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.