Lang Lang Live in Vienna

Following Chang Tou Liang's review of Lang Lang's new album release, I couldn't help but go sample it, especially since it had a piece I liked that I discovered recently, that is El puerto from Albeniz’s Iberia. Talk about coincidences.
On first listen of the samples I think it is indeed one of his better albums, which subsequently led to my purchase. =) Still going through it (it's 2 CDs!) but I think I'll enjoy it.

2010 year in review

Well, it's that time of the year to review what we've done and yes, if we fulfilled our resolutions. Honestly, this year flew by super fast and worse than last year, my resolutions failed...big time! I've only achieved 5.5 out of 18 resolutions (too ambitious!). What's more, they included more frivolous things like getting my first manicure and wearing more skirts/dresses (don't laugh!).
Fortunately, I managed to repair my violin and take guitar lessons as hoped for. But I didn't write a single song this year! And never wrote my drama in full. Looks like I have to carry forward some of the things and be less ambitious.

But I must say, it's been a rather eventful year for me. One major event that impacted me most would have to be in the aspect of my career. The re-org has totally changed my job scope. Although apprehensive initially with the new department, I really thank God for it. I had been looking for some changes as I'd reached the restless stage in my previous job scope. And it was a great "escape" for me as I'm relieved at not needing to do the things I used to do if I were still in my old department, especially when my pet projects had been taken away from our division due to the re-org. Not that the old stuff were bad, but I've done it for too long that I'm no longer motivated or learning new things. But in this new area, I've learnt a lot of new things and had even had the chance to gain knowledge on the Singapore music scene. Still learning, but I do hope I get to fit in eventually.
Another area related to my work is that I finally got to try out being on reference counter as a "CCA" for my professional development. Well, still learning, but will see how I'll fare as time goes by.

Another major deed I did was the addition of my Christian name into my IC. This was a step of faith and commitment.

I've taken a few trips (again) this year, so talk about breaks. Went to Fukuoka, Vancouver and Shanghai/Hongkong. However, it didn't really feel I've been away much (except maybe Vancouver) due to how work has been with all the happenings in the department and the year kind of just flew by.

  

In terms of ministry, I know I said I wanted to volunteer in church as one of my resolutions, but somehow, it has not been very successful. I've been having some doubts lately because of all the timing issues. Maybe it's some sign or maybe I've been having too many things on my plate this year? I submitted my name earlier this year but that didn't work out. And I tried to volunteer again for children ministry worship, but I missed the "open house" as I was away, so am waiting for the next opportunity for that...and needs audition. Not sure if it's because my church is so huge that they have no lack of people?
But anyway, I volunteered to facilitate cellgroup for our 40 Days of Faith program, or at least part of it. It was great as we saw many visitors.
Another thing I did was sign up for a worship songwriting workshop with Bob Fitts. It was an enriching experience.

In pursuing the arts, I took some musical theatre classes with my friend, although both of us "dropped out" near the end. It was something to learn some of the going-ons in making a musical, the songs, the singing, the dancing, the history, the set up, etc, if we were ever to write our own musical. And talking about productions, I think I've caught a fair amount of concerts and productions this year as compared to before. Haha...probably to compensate for the lack of movies this years as well, although the price difference is huge. :P

Anyway, like I said, I didn't really get to write creatively, either musically or dramatically(?), except maybe for some half-storylines/concepts. However, in another aspect of writing, I've started not one, but two blogs with my friends. One for theatre, another on food. And I might be looking at setting up one more, on my own, depending on the prompting I get. Wow, I realise it requires a lot of discipline but it's exciting, especially when you check out the stats! Ha! A friend joked I was becoming a "slave" to my food blog. I hope not!

Songcraft was meant to attempt new directions, but I must say, I guess it didn't work out and everyone got busy and thus, it's more or less dormant. Well, we might have some annual event to bring back memories, but who knows? Anyway, the core group is kind of still sticking together. How ironic it was when we so violently reacted to the news of the "end of Songcraft" joke but now we're so cool about it. It was a great journey nonetheless and a lot of us were motivated to keep writing because of the group. I enjoyed the safe dynamics we shared as we came together to share our own music in the most honest and raw form. Sweet memories.
On another level, I discovered this Christian arts group CreateLeVoyage (CLV) in the course of my work and have recently attended 2 sessions. They have their meets once a month, and some of these are arts professionals like poets, painters, etc. Of course, some don't do it full time, but they are at 'that' level. From what I've know, they do different things in each session, which can range from Bible study to art criticism. Wonder if I can fully assimilate into the group eventually. It feels like I have another cellgroup, but with common interests. Ha!
Also, I began to wonder at how amazing that this must be God's plan. If He hadn't moved me to the new department, I wouldn't have discovered this group! He always does these things. Just as how He brought me into my org which has really broadened my horizons and allowed me to meet new friends and pursue my passion for the arts. I love it how He moves. His timing is always perfect. And I just re-read this which I posted in early Feb, before the re-org and all:

"You know something, I have been having this feeling that my lost opportunity to transfer out of my dept has something to do with the plans and happenings coming this year. I can't put my finger to it, but there's something there."

Although I've forgotten the details of all that, but it's amazing isn't it? C'est La Vie!
And I believe this is the word the Lord has given me for the year.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, 

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

~ Jeremiah 29:11 

Talking about Jeremiah, I believed I've more or less managed to cover most of Jeremiah, despite it being quite "depressing". So that's considered partial fulfillment of 1 of my resolutions I guess. Wonder what book next?

Boxing Day "adventures"

V & I decided to do a Boxing Day meet-up instead of Christmas Day/Eve since we were kind of booked for those already. Since it's a special day, I had the inclination to go somewhere nice for dinner, and both of us dressed up in little black dresses (ok, mine was navy blue) and embarked on our day out. The only thing we did that was planned was the visit to the Pompeii exhibition. It was Open House at the museum so admission was free!

Visiting the exhibition brought back memories of my own visit to Pompeii and the region where it happened; the memory of walking the actual streets, the sight of people "encast" in their last moments, climbing the "new" Mt Vesuvius, seeing the ruins, the carbonised artifacts, etc.

After viewing the exhibition, we had to decide on our dinner spot. As I had the car, we wanted to go somewhere "out-of-the-way" and finally settled on Riders Cafe (51 Fairways Drive) where I've been wanting to try for the longest time, even though all I've heard of were mainly the great breakfast/brunch they served. Consulting an outdated street directory (good thing the area has been around for a long time) and finally deciding on the route, we managed to reach there safely and rather quickly without getting lost. V has already done a review of the place on our food blog. It was pretty quaint, like being out in the country with horses prancing around, dining in an old-style cottage. The food was pretty decent. Must go there for its breakfast some day and also, to try another restaurant just a stone's throw away across the carpark called Mimolette. It was pretty pitch dark outdoors when nightfall came though.

As we reached there rather early, about 6pm, we were finished by 8pm. Feeling kind of restless and with the night still young, we decided to go for a ride to Marina Barrage through Orchard Road and MBS. The lights were beautiful and just cruising along (though with uncertainty of the route) towards Marina South was rather festive in its way. We only took a turn round Marina Barrage which seemed pretty crowded and came out again, finally making our way home.

It was pretty fun just randomly planning our day out. Great time to share with my good friend. :)

Christmas season 2010, random thoughts (3)

Think one of the fun parts during Christmas is wondering what's in the wrapping while you open presents (well, at least those that are wrapped). You try to guess by feeling around. A book? Some accessory? etc.
Then tada! There is always some surprise in store.
Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

Walking With Dinosaurs

After Rapunzel, I met some other friends to watch "Walking With Dinosaurs" at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. I don't know about you, but dinosaurs were vaguely, part of my childhood memories. I even played with those dino transformers. I know, it's strange for a girl, but my playmates were people like my brother and ex-neighbour, who's a boy. But I had my dolls.

The show was an off-shoot of the popular documentary series of the same name, and it was amazing how they could bring in these giant-sized reptiles and make them run across the stage. The smaller dinosaurs were manned by humans wearing the dino suits, with robotic controls. And the big ones? Remotely controlled. It was a sight as they were very real and mobile. If only I could touch them.
They also had these rather innovative "plants" that sprouted out from the sets and they could retract them. Cool.

Basically, an explorer was the narrator who brings you through the different generations of dinosaurs and when each species appeared and adapted to the environment. I know it was really bad of us, but we were all prepping ourselves up for a fight between dinosaurs. Well, it did occur, but to a small extent.

Rapunzel (Tangled)

I watched Rapunzel last weekend and enjoyed it. This was so much better than Princess and the Frog which I watched last year. Rapunzel was one of the stories I liked when I was a child, how eventually, through hardship and pain, the lovers finally got together. And of course, the hair. Who doesn't know "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair".

And the hair was beautiful! I heard that the hair looked very real, probably in the 3D version, but it looked great too without the 3D effects. Ha! The things we can do with our hair. It was always a wonder how the head can withstand the weight of all that hair, and even ferry people up & down!

Ok, this post isn't about hair, but of the animated musical movie by Walt Disney. It's great they still do these for that fairytale magic, even though it's getting less "traditional" in the content. The music at some point was a little "out-of-place"...hmm...maybe too pop. Well, after all, Rapunzel was voiced by Mandy Moore.

A quote I remember from the movie was when they were at the boat watching the lanterns (孔明灯).

Rapunzel: What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?...And what if it is?
Flynn (Eugene): Well, that's the good part. You get to go find a new dream. 

Wow, now that it's spoken, how true and positive it is. Don't we always wonder what happens after?

Christmas season 2010, random thoughts (2)

Today, I had some 感触.

Firstly, carolling. I thought of how, during my Uni days, my cellgroup (then) went on our own carolling session in the Millenia area. I believed we just had a Christmas cellgroup session and started singing songs. The "air" was just nice and we popped into the foyer of either Centennial Tower or Millenia Tower to bring some Christmas cheer to the security guard there. And if I remember correctly, we went to St Andrew's Cathedral thereafter to wait for the Christmas to arrive. So nice. I think that was the only time I ever did carolling. Gathering in someone's house and singing carols is a different story altogether.

Secondly, while watching Crazy Christmas, I had a "sad" thought. How I wished I could have a real family Christmas. As I'm the only Christian in the family, even though we usually have Christmas dinner or something, and the occasional gift exchange (mainly my sis-in-law and me giving presents), it feels different. No Christmas tree, carols, etc. and most importantly, no celebration of Jesus with my family. I'm praying...

Oh, I suddenly felt like playing the violin during the show too. Strange.

lucky days in taxi queue

It's been really nice that I had on 2 recent occasions, managed to get on a cab rather quickly even though there was a queue. And it was in the same scenario, though different MRT stations.

The first was I think 3 weeks ago when on exiting Serangoon Station, I was caught off-guard by the queue at the station. This was possibly because of the newly opened Nex mall. I've not taken a cab there for a while so was a bit at a "loss". But actually, I wasn't even sure if it was the taxi queue as the people were standing a bit off the starting point meant for taxi queues. Anyway, before I could get in line, a taxi came along indicating that it was changing shift (Hougang, I think). After he looked around and no one seems to be moving to take it, I went up to ask if he was going my way and he said ok. Yeah!

The 2nd time was tonight when I was waiting for a cab at Yio Chu Kang MRT. I was in the the line (3 or 4 people ahead) for less than 5 minutes when a changing shift (AMK) taxi came along. The people in front didn't take it so I checked with the driver if he would take me. And yeah! I was on my way home.

Good eh? Hopefully it'll be so easy often. :P

Living with Cadenzaz

I attended another of my friend, Tze's concert recently. Well, I would have preferred a solo by him (which he hardly does these days) but this was in a more intimate setting (The Living Room at The Arts House) where he was playing the piano with the saxophonist, Boon Chye.

They started the evening with a few jazzy pieces. I'm not so into jazz, except maybe for certain specific styles, so as jazz goes, I just listened. But the music became more classical, in the contemporary sense. As my friend does film scoring, you know what you can expect. He's also rather into East-West fusion styles, so there will be some elements of that, or at least inspiration from there, like his Pangu.

Personally, I liked Sepia Rain, A Short Film About You and the piece that he dedicated to "someone special" (I didn't get the name down).

He mentioned he'll be releasing an album soon, so will wait and see.

My Dog Tulip

As part of Animation Nation 2010, I caught another film, this time in English. I don't own a dog, but I love them.

Synopsis:
Based on the novel by British writer J.R. Ackerley and featuring the voice talents of Christopher Plummer, the late Lynn Redgrave, and Isabella Rossellini, "My Dog Tulip" is a bittersweet account of one man’s 16-year love affair with his adopted Alsatian . . . A profound and subtle mediation on the complexities that belie all relationships, "My Dog Tulip" is the first animated feature ever to be entirely hand-drawn and painted using paperless computer technology.

Trailer:

It was amazing that this was fully hand-drawn.
I really liked this film which was hilarious in it's own quirky way (British humour). Even though it was like a memoir (which the book was), it wasn't boring but filled with little anecdotes that are close to the heart. It may seem a little "exaggerated" at times because of it now being made in animation, where personal thoughts/imaginings are depicted graphically, but I think it was done in nice measure. I think my friends and I agreed that we now know a little bit more about "certain" aspects of dog behaviour. :P

Bungaku Shōjo (Book Girl)

The Animation Nation Film Festival 2010 recently came and went. Being a fan of Japanese anime, I had to watch at least 1 of those. I picked 《文学少女, Bungaku Shōjo》  which is the anime film adaptation of a series of Japanese light novels, directed by Shunsuke Tada.

Synopsis:
Freshman Konoha Inoue is a senior high student who used to author bestselling female romance novels under a nom-de-plume, until an incident 2 years ago left him resolved to never write again.

One day, Inoue finds himself suddenly a member of the Literary Club, after he stumbles upon a girl eating pages of a book under the Magnolia blossoms. From then on, Inoue writes to feed Toko Amano’s literary appetite.

Here's the trailer:

Characteristic of this type of Japanese anime film, I found the story very sweet, though a tad draggy. A strong reference was made to Miyazawa Kenji's "銀河鉄道の夜" (Night on the Galactic Railroad), which drives the main story. Maybe I should go and find a translation of the book.

The scene at the observatory was very 夸张 and unbelievable, but it was nice and magical. I felt that Toko seemed to be like some "angel" that came into Inoue's life. Wonder if he ever met her again?
I think one of the most memorable quotes was when Toko said something about how we tend to get tired and forget about the reason we pursue our dreams or happiness; we forget or are unable to find our own stories of happiness. However, we can read other people's stories to find happiness in another person's perspective.
I can't remember the exact phrasing, but it was nice.

My new team

As the year comes to a close, and my life with my new department has more or less gotten on track (although I've yet to shift my workstation to sit with the group), I managed to experience a different kind of group dynamics.

Well, I attended my first proper staff meeting with my department last week and it felt so different from my previous department. It was less formal, and we could crack jokes, etc. Not that my previous department was super serious, but that was really a very "functional" or "operational" kind of meeting and the dynamics was really different. This one, I was more relaxed...I guess the group got along better. There's a kind of 默契.

Am I glad that I was moved here. Still a lot of things to learn (that's the stressed part), but it's nice to have some teamwork here and talk some commonalities. Not that previously there's none, but each person's work was very different from the next then.

(Will you be) there for me?

In case you're getting any funny ideas, this is a result of me browsing my "favourites" in youtube. The forgetful me was like "what's this?" Lovely song...

Wonder if Sarah Brightman will be coming (or ever come) to Singapore anytime soon for a solo concert.

Riverdance

I forgot how much I liked Irish music.

I've never felt so exhilarated watching a dance performance.

These were the thoughts that flashed in my mind as I watched the opening sequence of Riverdance, the 1st show to be staged at Sands Theater, MBS. It totally lifted my spirits after a soggy journey due to the rain.

I've heard so much about Riverdance and Michael Flatley, and indeed, this opening sequence, "Reel Around the Sun", originally choreographed by him, was definitely superb. I probably can never watch him 'live' at his full glory in my lifetime though.
The music and dance taps were like a symphony as they complemented each other, the taps being the beats, but yet also a melody on its own and the music enchanting.

As I didn't know how the show would be like, I found it interesting that there were scenes dedicated to songs, which were like breaks between the dance scenes. Maybe that's why Sistic classified it as a "musical", which was really, not appropriate in any case. Anyway, the performance was broken into 2 acts with a no. of scenes, although there wasn't much connection between the scenes, except to mainly depict the aspects of Irish culture through the choreography. The songs sung were mainly, I believe, Celtic in nature, adding a mystique to atmosphere.
It was an eye-opener watching them dance, especially the male lead Padraic Moyles. His legs were almost like "jelly" (for want of a better description), so flexible and fast, as if they had no bones! Of course, he was also pretty suave when he worked his magic.

My favourite segments were:

1. the opening sequence, "Reel Around the Sun".
2. "Trading Taps" in the 2nd act where it was a "battle" of Irish tappers against American tappers (think Fred Astaire style). It was pretty fun and at parts, we would laugh as each party from opposite sides pitted themselves against each other, including the musicians (fiddle vs saxophone)! But finally, they learnt from each other and became friends. Talk about 不打不相识.
3. The finale.

By the time it neared the end (actually mainly from the "Trading Taps" part onwards), I believe the audience were already getting high or very relaxed and started clapping along, which was welcomed, if not prompted by the dancers.

There was also a segment I loved just before the intermission when the fiddler (Niamh Fahy) was given a solo and she strode on the stage, effortlessly playing her fiddle. I love the sound of the fiddle too, next to the violin. The drummer was fantastic as he did his work with the different sets and types of drums, as well as other percussions. Oh, I also discovered a rather interesting piece of instrument which was given a solo scene (you learn new things everyday). It's the uilleann pipes (or elbow pipes) which is the national bagpipe of Ireland. What was interesting was that it isn't a blown pipe (like those Highland ones we are familiar with), but was controlled by a small set of bellows strapped around the waist and the right arm.

Well, found a youtube video of the "Reel Around the Sun". Enjoy.

Cinderel-LAH...lah

"Train is coming, train is coming...love your ride"

And that's what to expect of the modified, but still funny Cinderel-LAH! (though I didn't watched the earlier one)...love your ride through the familiar but localised version of Cinderella. Armed with star light batons handed out before the show, it was not difficult getting into the mood for the magical musical pantomime and a tinge of Christmas.

I must admit that it's been almost 2 weeks since I watched it, so with my fading memory, I shall try to recall my thoughts on the show as much as I can.

I guess most people are familiar with this tale of a poor girl ill-treated by her stepmother and stepsisters (I believe this is one of the causes of suspicion cast upon stepmothers). Set in a HDB estate (Sengkang) and revolving around a Crab Prince Char Mee (Sebastian Tan) and Cindy (Emma Yong). Although set differently, the gist of the story remains the same, but of course with the difference of the 2 lovers meeting before the ball, though how he didn't recognise her at the ball was as usual, baffling. But somewhere in his heart, he did. However, he needed to realise his true feelings before finding his true love, who had been following him all the while, literally, albeit on the moon. I guess the role of Mercy (Siti Khalijah Zainal) was like the mice which helped Cinderella in the original story. But they did keep the sawing of feet part of the sisters who tried to fit in the shoes.

I was laughing pretty much (although I won't say the show was hilarious) due to the various references, e.g., from my opening line, you can guess the ride Cindy got to the ball was from our beloved MRT carriage (not pumpkin). On a few occasions, the actors came down to the audience as part of the show. Interestingly, they didn't make as many political jokes as before, which I think it's better to the children and also keeps it more fairytale like. The overall effect was great, with mid-air dangles, colourful sets and "popping" magic where some real tricks were performed.

In terms of actors/actresses, I believe they all performed well. Quite notable were Najip Ali as Fairy God Makcik and Gurmit Singh who played Ali & Jeya, a man-wife pair, so he was always changing costumes switching between 2 characters, although some of the speech wasn't that appropriate for children though. But he acted as the "connector"/narrator of the show, directing the audience and providing the bridges between scenes, "ra-ra"ing. And of course, being always bowled over by Sebastian's boyish charms and versatility (he's like the resident "boy-next-door" for productions or 小生), he didn't disappoint with his singing and acting, although I don't think I can ever shake off his excellent performance as the Queen in Snow White (I must confess I'm biased though).

Ah, the music. This time round, the music was a little different from what I have heard of Elaine Chan in the recent years, which was good, although I'm trying hard to remember which song(s) stood out. I believe the reprise songs should be so. Maybe "When I'm Happy".

Well, I believe my mum and I enjoyed ourselves. Look forward to next year's!

Art back

Strangely, I don't know why I've been thinking about an art installation piece I did a couple of years ago. Maybe because I saw an art exhibit that used a similar translucent-box effect that triggered it off yesterday. Or maybe a colleague reminded me a week or so ago when she said "you did some art display or something before right?". I was quite surprised as she was relatively new to the company and I did the piece before she joined, although she used to work for the papers (yes, I appeared on the papers for that).

So I went back to read my post on it and felt encouraged again about my artistic endeavours whatever they might/will be. I can't draw for nuts and visual arts is really one of my weakest, and the piece was a little amateurish in the way it's constructed (low-budget), but this showed how inspiration and passion (and blessings too) can make things happen. I can't believe how I actually came up with it. Ah well, you need this kind of reminders from time to time.

Christmas season, random thoughts

As I try to catch up on my Christmas card writings and gifts preparation, a sudden thought came to mind - I wondered which of my friends would recognise my handwriting. With technology being so dominant now and handwritten notes to friends lesser, I can't help but ponder this. I normally only write cards for closer friends (my messages are usually "long"...I'm not the kind to just write "Merry Christmas", which is pointless) and I must admit, I too have slacked in recent years.
So I tweeted this "just wondering...with so much technology around, how many of my friends actually recognise my handwriting?" and am glad to find 1 friend whom I've not met up for a while replying that she does! Can't help but recall the heydays when we used to hang out together in secondary school days. :)

Another thought also came up in my mind...I wonder how many of us, when upon receiving Christmas gifts would either
1) open the gift straightaway or within a few days, or
2) wait till Christmas to do so.

Well, I don't know how I came to adopt this, but I usually wait till Christmas to open them, even though I'm "dying" to know what's in the package (if they're wrapped). Probably it feels more exciting.

The National is coming!

I got really excited when the preview calendar of 2011's Mosaic Music Festival programme came in my email box. Because The National is coming! It's an American indie rock band that's currently based out of Brooklyn. I love the baritone vocals of the lead singer.

My favourite album is Boxer, released in 2007, and it's one of my album favourites of all time.

Here's one of the songs for preview, "Apartment Story".

Ticket sales start 9 Dec (tomorrow!)

PS: Gee...wonder if they will have an autograph session. My albums were all bought online so will need to buy a physical copy if I want to get their autograph.

Pinocchio: The Musical

The story of Pinocchio has been one of my more memorable childhood fairytales, especially with Disney's 1940 version of it. I'm sure many parents have actually made reference to it - don't lie or your nose will grow long like Pinocchio. The film had some really nice music like "When You Wish Upon A Star", which has since become the theme song of Disney.

So, how will our SRT musical stage version of Pinocchio be? Book by Jean Tay, Music & Lyrics by David Shrubsole and directed by Darren Yap, this was a family-friendly children's musical with magic, colours, and puppetry. Yes, puppetry. I've not watched a puppet production for really long, with the last probably being Avenue Q. I recall watching something by I Theatre really long ago, but which I've forgotten the story. I've always been fascinated by puppetry which really tests the storyteller/actors and skill at controlling the puppets. With Pinnochio being a puppet, what more apt than a puppet show? It wasn't exactly pure puppetry as there were characters played by humans, but it was nicely mixed.

I enjoyed myself watching the show, and I believe, so did the dozens of kids in the theatre. It's a refreshing break from the usual serious/adult stuff. Done with an Asian twist with costumes and even a segment with multi-ethnic puppets to add local flavour, the songs were not bad. One memorable song was "Round the Corner" since they reprised it a couple times. The programme didn't include the song titles, but I think I liked the song sung by Pinnochio while he was waiting for his money tree to grow. Something about being a real boy.
Joanna Ampil's (Blue Fairy) voice was beautiful. Except for Dwayne Tan (from Wild Rice's Snow White), who was the voice for Pinnochio, and her, the rest of the cast played many parts, as various characters including puppeteers. I think they all did pretty well. The cricket, strangely, had a resemblance to Yoda from Star Wars though. Enjoyed the sets and "magical effects" like flight and of course the puppets too.

It's heartwarming to still go back to these timeless and pure stories of filial piety and teachings of honesty, to be hardworking, and generally being good. It's hard to find such "innocence" in productions these days, or maybe I should catch more children productions.

The show runs till 12 December, at DBS Arts Centre.

The Water Coolers

We walked into the theatre not knowing what the plot was about, except that it had something to do with the office. And there wasn't really a plot, but rather, it was a musical revue of life in the office. It was broken up into many segments, mostly exposition of characters in the workplace. Props were quite simple - 3 chairs, 1 desk and a piano. Yes! it was live music from the piano. We saw a good crowd, almost full house, on the opening night.

It was hilarious, even though I probably missed some jokes due to my lack of understanding of some American slangs. I think most of us could relate to the various scenarios and personally, probably know of the characters depicted.
The show started off with the reminder to turn off the phone, which had 1 player on the phone in the front row as another (on stage) told him to turn it off. Soon, he was on stage and they started the musical revue, followed with the opening number called "The Opening Number". :) Going into the main programme, they started off with "Paranoia", singing "Paranoia! Paranoia!" to the chorus of Handel's "Hallelujah" from Messiah, where colleagues got paranoid when they face the insecurity of being "left out" or "dispensable".

There was also the woes of "The Hottie" in the office, "The Great Pretender" (those that pretend to be very busy but not actually doing much work...sung to the tune of the song of the same name), the irritating "devil's advocate" (i.e. the saboteur who refuses to accept others' ideas), etc.They even had a segment on the transformation of work life when "The Palm" was introduced in 1996 (i.e. love addiction to the gadget), which has now evolved to become more a "con" with blackberrys, where we're too connected (asks for immediate response to work stuff).

I think I liked the parts "P.C." (politically correct - with reference to dealing with relationships with colleagues of the opposite sex) and the "Helpline". I thought it was quite ingenious with the former, when they did the evolution-of-man pose when they sang the part on "Evolution of Man". In the latter, some people fear calling the helpline because they are afraid of appearing stupid. There was one part where the guy voiced his fears - "they laugh at you!" and a colleague responded with something like "you mean you heard them laughing?", and he replied "that's why they put you on hold!". The "IT cowboy" was quite amusing who becomes like the "saviour". He explains the problem with a load of technical jargon and the solution to the problem? Restart the computer. Ha!

There's also an interactive segment with (can you guess?) the cheesy team building exercise that we all learnt to hate in corporate life. 2 of the audience were picked to go on stage to play games and "forfeit"...just like any team building exercise. My friend and I were just talking about how crappy team building exercise can be earlier today! So I was extra amused. Ha! Good thing I wasn't sitting in front.

There were just too many segments that I can't recount them all. However, it ended quite sweetly and appropriately (even though abruptly...where's a good place to end in a revue?), reminding us that despite all the work dilemmas and frustrations, the bottomline of why we work is providing for our loved ones.

My breakdown probably doesn't make it appear funny, but you can't describe humour. You need to catch it for yourself.

The Social Network

Finally caught this after hearing so many good reviews from my friends. An account of the founders of Facebook, it was surprisingly, rather engaging and moved along quite fast, despite the technical jargon at points. I guess one could kind of relate to the context, being a FB user, not to mention the humour found in some of the scenarios.

The way it was played out was interesting. It actually told the controversial story of the founding of Facebook through the series of lawsuits Mark Zuckerberg (the founder/developer) faced. But it was more than that. It also tackled the relationship turmoils, whether friendship or otherwise. It was amazing how his brain works, but unfortunately, Mark was so caught up in his thought processes that he bungles his relationships with people.

The movie is based on the book "The Accidental Billionaires". But the question is, how much of it is "real"? But nonetheless, it got me curious enough to want to search for the characters on FB.

I think I will give it a 4 out of 5.

Cat & Dog Theology

Read something funny on Been Thinking About. Quote:

"A friend gave me a smile the other day by reminding me that a dog says,
You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, You must be God.
But,
A cat says: You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, you love me, I must be God."

But it is also a reminder of how all of the provisions of God are not meant to turn us into little gods, but into grateful worshipers.

Kam Ning in concert

As support for local artistes and composers, I readily agreed to go along with 2 friends to catch Kam Ning with the SSO (the company helps too). Also, she has gained a standing for herself. She was playing her father, Kam Kee Yong's compositions.

It wasn't the full-force SSO, but nonetheless, it made a different experience and I could more easily see some less familiar faces up front (who were probably hidden previously). The conductor for the evening was Darrell Ang, the Young Associate Conductor for SSO.

I won't say I am an expert in classical music, but I was a little disappointed in the performance for the night. Maybe I expected too much...I was hoping to be inspired/impressed like I was when Hilary Hahn came, the ice princess she may be. Maybe the pieces were too contemporary for me to grasp, so I might not be a good judge, i.e. she could be interpreting it rightly, but I couldn't tell. Let's go piece by piece.
The first piece she played Fantasia of Insects, was from what I saw, possibly a more challenging piece with the busyness of the arpeggios & trills. Her playing was rather soft, probably because the mike was a little too high (which the technician came to adjust subsequently). If I didn't hear wrongly, I think she missed a short high note.
In The Surpassing Beauty, I felt that somehow, the sorrow & resignation of the protagonist of the piece didn't come through very strongly. But technically, I think she did fine.
In A Tranquil Night, it was building up well until the part when there seemed to be some discordance in the solo violin and the cello, as if she was playing off-beat to the cello and orchestra. Maybe it was intentional as the programme notes said "...The melody is recaptured and echoed by the solo cello..." It was a bit jarring in its way, but maybe that's how the piece is meant to be.
I kind of liked the last piece that she played, Lao Jiang Xing (I liked the "swagger" from the brass at parts), until there was yet another discordance in between the orchestra and her. I wasn't sure if it was intended as when the section was repeated, it didn't sound as "off" as the 1st round.

Actually, a friend and I were wondering if it was because of the conductor, as the opening piece The River had sounded a little messy to us. But the 2nd part of the concert, with the orchestra playing Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun by Debussy and Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2 by Ravel was fine. The difference was that he wasn't using a score (and thus no specs) in this segment of the concert. And I liked this part of the concert better. The flutist, Jin Ta (I hope I got it right), was excellent in his solo.

Next up, I hope to catch Midori in April next year...saw the ad in the programme booklet. Upon checking, it happens to be a pure Russian programme, which I'm sure I will like. Hope I won't be away then. And maybe also Renaud Capuçon in Feb. Need to go do some reading up on SSO's concert listings to see what's in store. Haven't been keeping up with them.

A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim

No, it was not Mozart, but honestly, I went to this musical not really knowing the story (seem to be doing this often these days). But it's music by Stephen Sondheim, so one should go, even though the company refused to reveal who were in the cast till really late (we believed it was done on purpose). The story can be found here.

What did I make of the musical? Let's start with the good points first. The dialogue was humorous drawing laughs from the audience with its wittiness. Some song highlights included the well-known Send in the Clowns and It Would Have Been Wonderful (I liked the lyrics). A Weekend in the Country was pretty catchy too. The lyrics of the songs were good, quite a few pretty humorous. witty & wry. But I must say the music was rather "complex" (as my friend puts it), with many layers, and can be difficult to sing.

However, the story to me was rather frivolous and as one friend puts it, like a soap opera. The 1st Act was a little too "draggy" to lead to the point of conflict. I was a little amused by the ending when Desiree and Frederik finally came together and embraced each other. Somehow, the way that scene was played out seemed a tad "cheesy". And the way her mother died was pretty abrupt.

My friend was asking me during the show what the role of Desiree's mother was. I couldn't think of it then, except that Desiree probably took after the mother and she provided the venue for the weekend fiasco which was the climax of the show. But now, as it suddenly came to mind, I began to wonder if it was similar to the role of Puck in "A Midsummer's Night Dream" by Shakespeare. And come to think of it, there can be similarities drawn from both stories.

On the side, we saw Sebastian Tan at the show, along with Chua Enlai and some other people.

recent spate of gangs slash

It's really scary hearing about the slashing incidents that's been happening. What's worse was that it happened in broad daylight, at community places like resorts (for families) and housing estates, and the culprits were all quite young, mainly teens, and the Bukit Panjang one was like more for fun.

I've probably mentioned this before to some friends, that I was very nearly collateral damage during a gang fight. Nope, of course I was not in any gangs, but was at the wrong place and wrong time (as were those around me).

It was about 10 years ago, when I was still in university. My friends and I (if I recall correctly) had just finished watching a movie and were just walking along Orchard Road when there was a commotion behind us. We turned around and saw a mob running towards us, with parangs! In the middle of Orchard Road! We were in the pavement just in front of Mandarin Hotel.
I don't know why, but somehow, I ended up being the only one left standing right in the middle of the pavement. Maybe I was a bit slow in reacting, or maybe something held me back because everything happened so fast. It was a gang fight between 2 gangs and 1 group ran past me (on both sides). It turned out to be a wise thing not to move for the time being then or I might have gotten in the way and maybe I won't be here telling you this already. Fortunately, there came a break in between the chase and I finally got a chance to move to the side, and watched the going ons. There was one particular guy who leaped over the fencing of the hotel (there used to be one before the renovations) but was chased after by 2 others who had parangs. I believed he was slashed, but he did run back again and as fate would have it, hopped onto a taxi and just nice, the traffic light turned green and the taxi went off. Think the taxi driver would have been freaked out too if he didn't drive off immediately. Soon, the coast was clear and things returned to normal.

Strangely, I didn't feel scared at all, during or even after the incident, so I won't attribute my inaction to shock coz I was totally aware. One of my friends with me actually had the cheek to joke after the incident that as I was wearing a white top, it would have been ugly if I really got chopped, you know, blood and stuff.

Anyway, it was yet another close shave. Thank GOD for sending angels to protect me.

Natalie Cole In Concert

ok, this happened about 2 weeks ago, so my memory's already fading. Nonetheless, I shall note down what I can remember.

As part of the 4th annual Singapore Sun Festival, Natalie Cole had a solo concert on Sunday, 31 Oct. I managed to get tickets via Keppel Nights which offered tickets at $29, but they were the cheapest seats, last row, last circle. I have never really listened to Natalie Cole's songs, but I'm a fan of her father's (Nat King Cole), so with a girlfriend (who really wanted to go), we attended the concert together.

Opening the show, Natalie Cole came out donning a mask, as it was Halloween. The performance was split into 3 parts - more classic oldies, ballads and the encore. Natalie wowed audiences with her superb voice and displayed her versatility. However, naturally, being a fan of Nat King Cole, my faves were the songs which she sang "with" him (namely Unforgettable and When I Fall in Love), as images/footage of him was projected onto the backdrop. Somehow, it was kind of moving and you can see her being moved too. We were in for a treat too when she invited The Canadian Tenors (3 out of the actual 4) to sing a couple of songs as guest artistes, with of course her singing one with them. Both my friend and I agreed that out of the trio present, Victor Micallef sounded the best to us.

Ok, I can't really describe much now as I've forgotten the details, but she did start to sound like she was "panting" a little towards the end of the 2-hour (plus) show, but she was still game to sing a number of encore songs (which didn't reveal her tiredness, except maybe between pauses). She rounded up the show with a rock song (didn't know she sang rock too!) that left the audience on a high.

Hong Kong 2010

After Shanghai, we did a short 3-night stayover at Hong Kong before flying back to Singapore. It's been many years since I visited Hong Kong (more than 15 years) and in my hazy memory, it was rainy, which kind of dampened the spirits then. But it's different now as I've grown up since then and can appreciate the Hong Kong lifestyle more. I must say I enjoyed myself better here than in Shanghai, especially after the "stressfulness" in Shanghai, it was quite a change...it felt slightly more like home.

Well, I can't say what's so different. The streets are old too and busy, but maybe minus all that spitting, and people are less "pushy" or loud maybe. Maybe it was like Singapore a little. And of course, the shopping made me felt more at home. Ha! And the food! (Eating again!)

In Hong Kong, it was really 买东西、吃东西. It just so happened that the departmental store 永安 directly opposite my hotel was having weekend sales, and stopping there turned out to be a "fruitful" experience for all of us. I bought 2 pairs of shoes for myself and a bag for my friend. My mum & dad bought things for themselves and for my brother's family as well. Did some other shopping elsewhere like Sogo (where I bought my Le SportSac at 30% off ), H&M and G2000 as well. Too bad it's the winter collection, so didn't really buy many clothes due to our Singapore climate.

Besides shopping, we did some sightseeing at Victoria Peak and the bay area.

Due to the short time, we couldn't eat everything we wanted to eat like wanton mee, boluo pao...and I didn't get to drink my yuan yang! But here are some of the main highlights.

Hope to go again soon to catch up on all those food I missed. :D Hopefully I get to win the lucky draw by Sogo. :P

Suzhou 2010

While in Shanghai, we took a day tour to Suzhou. The train ride was only half an hour! I've not been to Suzhou before, only Hangzhou. The last time we tried to go by tour via a mini van (on our last trip to Shanghai), it was too foggy and we had to turn back.

Honestly, I was expecting something more tranquil (to get away from the Shanghai madness), especially since it's supposed to be Venice of the East (not that Venice is very tranquil), but Suzhou is also developing very fast, so lots of construction going on. But there are still some nice spots (though more touristy now). However, the people here seem more cultured. Anytime, even the boatman/guide, can start to quote idioms and poetry as they related the stories of this old city. And they ,speak more gently than what I've experienced in Shanghai. Did you know that Suzhou was actual 吴国 territory during the 春秋 period more than 2,500 years ago? The capital, in fact. Suzhou was planned and built by 伍子胥 (Wu Zixu), a great and loyal general who was eventually killed by the king 吴王. Part of the city wall still stands. Places I visited include the houses along the Suzhou River, 盘门 (Pan Gate), the silk factory, 留园 (Lingering Garden) and 虎丘 (Tiger Hill), which had a leaning pagoda (ha! just like the leaning tower of Pisa).

And of course, there's always food. We only had time to have lunch there.

Shanghai 2010

It's been at least 5 years since I last visited Shanghai, and with my parents, I went there last month as we had some timeshare offer stay for 5 days at this service apartment called La Residence, which was rather cheap (S$100 plus for 5 days) . However, as we decided to go earlier, we put up at another hotel first, Citadines, by Ascott. It also meant that we could go visit the World Expo since it was ending soon.

Impressions
As someone who doesn't like crowds, going to Shanghai during the World Expo was a bad choice. I only went because I haven't travelled with my parents for quite a few years already. I was pretty stressed by the crowds and congested human traffic whether at the Expo or along the streets, especially Nanjing Road. What made it worse were the spits around and hearing people preparing to deposit their saliva on the streets. And they do that anywhere! Even in shopping malls! I must say they have improved a little bit since I last went, but it was still disturbing as I have to constantly watch where I'm walking. The situation wasn't so bad at the more upscale areas though. The traffic was horrendous too as the drivers horn at the slightest, and they will never give pedestrians right of way at turnings, even when it's green man, and they make their turnings at pretty high speeds. The only time they would actually stop was when there's a traffic guard at that corner. Fortunately, I learnt to be immune to their horning and just continued crossing. Again, I must say that it was even worse before. At least they are also less "pushy" in the trains too now. I still recalled in the past when they even pushed a pregnant lady!
Another thing was that it had become even more commercialised since I last went. There used to be some old city flavour previously, but now, it just feels like any city as the place was covered with so many new buildings.
So yah, it was a rather stressful holiday for me while I was there, and it was with much relief when I left for Hong Kong. Haha...it is usually after this kind of trips that I appreciate Singapore more.

Ok, ok, no more grouses, but more about what we saw and ate.

Hotels
The first hotel we stayed at, Citadines was pretty nice. We booked an executive suite to fit all 3 of us, which had a bedroom, living room (which had a sofa bed) and kitchenette. Being a Singapore-run hotel, it was not surprising (but still amusing) to find a Singapore restaurant (but selling Thai shark's fin) just downstairs. It was convenient too, situated just behind 新世界 near Nanjing Road, but away from the crowd.

The 2nd place we stayed, La Residence wasn't as well-maintained though, but it was pretty cheap for such a big space. It was clean nonetheless, but a little rundown. They gave us a room on the top floor, which had not too bad a view. It was double-storey with a spiral staircase. That's not so good for my parents though. They didn't have any other rooms available, so we continued our stay there. There were 2 bedrooms upstairs and 1 bedroom a living room, plus a kitchenette downstairs. There was one toilet downstairs, but the bathing facilities (1 shower room plus 1 bathroom with toilet and bath) were on the upper floor, so we ended up staying upstairs. I had intended to stay on the lower floor since the bed looked more comfortable, but think the aircon wasn't running too well, and there was a strange smell coming out when that happened (probably the coolant). The drawers and cupboards need to be changed though as the doors weren't fitting properly.

Hmm...my photos made it look better than it actually was though. But since it was at a very good rate, there was no cause for complaint.

World Expo 2010
One of the main highlights of the trip was supposed to be the World Expo 2010, which was hosted at Shanghai this year. We had thought whether to visit it over 2 days, but after experiencing the crowds and queues for 1 day, it was enough. There were so many people and the queues were terrible, some even up to 7 hours or more for the more popular ones! Good thing I didn't go on the day there were over a million people there. And you can't go into the China pavilion without the advance ticket, which we didn't manage to get. We figured it was no point wasting time queuing for long hours and miss out on other pavilions, so we picked those less crowded ones (which still required at least 30 minutes) and of course, as Singaporeans, we should go visit our own pavilion (which was actually our 1st stop).
Well, the easy way in was to flash our Singapore passport at the back door and we were granted immediate admission. Believe it or not, there was a queue at the main entrance (not that long though).

The Singapore pavilion was actually quite interesting on the outside, but we were disappointed with what turned out inside. The concept was good, based on movements in a symphony to bring you through the times of Singapore as you walk up, but the display was too "business-like" and a little boring. The theatre was actually not bad, intending to give an almost life-sized, Omnimax feel, but the music video was just like any music video, and didn't really show much, or bring out Singapore. The rooftop garden was probably the nicest part.
Another pavilion I wanted to visit was Denmark, which had The Little Mermaid statue brought all the way here. Wanted to see it in case I never get to visit Denmark. The Little Mermaid is one of my favourite H. C. Andersen's stories. Some other pavilions we managed to enter were Lithuania, South Africa, and some others.

Personally, I felt that the pavilions were ok in general. Maybe I didn't go to the more popular ones, but I believe it wouldn't be super different for the rest (haha...trying to console myself). Or maybe I see the possibility of myself visiting these places, or have already visited similar places. But it was probably an eye-opener for most of the locals. What was nice were how the pavilions looked on the outside. What with bicycle rides, ski lifts, slides, mirrors, colours, etc. Actually, I kind of liked Netherlands' pavilion, which was like a giant playground with a big "Happy Street" sign.
It was interesting to note that the most popular pavilions were actually not the country pavilions, but were those industrial/business ones, like the Oil Pavilion. Some of these were stopping people from joining the queues at mid-day as they were too long! These were probably more interesting and people can actually learn things from them. Coca Cola's Happiness Factory was also a popular pavilion, but I've been to the actual one in Atlanta, so no point going (anyway, they stopped adding people to queue in the late afternoon). I noticed also that the people of each pavilion (at least for some I've seen, e.g. Israel) who were from the said country were speaking fluent Mandarin! Of course it was probably expected, but it was still "amusing" in a way.
Well, seeing all these in the day wasn't enough, because there were beautiful lights! The Oil Pavilion's lights were amazing. From a simple blue building, it transformed into a dynamic animated screenbox.

 

Food
Another highlight of the trip would of course, be food. Eating well on a trip has always been a highlight. Haha...hopefully I didn't put on too much weight. What more can I say but just show you some highlights.

I will probably talk more about them separately in my food blog foodsie.two, but that will take quite a while.

Misc
Oh, on our last night there, we chanced upon an event at the Lamborghini showroom in Shanghai, unveiling a series of sculptures created by Simon Ma, a collaboration with Lamborghini. It was probably one of the more exciting moments of the trip. They brought out a whole range of Lambos. Cool!