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.