What to do in a lift when faced with a stranger?

What does one do when you're in the lift with a stranger (i.e. just 2 of you) and stood just facing each other and your eyes happen to meet? It felt pretty awkward and the only thing I could do was try to smile and try to appear that you're not staring. But then you will not know if the person will smile back or will think you're strange. Should you hold your gaze or quickly look away? Ah well.

Rounding up 2009

What better way to round up 2009 than to start with thanksgiving! And I must say I have many things to give thanks for as God has been very kind & gracious, despite my occasional grumblings, which thankfully, I repent of.

The first & foremost thing I want to thank God for is the successful operation that my father went for. He's recovering very well, and this is one of the most significant thing I want to praise the Lord for.

Secondly, thank God for my nephew! He's so adorable and 乖, and most importantly, healthy and growing (quite big). Just seeing/remembering his smile makes me smile too. *sigh* why are babies so cute...so that we can love them to bits!

In the area of my career, even though I grumbled a bit about it, but I must still thank God that I still have a job in these times and am doing something I like. I had the opportunity to study a module at NAFA (despite the admin glitches...which thankfully, was resolved) and am especially thankful for the opportunity to visit Atlanta and do an attachment with the music department at the Emory University. I learnt a lot there and also, had the privilege to have gotten to know my mentor & his family better. They are a great family and am really grateful for them. It would have been very different if I had not had the good fortune of having my mentor as my host. The whole experience became more enjoyable and it gave me new fire in a time of restlessness in my work. I think (if I heard correctly) God has something in store for me 2 years down the road (well, by this time it would be considered 1 year plus), so I'm looking forward to what's the next move.

I also wish to thank God for the friends I have that keep my feet on the ground and share my dreams with. They've been great and I believe that for some of us, our friendship has strengthened. And I'm also truly grateful that I have a friend of many years (ten and counting) whom I travel and share most of my thoughts with (you know who you are gal :P).

I also thank God for the Songcraft concert we had this year. It was different from before and it was great fun, planning and performing even at new premises with the 'perfect' setup. It's also the first time I actually had friends coming.

Well, this might sound weird, but I must still thank God for the many times I've fallen sick this year. Well, at least I'm now immune to 4-5 more strains of flu!

I am also grateful that I have a nice & understanding RO (I'm very paiseh she calls me “小老板”). We have our share of friction, but it's good that we always reconcile eventually.

Of course, most importantly, I must also thank GOD for being God. There is none like Him who can bear with me, and still be gracious and merciful, sheltering with His love. Even being alive is a blessing, as I know in many instances, God's protective hand has always been upon me. He knows my every thought and guides my path. May I always be receptive and humble to Him.

Well, I'm sure there are many more things to be grateful for, but I must leave some space to evaluate my 2009 resolutions as well. Here goes:

1) Person: to be nice to people and learn to put aside some differences
I guess this should be a constant thing. I am not a good judge of this as it is up to those around me to evaluate this. But I'm taking things in my stride so that I can be more friendly. Ever since I started work, think I've become more skeptical, "hostile" and selfish, but I've been trying harder to remind myself to think of others before myself and well, be more "blur" if I can help it.

2) Ministry: volunteering in church
I still haven't made the commitment in any areas of volunteering. However, I was "volunteered" to do intercessory duty a couple of weeks ago. It's one of those network duty roster thing, but I guess it's good practice and a trial run I would say. I was supposed to be on duty another time in another role, but as I was sick then, I didn't. I must say I am privileged in a way to serve God in any way I can, and it's a blessing to be always volunteered for the job (it means something right?). Then it came to me that hey, maybe right now, even though I have yet to find my calling in the church, I should volunteer to be the "rep" for my cellgroup when the roster comes round. I think that's a good start...to keep in mind as 2010 resolution.

3) Music: more time & inspiration to write more songs; write more Christian songs; make more use of my GarageBand functionalities; brush up on my music skills
I would say this ain't much fulfilled. I only wrote 2 new songs this year, and none of them Christian! I only managed some lyrics, but no tune. But I did present some of my older songs at Songcraft for the first time. Try harder next year.

4) Sport: fencing skills - speed, accuracy and tactic
Due to my "constant" travelling and many "MCs" this year, I missed quite a lot of classes, so there wasn't much improvement...rather, I think I'm getting worse at it.

5) Work: better manage my time
Hrm...maybe a little, but with all my travelling, there's backlog.

6) Rest!
Thank God that I have had the opportunity to travel a lot this year. I went to Hokkaido, UK, KL and Atlanta. That's really a lot, especially for one who's afraid of flying. But they were good experiences; good getaways and I was rejuvenated for a while.Of course, the company mattered too.

7) Vocal classes
And yes, I signed up for beginners vocal class (for worship) and it just ended this week. Will want to continue, but not straightaway...probably the following term. Outcome? Well, learnt how to breathe.

This year passed really fast and it's coming to an end in 2 days. What will 2010 have in store?

Finishing Well

I have been reading 2 Chronicles lately and it constantly reminds us to "finish well" in our walk with GOD. Throughout the book, we see how the many kings had fallen during their last days. Some started really well but ended badly, as pride took over, forgetting that their victorious past and prosperity was God-given. Some started badly but ended well.  All these had repercussions for the next generations to come and even of nationwide calamity. Not many finished well, but God is merciful & faithful, never forgetting His promises.

I pray that I will be able to finish well eventually.

Avatar (3D)

Well, the 3D effects weren't that great, but I liked the show. (4.5 out of 5)

First things first, the main reason I decided to catch the show was because of Sam Worthington (from Terminator: Salvation). Anyway, it's a James Cameron movie, so one would expect it to be something good, especially with all the good reviews.

In any case, the story was a typical good triumphing over evil saga, and you have your hero who saves the day, he whom sees the terrible deeds of his own kind, takes the side of the natives. Of course, there's always the romance where the hero falls for (no surprise) the daughter of the chief. Even though it's quite a standard formula of a story, it was very well done and enjoyable to watch.

The message is clear here, about saving the earth. It expounds on how mankind tries to "rob" everything, taking what they want from others, including invading others' property. However, that should not be the case and 1 day, nature will fight back.

On another note, honestly, the Na'vi weren't that ugly once you get used to them and they more or less will bear some semblance to the actors/actresses "playing" them.

What is love? A puzzle piece?

It's really hard to define, but I was watching a show on Hallmark the other day (can't remember the name) but here's how love was defined as the mother told it to her 10-year-old son (who asked her) what her late husband used to say about their love - that love is when you find someone who makes you feel complete.

I think this is a rather good definition and there is truth in it. Just like how a husband and wife are meant to complement each other in making whole a relationship, so is how we define love, a completeness.

It's like a puzzle isn't it? And finding the right one is like finding a piece of a puzzle that fits, such that you can complete the puzzle and all other things fall into place. I won't say it's like finding that missing piece of a puzzle because both will need to work together to complete the puzzle of their lives together. You can't force a piece to fit into somewhere it doesn't belong. It will damage the piece and the final puzzle will look wrong, including causing other pieces to be placed wrongly. Worse still if it's a piece from another puzzle.

I'll Be Home For Christmas (Classics)

I don't really recall when it started. But it could have been when I visited the US about 10 years ago during the Christmas period when I was watching old films like those of Fred Astaire, Shirley Temple & Bing Crosby, or the old films that used to be on TV.
But I have come to realise that nothing beats watching old film classics during Christmas season. Somehow, it adds to the nostalgic charm and it makes Christmas even more "magical". Maybe it's that they would sing the good old Christmas songs in that old familiar style that sounded so sincere (honestly, Christmas songs are best sung that way...besides the hymn-style), or the black & white/technicolor Hollywood images and simplicity of the good old film classics where black is black and white is white, and love is pure and simple. It is really restful as one takes that day off, stepping back from everyday life, and really enjoying the peace of Christmas (that's meant to be) and enjoying quality time with family & friends.
You might find this boring, but I don't think partying the night away (I mean the 'havoc' kind) is exactly a meaningful way of spending Christmas, nor creating a whole lot of stress in all that preparation. After all, it's a day of celebrating Jesus' birth.

Ok, I didn't actually stay home all day, but i did catch 2 film classics, It Happened on 5th Avenue and Meet Me in St Louis, the latter starring Judy Garland. After that it was the day out with the whole family to Ikea. It's been a while since I visited Ikea, and this time there, strangely, I was actually reminded of 500 Days of Summer. Anyway, it was a good time. My nephew is super cute!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Which aspect of musicals do I want to do?

My friend asked me, in view of a musical theatre course we might be taking up, what aspect of musical theatre do I wish to achieve out of the course. I can't tell for the course as I'm not really sure what it's going to cover, but I did realise I hadn't consciously thought of it. Let's see...what aspect of musical theatre would I want a part in?

If you say singing (which includes acting), well, I like to sing the songs, but not in the performance aspect, but more of "singalong" and knowing the songs. My voice not power enough lah.

Dancing...I would say I have 1.5 left feet and come to think of it, if I ever do dancing, it will need to be pretty solo...not because I'm individualistic, but I can't remember the steps!

Music. This could be a consideration, and I would really love to be able to compose music/songs for the show. However, due to my limited musical capabilities, it's a bit tough, although I think I can help with the lyrics to songs. Anyway, someone once said that there shouldn't be too many composers for a musical as it would cause conflicting styles within the musical.

Now, the story. I think this would be closest to what I would want to achieve. I still recall the fascination I had when I first read the script for Phantom of the Opera (I confess it's probably the first full script of any musical I've read) where the dialogue, scenes, backdrop, etc. were all carefully laid out. Also, I like to "daydream" or imagine storylines. Another reason could be that I used to dream of writing a book, which of course never came to pass as books are too long to write. Musicals are a good length and you can imagine the drama & flamboyance.

Hmm...

The Princess and the Frog

Disney!

Well, how would I describe this latest animated film by Disney? First thing first, the graphics was in the likes of the older animation films, which was nostalgic. Songs-wise, hmm...I wouldn't say there were really memorable ones. It's a different style from previous ones where somehow, you usually have some overriding theme song that was "magical". You know, Disney magic. Set in the jazz/soul district, it could have been better.

Of course, Disney shows will always have happy endings where the couple will end up together eventually and live happily ever after, with all dreams fulfilled (except this time, a friend dies). The only thing was that I found the show too "short" in the sense that the characters were not strongly portrayed enough.

I enjoyed some of the laughs nevertheless. I think my favourite Disney animation would be The Little Mermaid which has 1 of the best soundtracks in my opinion. I've always loved the story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, even though Disney's version has a happy ending.

Christmas and Easter

I was reading today's devotional article and here's what Rick Warren wrote:

"Christmas would have no meaning if Jesus hadn't died on the cross for us and then proved that he is God by rising again three days later on Easter Sunday."

How true this is! Would we even be celebrating Christmas if not for Christ's sacrifice?

Nowadays, Christmas and Easter seem to be celebrated as 2 separate events, especially Christmas where people think more of Santa Claus and the whole commercial aspect of it. We forget that the significance of these 2 occasions are closely linked, and one would not have existed without the other.

Just my reflections on this.

Musical Story 2.1

As posted earlier, I finished a rough storyline that had 2 versions (2.1 & 2.2), a story about escaping fate.

So I showed it to my mentor who was back in Singapore for the holidays and he said he preferred 2.1 as 2.2 was a bit vague at some point (the middle portion...both stories start & end the same). Gee, my friend had the same comment. Hee...I was trying to be slightly less conventional in 2.2, but I guess it wasn't strong enough. Ah well, criticism is good, especially when there's consensus.

The good thing was that he wasn't expecting it to end that way, i.e. that 1 of the characters dies. That's a good sign for stories - something unexpected. Well, I kind of "had to" end it that way for various reasons, something like breaking the cycle of "condemnation" and of course, for the dramatic effect.

But my friend found it too tragic, which I would agree. So much so that I preferred to write something more light-hearted after that. Tragedies are very draining, but it was a fun process anyway.

Rule the World by Take That

Attended my friend's wedding dinner tonight and they played this song, which I really liked when it was released, as the theme song for Stardust. It was sort of meant to be a "comeback" song for Take That. It totally suited the show.

The Composer

Caught this theatre production yesterday at Esplanade Theatre Studio.
It featured Leslie Tan of the T'ang Quartet, in his acting debut.
Basically, he reveals his past sordid affairs to his dead wife (yes, 'dead') as he awaits his execution.

As his first foray into theatre, I would say it was a commendable performance. The show was pretty dark throughout, with some interjections of humour. I did expect that he didn't actually kill his wife though, but he was responsible. Some parts were a bit R(A) (last part where he has an affair with his student), but the show was actually rated R(A) anyway, which I only realised after I bought the tickets. But due to the nature of the story, it was good they kept it to 75min (no intermission).

I would say that as a play, the way it was written, played and choreographed was not bad, even though the setup was pretty simple. I guess that keeps you focused on the content.

Les Miserables vs A Tale of Two Cities

My friend and I were discussing about musicals and he mentioned about the complexity of the storyline of Les Misérables. I think we mentioned Charles Dickens earlier in the conversation and I was immediately reminded of A Tale of Two Cities. Probably it's because it was set around the same time (French Revolution) and references to redemption, although the story is quite different and rather complex. (I must admit I never got to finish the book).

Sarah Brightman

Strangely, after yesterday's Lea Salonga concert, I found myself searching for Sarah Brightman's singing instead. I found a cover she did of "There For Me" which was really nice in her Time To Say Goodbye album. I actually prefer that version which she sang with José Cura, but could only find this version with Josh Groban on youtube.

Lyrics

Sarah:
There for me, every time I've been away
Will you be there for me, thinking of me everyday
Are you my destiny, words I never dared to say
Will you be there for me?
Just think of you and me, we could never tow the line
It's such a mystery just to hear you say you're mine
And while you're close to me, so close to me
Just hold me

Josh:
When you're feeling cold and all the city streets are grey
Walking all alone and watching how the children play
Voices in the wind and faces from the past go dancing by
They're asking why

Sarah and Josh:
Will you be there for me, everytime I go away
Will you be there for me, thinking of me everyday
Are you my destiny, words I never dared to say
Will you be there for me?

Sarah:

And while you're close to me, so close to me
Just hold me

Josh:

Can you really want me more than for a little while?
What are the stories hiding there behind your smile?
Wishes in a dream and figures in a world that I could share
And everywhere

Sarah and Josh:

Will you be there for me
Will there ever come a day when all the world can see
Things were meant to be that way
Will you be there for me?
Can you hear the people say
That you're just
There for me

Josh:

There for me

Sarah:

There for me

Christmas is coming!

Wee....Christmas is only a week away! Time really flies. I'm beginning to feel the Christmassy magic as we remember the day of Christ's birth.

This year we're having a big Christmas celebration event at church on Christmas Eve. Am really excited about that.

Also, I'd finally got down to baking my fruit cake (as Christmas gifts - oops, forgot to mention that when giving them out). Was a bit heavy-handed on the alcohol though. My mum & bro tried them & I gave some to my colleagues, as well as 1 to a friend I met tonight. I myself ate 2 this morning, which was a bad idea on an empty stomach (felt slightly "high" thereafter, not seriously lah). The effect of the alcohol only comes at the end, so be careful if you're not used to it. You might want to heat it up in the oven 1st to dissipate more of the alcohol, although I think the baking process should have done what it could already.
On the whole, it was successful as my 1st attempt of a liqueur fruit cake. It might need more flour though. I baked a "non-spiked" one a couple of years back, which was not too bad too. Actually, fruit cakes are 1 of the easiest cakes to make. I might bake more again for friend(s) I meet next week if I have time, but I'll have to steep some more fruit in wine first.

Well, let me end with this story our pastor shared on Sunday (a condensed version):
A woman was rushing around buying Christmas gifts and all the "neccessary items to prepare for Christmas. There were queues among queues and it was a very tiring day as she walked & waited around with her heels and bags of shopping. 
At the end of the day, she was so exhausted as she waited for the elevator to come. to her dismay, it was full! She gave a (rather loud) groan. As if the people in the elevator heard her, they "tucked" themselves tighter together a little to let her in.
When she got herself in, with all her bulky baggages, she gave a complaint that whoever started this Christmas thing should be arrested and shot for creating all these trouble. Some of the people in the lift agreed. Then a voice said, "Don't worry, they've already crucified him."
Suddenly, there was silence.

Many have forgotten the true meaning and purpose of Christmas. It's not about the festivities. In fact, on the night Christ was born, it was a pretty quiet night (that's why the song "Silent Night"). Many times, people get super busy with the preparations, forgetting the meaning and spirit of it all.

Esplanade presents Lea Salonga

It was a singing concert which I caught with a friend tonight, where Lea Salonga sang a selected repertoire of songs, both musicals & not.

She sang them nicely and well and she spoke rather humorously. However, I had kind of expected it to be more "captivating" or "powerful". But I did like the song "Taylor, the Latte Boy" which was pretty cute. She also sang songs from Les Miserables like "On My Own" & "I Dreamed A Dream" and also some Disney songs like "Reflections" from Mulan (at 1 point I really liked the violin concerto played by Vanessa Mae for the show), and "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. For "A Whole New World", she actually invited someone from the audience to sing with her on stage. And guess what? Dwayne Tan (from last year's Wild Rice production Snow White) instantly responded. Without the make-up, he looked a bit different but still recognisable. I had some doubts along the way as he didn't sing as well as he did in Snow White. He was obviously awestruck by Lea Salonga, and being able to sing the duet with her, not to mention running down 3 stories in less than 2 minutes! But he did perform and was very well-prepared for the occasion.

You know who I really want to hear 'live'? Sarah Brightman. I have not had a chance to do that. She was the best Christine.
Not sure if I would be captivated or disappointed. However, these days, she sings more new age stuff (e.g. Eden & Harem).

Billy Elliot the musical - The Letter

With all these discussions about musicals, I can't help but return to the last memorable musical that I watched. And this was the song that moved me the most in the show. It's about a letter that Billy's late mother left him.

A reprise was sung at the end of the musical, where Billy replied his mother.

2 Chronicles 30:13-27

Have been following the devotional "Living Life: A Journal of Spiritual Formation & Reflection" and for today's devotion, it magnified God's grace and His heart. What really spoke to me were the verses 18-20:

"Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary. And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people."

It's not about the rituals, but about your relationship with God. When your heart is right, you are right with God, and He will make a way. A humble & contrite heart is all He needs.

The Christmas Stomp

Wow! Time really flies and it's Christmas next week!

On Christmas eve, my church is having a celebration with a show in store. It's free admission. So feel free to join us in the party if you're available. :)

 

Here's the story. It's going to be interactive as the audience get to sing along too.

"In an exciting virtual reality video game, youths Timothy and Rachel embark on a mission to accumulate points to buy a gift fit for a King. Whilst playing it, both characters experience a twist of events, and the Christmas story creatively unfolds to touch the hearts of the audience. This Christmas Stomp is highly interactive, as segments of the presentation require the participation of the audience to enable the youths to accomplish their mission in the game. Besides familiar Christmas carols given a new flavour, the audience will be mesmerised by a spectacular live performance by 100 “Stompers”, exciting graphics by Egg Finity, the studio that brought about groundbreaking digital animation and visual effects seen in movies like “The Lord Of The Rings” and “The Matrix”, and music arrangements by Kenn Chua, a renowned Singaporean musician who has worked with Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin, and has been recognised at the Taiwan Golden Melody Awards, the Chinese equivalent of the Grammy Awards."

A rested heart & mind

As mentioned earlier, it had been an "eventful" week for me.
Just want to thank & praise God that my father's operation went smoothly and he's recovering well, being able to walk around already. Thank you, all those who prayed for him.

And also to thank God that I survived my presentation. Everything went smoothly and the slot given was good - allowed those before me to test out the system first so my presentation did not have a glitch especially in the media part (the presentation before me had some sound issues for their video, which was solved). I actually had a bad dream about not being on time to test out my slides and the system the night before. Haha!
The big boss was very nice and I managed to answer the questions he asked.
It turned out my presentation became the last presentation for the meeting as the meeting was overrun by 25 minutes, so the big boss probably had some appointment to attend elsewhere.

Think the rest of the year should be quite peaceful and I can concentrate on other things, including working my brains for inspiration.

Beauty & the Beast

 I caught Wi!d Rice's Beauty and the Beast pantomime with my mum yesterday and rather enjoyed it. As it was considered "family entertainment", it was more light-hearted and interactive, with less need to try to understand the "jokes", although they did try to put in some elements/subtle references from the likes of the "beauty queen saga", pole dancing restrictions, etc. I won't say it's exceedingly funny, but it was entertaining, with the song & dance.

Now, about the music. There were some more memorable ones like "Cold Feet" and "A Big Girl Now", but I think they were reminiscent of last year's Snow White (I was reminded of "Love at Second Sight"). Maybe because it was Elaine Chan again. Not that it's a bad thing or anything, but I guess it's her style for the pantomimes.

1 story down

Phew! Finally got my thoughts written down for 1 of my storylines. It might not be the best of ideas, but at least, I've gotten it over & done with. It was a pretty "draining" exercise as it involves a sad ending. Writing a "tragedy" requires putting yourself through some of the emotions imagined or wish to evoke in the audience. You need to consider all factors too, like cause & effect.

Technically, I came up with 2 versions of the storyline and there can be more possibilities or permutations, but I only had the energy to actually pen down 2. It's a relief to actually get it off my mind. Not that I'm sick of it, but one needs a break.

It made me realise that this is the way I work. When I have an idea, I'll keep mulling over it and must, in a sense "complete" it. After that I can safely put it aside. I think it's good so that you can actually come back to it later with an open mind.

I shall attempt something more light-hearted next round...if I ever get down to it.

Writing a musical dream

As mentioned earlier, my friend & I have been exploring the idea of writing our very own musical(s).

After some thrashing out of ideas, we've yet to find a storyline that we think is strong enough. We came up with something, but not sure how it's going on from there. (Will hear from my friend what he has in mind later)

Obviously, writing a musical is very different from writing a novel and play, and not all plays can be musicals. Musicals need to be more "flamboyant" and as my friend said more "exotic". After the storyline, one still needs to fit the songs in, taking into consideration setting, "hook", etc. It's tough!

Well, with no new ideas coming up, I'm currently building up on one of my story lines, expanding on it and putting it down in a more structured form, like imagining how it will play out. It might not be the best of ideas, but at least there's something! Hopefully, new ideas will emerge in the process.

Good thing it's the season for song, dance and drama so there are lots of opportunities to draw inspiration from the shows. Aside from Victor/Victoria and Broadway Beng which I have watched, I'm catching Beauty & the Beast, Lea Salonga and The Composer. And probably more next year. So hopefully more useful ideas emerge!

Looks like this will be 1 of my resolutions for the new year. Finally doing some writing (of stories).

Broadway Beng: Jiak Liu Lian

Sebastian Tan rocks!
He has always been one of my favourite local artistes in musical theatre as he is very versatile, being conversant in both English & Mandarin, not to mention he's 1 of the better singers too. You can find him in TV shows too, past & present, in both English & Chinese drama. Great room for lobangs!

Caught the show tonight and I found it more entertaining than the previous one (Broadway Beng 3). It was longer too, warranting an intermission. The sets & costumes were more elaborate and he had more chio buus this time round, from 3 the last time to now 8! Although you won't call it a "musical" in 1 sense as there was not really a storyline per se, but it was funny and he sang a lot of songs. I couldn't get some of the Hokkien jokes as I'm not very familiar with the dialect, but it was still fun. You can find snippets of some of the well-known musicals like Chicago and Les Misérables but not forgetting the many Hokkien songs. There was even a karaoke video of 爱拼才会赢 which he did with his chio buus with the backdrop of...guess where?

On the whole, it was a pretty enjoyable show and  I will rate it an 8.5/10.

New look!

As you may have noticed, my blog has a new look!

Yup, finally got down to using Blogger's "Layout" function where it's supposed to be easier to edit the look in future. However, I had to forgo much of the customisation I did previously through editing the HTML code, which was a tough job as I had to learn to decipher the code and try to tweak the code to suit my preferences. It was rather fun actually, but tedious for me as I'm not a source code expert.

Here's what my old blog looked like:
Well, I must say I'm still not quite satisfied with the new look as I had to omit some of my sidebar info as I couldn't find some templates for them...unless I decide to use the HTML box. But well...

Please feel free to comment on the new look.

A nervous week ahead

Next week will be a rather major week for me.

Monday Tuesday morning, my dad will be going for heart bypass. It's a pretty common procedure, but there will still be some anxiety. Brothers & sisters in Christ, please pray for my father that it will be a smooth & successful operation and that he will recover very quickly from it.

Then Friday, I will need to do a presentation to my organisation's super super big boss. I've not done many presentations in my life and being so inexperienced, I'm super worried when suddenly, I'm faced with this! It was at the suggestion of my group head that we should present this project and that "we should let the younger generation have more exposure". All the more so since I'm the project manager. It's really just going to be some updates and demo (hope the website runs smoothly), but dealing with such high level is super scary for me when I'm really pretty bad at presentations. The last major presentation was when I was presenting a proposal to our board of trustees for some funding, but I had others with me to support me. I was quite freaked out then. This time, it's even higher level. *faint*

Year-end inspirations : musicals

The year end is always a time where a lot of musicals seem to be playing, like for this Nov/Dec some major ones were/are Victor/Victoria, Beauty and the Beast and Broadway Beng: Jiak Liu Lian. It's hard not to get in the spirit and want to do something creative. Just like how last year's "season" prompted me to write a duet with a musical in mind.

Well, following my friend's post on writing musicals, it prompted my brain juices to start thinking of storylines for possible musicals to stage. I only managed to get out a gist of one (a love triangle), and with the friend, we're working on a brainstorming session to really come up with more stories and also tweak some existing storylines we have.
Of course, everything is very preliminary and some stories might fail, but I think it'll be a really fun experience. After all, 2 heads are definitely better than 1 and we need to do this especially in this period while our "engines" are all started up so that all these creative juices will flow more freely. Looking forward to it! Now I must think of more storylines.

PS: Did you know that I used to dream of writing a book? That was rather long ago, as now I'm much more focused on songs. I actually started on something a while back, but had only succeeded in getting 1 page out. Ah well...

"Request Rejected"

*SIGH*
My transfer request has been rejected. I don't feel much about it though, although I'm slightly disappointed but I think right now, I'm more curious to find out who's the "suitable candidate" that they have picked.

I guess my "unfeelingness" is due to the fact that at the point of submission, I was rather unsure if that was God's calling for me in the first place. Usually, He gives me an "alert" (could be push/pull), maybe like a "conviction" kind of thing, and I guess it's clear this time that it's not yet time for me to move, although I'm feeling some "push" factor personally.

As I said before, I leave it in God's hands.

Victor/Victoria

Caught this musical last night starring Laura Fygi, and well, I would say it wasn't too bad, though not exceedingly fantastic.

The story is about a woman (Victoria) who goes to Paris wanting to make it big as a singer. At the suggestion of an acquaintance-turned-friend, she masquerades as a man, masquerading as a woman (female impersonator), which makes him/her the toast of town as people thought she was a superb female impersonator. She falls in love with a man (King Marchan), who also falls in love with him/her (he's not gay, but was actually convinced she was not a man though he had his doubts at 1 point), but she couldn't exactly reveal herself to be a woman due to her career. She had to choose between that or true love. She chose true love in the end...anyway she was exposed eventually.

I would say the story was rather interesting. There were quite a number of funny parts. After all, it was meant to be a comedy. I particularly liked the scene when the King sneaked into Victoria's apartment trying to find out if she was a man or woman, followed by his bodyguard looking for him. There was a whole lot of choreography such that no one gets discovered sneaking around while Victoria and her friend came back home (King & Victoria were staying in the next room to each other in a hotel with connecting doors). That was quite good coz the timing was crucial. However, I felt the "gay" theme was pretty much over-played although I think that's the gist of the whole story, almost everyone seemed gay, except the 2 main leads who were thought to be gay but actually were not. Well, "Gay Paris".

Music-wise, it didn't exactly enrapture me, though the songs were not too bad. I felt it didn't feel "musical" enough. Maybe the sound wasn't so good from where I sat, or the setting, or something. Ok, there were some songs that seemed more memorable like Le Jazz Hot, Almost A Love Song, If I Were A Man and Victor/Victoria. But nothing that is like the theme song.

How will I rate it? Maybe a 7 out of 10.

I lost my Ezlink card!

Yes, it's true, within 5 short minutes, my Ezlink card went missing.

I had already passed through the gantry at Paya Lebar MRT and on the way to the bus-stop (which involved crossing the road), I lost my card. I actually discovered rather quickly as my bus came like 1 or 2 minutes after I reached the bus stop and lo & behold! My card wasn't in my holder!
So I retraced my footsteps...to no avail, all the way to the MRT station.

The lady at the control station wasn't too helpful or friendly as I asked if anyone picked up an ezlink card (I know the hopes are slim but no harm trying) and I was pretty puzzled why she asked my name. I didn't think that will help in any way. So I bought a new card. *sigh*

But as always, one shouldn't dwell on it and I should learn to give thanks even though it's a bit upsetting. Well, thank God that the current system no longer ties our ezlink card to our IC no. and that I think I don't have that much money in it (should be less than $20).

"Never" vs Fear


I was reminded during service that one cannot assume that you will "never" do something or "this will never happen to me". Especially when there is a tinge of complacency, which is most often tied to who you think you are, or what you think you can do (e.g. "I'm a leader, I'm safe" or "I'm sure I can convince him/her and it'll all work out"). In this way, you let your guard down and allow yourself to be exposed to the temptation you thought you were immune to, thinking "I'm sure I will be able to resist the temptation".
In this act of "complacency", you have already taken that 1st step into the "danger zone". Instead, one should not look to yourself for we are usually weak, but look to who God is. Always be on guard as strongholds start from cracks.

Always guard your heart as it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). Fear of the Lord helps too as we humble ourselves to recognise that only in seeking Him can we be able to cast out these temptations.

Astro Boy

Finally managed to catch the movie tonight and I loved it.

Honestly, I have a vague memory of Astro Boy as I didn't actually watch the cartoon much, but I know of it.
Some parts were touching, as the story plays out how Astro Boy was actually created - as a replacement for Dr Tenma's son who died. Then of how Astro Boy discovers his purpose and how he saves the people. A robot with a heart. I would have loved it even more if it was less Americanized (in terms of graphics and mannerisms). Nevertheless, I enjoyed it.

Getting into the Christmas spirit with music

Talking about Christmas, I recently downloaded a Christmas album of Rosie Thomas called A Very Rosie Christmas through www.emusic.com which I rather enjoyed. I like the way she sings.

And, no Christmas is complete (to me) without Bing Crosby's White Christmas from "Holiday Inn".

A Christmas Carol

I just caught A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey (animation) in 3D and well, it wasn't exactly what I hoped for.

It's the first time I'm catching one of these 3D movies in the cinema and I must say the effects were pretty good for this one. The only thing was that this version was slightly more dark and well, I couldn't "feel" the Christmas feel to the story as much. Some parts were a bit funny though like the "candled" Ghost of Christmas Past. Maybe I didn't exactly like the graphics. It was good, but it's not my kind of graphics.

Well, I guess I still prefer a more classic portrayal of this story.

Cameras Cameras!

I'm sad to say I'm "retiring" my Canon IXUS 60. It's a pretty good camera, but it's more than 3 years old, so technology has advanced much since, with image stabiliser, greater megapixels and optical zoom, etc. So I decided to seek out a new camera at SITEX'09 today. I might still use it as a backup though.

Doing my research, I was initially set on getting the Canon IXUS 990 IS...until I found out that it has been taken off the market. I have a soft spot for IXUS due to my old camera, so I shortlisted a few more models like IXUS 120 IS, IXUS 110 IS and IXUS 100 IS, but I wasn't really that sure about them, which turns out true when I went down to test it out today. I didn't like the function keys of these and was hesitant.

I had also researched on Lumix DMC-TZ7.
It had good reviews and looked really nice with strong functionality (25mm Ultra Wide-angle, 12x Optical Zoom LEICA Lens, HD Movie Recording, among other things). And I would have bought it if not for the fact that there was no Panasonic booth at the fair (how can that be?!)! I could not get a feel of the camera and with an uncertainty with the IXUS models I'd seen, I was contemplating not buying a camera at all at the fair (yes, my friends with me would have "killed" me after dragging them along and spending so much time considering), until a photographer friend of mine suggested checking out Fujifilm. I wasn't sure coz I never researched on it, but I checked it out anyway...

And I bought the FinePix F70EXR.
After all that research and I didn't get any of those! Well, my photographer friend said that this model fitted my specs so it's worth a buy since it was selling at only $469 at the fair, inclusive of a bundle pack of an 8GB SD card, 1 spare battery, 1 screen protector, 1 mini tripod, 1 card reader and 1 camera case. It's not bad, with 10x opitical zoom, intelligent flash, 27mm wide angle, etc. It's a bit heavy, but that's due to the metal casing which makes it sturdier. Only thing there's no HD movie recording, and it doesn't look as nice as the Lumix. Well, for movie recording, I guess I have to compromise. After all, the objective here is to take good stills. If I want video, I should get a proper video recorder.

Well, hope this camera will serve me well. I'll treat this as a Christmas present to myself.

December movies

Year-end is always a time when a lot more movies are slated for release, so viewing the situation, I've shortlisted some upcoming movies that I want to watch. Not sure if I am able to catch everything though, and I'm sure there'll be a lot more coming.

Must watch (in no particular order):

1) A Christmas Carol 3D (now showing)
2) Avatar (opens 17 Dec)

3) Sherlock Holmes (opens 24 Dec)

4) The Princess & The Frog (opens 10 Dec)
5) Where The Wild Things Are (7 Jan)
6) New York I Love You (???)

Considering:

1) The Informant (now showing)

2) New Moon (opens 3 Dec)

3) Mulan (now showing)
4) Did You Hear About the Morgans? (7 Jan)

So many movies, so little time!

Sick again?!

I can't believe I'm having flu again. This year, I think I've been falling sick almost every 2-3 months. So terrible.
Probably I didn't get enough sleep last week. And good thing I'm only getting it after the concert.
Fortunately, I think this time round it's not so serious...I hope.

I Like Fencing!

Fencing is great. It requires one to forget everything else and concentrate on the opponent, and at the same time test your accuracy, agility, alertness and tactical skills. I'm not really good at it, but it's a good workout, both mentally and and physically.
I should train up in my "attacking" skills...am usually a bit on the defensive side. And my accuracy too.

Lover of My Heart

We sang a song that I love very much at service today. It inspired me to write a song (All I Want Is To Live For You) some years ago, so thought I'll share it here. (Sorry, couldn't embed the full sound clip, but you can click on the link to listen to the full song)

Here are the lyrics:

All I want is to see Your face

All I need is a moment of grace
It's in You that I have the faith
to stand up and be strong

'Cause I know I'm no longer bound
It's in You that I have found
Piece of mind freedom from my sin
and the power to love and forgive

I want to walk with You everyday of my life
to talk with You in the good and the strife
You're my friend you're my Father for all time
Nothing can keep us apart
You're the lover of my heart

I forgot?

I thought I forgot. I was happy I forgot. I was convinced I forgot. I wished I'd forgotten. Should I have forgotten?

3rd Songcraft Mini-Concert

With aching feet (high heels) & tired eyes (contact lenses), I can finally take a breather to write about tonight's concert. But it was worthed it because it was a success! The setting was beautiful & intimate, and the set up went generally well. We achieved almost full capacity, with close to a hundred guests!
This year, we "upgraded" to a more pro place at the Playden@Arts House, which was more a black box theatre, but the acoustics and staging was better than the previous venue. The setting was also cozier and more comfy. We could also have refreshments here and people actually stayed around to mingle after the concert.

Everyone did really well and the songs were all great as each talented songwriter presented their songs. It was a really good mix, with each song being really "heartfelt" songs...I think that's the way with singer-songwriters.

I presented one too (my song "Hi"), but being nervous, my starting was a bit soft, but it slowly rode out more confidently (while closing my eyes in between to get into focus and be less conscious of the audience...yah, it looked like I was immersed in my song right? haha...). As B said, maybe my newly started vocal classes helped a little as I recalled it was worse last year when my voice was really stuck in my throat. I tried to recall how to breathe in between, partly to calm myself down and I actually managed to memorise my lyrics! It was a good experience.
A big THANK YOU to Jeremy for helping me play the guitar. Also a big THANK YOU to V and S.E. who came for the concert. It really made a difference.

Well, the night passed really fast and the adrenaline rush from the concert is still lingering (B said I was a bit "high" after the concert). I really enjoyed it and hopefully, next year we'll have another!

rehearsal for Songcraft Mini-concert

Well, after the musical, my friend & I went in search of a venue to rehearse my song for the concert tomorrow (or rather today since it's past midnight now). And we found a rather nice place - the City Hall steps. I really liked the place. Upon reaching, I realised the countdown timer for the YOG was brightly lit and couldn't resist a photo.

Anyway, I think the steps was a great place to rehearse (if weather permits) and the feeling was pretty cool. It felt open, but yet private & carefree at the same time. ok, I admit there wasn't really anybody around except a small group of people packing up after a photo shoot. But I think I'll still feel the same if there were people around. The important thing was it was bright and we could actually hear ourselves, despite the noise from the traffic. (Actually, I felt my song seem to fit into the environment)
After rehearsal, as I departed, I realised I have not been walking this area for a while and seeing the new buildings coming up (Marina Bay Sands) and the lights made me want to dwell a little longer, except it was getting late and I was pretty tired after a long day. I should take half a day off some day to come here again for a walk like I used to. The colonial district always has this effect on me.

Anyway, we managed to settle on the final structure to present my song, which was a simple standard one, verse-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-repeat last 2 lines of chorus. Initially we though we go "fancify" the ending but it didn't work out. And a simple intro was chosen with G C G G. I think this sounded a bit more "uplifting" than Am C G, which will help set the mood of my song. And there! We're all set for the concert (well almost). Just need to rehearse again before the concert. Hopefully I don't get stage fright and "lose" my voice.

The concert is at Play Den@Arts House, 7.30pm, Sat 21 Nov.

Lost in Transit

I caught the musical "Lost in Transit" tonight and well, I found the songs quite nice, except that it seemed there were too many reprises (at least I thought they were reprises).
The storyline was a bit too predictable and you know right from the start what is going to happen. It might have been done better if there was an interval.
The lead female singer/actress was not bad, but 1 of the male leads (the boyfriend character) seemed a bit awkward in his acting, even though he sang quite ok.
A good effort nonetheless by Musical Theatre Ltd.

Prioritising Our Lives

It was an intimate time with God at the beginning of vocal lessons yesterday, as we started off with thanksgiving and meditating on who God is in our lives, e.g. our Provider, Banner, Shepherd, Peach, Healer, etc. God plays many roles in our lives and some aspects are more dominant at different phases of our lives and walk in faith.

As I gave thanks of the role He is and is always playing in my life, my spirit was especially moved as He is surely my shepherd. How often He has guided me, especially in my career & relationships, and as He knows I can be rather indecisive (I think too much), I usually ask for straight answers, like specifically closed doors and really just open that 1 door for me if it's what He wants. (Actually I can just imagine how my 矛盾 makes Him 啼笑皆非 at times...haha...)
Like a shepherd too, He also guards me and disciplines me (a shepherd's staff has many uses). I make mistakes and am occasionally a little disobedient, or forget about His hand, but He often reminds me to focus back on Him as I try too hard to use my own means. And really, once we make the decision to leave it to Him, it's really a load off the shoulder. I hope I'll always remember to focus on Him, such that I will not stray.

And all these boil down to priorities. As Christians, we should always put God as No. 1. As it is written in Matthew 6:33 -

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

With this, I consider the changing priorities of people. Many times, we see that people tend to change priorities like career, relationships, etc. Sometimes, maybe work is No. 1, and another time, romance takes priority and other things are neglected. However, if one puts God as a constant No. 1, there is security even when all these other things change. Because God never changes. And if God is no. 1, nothing can go wrong, and all things work out right according to His purpose (and your purpose) at the same time.

Sometimes, I wonder why people allow themselves to fall into situations which they know will make them stray from God, or why some just stray. Not that I'm saying I'm so "holy" or anything, but I'm referring to situations that would really cause oneself to draw away or backslide. For example, allowing oneself to start a romance with a non-Christian. I have seen a couple of friends succumb to this temptation and 99% of the time, it draws them away from God...maybe out of guilt or being afraid of the other party's disapproval (ironic/contradictory as it sounds, if you know what I mean).
Personally, I will never allow myself to fall into this trap, i.e. to let myself fall in love with a non-Christian. I have a strong opinion about this, not just because it's my opinion, but because it is a command. There cannot be synergy and edification in this sort of relationship. I totally envision myself serving God together with my partner, and maybe also because I come from a non-Christian background, so after I converted, I don't understand why when you become a believer, you will want to be restricted in serving God in this sense for the rest of your life (a pretty scary prospect). Mind you, I still regard these people as my friends, but I'm just puzzled. I'm also just as puzzled at why some can "just stray" even after experiencing God. I just pray they turn back to God. God is a gracious & forgiving God.

Basically, it's all about getting one's priorities right. For a Christian, God should be top priority. And indeed, when you trust in Him, "all these things will be given to you as well." Actually, I feel very blessed that I got someone like God to rely on. I just hope that I will always remember this.

Lush 99.5

I recently "discovered" Lush 99.5 and I think I kinda like the music. I knew this channel existed, except that I never really explored it...I usually listen to Gold 90.5 or Class 95 (the oldies channels) or FM92.4, if I ever listen to radio these days.

It's not pop or as mainstream as FM98.7, etc., but more my kind of music (the more current genre of songs I listen to)...at least on Sunday's evenings while I drive to & from fencing class. It's the only time I can listen to what I like in the car, all by myself.

Is it an opportunity for me or it's not time yet?

Recently, there was a broadcast for a librarian with another division and being tempted, I submitted a transfer request.

However, I do have some doubts and uncertainty if I would even be considered (or if my boss will approve my request first). Firstly, I have had some restrictions placed on me, but I think that can be worked around. Another issue though would be, would my current boss let me go? I haven't yet had the chance to "coach" someone in my duties, even though I have recently suggested it, and as I'm the only person doing or overseeing some areas, it is a concern.

Another point though is that I haven't exactly received any "notification" from God, especially regarding this opening, and there is a sense of uncertainty. Maybe because this position though related, might not be fully exactly what I want (i.e. music aspect), but it is still related in a broad sense. Or does this opening already mean something? I'm not sure. Maybe I haven't really asked him specifically yet as I don't really know what I want yet as the options seem split in 2 directions at this point of time (organisational structure issue). I actually thought there was something else in store which had some possibility in that direction, and seemed a pretty good timing considering my current situation, even though there's no guarantee an opening will occur then.

Anyhow, I've already submitted my request and though with this feeling in me, I leave it in God's hands, as I always have for this aspect of my life and if it's meant to be, it'll be an open door, if not, then it'll be closed, just like what He did for me before.

The 'Light Bulb' Phenomenon

As I was mentioning earlier, I've been a little bit more conscientious in my daily devotional recently and as such, have been a little more attuned with God, where something just *ding* in my head when I read the Word and the spirit warmed. I suddenly thought of this analogy yesterday to describe this phenomenon, which is the analogy of the light bulb.

The brightness of the light bulb is related to how well it is wired/connected to the power source. If we seek God conscientiously, we will be more attuned and connected to Him, our source of power and strength, and thus we will shine brighter as His people, and serve our purpose as light in the world. If we have faulty "wiring" or we do not communicate with Him, the light is dim, off, or may even fuse.

Amelia

I caught Amelia today and well, I don't find it good or bad...it was technically pure history to me.

The show was the biographical account of Amelia Earhart, the 1st woman who flew across the Atlantic. Well, honestly, 1 reason I watched it was because Ewan McGregor was in it (he's 1 of my favourtie actors) even though he didn't appear much. Another reason was that I've actually heard of Amelia Earhart (nope, not only through Night at the Museum) when there was a short segment about her disappearance on 1 of the cable channels (I think it was the History channel). The show was almost like a documentary (as a biographical film is like), nothing dramatic but still managed not to bore. I think I'll give it a rating of 3.5 out of 5. I do occasionally watch biographical films, though it is normally determined by who acts in it, e.g. Ned Kelly, Aviator, etc.

Talking about favourite actors, I managed to catch another version of the Avatar trailer today, which made me really want to watch it (was slightly hesitant at first)...because it has Sam Worthington in it (I knew that already, but this trailer made it more clear what his role was). He's another actor I'm getting to like since his role in Terminator: Salvation. Basically, my current favourite movie stars are Ewan McGregor, the late Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp and now Sam Worthington.

Also caught some other trailers today, including Mulan and Without a Reasonable Doubt, which I might consider watching. Haven't watched a Chinese movie for a while I think.

Well, next up should be Astro Boy. Waiting for my friend to confirm a day with me to watch it. And also My Girlfriend's An Agent, which I'm also waiting to find a day to watch (it had to be postponed as the person I was supposed to watch with had a last minute commitment).

Was there a purpose at NAFA?

Having been blessed by the Lord in my path, especially my career, I sometimes ponder/reflect in each "phase" if there was a purpose in specific journeys such that I had somehow served Him well. As I "weathered" through my time at NAFA, obviously I would somehow wonder a bit...

Well, when I started the course, it was all pretty uncertain whether I would even be able to take the module due to some admin delay. But somehow I managed to take it and there it proceeded. Well, this music studies path was planned by God anyway, so I figured it was a continuation of my journey along this path; I took it as just another course.

It was really until recently when an incident made me think that maybe there was another purpose. Don't know how it came that I had the opportunity to get to know my classmates better...was after a rehearsal and we went to have prata before the performance. It started with a short sharing of insecurities and somehow, it progressed further as the time passed, even when we returned to wait for our turn and even after. Basically, she shared on her disappointments and hurts, her struggles but yet she still tries her best in putting her faith in God. I guess she has voiced these before to others as the other classmates were somehow familiar with her situation.
Somehow, I was prompted to respond to her, which later manifested in a card I wrote to her. Actually, I waited 2 weeks before I gave her the card on the exam day...just in case she takes it "negatively" and it'll be awkward if it were still school term. Well, as she's a fellow Christian, I basically wrote something to encourage her to let go of the past and to always look to God. I don't know if she had already read the card, if she found it too preachy and take it "negatively" or whether it served the intended purpose to encourage her. Of course I prayed she would take it positively. Well, if she contacts me, then I guess she'll be ok with it.

Anyway, of course it made me wonder if that was the intended purpose He had for me to go to NAFA in the first place? If it was, I do hope I have served it well. I was pretty fearful actually and might have skipped giving her the card.

I Need More Discipline!

I have been more conscientious in my QT the past few days as I was on exam leave and comparing with my notes, what better way to procrastinate in studying than to do some QT! Ok, ok, it might not be the most "holy" approach to QT, but at least I did do some, even though it was for a short time. It was good starting with QT first before trying to study anyway. Also, my church has recently started subscribing to this particular devotional, so everyone in our church is supposed to be "on the same page".

And within these few days, it made me realise the truth of intimacy with God through the Word. Not that I didn't know, but I never really thought about it as more than a fact that we all know. You see, I could sense the growing intimacy as each day, I discovered that I was more in tune; one gets to hear God better in a way that you can "pick up" on what is written quickly (increasing perceptiveness). I recalled I did something like this before 2 years ago and it was really powerful.

Tomorrow it's back to work and the bustle of life. I just pray (again) that I'll be able to keep discipline in doing my devotional. Got to keep the momentum going...the usual start-stop, breaks-in-between approach is a bit disruptive to the "connection".

Learning to carry my nephew

Can't believe today's only the 2nd time I've carried my little nephew and he's turning 2 months old tomorrow!

I do play with him and such, but am usually a bit "scared" to carry him coz he seems so fragile and am afraid that I might hurt him if I don't carry him properly. So when I want to carry babies, I must make sure I am sitting down securely.

But today, as I carried him for a short while while my sis-in-law went to prepare his bath, it felt really good as I think I'm getting more used to it...and he didn't cry! :D He's getting quite heavy and tall, but I think I'm getting the hang of it...as long as he doesn't wriggle too much. Ah...the nice baby smell.

This Is It

I've never really followed MJ's songs and career, but I realised I actually liked some of his songs (without knowing they were his songs). Anyway, with the hype and good reviews, I guess I had to catch the "show" coz 'this was it'. There will not be any more shows by him nor would it be as meaningful as it should be, following the aftermath of his death. So I did.

I believe MJ fans would love it. Coming from a rather neutral perspective, it was quite good actually. It was the "behind-the-scenes"of his concert that never came to pass and going through it, one could see the magic of MJ on stage. Even though it was just the rehearsals, his professionalism and dedication came through. And he was very polite even in his "complaints". Looking at the way he went in the film, my friend and I agreed he was in pretty good shape.
What I felt really was that for someone watching the film, MJ seemed alive again.

I'm glad I caught the film.

End of module at NAFA

Yesterday marked the last lesson of my course (1 module only) at NAFA - Ethnomusicology I.
Over the course of the semester, I don't really know how much of it went into my brain, but there were a lot of stuff that the tutor talked about outside of the notes (mainly his experiences and stories). Also, he only gave us the lecture notes for the whole course yesterday! It was a pretty unstructured kind of module and the curriculum wasn't really fixed till near the end. Hopefully I know how to study for it!

Well, the exam's next Monday, so I'm on study leave these 2 days so that I can 啃书 for the weekend. Bless me!

D.O.M. Black Cake?

As some of you might know, I recently became an aunt and now, my home has a few bottles of D.O.M. which my sis-in-law isn't keen on drinking (she prefers Yomeishu). So what are we going to do with the 3 bottles of D.O.M.? The only way is to use it for cooking.

So I'm having this crazy idea to make a D.O.M. cake! Well, basically, I shall try using it in place of rum and see what the taste would be like. If it's good, it'll be what I'll make for Christmas this year. If it's not, don't worry my friends, I will make a proper Christmas fruit cake. :P

"My Sister's Keeper" and some strange encounters

Having read the book, I can say I was a little disappointed in the movie. I would say that if it were not based on the book, it would have been a really moving story on it's own. But then again, if it weren't based on the book, I might not have caught the show. However, it was still a touching show and I did cry along the way, but somehow, I felt that the essence/impact of the original story was not brought through.

*WARNING - SPOILER ahead for both book & show*

First and foremost, the ending was totally different! That played a major part to the impact of the movie. In the original story, the ending was a dramatic twist and tragedy, besides the twist that she was only suing her parents because her sick sister told her to. Basically, the ending in the book was that Anna (the protagonist) won the case for the rights to her own body. However, on the journey home, she met with an accident and died, which enabled the eventual recovery of her sister.
Maybe the producers felt that the original ending was too tragic and dramatic, and thus took the safer & more predictable route of letting the sick sister die. But that was the part in the book that hit me the most! You really question "why" did it have to happen that way. (I'll come back to that again later)

Secondly, it turned out that the movie shifted the focus to Kathy, the sick sister, rather than the main character in the book, Anna. So the character development was a bit off and obviously, some part of the essence of the book was lost. The original story was about Anna being a genetically engineered child and I believed that that was the heart of the issue that Jodi Picoult was writing about in the book, i.e. dealing with the moral concerns of genetic engineering, whether for a "valid" reason or not, and the possible consequences.
Coming back to my point on the original ending, I felt that Jodi made it happened that way for a reason. Not for the dramatic effect alone, but really, it could be saying that there can only exist one sister. Of course that would be an eventual result in both the movie and book, but maybe, the genetically engineered child was not meant to exist in the first place since she was born "unnaturally", where humans try to play God. And also, maybe she has served her purpose in bringing up the overlooked consequences of such a measure, so she had to die and deliver her ultimate purpose, which is to ensure the survival of her sister of whom she was born for.
As the original ending was changed, the impact was not there. But then again, I might have read too much into the original ending.

I also felt that some parts lacked certain depth in development. It could be the editing, as it seemed a bit "jumpy". I understand that a movie cannot really follow the book exactly due to time constraint, but then it felt a bit "loose" in a sense, if you know what I mean.

So that's my opinion of the movie. If you have not read the book yet, please watch the movie first.
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On a side note, I had a freaky encounter before the movie. I was running a little late, only reaching to collect my tickets at about 5.05-5.10pm for a 5.15pm show. My friend was a little late too and hadn't reached yet. While proceeding to enter the ticket collection line, I was stopped by this guy who asked me to recommend a movie to watch. I didn't know the person and I wasn't sure what was showing at the cinema (Filmgarde Bugis) so I pointed to the screen and said "it's your personal preference". I mean, I don't want to recommend a show to a stranger and if it's not good, then what?
Anyway, I managed to get away from him and collected my tickets. As I proceeded to find a spot to wait for my friend, I was accosted by the same guy again. He asked me the same question again. I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable but to be polite I still answered him and then he asked me some strange question on whether the cinema where a movie is screened would show other movies as well and how many cinemas were there. Then he told me in Thailand 1 cinema will show different movies after each show. Then he asked me if they had horror movies, then I mentioned 1, and then he asked if there were any action movies. I said I didn't know. He even asked me about the pricing of tickets. So I explained the pricing system to him. It was getting a bit weird, but he was sort of standing in my way. Then he asked me what show I was watching, so I replied and as he saw I was holding 2 tickets he asked what time my show was. I said 5.15pm. He actually looked at his watch and said it's already 5.15pm. Then I said yah (privately thinking, why then is he blocking my way still).
By this time I was really wanting to get away, and then he asked me for my name. I hesitated for a while but eventually quickly said my name. And then he asked "can I make friends with you". Of course, I said no. And he actually asked me again. And I said sorry, no again. It was getting really awkward and I started pointing behind him and said I needed to go and walked round him to walk to another spot. Good thing my friend arrived at this moment and I quickly approached her and we hurried into the cinema ( it was already 5.20pm) as I related the incident to her.

That felt freaky to me. Another strange encounter occurred after the movie when my friend & I crossed to Bugis Junction to take the MRT to City Hall. It was raining. While closing my umbrella along the passageway, we were approached by this old lady who started telling us of how she was supposed to meet a friend at 5 plus and till now (7 plus) that friend had not appeared. And she said she had wanted to take the train but then didn't have enough money. Then she said it was raining, so she also could not leave the place by walking. Then she was commenting that it would be expensive to take a cab too. My friend and I were clueless at what she actually wanted and at a loss to what to do next. Was she waiting for us to give her some money to take transport? Shelter her somewhere? Or was she just grousing? Well, eventually we said bye bye to her and she said bye bye too and we were on our way. So maybe she was just looking for someone to tell her story to? If she had asked for some money to take the train, I think I would given it to her, but she didn't.

So 2 strange encounters for me in 1 evening. Maybe because it's Halloween?

Omu rice and me

I'm not really a rice person, but strangely, omu rice has a sort of appeal to me. Am not sure is it because of the fluffy egg, the way it's presented in a "package", or maybe it's the tomato rice.



Passing by the new Osaka Town made me try out this tofu hamburger steak omu rice set. Not bad. Another place that serves my usual fix of omu rice is the food court at Bugis Junction.



Another rice dish I have a soft spot for is risotto. I don't usually come across it, but if i do, i'm usually tempted.

Food, Food Places & Me

Some people think I'm a little "atas" about food places, but I'm not! I just like the place to be clean (well, at least visually) so that I can eat in peace. Contrary to popular belief, I do eat at foodcourts and kopitiams, even hawker centres. However, a plus point would be cleanliness besides good-tasting food.

Ok, I must admit that I look for certain "qualities" in food places:
1) Cleanliness,
2) Taste (food),
3) service,
4) ambience,
5) reasonable pricing

Of course, I will adjust my expectations accordingly depending on the type of place. However, certain types of food only taste better and are more affordable in places like hawker centres, e.g. local fare (I'm not going to pay $30 for a plate of chicken rice!)
Another reason is that I don't like crowds, hence, usually the "atas" places are the ones that are less crowded. And if I'm alone, I would rather relax and lounge in a more comfortable location.

Anyway, I think I'm sometimes a bit 刁 (i.e. a bit more sensitive) to the taste of the food as well. But then taste is very personal; what I think is good might not be so to others. However, I tend to "analyse" the flavours in food (and figure out the ingredients if I can), especially when I know how they should be or are done. Also, I can say I know something about food having watched cooking shows & read recipes, although I won't say I'm a guru. (sorry, I tend to analyse everything) But of course, I would again adjust my expectations accordingly in different environments. Anyway, that's why I have those "tests" of restaurants/food places. e.g. katsu don is my litmus test of whether a stall or shop's Jap food is good.

I think I'm a bit more adventurous too. Not the exotic food type like eating frog legs or camel's foot, but if I see some new creation in a menu (which looks good), I would be game to try it. I also like to look for new places to eat (mainly special occasions).

All I can say is that I enjoy my food and I don't think I can go on a diet. My favourite kind of cuisine? French. I find that it is like an art and you can taste the fine flavours in a dish. But then, it's usually super ex. My favourite course is the Duck a l'Orange and the French desserts!
Another cuisine would be Italian. I think lasagne would be my favourite dish for this.
Then of course, there's always my mum's cooking. :)

(Actually, come to think of it, I like a lot of cuisines. Hmm...)

Julie & Julia and Sherlock Holmes

As a film, I would rate it as ok. I think if it were not Meryl Streep, the show would turn out quite differently. But it was entertaining nonetheless, not to mention appetising (especially when we haven't eaten dinner!). I love French food. It all looked pretty yummy (and daunting to cook).

Watching it reminded me that I should be thinking of what to make for Christmas this year (if I'm making anything). Have been contemplating making avocado ice-cream too, which I saw in the latest issue of Jamie Magazine (yes, I'm a big fan of Jamie Oliver and subscribe to his magazine) and maybe the key lime pie too.

Also, I saw the trailer to Sherlock Holmes. I'm a big fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" and have read all the stories. At one point, I was so inspired that I contemplated joining the police force, which of course, I didn't. Well, in a way, Sherlock Holmes did have a influence on me in terms of picking up fencing. He's like the super well-rounded detective who's intellectual, plays the violin, fences, etc. But this movie seems a bit action-packed though. There's mention of a nemesis, but the only one I know of is Professor M.

I've always loved the classic English whodunit mysteries and another author I've read is of course Agatha Christie (I've got the whole Hercule Poirot series). It's later than Sherlock Holmes, but still interesting.

Hmm...maybe I should read the anthology again before the show starts.

Andrew the faithful/dependable one

We had a guest speaker today from Sri Lanka (Ps Dishan Wickramaratne) with the message"Can God Depend On You?"
The gist of it was that the kingdom of God is built by faithful people. You don't need to be the "giants" of faith, but just simply being obedient when God prompts you. What was interesting was the example of Andrew.

I never noticed actually how significant Andrew was in the Bible until Ps Dishan mentioned it. This disciple was only mentioned a few times, and always, it makes reference to him as "Simon Peter's brother" (in case people did not know him). And it was pointed out that actually, Andrew was one of the first to follow Jesus, even before Peter. In fact, he was the one who brought Peter to Christ (literally) [John 1:40-42]. And if you noticed, he's always bringing someone to see Jesus, faithfully doing so, and always by faith in Jesus. [John 6:8-9; 12:20-22] And instead of being "negative" about feeding the 5,000, Andrew just brought the boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fish to Jesus.

And another thing that was emphasized was that "Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so" (it's a hymn). And it's amazing that it is God's promise and covenant. Even if you don't feel so, it is written that God loves you and you can always fall back on this truth.

To end, I shall quote him:

"Faith is not a feeling, it's a reality"

a gathering of ex-classmates

This is one of the wonders of Facebook.

I had a class gathering today with my primary school classmates and it was good to reconnect with them again. I had lost contact with most of them for years now, some since primary school, and it's amazing that we could find each other again, all thanks to the "powers" of Facebook. 12 of us turned up (out of a class of about 40?), but well not everyone is on Facebook, but some of them were in contact with one another, so yah, it was considered quite a success already. A bit embarassing though was that I couldn't recall some of them; some have changed a lot, some not so, but well, a couple of them also didn't remember me either. It's also a bit difficult to identify them online as during our primary school days, we used to use our hanyu pinyin names until MOE decided to change to using our dialect names later on. But we still addressed each other with our Chinese names (except of course our non-Chinese friends). I had missed a couple of planned gatherings this year (although I don't know if they came to pass) as I had been jetting around quite a bit this year.

Actually, it started in Friendster when 1 of my primary school classmates spotted me as V's friend, and dropped me a mail to ask if I was from the same class as her in primary school. Yup, it's a small world. It turns out V probably knows a few others too since they were from NYGS. And that's how I got connected back to my primary school classmates, who later started a Facebook group.

It's good to find out everyone is doing well, and quite a no. of them (out of the 12) were already married or are getting married. Looking forward to the next gathering.

"You ain't (re)connected if you don't meet up".

Women have better peripheral vision

I was just reading a quote from Allan Pease, author of Why Men Don't Listen & Women Can't Read Maps, in an article.

"It's also interesting to note that in a public place like the beach or swimming pool, studies show that women ogle more than men," Pease points out. But because women are equipped with a better peripheral vision, they rarely get caught. On the other hand, "a man, lacking as he does good peripheral vision, turns his head to look and goes into a trance-like state."

Haha!

Analysing movie-going behaviour

Was just pondering about human behaviour in terms of whether one would go to a movie alone or not. I know of some people that will not go to the movies if they didn't have company, but others (like me) who would go to the movies on their own. Just like how some people who won't eat alone (outside).

Personally, I don't mind going to the movies alone, and sometimes I kind of enjoy it, especially for certain types of shows. Anyway, you can't really talk to your friend much during the show.
I believe I started cultivating this habit during my Uni days when I went to NTU. You know, you have free time in the afternoons after class and you're staying in the hostel. This induced me to go to Jurong Point sometimes to catch a movie. Maybe also because in the Uni days, one usually gets more allowance. :P Don't recall going to the movies much when I was younger.

Anyway, coming back to my "analysis", I shall speak in the perspective of someone who would go to the movies on their own.

1) maybe you really enjoy watching movies and if there's a particular movie you want to catch, you don't want to miss it, even though your friends don't wan't to, are not free or have watched it already. So you just go ahead and catch the movie.

2) maybe you have a preference to watch certain types of shows alone. It could be a weepy show and you might not want to be seen sobbing away by your friends (unless of course they would be crying beside you). Or it could be an "artsy" or "deep" film that you want to watch & reflect on in your own space.

3) you can be an impulsive moviegoer and if you're free, you just see which movie is playing and suitable and you just buy the ticket and watch it. (This is not me though coz I usually plan my movie schedule)

4) you're just too lazy to organise a movie outing or you prefer a more flexible schedule.

5) (though it doesn't seem a happy reason) - you just want to get away.

I'm more the 1 & 2 type.

Wonder what do my friends think and which category they are?

work versus work

I was chatting with my asst cell leader last week while she gave me a lift home. We were talking about our career paths and work areas/place. She was sharing about how God will always stop her moving out of a place if it's not the right timing, e.g. her transfers, study opportunity, etc.

I also shared about how I believe that God has something more for me since He has faithfully brought me so far, from the time I studied my library science course to getting the job and even bringing me into the opportunity to develop professionally (subject focus), not just in any area, but in something I'm interested in - music. He even granted me a smooth journey through this whole time of the programme, including finding a good mentor and making my attachment come to pass, from a smooth approval of the proposal to getting me there, despite all the rush in arranging for it. Surely there is something more to it than staying on in the current job scope, which is not exactly complementing this aspect, and which has become stifling.

Then it came to me 2 weeks ago that I should ask for a change in job scope, or rather a re-focusing of areas. I can't transfer to another division for the time being as I'm not allowed to do so under this programme for another year or so, so this would be the only solution for now. It's a little complicated actually. The programme is 2 years, but I can't transfer within 3 years upon starting of the programme plus after the 2 year programme, I'm bonded for 2 years with the organisation. This overlapping of "bonds" is a bit weird.

Anyway, coming back to the changing of job scope, it suddenly occurred to me that I could ask for a reshuffle of focus areas. You see, I have some areas that I've been neglecting, which are actually the more "librarian" stuff, while the "non-librarian" stuff has been taking away too much of my time. So I'm asking the head of my dept if she could release me from the "non-librarian" stuff...at least by bringing someone else in. Currently I'm sort of the only one handling that aspect and this would help in succession planning as well. I'm sure I will leave the dept some day since I've been there for ages and it's only my 1st stop in the organisation! I need to go out and experience something else, especially reference work. Also, maybe I'll fall sick less.

So it's set. Next Tuesday we'll be talking about it. I've sent a "long" email regarding this to her and my supervisor already, explaining my rationale and proposal. Pray for me!

1st vocal class lesson

I started novice (what they call "primer") vocal class today. It's at Believer Music where we focus more on worship. But of course, as all singing lessons go, the basics need to be learnt.

It started off with talking about why we are so drawn to music and why our voice is at a different level from other instruments.

Why we are so drawn to music:
1) It is instilled by God in our spirit (I believe we live to worship Him)
2) It connects
3) an universal language
4) can be used for healing/ministering
5) creates moods

About the voice:
1) It's a gift from God - we're born with it
2) unique - each of us have our own unique voice
3) 1 of the most special/intimate form of communication, displays emotions
4) able to speak words, unlike other instruments
5) portable - we carry it around wherever we go.

It was followed by a test of our individual singing voices. And I didn't realise I was nervous till I started singing. I could perfectly hum the tune before that and feel my voice, but then when I started singing, I felt something "blocked". Hope I can overcome that. What else do I hope to accomplish? Find my pitch. It's awkward when I need to change key in the middle of a song.
Anyway, of course, the most basic thing was to learn how to breathe, so essentially, that was the main part of the lesson after that.

Well, hopefully, I can master something at the end of the course. Although it ends beginning of Jan, hopefully it'll help me in my concert performance in November. Also, maybe 1 day I can somehow serve in the worship ministry in 1 way or the other.

Pulau Ubin anyone?

I was watching a programme on TV mobile the other day and they were featuring Pulau Ubin.

I started to recall how I used to go there sometimes during my ODAC days in JC (yes, believe it or not, I was in ODAC)...the memories of the trekking, recce for camps, cycling and creepy walks past abandoned buildings and night walks. Of course, I heard it's changed much since those days, becoming more developed and well visited. It's been a while...

I can't believe I'm saying this, but thought maybe I should revisit it some time in the near future to take a walk round the island to see how much it has changed. Or maybe it can help me get some inspiration. Hmm...maybe I should suggest a group outing and a band of us can bring a guitar along and do a jam session out in the "wild". Haha...

Simfoni Filem Nusantara by Orkestra Melayu Singapura

You might find it strange that I actually went to watch a Malay concert. Well, I didn't actually intend to go in the beginning. But after telling my mentor about the show (he has a friend researching on Malay film music), he suggested that maybe I should go catch it. He was probably joking about it, but then again, after coming back to Singapore, I thought why not get a taste of it. After all, it's Malay film music and there would probably be 1 or 2 P. Ramlee songs (I caught the musical last time...not knowing it was in Malay) and maybe get some programmes that I can pass on later.

So I went.

It's actually part of the Pesta Raya Malay Festival of Arts at Esplanade and held at the Concert Hall. It was surprisingly quite entertaining despite the fact that I couldn't understand what they were singing or saying, especially the jokes, which everyone was laughing about. The subtitling was intermittent so wasn't much good.

Anyway, they actually gave a storyline about 2 servants of a sultan, 1 a genie, the other a clown who were ordered to search for new inspiration to entertain the sultan. Somehow, they travelled through time and experienced the songs from each decade of Malay film music.

The orchestra was interestingly rather western, with strings, winds and percussions, although there were some instruments that were not usually found in a western classical orchestra. So it was that songs sung were rather close to what we hear normally with bands but instead of the usually "stiffer" audience and type of music at western classical concerts, the songs were very lively and "dancey". In fact, I think I found some of the songs vaguely familiar.

However, there was also a small gamelan ensemble, which played only during the intervals when the 2 comic characters appeared to act/speak. Having gone through some experience and "education" in ethnomusicology and gamelan music, it appeared pretty normal as I knew that it would sound really "off" if both the gamelan and western orchestra were to play together. They can't harmonise.
Then something else struck me. Gamelan music is used to accompany wayang kulit and the 2 comic characters were actually supposed to be wayang kulit characters. Hence why the gamelan ensemble only played when they appeared.

Also because of what I've been taught, I also took note of the audience's behaviour/reactions. It is interesting to note that it felt like a social event, or like a family/community outing (yes, most of them were Malay with their family) as you see clusters of people who knew each other and how they cheered/responded to the performance.

Of course I need to mention that the singers who appeared seem pretty famous in the Malay music scene by the way the audience cheered when they appeared. Special mention would be this lady singer called Rossa and of course our very own Taufik, our 1st Singapore Idol.

gee...I realise I can't go into an ethnic music performance these days without analysing based on what I've learnt.