Rabu, 5 Februari 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Food to Woo from chef with panache

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 06:35 PM PST

BY EU HOOI KHAW
February 06, 2014

A different kind of Yee Sang - with crispy pipe fish and fresh salad.There's a heap of crispy thin fish with a tapered head atop coral lettuce, pear strips, pomelo and raisins in the Yee Sang at Gu Yue Tien in Kuala Lumpur.

Thick slices of salmon belly are fanned out at the bottom. A shower of crackers, then sesame, oil and a strawberry sauce and the Yee Sang is all ready for the tossing.

The taste is fresh, the flavours light and well tuned. It could be a Western salad, except for the hoi lung yue or sea dragon fish, which is also known as pipe fish, and the crackers, and I like it.

Frankie Woo - chef extraordinaire.There's always an unexpected twist when dining at Gu Yue Tien, and it's all due to the lean and perky chef/owner Frankie Woo.

"Never trust a skinny chef," he once said, laughing.

Of course, we trust him, this chef whose culinary skills got him invited in 2004 to the James Beard Tribute at the Rockefeller Center in New York where he cooked alongside celebrity chefs like Nobu Matsuhisa, David Thompson and Cheong Liew to raise funds to feed the city's elderly.

Soft-boiled Egg with Foie Gras.Frankie's Soft-Boiled Egg with Foie Gras was a hit there, and you have to taste this to believe it.

I had it on the second day of Chinese New Year, and it was a "wow" moment slurping up the runny egg touched with the rich foie gras. I want to go back for more.

But it will have to be soon as the restaurant will be closing at the end of this month. This and the shops in Chulan Square will be demolished to make way for a hotel.

Roasted Crispy PigeonWhen the Roasted Crispy Pigeon with Garlic Paste appeared on our table with its dark, glistening skin, I was over the moon.

I haven't had a good roast pigeon for a long time. This Shatin pigeon had been marinated with garlic paste, then basted with malt sugar to produce that golden crispy skin on roasting.

The meat was juicy and tender, with the complexity you would expect of pigeon. It was good.

Wok-fried Prawn Cake with Strawberry Sauce.The Wok-fried Prawn Cake with Strawberry Sauce may not have pleased all at our table but the prawn cake was sweet, smooth and springy, with a nice tart balance from the sauce.

Diced fresh mango and strawberry gave another dimension to it.

Iberico Pork Neck with Mushrooms and Wasabi Sauce.The Iberico Pork Neck with Mushrooms and Wasabi Sauce was delicious.

First, I had the flavourful meat on its own, then touched it with the wasabi sauce which gave it a desirable zingy lift. Mushrooms and a cherry tomato were the perfect pairing with the meat.

I couldn't help thinking that another fish would have been so much better in the Steamed Live Garoupa with Petola and Bean curd Skin.

The fish fillets, alternating with lush slices of petola or angled loofah, sat on soft steamed egg studded with bean curd skin. I enjoyed the mushy egg with the juicy petola, and the smooth bean curd skin.

Longevity Noodles in Pig's Stomach Soup.Gu Yue Tien has the best pig's stomach soup in the city.

It's hot and peppery and the soup is almost milky, with a gelatinous mouth feel, from the seven hours of simmering pork bones.

The stuffed, layered intestine and slices of pig's stomach in the soup topped with lots of chopped spring onion made it all so addictive.

I had the soup with longevity noodles or mee sua, and it was so satisfying.

Then a plate of small red berries was brought out, and another of cut limes, lemons, strawberries and grapefruit. We each had a berry, and minutes later tried eating a slice of lime, which miraculously turned sweet on our palate.

These red berries are known as the miracle fruit or Synsepalum dulcificum, and they originate from West Africa.

But Frankie had been planting these berries in his garden for the past three years. I thought the lime was simply divine because it tasted extra sweet and fragrant.

I also liked the lemon and grapefruit too. The sweet effect on your tongue lasts an hour.

Miracle Berries - a slice of lime tastes sweet in your mouth minutes after you have eaten a berry.What we had (except the Soft-boiled Egg with Foie Gras) were from the Chinese New Year set menus which range from RM398++ for four persons to RM998, RM1,088, RM1,488, RM1888 for 10 people.

For instance, in the RM998 menu you would get Salt Baked Iberico Spare Ribs, Braised Whole Abalone with Beancurd and Broccoli and Sea Prawns in Chinese Wine, among other dishes.

I have had the Salt Baked Spanish Iberico Pork Ribs before, and you would be bowled over by the stirring aroma, the scrumptious meat you tear off the bone, using your hands – naturally! The meat is sweet in itself, seasoned with just salt, pepper and a little five spice powder before roasting.

Gu Yue Tien has been around for the past 10 years.

I'm sad to see it go, as those who are regulars there. Frankie, who used to be chef at Lai Ching Yuen at the Regent Kuala Lumpur, has decided to take a break, while keeping a lookout for another place to start anew. – February 6, 2014.

Gu Yue Tien is located at Lot 5A, Chulan Square, Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-2148 0808.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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Milan unveil Taarabt the ‘Balotelli of Morocco’

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 07:31 AM PST

February 05, 2014

AC Milan winger Adel Taarabt pledged to fulfil his potential for the Serie A giants, if given the chance by coach Clarence Seedorf, when he was unveiled by the club on Wednesday.

Taarabt, currently owned by English Championship side Queens Park Rangers, signed for the Rossoneri last week from Fulham on a loan deal that will see him remain until the summer with the chance of a permanent deal available.

Whether describing himself as the 'Balotelli of Morocco' will win favour with the club's talismanic striker Mario Balotelli remains to be seen.

The 24-year-old, who grew up in Marseille being inspired by the feats of French great Zinedine Zidane, says he is itching to stake his claim for a place in Seedorf's side.

"It was a dream come true signing for Milan. It's a big change for me and I can't wait to make my debut," Taarabt said on Wednesday.

"I'm still young and they say I've got talent. It's been a while now that people have said that I should be playing in a big team.

"During my days with QPR, I was linked with PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) but nothing happened. I'm here now and I can't wait to show my worth. I have an idol and his name is Zinedine Zidane, because I grew up in Marseille."

Milan CEO Adriano Galliani said: "I am the director who has seen the most QPR matches. Even when they were in the English second tier, I watched them, thanks to my friendship with (former chairman) Flavio Briatore.

"I was often asked about him and he always seemed a great player to me. I don't understand why at the age of nearly 25 he hasn't shown all his talent, but I am convinced that with us he will show his potential."

Taarabt's arrival will boost an attack boasting striker Balotelli, who is usually supported by fellow forwards Robinho, Kaka and Keisuke Honda in Seedorf's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.

Despite the competition for places, the Moroccan international hopes to show the 37-year-old Dutchman, who took over from sacked Massimiliano Allegri three weeks ago, he has plenty to offer.

"I hope Milan is a platform for me to show my abilities and to give everything to the team," added Taarabt.

"It's true that when Milan were interested in me, I thought, 'They've got the Italian Balotelli. Now they're going to also have the Balotelli of Morocco'.

"Milan have shown great faith in me by including me in their Champions League squad. I'm motivated and can't wait to show my worth in Serie A and play my part against Atletico Madrid."

After a disastrous start to the campaign, Milan sit in 10th place, 30 points behind leaders Juventus, 15 adrift of the last Champions League qualifying place and six behind Verona in the first available Europa League place.

The Rossoneri, who host Atletico in the first leg of the sides' Champions League last-16 clash in a fortnight, are away to third-placed Napoli on Saturday. - AFP, February 5, 2014.

Wiggins children taunted, bullied over Armstrong doping

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 03:20 AM PST

February 05, 2014

Former Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins has revealed that his children had to move schools after they were bullied in the wake of the Lance Armstrong (pic) drug revelations.

Wiggins became the first British winner of the Tour in 2012, seven months before American rider Armstrong was stripped of his seven victories in the race after admitting to extensive doping.

Wiggins said that his increased public profile in Britain, coupled with the fall-out from the Armstrong affair, made life "horrendous" for his two children.

"That (winning the Tour) changed everything," Wiggins told several British newspapers. "I left home unknown and came home the most famous man in the country for that week.

"It was hard for me and the family. It affected them as well. The Lance Armstrong thing in January ... my kids started getting harassed at school. 'Is your dad on drugs? He won the Tour. Is he the same as Lance Armstrong?'

"Horrendous stuff. Horrible. My son getting bullied at school. I had to move my kids to another school.

"I felt responsible for that and it added to my unhappiness at the time. A year on, it feels like a complete contrast. I feel more comfortable in my own shoes now."

Wiggins said that his relationship with Team Sky colleague Chris Froome had improved, as the pair look to make an impact on this year's Tour.

Froome rode in support of Wiggins during his Tour success in 2012, before succeeding him as champion in 2013, but his achievement received less recognition in Britain and he was dogged by questions about doping in the wake of the Armstrong scandal.

"I felt I won the public over, especially the French public, two years ago," Wiggins said. "It's like the film Gladiator - you win the public and you win your freedom.

"I kind of won my freedom, whereas the opposite happened with Chris. It would be nice to go back to the Tour and, if anything, take the pressure off Chris a bit.

"Take some of those questions for him and challenge people for him." - AFP, February 5, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Indonesia seeks to protect ancient tribe

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 08:03 PM PST

February 05, 2014

This picture taken on August 12, 2013 shows a Kajang woman weaving fabric at Amatoa village where the Kajang tribe live in Bulukumba, South Sulawesi. – AFP pic, February 5, 2014.Deep in a remote forest in the Indonesian archipelago, the Kajang tribe lives much as it has done for centuries, resisting nearly all the trappings of modern life.

Their lifestyle has drawn comparisons with the Amish in the US, but they live in even more basic conditions, residing in houses on stilts and dressing only in black sarongs and headdresses.

It is in stark contrast to even many rural areas of Southeast Asia's biggest economy, where the rapid growth of the middle class has led to an explosion in the number of vehicles on the streets and people with smartphones.

But fears have been growing in recent years that the traditions of the Kajang, who live in a densely forested area called Tana Toa on the central island of Sulawesi, are increasingly vulnerable.

Officials worry there is little protection for the forests considered sacred by the tribe in a country where environmental destruction is rampant and that a sudden influx of technology could overwhelm their way of life.

Now the local government in Bulukumba district is hoping it can use a recent ruling by the Constitutional Court of Indonesia as a launchpad to grant the Kajang the right to manage their own forests, instead of it being owned by the state.

Tribal rights group Aman said it would be the first area in Indonesia to use the court ruling to grant an indigenous group such autonomy – a milestone in the fight for the rights of the country's approximately 70 million tribespeople.

The attempt to help the Kajang is driven by outsiders and the tribe itself harbours some suspicions about any sort of external interference in their affairs.

However the so-called "ammatoa", or chief, Puto Palasa said he did not object as long as the effort did not change the tribe's traditional ways, and recognised the attempts to help his beloved forest.

"Preserving the forest will make this earth last longer," Palasa, who has never set foot outside the Kajang's tribal heartland and has received no formal education, told AFP.

"Leaves invite the rain to fall, roots are home to springs, the forests are the world's lungs," he added in his native language called "Konjo".

Signs of modernity are undoubtedly creeping in to the land of the Kajang, who number around 5,000, with the majority strictly following the tribe's traditions, according to a local government official.

On a recent visit to Tana Toa, AFP saw some of the young Kajang clutching mobile phones while others were wearing sandals – the most ardent followers of tribal tradition prefer to go barefoot.

Nevertheless much remains as it has done for centuries. Scores of men were seen lifting enormous tree trunks to build a traditional house while candlenuts, an oily nut which burns for a long time once lit, are the only lights at night.

The Kajang even has its own mini-government, made up of 37 "ministers", including an agriculture minister who tells people when and where to plant their crops by studying the stars.

They dole out punishments – which include fines and caning – for infringements of their rules, such as removing a tree that has fallen naturally or catching shrimps from rivers, activities the tribe believes create imbalances in the ecosystem.

Little is known about the tribe's origins or how long they have been around but they claim to be one of the first peoples on earth, and say they are duty-bound to protect their ancestral lands. Their religion is a mix of tribal beliefs and Islam.

Their total land covers around 760 hectares (1,900 acres), while the area of forest considered "sacred" – the tribe's heartland – covers some 330 hectares, according to research group the World Agroforestry Center.

Bulukumba officials fear this ancient way of life could be wiped out if the Kajang are not given the right to manage their own lands, a move they believe would encourage the tribe to preserve its traditions.

They hope to use the court ruling passed in May as the basis for a local bylaw to give the Kajang this right.

The ruling said that indigenous people owned forest on their ancestral lands. Previously the state claimed ownership of all the country's forests.

As with many such rulings made centrally in Indonesia, it still needs to be applied locally. Bulukumba officials argue the decision gives the Kajang the right to manage all their densely-forested land.

The latest draft bylaw seen by AFP says that the land can be only traded among the Kajang. Officials hope it will be passed in the coming months.

As well as giving the Kajang more control over their destiny, the bylaw would also overturn an official decision taken in the 1990s to allow some logging on their land.

In reality the only logging in the area since then has been carried out by the Kajang themselves, who allow small numbers of trees to be cut down in certain areas for purposes such as building homes.

Officials fear this could change at any moment – many tribes across Indonesia have lost their rainforest homes due to logging.

Bulukumba forestry chief Misbawati Wawo says that in areas of the district outside the Kajang's lands, there has been widespread logging to make way for clove, cocoa and coffee plantations.

"Our concern is if we don't make a written bylaw to protect these people, who can guarantee their traditions will still exist in 20 to 30 years?" she told AFP. – AFP, February 5, 2014.

Bill Gates – from teen geek to world’s richest man

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 05:01 PM PST

February 05, 2014

As a geeky-looking teenager, he started in a garage and created the world's biggest software company. He then became the world's richest man and the world's most prominent philanthropist.

Bill Gates (pic) is now back in a hands-on role at Microsoft, the company he co-founded in 1975, which has been losing ground against rivals in the new tech landscape.

In a shake-up announced yesterday, Gates, 58, assumes a new title – a board member who is "founder and technology advisor", giving up the role of chairman while Indian-born Satya Nadella, 46, becomes Microsoft's third CEO.

It represents a new chapter for Gates, who left as CEO in 2000 as he handed the company reins to Steve Ballmer to devote more time to his charitable foundation. In 2008 he stepped away further from day-to-day operations.

"I'm thrilled that Satya has asked me to step up," Gates said yesterday of his new role, adding that "I'll have over a third of my time available" to work with Microsoft on various products.

Born October 28, 1955, William H. Gates grew up in Seattle with two sisters. His father William was an attorney and his late mother Mary was a schoolteacher and chairwoman of United Way International.

Gates was a 13-year-old student when he began programming computers. He fell in love with the machines and school officials tapped into his programming prowess, swapping computer time for his services.

Among the tales told about Gates is that while working on school computers, he tinkered with programming to put him in classes made up mostly of girls.

Gates met Ballmer while the two were students at Harvard University. With the blessing of his parents, he left college after two years to start "Micro-soft" with his childhood friend Paul Allen.

Gates has said that a chip released by Intel convinced him the time was right for a software company.

The duo got the rights to computer software, modified it and rechristened it Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS). A key move by Gates was to focus on licensing software to computer makers in numerous "partnerships" that resulted in affordable machines being available to the masses.

As the PC market grew, Microsoft became not just the world's top software company but the biggest company by value. Its virtual monopoly led to a much–publicised antitrust trial, in which the company managed to avert a break-up ordered by one judge, but had to endure years of government monitoring.

Gates turned his attention from software to fighting disease and other ills around the world with his wife, under the auspices of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The charity has disbursed more than $28 billion (RM93.1 billion) for causes including fighting malaria, helping small coffee farmers and for college scholarships.

Even while Microsoft has floundered in recent years against the likes of Google and Apple, Gates's fortune has not suffered. He remains near the top of the world's richest with net worth estimated by Forbes magazine at some $72 billion.

Gates has also funded other ventures including Corbis, a huge digital archive of art and photography from public and private collections around the globe.

He is also a member of the board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway, headed by Warren Buffett. Gates has accepted Buffett's challenge to wealthy individuals, pledging to give at least half their fortunes to charity.

Gates was married on January 1, 1994, to Melinda French and they have three children. His Microsoft biography notes he is "an avid reader, and enjoys playing golf, tennis and bridge". – AFP, February 5, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

Charlie Chaplin’s only novel set for release

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 08:10 PM PST

February 05, 2014

A virtually unknown novel by Charlie Chaplin (pic) – the only book the silent film comic ever wrote – is being made public for the first time.

"Footlights", which was unveiled in London late yesterday, was written by Chaplin in 1948 and later transformed into his film "Limelight", in which a washed-out clown saves a dancer from suicide.

The book is being published in English by the Cineteca di Bologna, an Italian film restoration institute which has been working with Chaplin biographer David Robinson on reconstructing drafts found in the Chaplin archives.

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in London in 1889 to poor parents, who struggled to make a living as music hall entertainers. As an adolescent, he began working in music halls in Soho, before eventually becoming an actor with a theatre troupe.

In his first appearance on the silver screen in the 1914 "Making a Living", Chaplin plays a swindler – complete with the hat, cane, moustache and baggy trousers he would become famous for around the world.

According to Robinson, the relationship between drunken clown and desperate ballerina in the much later "Footlights" was likely inspired by his meeting with legendary Russian dancer Vaslav Nijinsky in 1916.

The Cineteca describes Chaplin's "vivid, idiosyncratic" writing style which, "unadulterated by editors, moves freely from the baldly colloquial to moments of rich imagery and Dickensian description.

"For a setting, he looked back to London and the music halls of his first professional years, an enchanted period in which he had broken out of the deprivations of his childhood to discover, progressively, his unique gifts as entertainer and communicator," the institute said in a statement.

"But this retrospect also recalled the painful insecurity of an uneducated, uncultured boy launched into the world of success", and the clown's expressions of despair at losing the world's respect and admiration likely reflected Chaplin's own feelings as his popularity dwindled.

The book is illustrated with previously unpublished documents and photographs from the Chaplin archives, as well as pictures of the theatrical world of Chaplin's youth and images from the author's private collection. – AFP/Relaxnews, February 5, 2014.

Charlie Chaplin’s only novel to be released

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 08:10 PM PST

February 05, 2014

A virtually unknown novel by Charlie Chaplin (pic) – the only book the silent film comic ever wrote – is being made public for the first time.

"Footlights", which was unveiled in London late yesterday, was written by Chaplin in 1948 and later transformed into his film "Limelight", in which a washed-out clown saves a dancer from suicide.

The Cineteca describes Chaplin's "vivid, idiosyncratic" writing style which, "unadulterated by editors, moves freely from the baldly colloquial to moments of rich imagery and Dickensian description.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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Laut tercemar: Kerajaan negeri minta IWK beri keterangan

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 03:29 AM PST

February 05, 2014

Kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang akan memanggil wakil daripada Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) Jumaat ini untuk memberi keterangan berhubung isu pencemaran sebahagian air laut di Pantai Batu Ferringhi yang didakwa berpunca daripada saluran paip loji kumbahan milik IWK.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kerajaan Tempatan, Pengurusan Lalu Lintas dan Tebatan Banjir Chow Kon Yeow berkata siasatan awal mendapati IWK merupakan penyumbang utama berlakunya pencemaran itu, manakala premis menjual makanan di kawasan berhampiran pula hanyalah penyumbang sampingan.

"Memandangkan ini adalah isu alam sekitar ia telah menjadi isu antarabangsa serta sangat mendesak, maka mesyuarat yang diadakan semalam bersama Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS), Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS), Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP) dan wakil IWK telah memutuskan beberapa perkara yang perlu diambil tindakan oleh IWK.

"IWK perlu menghentikan kerja flushing semasa melakukan penyelenggaraan atau menggunakan tangki untuk membawa sisa kumbahan ke loji kumbahan yang lain bagi tujuan rawatan," katanya di George Town hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita dalam sidang media yang diadakan bagi mengumumkan hasil perbincangan yang telah diputuskan semasa mesyuarat semalam.

Selain itu Chow berkata mesyuarat semalam juga memutuskan bahawa untuk tempoh jangka panjang, IWK perlu komited menaik taraf loji kumbahan di Batu Ferringhi kerana dikatakan loji sedia ada tidak mampu untuk menampung keperluan semasa.

"Bagi mengawal pencemaran ini juga JAS akan menjalankan pemantauan dan mengambil sampel air untuk diuji setiap hari secara berkala, manakala MPPP serta pejabat daerah pula perlu mengambil tindakan segera terhadap premis makanan yang menyumbang secara sampingan kepada pencemaran itu," katanya.

Isu pencemaran sebahagian air laut di Pantai Batu Ferringhi yang dilaporkan media sejak Isnin lepas mendapat perhatian umum memandangkan kawasan berkenaan popular sebagai destinasi pelancongan.

Maklumat awal yang diperolehi JAS mendapati adanya elemen bakteria (Escherichia coli) e-coli dalam sampel air yang diambil dari Sungai Batu Feringhi.

"Tentang dakwaan wujudnya bakteria e-coli masih belum diketahui dan mungkin akan diketahui Jumaat ini," katanya.

Sementara itu, jurucakap IWK yang dihubungi berkata pihaknya bersedia berbincang dan memberikan keterangan kepada kerajaan negeri berhubung isu pencemaran berkenaan demi kepentingan sejagat. - Bernama, 5 Februari, 2014.

Muhyiddin umum tiada kenaikan tol tahun ini

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 03:21 AM PST

February 05, 2014

Muhyiddin berharap keputusan kerajaan berkenaan penangguhan kenaikan kadar tol dapat membantu rakyat menangani kos sara hidup. - Gambar fail.Putrajaya memutuskan untuk tidak menaikkan kadar tol tahun ini sebagai sebahagian daripada strategi menangani kos sara hidup yang meningkat, kata Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri berkata, langkah itu akan melibatkan kos sebanyak RM400 juta kepada kerajaan yang perlu dibayar sebagai pampasan kepada syarikat-syarikat konsesi tol.

Pengumuman itu dibuat selepas Muhyiddin mempengerusikan jawatankuasa kabinet khas untuk menangani kenaikan kos sara hidup hari ini, seperti yang dilaporkan The Star Online.

Muhyiddin turut mengumumkan peruntukan sebanyak RM120 juta kepada Fama, Nekmat dan Nafas bagi memastikan bekalan makanan mencukupi di pasaran. – 5 Februari, 2014.

MENYUSUL LAGI

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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Sungha Jung, Tegar dan gitar

Posted: 04 Feb 2014 04:46 PM PST

February 05, 2014

Meor Yusof Aziddin adalah Malaysian folk singer/songwritter yang telah menghasilkan 10 album indipenden sejak tahun 2000 sehingga 2011. Juga penulis untuk buku tentang kehidupan, "Sembang Tepi Jalan" dan "Syurga Yang Hilang." Memblog di www.pestajiwa.net. Berkerjaya sebagai "professional busker" di KL Sentral di bawah pengurusan KTMB sejak tahun 2010 sehingga ke hari ini.

Ada beberapa persamaan antara 2 orang insan seni yang sedang hangat di pasaran masa kini, pemuzik Sungha Jung dan Tegar, si penyanyi cilik dari Indonesia.

Kedua-duanya berjaya mencipta nama di YouTube dan menjadi fenomena, lantas menaikkan nama mereka tanpa perlu menyertai pertandingan gitar atau nyanyian.

Mereka dikenali sedunia juga dalam usia yang masih kanak-kanak, 8 atau 9 tahun.

Cuma seorang datang daripada keluarga yang sangat sederhana dan seorang lagi anak orang berada.

Bukanlah kaya sangat saya kira, tetapi kalau bapanya berjawatan sebagai seorang 'manager', hidup pula dalam pelbagai kemudahan dari segi ekonomi dan persekitaran, itu boleh dikira anak orang senanglah juga.

Tegar yang lahir pada 19 September 2001 pula, bagi saya, naik atas rasa simpati masyarakat akan nasibnya yang dalam usia budak sudah menjadi pengamen, atau busker.Sungha Jung genius bermain gitar dan pernah mengiring pemuzik hebat seperti Tommy Emmanuel, Jason Mraz, dan Trace Bundy. – 5 Februari, 2014.

Liriknya juga berunsur simpati, cuma kelebihan yang ada pada budak ini dia memang punya bakat menyanyi tetapi bagi saya cuma setakat 'bolehlah'.

Lagu-lagu yang dikarangnya juga tidaklah berkualiti sangat melainkan sekuel dari muzik pop Radja, Wali Band atau lagu pop dangdut zaman singkong dan keju dulu dengan melodi yang tipikal dan stereotaip.

Seperkara melodi yang tipikal dan stereotaip sangat sinonim dengan tahap pemikiran dan kefahaman muzik masyarakat Melayu khususnya, juga termasuk rumpun nusantara.

Itu sebabnya lagu pop Melayu, kalau kita dengarkan selepas era Tan Sri P Ramlee dan Jalan Ampas, di era 60-an hinggalah ke era masa kini, lagu yang popular dan meletup melodinya mesti bernada 'minor' dan seakan sama bentuk dan seni katanya, hanya dipusing-pusing melodi dan liriknya saja.

Saya pertama kali menonton nyanyian Tegar di YouTube dengan lagu popularnya 'Aku Yang Dulu Bukanlah Yang Sekarang' dalam beberapa bulan lalu, agak kagum dengan budak ini yang boleh menyanyi, cipta lagu dan bermain gitar.

Dan nasib nyata menyertainya sebagaimana yang kita lihat Tegar hari ini berbanding dulu.

Tapi yang buat masyarakat di sana juga di sini menerimanya mungkin kerana mukanya yang 'cute' dan boleh jual, boleh greng-greng main gitar kecil dan menyanyi.

Juga mempunyai pengurus yang membuat kerja. Selainnya adalah takdir dan nasib.

Mungkin dalam sedikit masa lagi akan ada Tegar versi Malaysia di negara kita ini. Tapi agak sukar sebenarnya kerana di sini, belum ada lagi kita lihat budak-budak berumur 10 tahun ke bawah yang menjadi busker dan punya bakat.

Benda ini tidak boleh dibuat-buat sebenarnya.

Paling tinggi pun itulah syarikat rakaman EMI berjaya menghasilkan penyanyi kanak-kanak Anuar dan Ellina pada hujung tahun 70-an dulu, yang popular dengan lagu 'Kain Pelikat'

Indonesia di era moden, bagi saya dari segi perkembangan industri muzik dan filem mereka semakin kurang dari segi kualitinya, berbanding di zaman 70-an dan 80-an dulu.

Tahap kebanyakan filem mahupun drama yang mereka hasilkan juga tahapnya lebih kurang sama dengan standard filem atau muzik yang kita hasilkan.

Mereka dan kita semakin Bollywood, terlalu komersial dan kuat berangan.

Sungha Jung yang lahir pada 2 September 1996, berasal dari Cheongju, Korea Selatan pula bagi saya memang 'gifted' dalam permainan gitar akustik.

Hari ini beliau sudah menjangkau usia remaja, 18 tahun. Budak ini mula bermain gitar sejak berusia 9 atau 10 tahun lagi.

Kanak-kanak genius terdapat di merata tempat di dunia ini, seperti Mozart yang seusia 5 tahun sudah boleh bermain piano dan mengarang lagu.

Begitu juga dengan pemain biola cilik, Akim Camara yang berasal dari Berlin, Jerman dalam usia 3 tahun sudah membuat persembahan di konsert besar.

Tapi jumlah mereka hanya segelintir sahaja, dan Sungha Jung adalah salah seorang daripada mereka.

Saya berpengalaman sebagai tenaga pengajar gitar akustik khususnya.

Bermula mengajar 10 tahun dulu, format mengajar saya santai sahaja dan misi saya dalam mengajar untuk anak murid saya jadi pandai, itu sahaja.

Kalau hendak formal, pergilah ke sekolah muzik seperti Yamaha Music School dan sebagainya.

Di sana mereka akan belajar secara formal, ada peperiksaan, belajar membaca nota muzik dan jika tekun, mereka pasti boleh hidup dengan mengajar atau bermain muzik secara professional.

Cuma pada pandangan dan melalui pengalaman saya, tidak ramai kanak-kanak yang berminat mengikuti kursus muzik secara serius dan formal, terutamanya di usia mereka yang masih kanak-kanak.

Seperkara lagi, saya tidak akan mengajar bagaimana untuk bermain gitar seperti Sungha Jung.

Sebagaimana yang saya terangkan tadi, budak ini genius dan luar biasa. Tekniknya advance, sebab itulah namanya cepat naik di persada antarabangsa sehingga dapat 'jamming' dengan pemuzik hebat seperti Tommy Emmanuel, Jason Mraz, mahupun Trace Bundy.

Kadang-kadang bila kita lihat orang bermain gitar, memanglah nampak mudah. Seperti kita melihat cara permainan Sungha Jung di YouTube itu.

Tapi secara praktikalnya memang sukar untuk dilakukan mahupun dipraktikkan.

Untuk mahir ke tahap itu, kita memerlukan masa sekurang-kurangnya 3 tahun praktis dan jika kita punya kesungguhan, kita akan dapat melakukannya.

Pernah beberapa orang anak murid saya minta saya tolong ajarkan cara permainan 'finger-picking' gaya Sungha Jung. Perkara asas dalam permainan pun tak lepas, bagaimana hendak main gitar seperti budak itu?

Saya pun belum tentu boleh main gitar seperti Sungha Jung. Memang sukar untuk kita belajar 'finger-picking'.

Perkara utama yang perlu kita lakukan jika hendak ke situ, jari-jemari perlu dilembutkan.

Caranya melalui permainan klasikal, itulah asasnya. Jika 'strumming' dan 'counting' pun tidak lepas, bagaimana hendak bermain 'finger-picking'?

Muzik Tegar paling jauh pun hanya di sekitar Asia Tenggara seperti Malaysia, Singapura atau Brunei. Untuk ke pasaran antarabangsa ianya memerlukan 'magik'.

Jika budak ini konsisten, ada inisiatif untuk maju dalam muzik dan tidak hanyut, kariernya akan berterusan sehingga menjadi 'legenda'.

Sungha Jung pula namanya sudah dikenali satu dunia, sehingga mana-mana budak yang baru mengenal gitar di seluruh dunia pasti mengenali Sungha Jung dan mereka sudah pasti bercita-cita mahu menjadi hebat seperti gitaris itu.

Untuk langkah pertama dan berterusan, teruskan praktis, praktis dan praktis tanpa jemu dan lupakan Sungha Jung untuk sementara waktu sampailah tahap kita akan tiba.

Bila? Itu terpulanglah kepada diri dan semangat kita sendiri. – 5 Februari, 2014.

* Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.