Talk about impulse buys. Ha! But am enjoying it.
10 years ago
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Of "Doo-Wops & Hooligans"
I don't usually do this, but while walking past HMV yesterday, I heard them playing something that caught my attention. I was like "that's really nice"...and went in to buy the CD. It turned out to be Bruno Mars' "Doo-Wops & Hooligans".
Talk about impulse buys. Ha! But am enjoying it.
Talk about impulse buys. Ha! But am enjoying it.
Friday, January 28, 2011
女人心
I was just pondering about what a woman really needs in a relationship? We always talk about expectations, criteria, etc., but these are just guidelines. After giving it some thought, I think that it all boils down to making us feel loved and secure about the relationship.
A woman's heart is very "soft" (心很软), so it's not difficult to move her, if she doesn't have any bad vibes about you. Once she has the affirmation, the walls will break down (yes, women protect themselves in this area and even if she's feeling a lot, she'll try not to show it). So most of the time, I believe you're only seeing the tip of the iceberg of how she's feeling or really thinking.
A woman's heart is very "soft" (心很软), so it's not difficult to move her, if she doesn't have any bad vibes about you. Once she has the affirmation, the walls will break down (yes, women protect themselves in this area and even if she's feeling a lot, she'll try not to show it). So most of the time, I believe you're only seeing the tip of the iceberg of how she's feeling or really thinking.
Personals
I'm tired of waiting for something/someone to come round. So recently, (this sounds embarassing) I updated my SDN lovebyte profile. Incidentally, I received a few messages so far, but have not responded to any of them, yet. Call it apprehension, but I don't really know how I should respond or whether I should respond.
One problem with this service is that the profiles posted don't indicate our religion, unless we explicitly say it in the description of ourselves or what we look for (I submitted feedback on this to SDN). So how shall I reply? The most important thing I want to know first is if they are (active) Christians.
I've also been wondering, does the website highlight "recently updated" profiles? That's why I've been receiving messages? Or maybe they just like my picture (I used my current FB profile)? Or maybe it's the description of myself? A couple of them did say they read my profile and wished to know more (but don't know if they say the same thing to other girls too).
If they have read what I look for, they would know I'm looking for a Christian. So should I ask outright whether they are Christians? Or maybe in a less direct way like which church they go to? How do I even start a "conversation"?
I'm totally inexperienced in this.
One problem with this service is that the profiles posted don't indicate our religion, unless we explicitly say it in the description of ourselves or what we look for (I submitted feedback on this to SDN). So how shall I reply? The most important thing I want to know first is if they are (active) Christians.
I've also been wondering, does the website highlight "recently updated" profiles? That's why I've been receiving messages? Or maybe they just like my picture (I used my current FB profile)? Or maybe it's the description of myself? A couple of them did say they read my profile and wished to know more (but don't know if they say the same thing to other girls too).
If they have read what I look for, they would know I'm looking for a Christian. So should I ask outright whether they are Christians? Or maybe in a less direct way like which church they go to? How do I even start a "conversation"?
I'm totally inexperienced in this.
Something New, Something Old
It's been a long night. Just caught a double bill by Faithworks and sharing some thoughts on them.
I found the 1st play "Getting Married with Dad Dead Next Door" a tad draggy, such that I failed to find a strong message coming through to me (or it got blurred out). J commented that it's surprising since I'm usually quite perceptive...maybe I was tired...it was a bit long at around 75min (for a double bill). But I did deduce that the mother knew that the father was dead already, right at the beginning of the play (or did I assume it?). Maybe because I was paying more attention to what was said and acted out to deduce it by virtue of knowing already there's a dead dad. But this of course, as J said, meant that there was no element of "suspense" for me, which might have reduced the appreciation of the play and caused me to feel it was a bit long. I kept wondering when it will finally come to the point where all of them would discover that the rest of the family also knew that the father was dead, which I expected would be the climax of the show. But unfortunately, the climax didn't last long. Maybe a little shortening of the post-discovery might have brought it to a more impactful close. Generally, in my personal opinion, the play was nicely structured, the way the scenes changed with each set of characters, but it probably needs some tightening up.
As for the 2nd play "The Bench", it wasn't exactly a play, as in with a main storyline or theme, but more of snippets of happenings around a bench in a park. People come, people go. They did it in a cyclical manner, i.e. about things that happen on one day at the bench, then another day of similar happenings starts, with some new characters introduced into the existing characters' own mini-stories, or more "development" of relationships and about the characters' lives. I was getting concerned at when this pattern will end, and was a little expectant of whether these characters will finally meet at some point (which I think would have brought it to an interesting juncture), but that didn't happen. The more interesting part came when a geeky guy came out in the 2nd part, providing much comic relief. But it was predictable he would meet the lonely girl and something would develop from there. Both J and I felt this set-up might have been more suited for film then stage.
I found the 1st play "Getting Married with Dad Dead Next Door" a tad draggy, such that I failed to find a strong message coming through to me (or it got blurred out). J commented that it's surprising since I'm usually quite perceptive...maybe I was tired...it was a bit long at around 75min (for a double bill). But I did deduce that the mother knew that the father was dead already, right at the beginning of the play (or did I assume it?). Maybe because I was paying more attention to what was said and acted out to deduce it by virtue of knowing already there's a dead dad. But this of course, as J said, meant that there was no element of "suspense" for me, which might have reduced the appreciation of the play and caused me to feel it was a bit long. I kept wondering when it will finally come to the point where all of them would discover that the rest of the family also knew that the father was dead, which I expected would be the climax of the show. But unfortunately, the climax didn't last long. Maybe a little shortening of the post-discovery might have brought it to a more impactful close. Generally, in my personal opinion, the play was nicely structured, the way the scenes changed with each set of characters, but it probably needs some tightening up.
As for the 2nd play "The Bench", it wasn't exactly a play, as in with a main storyline or theme, but more of snippets of happenings around a bench in a park. People come, people go. They did it in a cyclical manner, i.e. about things that happen on one day at the bench, then another day of similar happenings starts, with some new characters introduced into the existing characters' own mini-stories, or more "development" of relationships and about the characters' lives. I was getting concerned at when this pattern will end, and was a little expectant of whether these characters will finally meet at some point (which I think would have brought it to an interesting juncture), but that didn't happen. The more interesting part came when a geeky guy came out in the 2nd part, providing much comic relief. But it was predictable he would meet the lonely girl and something would develop from there. Both J and I felt this set-up might have been more suited for film then stage.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
恋人絮语 (Lovers' Discourse)
很久没看华文电影了。。。上次应该是《割爱》吧？不，应该说很久没看港片了。
上星期约了朋友去看《恋人絮语》（有陈洁仪哦!)。本以为会是一部能让我感动到哭的电影，或是甜到哭的电影，但都不是。不过，导演以很巧妙的手法把故事连接起来。最搞笑的是第二段洗衣店女郎的故事。haha...我有点自豪自己能迅速地察觉到第一段故事的男女主角曾经是情侣，也很快觉察出第二段是女孩的幻觉。我之前可没察读过内容哦！
ok ok。。。
最令人觉晓的是其中一个故事的男主角竟亲身经历他在十二年前问过一个人的问题。
“他这样对你，你还跟他在一起？”
当初他不能理解，但现在他自己也不能自拔。
哈。人（生）就是这样。痛。
上星期约了朋友去看《恋人絮语》（有陈洁仪哦!)。本以为会是一部能让我感动到哭的电影，或是甜到哭的电影，但都不是。不过，导演以很巧妙的手法把故事连接起来。最搞笑的是第二段洗衣店女郎的故事。haha...我有点自豪自己能迅速地察觉到第一段故事的男女主角曾经是情侣，也很快觉察出第二段是女孩的幻觉。我之前可没察读过内容哦！
ok ok。。。
最令人觉晓的是其中一个故事的男主角竟亲身经历他在十二年前问过一个人的问题。
“他这样对你，你还跟他在一起？”
当初他不能理解，但现在他自己也不能自拔。
哈。人（生）就是这样。痛。
Monday, January 24, 2011
volunteering with kids
I believe I mentioned earlier that I was having an audition to volunteer in the children's ministry worship team. Well, that happened on Saturday, which seemed to go ok, with the pastor just wanting to test my voice and if I can sing (not tone deaf or anything). Following which, I was asked to "observe" one of the Sunday sessions with the kindergarten-P1 kids and see how, since I've never worked with kids before or done something like this before.
So on Sunday, I went.
Initially, I was apprehensive of whether I'll be up to it. Will I be too self-conscious? Can I follow the actions? Can I fit in? My fears were unfounded. The moment I was there, I felt an inexplicable joy. Ya, I wasn't very good with the actions, but I felt very happy there, and didn't have any reservations, forgetting everything else. Although I must say I'm more of a follower and not sure how best to handle the kids (yet).
Next Sunday, it'll be observing the older children (primary school). Then I'll have to decide which age group I would prefer to serve or can serve, if I'm really suited for the 'job'.
So on Sunday, I went.
Initially, I was apprehensive of whether I'll be up to it. Will I be too self-conscious? Can I follow the actions? Can I fit in? My fears were unfounded. The moment I was there, I felt an inexplicable joy. Ya, I wasn't very good with the actions, but I felt very happy there, and didn't have any reservations, forgetting everything else. Although I must say I'm more of a follower and not sure how best to handle the kids (yet).
Next Sunday, it'll be observing the older children (primary school). Then I'll have to decide which age group I would prefer to serve or can serve, if I'm really suited for the 'job'.
Guru of Chai
Just a short review...
I am not a good storyteller, and thus always admire those who can draw audiences when they tell a story, engaging people with what they speak. And Jacob Rajan is such, as the "guru of chai" in this production, with David Ward as the musician.
He tells a story of how a tea (chai) seller's encounter with a girl abandoned at a train station, and who sings most beautifully, charts the life he would have. A policeman falls for her, but she chooses a poet. Her choice sparks a series of events affecting all around, that leads to tragedies.
I had gone to the show, expecting lots of laughter (which manifested in a number of the audience...some laughed really loud), but I found it hard to laugh a lot because behind the jokes made, therein lies poignant words of wisdom and of life's lesson. And then again, the story wasn't exactly a happy one. What was interesting was the use of some magic tricks as he told the story, conjuring items out of nowhere, transforming objects to other things.
One particular quote stood out for me:
I am not a good storyteller, and thus always admire those who can draw audiences when they tell a story, engaging people with what they speak. And Jacob Rajan is such, as the "guru of chai" in this production, with David Ward as the musician.
He tells a story of how a tea (chai) seller's encounter with a girl abandoned at a train station, and who sings most beautifully, charts the life he would have. A policeman falls for her, but she chooses a poet. Her choice sparks a series of events affecting all around, that leads to tragedies.
I had gone to the show, expecting lots of laughter (which manifested in a number of the audience...some laughed really loud), but I found it hard to laugh a lot because behind the jokes made, therein lies poignant words of wisdom and of life's lesson. And then again, the story wasn't exactly a happy one. What was interesting was the use of some magic tricks as he told the story, conjuring items out of nowhere, transforming objects to other things.
One particular quote stood out for me:
"Life's sadness is born out of our attachments"
How true.
Have a sip of tea and ponder.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Model Citizens by The Necessary Stage
I'm finding it hard to pen my thoughts down. Mainly because this play by Haresh Sharma seems to have many underlying messages/layers that I'm not sure where to start. Maybe I should start with something simpler.
The synopsis.
The 3 women cross paths, under an unexpected circumstance. 3 backgrounds, 3 languages, how do they communicate? Gradually, a slow convergence of the 3 women, from 3 diversities to a somewhat common ground occurred, with the use of magic realism (as so described) as they become a part of "cross-realities" that transcends language. Boundaries are blurred.
The sets. Simple as they are, I liked the way the sets (cupboards) were used to define the (confined) space representing each person. The sets were modified/"flipped"/moved around during the show to bring you to different zones physically and mentally (i.e. the characters' personal spaces). Apt that at the end, the cupboards were closed up, marking the end of the play, like closing a chapter as each character moves on.
The disturbing scene. It's interesting to note that 2 deaths were placed side-by-side and played out concurrently in a particular scene, one, the abortion scene of Melly and two, the moments before "Angel", Wendy's son took his own life as shown in a FB wall chat. 2 "youths", one, before it has a chance to live, another finding no reason to live. Is this a coincidence or intended placement? The only problem here was that it was difficult to watch both the online chat going on and the abortion taking place.
The issues. I guess one main question is, what really constitutes a "model citizen"? Is it the person who follows the rules, but is eventually unhappy and not really getting what she wants out of life? The mother who tries her best, but ends up with a dead son? A foreigner who desires so much to be a citizen that she tries all means to get her "green card" to stay? Just perfect on the outside, but not necessarily so on the inside.
Social classes are explored with the higher, middle and lower classes converging. We see how power corrupts as it slowly manifests as a less than compassionate Mrs Chua who does it for "show" when she is on "cover duty" for her husband. An ugly side of her is revealed, true or not when she gets into an argument with Wendy and tears open Wendy's wounds. Maybe she was ok initially, but trying to be the "model citizen" and MP's wife took it away. For all of them, their dreams were forgotten.
Eventually, however, there was some hopefulness at the end with each finally letting go of the past (or present), and moving on. I believed it draws us back to where they all started. Their dreams - the "perfect" status, the "perfect" home, the "perfect" country.
The play ended with no curtain call...was it to maintain the tone? But there was a post-show dialogue session where I learnt some things. It's all about the point of view.
(yeah! finally got this out. Although there are still other stuff to discuss)
The synopsis.
A man stabs an MP at a Meet the People Session. But this is not their story. It is the story of the man’s girlfriend, an Indonesian maid who wants to get married and become a Singapore citizen. It is the story of the MP’s wife, who tries to cope with her husband’s injury and the media spotlight. It is the story of the maid’s employer, who is also struggling with her own tragedy. These 3 women may mean nothing to each other, but they need one another to survive. The maid, the employer and the MP’s wife. Are they all model citizens?
The 3 women cross paths, under an unexpected circumstance. 3 backgrounds, 3 languages, how do they communicate? Gradually, a slow convergence of the 3 women, from 3 diversities to a somewhat common ground occurred, with the use of magic realism (as so described) as they become a part of "cross-realities" that transcends language. Boundaries are blurred.
The sets. Simple as they are, I liked the way the sets (cupboards) were used to define the (confined) space representing each person. The sets were modified/"flipped"/moved around during the show to bring you to different zones physically and mentally (i.e. the characters' personal spaces). Apt that at the end, the cupboards were closed up, marking the end of the play, like closing a chapter as each character moves on.
The disturbing scene. It's interesting to note that 2 deaths were placed side-by-side and played out concurrently in a particular scene, one, the abortion scene of Melly and two, the moments before "Angel", Wendy's son took his own life as shown in a FB wall chat. 2 "youths", one, before it has a chance to live, another finding no reason to live. Is this a coincidence or intended placement? The only problem here was that it was difficult to watch both the online chat going on and the abortion taking place.
The issues. I guess one main question is, what really constitutes a "model citizen"? Is it the person who follows the rules, but is eventually unhappy and not really getting what she wants out of life? The mother who tries her best, but ends up with a dead son? A foreigner who desires so much to be a citizen that she tries all means to get her "green card" to stay? Just perfect on the outside, but not necessarily so on the inside.
Social classes are explored with the higher, middle and lower classes converging. We see how power corrupts as it slowly manifests as a less than compassionate Mrs Chua who does it for "show" when she is on "cover duty" for her husband. An ugly side of her is revealed, true or not when she gets into an argument with Wendy and tears open Wendy's wounds. Maybe she was ok initially, but trying to be the "model citizen" and MP's wife took it away. For all of them, their dreams were forgotten.
Eventually, however, there was some hopefulness at the end with each finally letting go of the past (or present), and moving on. I believed it draws us back to where they all started. Their dreams - the "perfect" status, the "perfect" home, the "perfect" country.
The play ended with no curtain call...was it to maintain the tone? But there was a post-show dialogue session where I learnt some things. It's all about the point of view.
(yeah! finally got this out. Although there are still other stuff to discuss)
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Fair Game & Burlesque
There's something about films based on true stories that attract me...but of course, not all turn out well. We had a office movie outing on Friday afternoon which was Fair Game, the new movie starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. It was surprisingly, better than expected. I hadn't heard of the show till the announcement for the movie outing. Strangely, this is the first Sean Penn movie I've watched even though I heard he's a very good actor. Probably because most of his shows are pretty heavy/serious.
The movie tells of how Joe Wilson exposes the White House's "mistake" of why U.S. went to war in an article. This leads to the malicious exposure of his wife, Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent by the president's aide, Scooter, which has serious repercussions for the family and more. Joe fights back by making public statements and eventually, Valerie also comes out to fight. In my impression, this Scooter is out to find even a single shred of possibility to start a war with Iraq by manipulating intelligence. Don't you just hate the Bush administration after this? The most interesting quote I gleaned from the show was near the end spoken by Joe, of how the truth is masked over. I'll try to reproduce it here as best a I can.
~~~~~
As if one movie wasn't enough, I met V for Burlesque in the same evening, which was released this week. Honestly, the storyline wasn't that great and it was pretty much predictable. It was a bit stagnant at points due to the many performing acts. But it was enjoyable for all the glitz in its song and dance. The whole show was mainly focused on Christina Aguilera's character, Ally's work up to be the lead performer at the Burlesque Club. Basically, it's really Christina's show, just seeing her sing and dance lots of numbers. It's amazing that she has such a big voice, which doesn't really "match" her look. I never really took to her, mainly because of her change of image from her initial days, and her big voice have sort of been overshadowed by her current image. But maybe I'm changing my opinion now.
The movie tells of how Joe Wilson exposes the White House's "mistake" of why U.S. went to war in an article. This leads to the malicious exposure of his wife, Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent by the president's aide, Scooter, which has serious repercussions for the family and more. Joe fights back by making public statements and eventually, Valerie also comes out to fight. In my impression, this Scooter is out to find even a single shred of possibility to start a war with Iraq by manipulating intelligence. Don't you just hate the Bush administration after this? The most interesting quote I gleaned from the show was near the end spoken by Joe, of how the truth is masked over. I'll try to reproduce it here as best a I can.
How many of you know who put the 16 words in the State of the Union address?
(no one raises their hand)
How many of you know the name of my wife?
(many raise their hand)...
How did the question move from "Why did we go to war with Iraq" to "Who is my wife"?
...I asked the first question, someone asked the second.~~~~~
As if one movie wasn't enough, I met V for Burlesque in the same evening, which was released this week. Honestly, the storyline wasn't that great and it was pretty much predictable. It was a bit stagnant at points due to the many performing acts. But it was enjoyable for all the glitz in its song and dance. The whole show was mainly focused on Christina Aguilera's character, Ally's work up to be the lead performer at the Burlesque Club. Basically, it's really Christina's show, just seeing her sing and dance lots of numbers. It's amazing that she has such a big voice, which doesn't really "match" her look. I never really took to her, mainly because of her change of image from her initial days, and her big voice have sort of been overshadowed by her current image. But maybe I'm changing my opinion now.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Serving Faith
As I was saying earlier, I was beginning to have doubts/reservations about volunteering my services in church. You know, as things drag on, you start to think of the possible "obstructions" that might occur. Then last week, I finally received a follow-up call again from a pastor who asked me to go for an audition as I wanted to volunteer as worship leader for kids. I had missed the earlier orientation/audition due to my trip to China. I have to prepare 2 songs, one fast and one slow (worried about the fast). Well, I'm totally new to leading worship in this context and am worried about this and that. However, during service on Sunday, God sort of told me just go ahead and try and don't think so much. If it's time and it's meant to happen, He will make sure everything is cleared in due course. Somehow, I felt overwhelmed as I gave thanks, which seemed like a confirmation of the assurance. Now, to select the 2 songs.
And talking about faith, I know this sounds like some kind of blogging fever, but as a new year resolution, I have set up a new blog which I call my "Faithbook". It's actually an attempt to keep myself disciplined in reading the Word, and also for simple reflections and sharing, like a notebook. Well, I'm no pastor or theology expert, but I do pray for greater insight and wisdom. I'm still trying to get things organised and settled down, and to get into the pace of sharing. Hope this works out and people might share with me their insights as well.
And talking about faith, I know this sounds like some kind of blogging fever, but as a new year resolution, I have set up a new blog which I call my "Faithbook". It's actually an attempt to keep myself disciplined in reading the Word, and also for simple reflections and sharing, like a notebook. Well, I'm no pastor or theology expert, but I do pray for greater insight and wisdom. I'm still trying to get things organised and settled down, and to get into the pace of sharing. Hope this works out and people might share with me their insights as well.
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