Fencing resolution on its way

Looks like I set the right resolution this year! It must be some sort of coincidence or great planning for I have just been informed that this year around, my fencing club will be shifting to a new place, and with the shift, comes some new programmes, which include regular internal competitions. So that's one resolution that looks set to be fulfilled (to fence in some sort of competition/friendly match). It's a more "serious" kind of prep than the usual sparring/training and still in a safe environment, i.e. not external competition, which I'm obviously not comfortable with since I'm only doing it for recreation (my only form of exercise).  A grading system will be put in place to rank the members and as my coach says, I "can't escape competing anymore". Haha..little did he know of my resolution this year.

Talking about internal competitions, we had a sample of that today and I won! Although I was given an advantage because I was a girl, fencing with the guys (3 of them)...hee...it was a good workout and great session, which really got my adrenaline pumping for fencing, although I was out of breath at the end.
It was a small class today as the rest were fencing in the novice competition elsewhere, but it was great because my previous coach (who's the boss of the club) stood in for my current coach. It's been a while and I think he's still the best coach (the current coach is not bad too lah), giving us tips and such as we fenced.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

It was a pretty "bizzare" fantasy show.which honestly, if it weren't for Heath Ledger and Johnny Depp, I would have skipped this movie.

The story runs that Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), in exchange for immortality, makes a deal with the devil. There seems to be some competition as to the souls to claim as Doctor Parnassus runs his Imaginarium (which is controlled by his mind) where he lets people live their dreams but they have to make a choice. The wrong choice will lead them to hell. However, another part of the deal was that the child he fathers in his existence will have to be given to the devil when he/she turns 16. So it is that in the year his daughter is about to turn 16, there is a race to complete another wager (he seems to make a lot of bets with the devil, who is actually having fun with him).
The whole show seemed pretty weird, moving between worlds. Maybe it's to depict the state of mind and dreams. It felt a bit messy though. I think if it were not for the superb cast, the story wouldn't have held up.

Door of Faith

I can only daily pray

for hope and love to find its way

to my doorstep where it'll knock

in faith I'll open God's promise told

Reference training 101

I just completed a series of training sessions on reference services and wow, it's quite challenging but exciting. I realised how much I didn't really know...but that's really on-the-job training. And I realised too that it's really what I would love to do in the (near) future in terms of my career prospects. Right now, I'm still working in the back-end, hence I can't really do much reference work. So that's what I would want to do next, maybe as personal development for now. I'm also feeling rather stagnated in my current position. I need to move out!

What really got my heart pumping was when we were touring the SING/SEA collection. It's not the first time I'm looking at the collection (though not often) and it's also not the first time I feel "exhilarated" to be near these books. Just look at the amazing titles, so rich in content. This only happens when I'm at this particular collection and I so want to "devour" all those titles, even if it's just browsing. I must say that my colleague is doing a great job. :) The thought of being near these if I could just get myself into working there. It's so different when you're close to the collections as opposed to "far far away". I don't feel as excited when I'm visiting the other collections though.

However, I must still say I enjoyed all the sessions, covering the various subject areas. They were rather interesting and there were some hands-on practice. Can't wait for the opportunity to get to work there as a reference librarian! Must pray hard.

New year, new buzz

January isn't over yet, but I find myself so caught up with activities! Not sure if it's the restlessness carried forward from last year, or simply because it's the new year so I'm energised, but it's been all buzz for me. Some good, some bad.

If you read earlier, I just started some classes in musical theatre, which is a whole new aspect of exploration.Yeah, I've had theatre experience, and music experience, but now it's putting it together. Not to mention the dancing which I really have not much experience...it's tough!

Also, how come there are so many movies lately that I want to watch? Did 'they' planned this? All these movies being released now. So yes, I've been catching movies quite regularly like on an average of 1 per week. Besides movies, there are also many performances coming. like Huayi (not decided if I should watch any yet), some theatre/musicals and yes I've got my March lineup of Mosaic shows to catch.

I just realised I have quite a no. of January babies among my friends of which I have had the pleasure to celebrate with 5 of them.

In terms of work, I can already see the things I need to do for these few months, mainly clearing up some overdue stuff, some necessary "annual products" and preparing for an upcoming event where it is my turn to be the rep. All these to be done by our FY end (Mar). Phew.

I have also been on a series of courses planned by my org, which I hope will help me break new ground in my work (that'll be another entry later).

And wow, I'm going to Fukuoka in 3 weeks time! And I have yet to plan my itinerary! Really need to find time to do that next week.

A not so good thing is that I have developed some new addictions! I just started following Bleach, an anime series which Animax has just started showing (it's a pretty old series though). I've also just got addicted to Bejeweled Blitz on facebook. But I'm not so worried for this as I usually get sick of the game apps on facebook after a while. But I recently downloaded Coffee Craze onto my mobile, which is quite addictive too. Until I complete all the levels, I think I'll still play it. Lastly, I just bought Lips a karaoke kind of game for XBox. Hee...I'll probably be trying that out, along with my "long-time-no-play" Guitar Hero after my brother moves out with his family.

Phew, need to consider those New Year resolutions too.

Another step of faith

Recently, I took a step of faith by inserting my Christian name into my IC (it was the time to re-register). You might think it's nothing, but coming from a non-Christian background, it was a rather major decision. When the notification came, I took a long time contemplating because I was wary of my parents' reaction. (Also partly because I thought I needed a deed poll to add in the name, which wasn't so...I only needed my baptism cert.)

I thank God that after all these years, they have finally accepted that I'm a Christian. But I still had my concerns as amending my name would seem a big taboo. What will they say when they find out? But eventually, after 4 months of running it in my mind, I decided to insert my Christian name anyway as my commitment to God, of course with a prayer for favour. Good thing I got myself baptised before this need arose, which was my "first" major step of faith, so that I had this option. In case you were wondering, I did mention that I was going to get baptised (which was about 2 years ago), whether they accepted it or not (I wrote a long letter). But praise God that they treated me like an adult who can make my own decision, although they didn't really give their consent.

Of course, I haven't told them about this addition, but a recent notice to collect my IC arrived and I guess they would have seen the extra name there?

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul. 

~ William Ernest Henley 

The poem which inspired and encouraged Nelson Mandela when he was imprisoned for 27 years. 

Based on the story of Nelson Mandela and the South African rugby team who won the World Cup in 1995, this was an inspiring movie, of which the name of the show was a reference to the poem, meaning "unconquerable".

I don't normally watch films that link to sports, but this was different. It talks of the struggle of South Africa after the long civil unrest to rise up. Under the leadership and vision of Mandela, Mandela managed to use the rugby team, which rose from a despised team (they were associated with the previous government) to become the nation's pride, to build a united nation (putting political differences aside) and make South Africa shine.That's how sport should be isn't it, nothing political, just good sportsmanship and working together, putting aside differences. And as it was said, everyone needs inspiration. And with inspiration comes motivation.

I enjoyed the show because of its nature, a not-too-badly done biography. The actors were good and the scale! There were the funny parts too, though they were usually part of an underlying context of something more serious, like the tension between the previous government and Mandela's. I liked the part when they started doing their PR stint leading up to the World Cup, which brought them to this village to do coach clinic with the kids there. It was moving. Also, I couldn't help but find myself shuffling in my seat, getting excited over the game, cheering (inside).

However, I did feel that the movie could do more. Can't put my finger on it, but maybe a bit richer in bringing out the characters. But it was a good attempt. There was a song that kind of felt out-of-place though. The lyrics were fine but somehow, it somehow didn't fit in with the rest of the music or South Africa. I think I'll give the show a 4 out of 5.

On a side note, I think the air in the GV Plaza cinemas must be really bad. Every time I step inside it, I could straightaway feel it irritating my airway. They need to clean the cinemas better. That's why I sometimes don't like to go to GV cinemas except for the newer ones.

If I were an artist...

If I were an artist, what would I paint? Clouds in the sky? Trees in the fields? Or random faces drawn out on canvas? Capturing moments, of which time forgets.

If I were an artist, what would I sculpt? A pillar of solitude or a "floating" mass of hope? That wilts or blooms, as humans "vote".

If I were an artist, what would I build? A model of proportions? or abstract confluence of matter? That installs itself among the spaces, to speculate and probe.

If I were an artist, I would be a photographer. For I can neither sketch nor speak the images I crave to pen. But sight I have, to see and frame, the pictures burnt on paper that speaks a thousand words.

Just So Musical

I just caught this musical put up as one of the SMU Arts Festival 2010 items, of which I would never have known about if my friend hadn't told me about it.

Incidentally, I think I managed to enjoy it a little tad better than him (who hated disliked the show...mainly because he found that the plot was weak) due to the fact that I didn't have high expectations of it to start with, because:

1. It was a school production. (I have never had high expectations of school musicals)
   
2. I didn't think it was going to be a serious musical, i.e. I thought it was a "just for fun" kind of performance.
   
3. I have totally forgotten what the story was about or the origins of the musical (I only recalled it was an adaptation from a supposedly well-known musical of the same name). But after tonight, I found out that it was an award-winning musical originally produced by Cameron Mackintosh, and based on Rudyard Kipling's stories, although I never knew the writers for the show (ok, maybe George Stiles sounded slightly familiar). Also, this particular SMU rendition was directed by Sebastian Tan, with Jimmy Ye as vocal director.
   
4. I have never heard of "Just So" before, so I expected it to be "just so" (pun).
   

Anyway, a post-mortem of the show over gelato gave us an overview of each of our impressions of the show (btw, "discovered" that Sappore Italiano was not just a coffee place, so must eat there some day. It's run by Italians!).

Here's my honest opinion. I wouldn't say it was a fantastic musical, but I wouldn't say it's all that bad. 

First and foremost, I was actually very surprised that the cast was very good, even though they were SMU undergrads. They could sing and act quite well. So that kind of raised my opinion of the performance...by a lot.

Secondly I felt the setting interesting, which was fictional (fulfills 1 criteria), especially with all the animals. Although it felt a like a show for kids (which I think it was partly meant to be), with some educational element, but in a more adult manner. I think it related to the story of how the animals got their skins and patterns, which we might have heard before as a child. Another interesting part was it took on the style of a storytelling session even though the storyteller (the magician) also played a role throughout the story.
Thirdly, the words/lyrics were actually quite witty.
Fourthly, there were minimal props, but I liked the way they used umbrellas and ladders in different ways.

"So, what (do you think) the story was about" was a question my friend posed to me, to see if the plot was really "there". Well, briefly, I would say it's the story of the coming of age of the lead character through a quest that he sets out to complete, with a slight touch about friendship. I think the story was mainly focused on some moral, like how with perseverance and a fearless spirit (and innocence) will one be able to achieve one's goal despite what other people say. Also, each of us are unique and we need to develop this characteristic through self-discovery and finding one's place in the whole system of things.

Ok, after the post-mortem, I did give it some thought again, and I realised that besides the point that the music was kind of hazy to me, you can actually eliminate or change the scenes in between (which as my friend described as quite meaningless) as they did not serve as a catalyst or push in some way to the ending. So maybe that's why the links within the plot were lost...i.e. no buildup, and no identification with the lead character as a result. 

And this was what gatecrash wrote of the synopsis:

"Based on the immortal short stories of Rudyard Kipling, the musical Just So is set at the beginning of time when animals were first created. This fantastic journey takes audiences along the banks of Africa's great Limpopo River, together with an amazing collection of weird, but wonderful creatures.

Resonating with themes of individuality, discontentment, and eventual self-acceptance, the musical celebrates the uniqueness of life and the power of questions as the animals find out who they really are, both inside and out. Coupled with humorous character personalities and catchy numbers, Just So is a treat for the young and the young at heart."

And here's on the original production.

So that explains the 'weak' storyline since it's based on short stories.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, but one useful information I gleaned from the programme booklet (which curiously didn't include any synopsis) was that there will be a re-staging of 《雨季》 (December Rain) in August, Singapore's 1st large-scale Chinese musical (1996) co-written by Jimmy Ye and Liang Wenfu. Will be looking forward to that.

sleepily restless random speech

Ssshh...Feeling sleepy & restless, so taking a break here to "wake me up". (reached office at about 7.30am today)

This morning, my colleagues & I were talking about travelling and Egypt came up. I've been wanting to go to Egypt like for so long, but never really got down to booking that tour. My colleague said Dec should be a good time as the weather should be better then. It's exotic, yet would be fascinating to visit The Valley of the Kings, travel down the River Nile, maybe make some references to the Bible and even visit Alexandria, where the famous library is. But will have to get there before they decide to close the Pyramids to tourists. For now, I guess I can only satisfy myself with the Quest for Immortality: The World of Ancient Egypt exhibition currently ongoing at National Museum.

Then, somehow, the topic of horse riding came up. That has been one thing on my mind for quite long too, that I want to try some day. But it's pretty expensive, so.... My only recollection of being on a horse was probably at the zoo when I was a little girl.

Oh yah, Paramore is coming for concert on 7 Mar. I don't really know who they are, but I found their name familiar. It turns out they had a couple of their songs in the Twilight movie. Though they are not usually my kind of music, thought maybe I should go check it out, for a change. However, I think I might have problem getting someone to go with me.

Looks like this will be a year to try (more) new things!

New York, I Love You

Hmm...it's been a while since I watched an "artsy" film...by "artsy" I mean abstract that requires some mulling over. And New York, I Love You was such a film, a little on the artsy side where one has to focus on the whole concept of the show, cinematography and how the show was put together.

It turns out that it wasn't the romantic comedy that I thought it would be, and obviously, wasn't like Love Actually, which I initially thought it would be like from the synopsis and trailer. Well, it painted a rather dim, fleeting picture of relationships, although there were some warm ones like the old couple (I liked that story...very old school). It was actually a rather interesting way of depicting New York and relationships. I noticed there was the focus on the wedding ring in some of the stories, like in the 1st story with Hayden Christensen (he looked a little different), the Shu Qi story and the couple at dinner near the end. The only thing I couldn't get was the Shia Lebouf segment. What was that all about? A bit weird (though I liked the music). I don't know. I thought the woman was planning of killing herself (jumping through the window?), but then it was pretty weird when Shia jumped out instead with "how can you bear it". Was he a personification of her crippled soul? Or some memory of distant past? It was pretty strange.

My interpretation? I think one must take the movie as a collective whole. To me, it portrays the diversity and abstract nature of New York, but yet with little nuggets of stories behind people and relationships. It's after all called New York, I Love You. So one can presume it's about NY. But yet, one can take into view the abstract nature and complexity of love and relationships. Rather poignant. Some find love, some lose love, some trapped by love, some dream of love.

Initially, I had mixed feelings about the show, partly because I had expected something else, but on 2nd thought, it wasn't too bad upon analysing the context and concept of it. The stories were a little jumpy though at times due to its fleeting nature. Actually, I can't really determine if it was a good or bad movie. It's definitely not one that makes you feel good, but yet it's thought-provoking.

Anyway, I suddenly thought of this when on my way home:

"爱情像流沙。当你抓得太紧时，它就越会流失。倘若你轻轻用双手捧起， 你便能溢出盛多的爱。"

A Song AND Dance

Looks like there's no escape.

I recently signed up for musical theatre school with a friend, of which today was the 1st class. My initial thought was that the singing part would be the 1st half of the course, by which I signed up for only 5 classes first, just to look see, hoping to skip the dancing part. I was wrong. It turns out each lesson will entail both singing and dancing so there's no way I can run from learning to dance!

I'm a clumsy soul, and rather poor in hand-foot coordination, hence I cannot do aerobics much, not to mention dancing. I'll probably trip over my limbs sooner or later. My last recollection of more "serious" dancing was in primary school when I had to put up some dance item for some event (my form teacher taught dancing in school), Ok, maybe mass dance in JC and my short attempt to learn waltz can count too (dropped out at the end). One thing too is that I can never remember the full sequence of steps.

But I must say the class was quite fun/interesting as we sang "Ascot Gavotte" from My Fair Lady (at the race), and danced to "One" from Chorus Line. Think I'll probably be able to lose some weight judging from the workout from the dancing, plus not having proper dinner (am actually still feeling hungry but didn't want to eat too much just now after lesson). Some other interesting parts of the course include a brief history of musical theatre, where we watched some videos and I learnt about black-out acting for musicals, which was a result of social divide (think I ever heard of the term before, but didn't really know what it was about).

Well, look forward to next week!

It's Complicated

When I first saw the poster, I was like "ermm...should I watch it"? Well, the story was a little "complicated" (ha!) and it's kind of weird to watch Meryl Streep in a love affair at her age. I'm also not really a fan of Alec Baldwin. But in the end, I did finally catch it last night. I was commenting to my friend that it was interesting that I didn't even watch the trailer (she too) and we decided to catch it nevertheless.

It was actually quite funny! although it ended with a more "serious" note. The story was about a divorced couple who entered into an affair with each other at their son's graduation. However, this time, the ex-wife, Jane (Meryl Streep) becomes the 3rd party as the ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin) is now married to someone else (his mistress then). Jane eventually realises that the initial thought of maybe getting back with her ex-husband was not really what she wanted. And she breaks it off at the end. Another man, Adam (Steve Martin) does enter Jane's life along the way...

This was definitely much better than what I caught last week (Did You Hear About the Morgans?)

Huayi Festival 2010

Huayi Fest is coming and I had thought I should try to catch something. I caught 《华丽上班族之生活与生存》 (Design for Living) last year which I enjoyed.

Unfortunately, I'll have to miss the main show I wanted to watch, 《男人与女人之战争与和平》 (Man and Woman, War and Peace) as I'm going to Fukuoka. Although I'll be flying back in the daytime on the last night it's showing, it's too risky and I'll probably be too tired to watch the show. Also, think my family is planning to do lohei as it is 人日.

However, I might catch the adaptation of Kuo Pao Kun's 《棺材太大洞太小》 (The Coffin is Too Big for the Hole), mainly for heritage purpose. 23 & 24 Feb.

And maybe for a change, I should watch opera. They're showing the Kun opera 《桃花扇 》 (Peach Blossom Fan) about "a doomed romance set amidst the fall of an empire". 26 & 27 Feb.

Mosaic Music Festival 2010

I just realised the Mosaic Friends early bird discount offer of 10% is ending soon and I should not procrastinate & get my tickets already!
Sadly, 'Kings of Convenience' is already sold out (within 2 days of the priority booking period)!

So what others shall I catch? I've shortlisted a few main ones I should be catching:

1) Shugo Tokumaru (Japan)
2) Pink Martini (USA)

3) Au Revoir Simone (USA)

4) Makoto Ozone (Japan)

Have picked some others, but lower priority. May catch some of those free shows too.

This year there doesn't seem to be that many that I feel like catching. I felt last year was really good...too many in fact that I had to "rein in" my selection due to lack of time/$$.

More resolutions for 2010

I have been thinking I should try more frivolous and daring stuff as compared to what I have listed earlier.

Firstly, I think I should do my first manicure. Yes, I've never gone for manicure before, but I shall try it. Maybe throw in a pedicure too.

Secondly, maybe I should take part in a fencing competition, or at least a friendly match, even though I would probably be eliminated in the 1st bout. I don't train enough to compete, but...

I think I should wear more skirts & dresses...which means more shopping? Haha...won't lah. maybe only dresses. It's tough to find dresses I like that are reasonably-priced. I have quite a no. of skirts & dresses that I hardly wear or yet to wear though.

Hmm...what else?

Fukuoka, Fukuoka

I'm feeling restless again...
Maybe I'm still in holiday mood...or maybe I'm looking forward to my holiday in Feb!

My first trip of the year is taking me to Fukuoka, Japan. Actually, I don't really know what they have there, except that they have something called the Hakata ramen and that it is the administrative, economic and cultural center of Kyushu. So I need to start doing my research!

Woah...it's going to be cold, likely below 10 degree celsius each day...got to dig out my winter wear!

Holiday! Holiday!

Upcoming movies in 1st quarter 2010

It seems like so many movies are coming out and I have listed those that I "intend" to watch (see calendar at end of page).

Must Watch

• New York, I Love You
• The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus
• It's Complicated
• Clash of the Titans
• Shutter Island
• Alice in Wonderland 
• Agora

Considering

• Bright Star
• Valentine's Day
• How To Train Your Dragon
• The Lovely Bones
  

What happened to Where the Wild Things Are? Why did GV decide not to bring it in?

There will probably be more coming up, but here's for now. If anyone is interested in the movies mentioned, let me know.

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Honestly, I think this show was only average.

Basically, the show is about a separated husband & wife who witnessed a murder and were then whisked somewhere remote to be protected, with a professional killer tracking them down. As they lived in "recluse", their relationship improves and well, predictably, they got back together. (ok, as I type this, this story starts to sound a bit lame)

Not sure why it didn't really work, maybe the chemistry wasn't there between the leads, or it could be SJP (it seems she keeps the same expression). Not sure if it's supposed to be a rom-com, but it felt a bit...how do I describe it?..."bland".

I'll rate it 3 out of 5 (to be kind).

morning drama at the office

I appeared at the main gates to the building to find a long queue of cars waiting and the gates closed, with a shattered mirror and sunglasses on the other side of the gate. I thought there was an accident initially but that was not the case. On asking some people around, I was told that there was a drunk man in the security post who was violent and had been throwing/thrashing things around causing much damage. I took a quick peek and found the doorway of the security post rather messed up. Not sure if the guy was already passed out, but the guard could not reach the keys to unlock the gate. (I figured the guy must have climbed over the gates)
Fortunately, "walkers" could enter by another way, so I still managed to go to office, although avoiding the post at a wide berth and tried not be inquisitive and take a closer look inside the post while passing. Anyway, when I reached the floor where my office was, I found the cleaning trolley parked near (outside) the door on its side, which would mean the guy probably came to wreck havoc there too.

Later on, I heard that someone managed to get a crowbar or something and climbed over to break the padlock, so all could enter. A police report was of course made and the drunkard will probably be arrested.

I hope nobody was hurt.

A Trip to Robertson Walk

My "trip" (pun intended) to Robertson Walk started with a super embarrassing incident.

I was making my way there from the UE Square bus stop when guess what? I didn't see that the pavement was stepped nearer the end and clumsy me missed a step and fell down. Thank God I was wearing (thicker) pants and I fell on my knees (not my face), or else it would have been a mess. Amazingly too, was that my hands landed on my bag (it's good to carry a bigger bag), so no scratches there. And considering that my slipper heels were a little high today and open-toed, it was really a blessing I didn't sprain my ankle nor hurt my toes nor had my heels flying. Angels must be protecting me. :P However, I did come off with bruised knees (no bleeding fortunately) and badly scratched tips of my shoes. It must have been because it was drizzling, so I was rushing a little and the steps looked pretty flushed with the ground from afar. In any case, I felt like I was going through an obstacle course, which ended badly, what with all the carpark exits which required watching out for cars coming out and a hazardous pavement. The paiseh part was that an old Caucasian couple was looking in my direction from across the road when it happened and I think they were starring at me (not in a bad way). So I quickly picked myself up, checked if I dropped anything and pretended that nothing happened and continued walking as normally as I could, looking out for the last few steps so that I won't repeat the mistake. Well, good thing it was nothing serious so I can laugh it off. :)

Anyway, the main reason I was visiting Robertson Walk was that there was an open house going on for a musical theatre school, so my friend & I decided to pop by to see what they have to offer. It was mainly focused on performance (i.e. singing & dancing), but my friend and I were actually looking more at how to "create" musicals, although I must agree that we need to know some of the performance things in order to create musicals. However, there will still be some classes about history of musicals and I won't really mind the singing part. But as you can see from my above clumsiness, I think I should avoid the dancing portion to be on the safe side. Fortunately, we don't have to sign up for a full 10-classes course, but have the option of just taking 5 sessions first. So maybe we'll sign up for that first and see.

Sherlock Holmes

It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be (being a Sherlock Holmes fan). In fact, I rather enjoyed the show even though some characters were not true to the characters in the books and obviously, it was a big play of characters.

It was a big mix of characters from the stories and a mix of plots, although there was 1 main plot going on. As someone who has read all the Sherlock Holmes stories, I tried not to make too many comparisons due to the treatment for the film (I went with apprehension on how it will turn out), but I couldn't help but think in the "Sherlock Holmes" frame of mind, and thus predict the nature of the story and crime, which of course led to the many expected solutions to the puzzles that surfaced in the show. As one of my favourite quotes from the stories goes, "when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth", hence the logical deductions that occurred in the course of watching the show (the logical scientific explanations). Predictability is a killer for mysteries, but since most Sherlock Holmes fans would know the stories, it wasn't exactly a bad thing.

Of course, as most movies these days, there is always the romance element. As the original Holmes never had any love interest, they used the character who was the only woman he was ever impressed with to be his love interest in the movie. Holmes in the movie displayed his many talents as stipulated in the stories, being an excellent detective, observer, fencer, boxer, violinist (although this was not shown much except of Robert Downing Jr. plucking the violin), man of disguise, etc. However, it was a bit weird with Watson being smarter than he was portrayed in the book, and more good-looking than the original. Also, as attached to Watson as Holmes is in the book, I don't think it went as far as that portrayed in the show. Holmes was, I would say a little more "cold" in that aspect

I had expected more of Professor Moriarty, who was Holmes arch nemesis, but somehow it was not so, though the show kind of tried to make it seem like there might be a sequel (which I doubt will happen).

On the whole, if you forget that it's Sherlock Holmes, but treat it like a mystery/thriller you would watch, I think it wasn't too bad.

Year 2010 Resolutions

Happy New Year!
It's a new year again and this year, I reckon I should make less resolutions since I sort of didn't fulfill a no. of my last year's resolutions. So here goes:

1) Write A Musical (at least a script)
My friend & I have been discussing about musicals lately and "bumping" ideas off each other. This would be like the MAJOR project for the year.

2) Write More Worship Songs
I really need to get down to this as I kinda failed this aspect last year. I should make good some of the lyrics I have.

3) Stop writing G Key Songs
As most know, I can only write songs on guitar using the few chords I know from this key, which results in similar sounding songs. So my resolution is to try out more keys or use the piano more.

4) Be More Selfless
It's always good to think of others more instead of "I".

5) Repair My Violin
I've been procrastinating this for ever so long...need to check out the rates. Hope Gramercy at Esplanade is reasonably priced. A bit lazy to visit others.

6) Volunteering In Church
Even though I'm not picking a specific role, I should be more receptive of being "volunteered".

7) Study a Book in the Bible
Ok, I was supposed to do this every year, but although I picked something last year, I didn't really fulfill it. Need to pray about this. I really enjoyed the time studying 1 Corinthians two years ago. Hmm...maybe I need a "buddy".

8) Sabbath
I think I really have to start this again, taking a half-day off regularly to do some intensive QT.

9) Pray more
I've not been very disciplined in my prayers and maybe that's why...Need to pray more (each day), for my family, friends, work and of course about the personal development in 1 area of my life (4-letter "L" word). :P

Gee, looks like in the process of typing, I have again accumulated so many resolutions...although some are constant reminders or carried forward resolutions. Well, that's all for now. 加油！