History of Bangsawan

By Nathaniel Rhine

Since bangsawan found ground in Malaysia in the late 1880’s, a theater pursuit began which later became very popular and monopolized theatrical activities in Malaysia for more than 70 years. Bangsawan was set in motion in the Malaysian state of Pulau Pinang, which then expanded throughout the whole of Malaysia and even to Indonesia. Bangsawan went through modifications when it was introduced in Indonesia.

Bangsawan did not originate in Malaysia; instead bangsawan was born from the demise of an itinerant theater from India. During the 1870’s, Pulau Pinang received influences from the staging of an itinerant theater company named Parsi Theater (Wayang Parsi) or Mendu. This company staged many tales using the Hindi language and was performed by actors and actresses who were brought in from India. The repertoires of the tales were on the subjects of love and adventure of this group and the gods.

Moreover, the people of Pulau Pinang, throughout the years, comprehended the language from the Indian region because the British colonialists brought with them as many Indian nationals as possible to work and become the island’s inhabitants when they occupied Pulau Pinang. In view of the fact that there were more male than female Indians, many of the male immigrants married local women and eventually fostered a community of Indian/Malay which were once known as Jawi Pekan. Later, Parsi Theater was secured by the local master among the Jawi Pekan community named Mohamed Pusi in 1884.

Interestingly, the equipment used for the stage shows were improved and were salvaged, with a new ensemble of actors replacing the old. The new masters harbored the interest of promoting and marketing bangsawan so the performance was named Bangsawan Theater (Wayang Bangsawan). The first bangsawan group was called Pusi Indera Bangsawan of Penang. This group began to become active in 1885 with the company of actors using the Malay language. This group journeyed on to the rest of Malaysia and to Sumatera.

Subsequently, Bangsawan Theater was traded to an entrepreneur in Sumatera named Jaafar Turk. Meanwhile, bangsawan as a stage performance was no longer monopolized by its initiator Mohamed Pusi. Several other groups were put together by other entrepreneurs who saw that this form of theater had commercial potential that could be profitable. The growth of bangsawan was incessantly happening in the hands of the entrepreneurs. In line with the influences of secular education from the west and the effect of westernization, the name bangsawan was revolutionized into opera.

Each state in Malaysia has a center whose aim is to stage bangsawan. In Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, the group of Sungai Wang Plaza was once a venue for staged bangsawan and it was known as Happy World. There have been numerous groups that have been actively involved since the inception of the first group. The various groups that have been committed and dynamic are Nahar Bangsawan, Malayan Opera, Kinta Opera, Indera Bangsawan of Penang, City Opera, Peninsula Opera, Dean Opinion Opera, Rose Opera, Seri Pertama Opera, Jaya Opera, Zanzibar Bangsawan, Rose Opera, Gray Noran Opera, Indera Permata of Selangor, Constantinople Opera, Rahman Opera, Kencana Wati Opera, Bangsawan Jenaka Melayu and Bolera Opera.

As a popular stage performance, bangsawan activities were finally affected by the birth of film arts. In the beginning, film arts proffered lucrative incomes than did bangsawan, casts of all star bangsawan actors were picked as film actors. This brought about the decline of bangsawan activities as actors of bangsawan had been won over by the film arts and at the same time contributed to the growth of the film arts. The popularity of the bangsawan actors and actresses helped to attract audiences to Malay films. Other factors included the war, rise in the standard of living and the rocketed amount of funds needed to mobilize bangsawan contributed to the freeze of this art form. At the present time, there are only two bangsawan groups that still continue to keep alive this art form.

I was honored to have attended a performance last evening entitled, Megat Bulang Kuala at Panggung Bandaraya DBKL at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was an excellent performance. To be amongst individuals who have an appreciation for this art form was exciting. I must admit that I did not understand everything that was being said, due to my lack of fluency of the Malay language. However, the acting, the music, the singing and dance, not to forget the performance of Silat, the Malaysian martial art, were superbly executed. I congratulate and applaud all those who were involved in sharing this wonderful art of bangsawan. I would like to invite you to share your views and comments about this entry. There will be more interesting things that I would like to share with you, so please keep an eye out for my upcoming posts. Thank you for your time and have a very productive day ahead.

The Power of a Smile and a Few Kind Words

By Nathaniel Rhine

I had the opportunity of attending a seminar about properties and real estate recently. The first portion of the seminar had concluded so I wanted to leave and go home. Instead, I returned to the conference area and attended another presentation. Moments before the presentation was to begin, a woman entered the area. We made eye contact and shared a brief but warm smile. She sat one row behind me. As she moved towards her seat, we exchanged a few kind words and another smile.

The presentation is over. The last two people to remain in the conference area were the lady whom smiles were shared with at the beginning of the presentation and myself. We were last, not because we were slow at getting up from our seats, or that we had nothing else better to do. Instead, were engaged in wonderful conversation, which all began with a smile and a few kind words.

Upon having small talk, we discovered that we had many things in common, the greatest one being that we both are interested in properties, real estate. She has always wanted to get into real estate, and only recently was she able to do. I have always wanted to be involved in real estate in Malaysia, but I held myself back due to fear of the unknown. Fear of not having enough knowledge about real estate.

As an architect, I know about buildings and how to design them, however, I have no experience on how to sell real estate. It was the fear factor that prevented me from diving into this exciting field of interest.

Almost two hours later, my new friend and I were still engrossed in conversation. We moved from the conference area, which was like an icebox, due to the air conditioning, to a much warmer venue, outside having a cup of tea. The more we talked the more we found that we had in common.

Since we are both risk takers, I took the risk of asking her personal questions as to how she got involved with real estate. She willingly informed of so much valuable information that I knew nothing about. It was an opportunity for me to see that I had a lot to learn about real estate. So did she. However, because we were able to connect, she offered to teach me whatever she knew about the business. She was willing to be my mentor! Can you imagine, here we are two strangers who began working towards a relationship to become friends with only two small but meaning things; a smile and a few kind words.

To seal the deal, as it were, we shook hands. She would be my mentor in real estate. Not only that, she has offered me a partnership on a real estate deal that she is currently working on. That was just icing on the cake. The fear I previously had prevented me from getting into real estate has been eradicated simply because someone whom I’ve met, has helped me to realize that one must attack fear with action, doing just the opposite of what fear wants one to do, nothing.

So today, go out smile and share a few kind words, and surely you will see the benefits in so many ways. Try it, you’d be surprise.

The Power of Small - Little Things Make all the Difference

By Nathaniel Rhine

Today we are told to think big and look at the bigger picture. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being ambitious. Unfortunately, we have lost the value of little things.

Have you had the opportunity to open a door for a woman and she said,”Thank you”? How did you feel? Have you ever been sick at home for a few days and an associate of yours gave you a call to see how you were doing? How did you feel? Those simple yet small gestures meant a great deal.

When it comes to our business, there’s no difference. A doctor wrote an article in a medical journal and it was later brought to his attention that the word medicine, which is the correct spelling, was spelled: m-e-d-e-c-i-n-e. What impression did the readers of that article have? Perhaps the reader would think twice before allowing that doctor to perform a surgery on him. Surely because of a small spelling mistake, the doctor’s potential patients may have lost trust and confidence in him.

If the doctor had taken an extra minute to proofread his article, he perhaps could have left a better impression on the readers. It only required a small amount of time and effort.

As an architect, I must pay close attention to every detail of my designs. It literally could mean someone’s life or death. A detail could be a small nut and bolt that may cost only a few cents each. However, if I failed to pay attention to such a detail, and omitted the nut and bolt, I could possibly jeopardize the safety of an occupant of that building.

At The Rhine Organization, we separate ourselves from other architecture firms by focusing on the details, no matter how big or small they may be. Our aim is to be the best at what we do, not the biggest or the best known. By being small and focused on the details, we are in a better position to satisfy our clients. When our clients are satisfied with our service they will proudly tell others about our firm. Ultimately, we will become better known.

Yes, at times we had to decline offers to design for potential clients. Not because we didn’t want to do it and didn’t think the projects were challenging enough. Rather, we had declined some offers because we felt we would be spreading ourselves too thin. If we were to have taken on additional projects that were too much for us to handle, we would be providing less quality service to our existing clients, which is both unprofessional and eventually unprofitable. We can not afford to lose our current clients who are valuable to our practice.

Therefore, by our firm being small, we are in a better position to do many other small things that do make a lot of difference.

In conclusion, the power of small things really does make all the difference. Today, everyone is sending emails and text messages because it’s convenient and fast. Very impersonal as well. However, to prove that small things do make a difference, why not spent a small amount of time and send a hand written letter thanking someone today. See the results. Whatever they are, let me know. Thank you for your time and have a great day ahead.

There's Always a Few Ways to Make a Few Bucks

There I was, sitting at my desk in my home office working when I heard a guy in his truck passing the neighborhood calling, "Old newspapers. Old newspapers." In Malaysia, it is a common practice for a guy in a pickup truck to drive by in the neighborhoods blasting from a loudspeaker, inviting the neighbors to sell their old newspapers. Yeah, believe it.

Here I am working on a new design for a house and this man outside is asking for the neighbors to sell their old newspapers. Actually, that's a good business for that man. In Malaysia, people do not throw away their old newspapers like we do back home in America. In Malaysia, old newspapers are very useful. They are used to wrap up food that is being sold at food stalls, they are used to wrap cups and plates one may buy at the markets, or they may even be used to line the cat's litter boxes.

I figured what do I have to lose if I were to stop my work at the computer for a few minutes, go gather the old newspapers I have in my storage room and sell it to the guy outside in his pickup truck. That is exactly what I did. With my shirt and tie on, I carried bundles of old newspapers to this man's truck. He weighed them on a large scale and paid me in cash for it. It wasn't much, but at least I made a few bucks off of something that was just collecting dust in my storage room and being a fire hazard.

The moral of the story, get off your laurels and make some money, regardless of what it may be. Here I am an architect selling my old newspapers to this hard working gentle who's riding in a pickup truck. Swallow your pride a bit and make some money man. I did and so can you.

One of my Dream Cars - The Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4

As a young boy growing up in New York, I have always admired beautiful cars. Cars that only the very rich could afford. Cars you only read about in car magazines. Cars that you would rarely see on the roads, but when you did, you went gaga.

Well, even now at the young age of 43, I still go gaga when I see a sexy and beautiful car. I have many "favorite cars", but one of them that I was able to photograph this morning was the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4!

Eggshell white, black leather interior, sittin' on shiny black doves (wheels for those of you not from the hood) and freshly washed. What a sight to see and even more beautiful when you hear its sweet music.

The most beautiful features of the car are its clean lines. It's the lines that defines the curves of the body, its proportions. Every line has a particular meaning that scream beauty. The Lambo is like a building on wheels. Of course an architect would say that, right?

I Ain't Goin' Nowhere

Welcome to my personal blog, Nathaniel Rhine. I was compelled to create this blog for one simple reason only. For you to have the opportunity to get to know the this guy, yours truly.

I have created two blogs, that you may or may not be familiar with, The Rhine Organization and Nathaniel Rhine Architect. After I wrote an article on architecture that I wanted to upload, I had to decide as to which one of the two blog sites would I upload to. There was a conflict of interest, if I may say that. Both of the above mentioned blog sites talk about architecture. So if my blog was on architecture, I found it difficult as to which blog site to use.

So to solve the problem, I have moved all of the content from Nathaniel Rhine Architect blog site to The Rhine Organization blog site. Now I have created this new blog site to talk only about me.

In actual fact, I wear many hats. I am an architect, a father, a husband, an American Pit Bull Terrier owner, a friend and to some perhaps an enemy. It would be outright crazy to create a blog site for each hat that I may wear. So the solution was to create this blog site where I will write about any and everything that pertains to me except, architecture, my American Pit Bull, Soldier, and Taekwondo. I have designated separate blog sites for each of those topics. If you have the time, check them out. They may be of interest to you.

Until the next time we are to meet, keep it movin'.