A Different Perspective

Recently I was fortunate enough to have an invitation from a close friend of mine to a stand-up comedy in Bangsar Shopping Complex albeit on my own expense. The title of the show was 'Eh, Got Free Ticket ah?' featuring Douglas Lim, Harith Iskandar and the evergreen Jit Murad.

The reason why I went is because I was totally captivated by the front part of her email: 'Eh, Got FREE ticket ah...'with the question mark totally overlooked.

It was a show poking fun of Malaysia's distinctive culture and way of life, and sure enough it was full with political undertones. For those who has no clue of what is stand-up comedy, it is somebody giving a talk on just about anything and issues are brought up in a fun way. A good stand-up comedy does not only leave you in stitches but actually give you something to digest.

I must admit that I've learnt as much as I laughed but the most important lesson of it all was what it takes to be a good stand-up comedian.

Jit Murad

As what Douglas Lim said, it is very challenging for a Chinese to become a comedian. As it is, there are only 2 Chinese comedians in Malaysia, one being him and the other Lim Keng Yaik. I thought all along that an entertainer is a blessed lot, where they can use their inherent traits in looks and voice to charm the audience but the eye-opener that I had recently really opened up my rusty tin can called the Brain.

A good comedian needs more of a good brain that charms to come up with loads of ideas only to condense them to a very few killer-jokes. From these jokes, he has to weed out those that don't send out any positive messages to the public. And then, there is also the question of appropriateness as all the points need to be summed up and weaved intricately into a 30 minute show, one point linking another. After that, comes relentless practice for the very big day. If added on to the effort placed on body-grooming and polishing oratory skills, a stand-up comedy is not really that 'stand-up' after all. Of all the comedians that I met (though very few), all of them can knock the sparks out of a neurosurgeon.

This experience made me appreciate entertainment even more and I hope that my mom can read my blog and understand the values of true entertainers. After that, hopefully she will be very supportive of me going to cinemas and actors studios and provide me 100% subsidy along the way. Fingers crossed.

ps: To a very very sweet girl out there, don't forget you owe me 13 bucks ya!!