atomic bomb sickness” as her parents called it. The story of this extraordinary young girl is now a symbol of peace for children all around the world, and the inspiration of the play produced by Center Stage Productions, and organized by the Taylors University College Business Studies Club, a charity production for the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).
The play was scheduled to run two shows, from 14th August to the 15th August 2009, a two and a half-hour play telling the story of Sadako, leading to her demise. With a cast ranging from various students from Universiti Malaya, The One Academy and Taylor’s University College, it was a multi-campus event, and was long and hard in the making. On the Opening Night, Mdm Ong, the MCA Youth Chief said that she was “Very proud of the young people who organized this event, for they had proven that they could show the effort for charity, apart from studying like machines and enjoying themselves.” The head of the National Kidney Foundation, Miss Shirley Kwok, also thanked everyone for their effort in supporting a meaningful cause.
In due time, the play began, with the dimming of the lights, and the emergence of several characters, dressed in gossamer, white garb, donned with masks. Within mere seconds, a haunting, mesmerizing dance came to life, followed by the lead character’s appearance upon the stage, stating her name, and how she had experienced the atom bombing of Hiroshima. Her expression was grave, her words chilling.
However, the scene that followed, was one of light-heartedness, in which, Sadako, and her friend, Kenji, were racing one another, revealing that Sadako was to compete in a city-wide race for girls in the next month. They shared many a friendly taunt, portraying a lighter side of such a tragic yarn. And in another, Sadako’s parents were introduced to the audience, who were shown to be greatly grieved by what had happened ten years previous.
Ultimately, ‘Wish Upon a Crane’ is a play of profound emotions, and often relying on the use of the spirits - both Black and White, to convey a mood that verges on the macabre, chilling the audience to the bone. Still, the storyline is simple, and uncomplicated, the cast, talented and spot-on in their acting. It is a very, very successful play, one that manages to wrench and tickle perhaps the hardest of hearts, combined with excellent lighting and a fabulous soundtrack, reminiscent of various Japanese-sounding tracks. There were some liberties taken music-wise, particularly from Memoirs of a Geisha, Rurouni Kenshin and also Blood+. The characters were lively and very, very engaging, as well as able to convey the story to their utmost abilities. It must also be stressed that one of the characters, Sadako’s Mother, is portrayed almost alike that of Datuk Michelle Yeoh’s Mameha (from Memoirs of the Geisha).
“The acting was good,” said Joshua Lau, an alumnus of the Cambridge A-Levels Program. “It’s just that the venue is too cold for my taste.” Of course, many others sang praises for the play as well. Chiang Zejing, a member of the Taylor’s Business Studies Society claimed that the play in its entirety was “very touching, but scary,” probably due to the extensive use of spirits and eerie music.
The death of a child is never a good turn of events, but when this child comes to be elevated into a symbol of global peace after her death, her passing becomes meaningful, and would always remain an inspiration to all, especially in these troubled times. Sasaki Sadako’s story is one of those tales, and although she never managed to fold all one thousand cranes before succumbing to her battle with cancer, thousands upon thousands of children helped her to finish her task many times over. Every year, children from all walks of life pay tribute to her by laying down the origami cranes that they had folded at the feet of her statue, and as long as it still stands, she is immortal. This is what ‘Wish Upon a Crane’ is trying to convey, and let me tell you, it has succeeded beautifully.
