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

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

Rounding up 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finishing Well

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

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

Avatar (3D)

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

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

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

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

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

What is love? A puzzle piece?

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

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

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

I'll Be Home For Christmas (Classics)

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

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

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Which aspect of musicals do I want to do?

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

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

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

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

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

Hmm...

The Princess and the Frog

Disney!

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

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

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

Christmas and Easter

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

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

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

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

Just my reflections on this.

Musical Story 2.1

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

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

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

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