FiveMusings

Sorry, Jotham, just HAD to reference FivePlay.

FiveMusings

- Some got to do with Drama Feste, some don’t have to do with Drama Feste.

1) Cab drivers in our country are fucking screwed up.

I guess, maybe cab drivers everywhere.

Picture this. I needed to get to SDBA in a hurry. Hitched a cab at 9.30 am.

Taxi driver, fucking arsehole, TOOK A FULL hour to get there!

From Serangoon to Kallang. ONE HOUR?! And we were actually caught up in a jam, that supposedly was created due to the rehearsal for NDP.

So I asked the taxi driver.

Me: “Today got NDP rehearsal?”
Cabbie: “Yeah. It was in the papers.”
Me: “So… you knew?”
Cabbie: “Uhm…”
Me: “SO you KNEW there was going to be a jam, and you went by this route?!”
Cabbie: “Erh… Well… The other roads were cordoned off…”

LIKE HELL.

Me: “Why did you go by this way if you knew there was going to be a jam? I’m running late!”
Cabbie: “You didn’t say it! At the start you should have told me, Uncle, wo gan shi jian! (I’m pressed for time!)”

Oh, okay.

So by default the reason why people take cabs is because they want a leisurely tour around the roads of Singapore. People get into cabs not because they want to get someplace fast, but because they want to sit in a traffic jam listening to dreadful Chinese songs on the radio.

WHAT NONSENSE. Seng Henk was right lah, in the sense that everyone would want to earn more money by going the long route. But frankly, THE CUSTOMER (i.e. ME) is NOT HAPPY. Doesn’t a complaint constitute for worse than less fare? Alaric was also right. Wouldn’t it be easier and faster to drop off a pssenger, and pick ANOTHER ONE up quickly? There’s the default $2.50 charge what.

Stupid driver. No brains to think.

In the end was late for training. Plus I wasted $10 friggin dollars.

2) Good work team! Overall 5th. Well, to me not too bad, but I agree so many things could have been better. We had completely no expectations for this time, which equals no anticipation or pre-hand knowledge. The boats were different, the water conditions different, even THE TIMING PUSHED FORWARD! The starting and ending strokes changed, the lineup changed slightly… It was serious stuff, and yet we managed to do it to the end.

Personally, for me, it wasn’t my best, but never mind. There’s always next time. Terence said it best, “What you get out of it are LESSONS LEARNED.”

Lesson learned.

3) Speaking of next time, Drama Feste WON’T have a next time for me. It was kinda sad, especially on Friday, when I was TEARING UP like mad. I was seriously emo lah. Sitting down to write each cast member’s goodbye letters, I knew that it would be the end, and that there wouldn’t be another time.

Shayan, Jarrell, Bryan, Alaric, Seng Henk, Leonard, Jingyuan and me would never sit around in a circle ever again. We would never ever do warm-ups, characterizations, runs and rehearsals. I knew for certain that we would just move on.

That’s what happened every year. Till this day I still remember my first Drama Feste with Gao Shen, Navjote, Hu-Lin, Ryan and the whole bunch. And yet we’ve never gotten back again. I kinda even forgot their names, and now they’re just faces in my head.

Our last circle made, our last short scene run, our last pep talk, and our last warm-up (16, 8, 4,2,1!!!!) came and ended quickly.

Surprising, really, how time passes when you’re having fun and you don’t treasure the times you have until they’re all gone.

And now, they’re gone.

4) For the benefit of those who did not attend yesterday’s show:

Best Original / Adapted Script
Nominees Are:
The Shepherd’s Boy – Anish Kumar (Hullett)
The Greatest Show on Earth – Gan Kar Liang (Morrison)
Being Perfect – Leow Yao Guang (Buckley)

And the Winner is…
The Greatest Show on Earth – Gan Kar Liang!

Sidenote: I am not even going to try to pretend like people who say ‘Oh, it’s nothing’. I am clearly very happy.

Best Direction
Nominees Are:
Nabil Aliffi (Hullett)
Chng An Zhen (Moor)
Gan Kar Liang (Morrison)

And the Winner is…
An Zhen (Moor)!

Best Acting Ensemble
Nominees Are:
The Shepherd’s Boy (Hullett)
Le Prix A Paradis (Moor)
FivePlay (Bayley)

And the Winner is…
Le Prix A Paradis (Moor)!

Sidenote: I won’t say I’m COMPLETELY shocked that Morrison didn’t get nominated for Best Acting Ensemble, but it kinda came as a hard shock, considering that the other two years Morrison got Best Ensemble. Plus I thought I wrote the script very ensemble-based. Oh, well. Still, the 3 nominees are obviously better if that is what the judges thought. Congrats!

Most Promising Young Actor:
Shayan (Morrison)
as Ringmaster (The Greatest Show on Earth)

Sidenote: WOOOOOOO!!! Go, Shayan, go, Shayan! Excellent! I thought he had this one in the bag. Very imposing ringmaster there.

Most Promising Actor:
Elias (Buckley)
as Steven (Being Perfect)

Best Actor:
Shiyang (Moor)
as… erh, don’t really know… (Le Prix a Paradis)

Sidenote: No, I’m serious. I have no idea what role he played. As one of the lions maybe?

Best Play
And the Nominees Are:
Le Prix A Paradis (Moor)
The Greatest Show on Earth (Morrison)
FivePlay (Bayley)

And the Winner is…
FIVEPLAY (Bayley)!

Sidenote: Wooo… Cheers!!! Okay, frankly speaking right (Jotham, ><) I thought the play started off rather boring. It was an overused concept, and the moment I saw the pamphlet I couldn’t help but cringe. What other new things could there be? The transitions were rather rough and I thought that some jokes kinda fell flat.

But then, the acting was phenomenal. I thought Leon should have gotten at least something, and the ensemble something else. Leon as the spastic child was FANTASTIC, and whoever thought Shaun could act so well?

SERIOUSLY!

I had no idea Shaun could even ACT! RIBoys’ Brigade needs to make more use of Shaun. But overall, most of the jokes kicked ass and the DANCING and song choices were fantastic!!! The High School Musical-inspired dance and the ending Candyman were fabulous! The Mr. Bean crack was priceless too! Well done Bayley!

5) Sometimes I complain about my parents, but I’m actually glad that my parents understand me and don’t try to restrict me. Or maybe I don’t allow myself to be restricted. I’m so happy I have them.

P.S. I realized that the previous post only had 4 circus demon photos. My bad. The rest to be uploaded another time.

P.P.S The judges are NOT bad. They just have a different taste. Everyone has different tastes.

P.P.P.S The EMCEES were EXCELLENT can! I was half-expecting emcees Wai Kit and Akesh to win Best Play or Best Actors or something. Spoofing Harry Potter, George Bush, Borat, THEY WERE A RIOT!

Wai Kit: Papa doesn’t love me. Everytime when I’m locked up under the staircase, I always hear Papa taking other children into his room, and they’re laughing so happily! (audience roars) And I ALWAYS WANT TO JOIN THEM!

Akesh: Hello! My name is Borat! (audience roars)… In all my travels, I have never ever seen an emo clown.

Akesh: No, I will not help you promote this book!
Wai Kit: Why not, my Lord?
Akesh: Because it is the Kamasutra!

Akesh: I’ll tell you what we’ll do. We’ll take all the animal crap out of the ark, and dump them onto an island, far away from all other lands. We’ll call this island, America.

Drama Feste preparations

No talk. Just the photos.

The photoshoot should speak for itself!

Pity though, forgot to download Ringmaster’s photos from Jarrell. Now it’s kinda odd, being one circus demon short.

Anyways. Here are the 6 other circus demons and one lonely little boy!

Matching Music with Moods

22/7/07

Matching…

The following songs make me…

Loving: Busted – Sleeping With The Light On

Sad: Shayne Ward – What About Me

Dirrrty: Haley Bennett – Slam

Angry: Busted – 3 am

Happy: Busted – Thunderbirds Are Go

Inspired: Gavin DeGraw – Belief

Reminiscent: Natalie Imbruglia – Torn

Peaceful: Shayne Ward – Hit The Ground Running

Energetic: Paul Oakenfold – Ready Steady Go

Reflective: Chantal Kreviazuk – Time

I’m very big on punk rock lately. Again my music tastes change. Last taste I had a preference for was electronic pop and dance. Now it’s punk rock. Specifically, Busted.

…

Don’t ask me why. I have phases.

If you’ve been one of my victims listening to me belting punk rock, then blame it on Chris Fang. I listened to his Ipod, found a Busted Year 3000, memories came back, and I was hooked.

P.S DRAMA FESTE! Get your tickets NOW! More updates soon!

400 / The 7-Point Pledge for the Normal Teen

Nope, no overly-muscular, gay-hyped Spartan warriors here.

THIS IS MY 400TH POST!!!!

*cheers!*

I won’t speak out about all the amazing things I have discovered, both about myself and about the world around me at large, because I think you’ve had enough of that during my blog’s birthday, and during MY OWN birthday.

I just feel so blessed to be alive, to have this blog to express everything I feel and think.

Well, on my 400th post, I’m going to be addressing a situation which I feel has been garnering public attention in recent years, especially this year.

A topic, none other, than Global Warming and Climate Change.

If you don’t know what’s all the hoo-hah about, you must have been living around a rock.

Or if you don’t believe in global warming, you must be Spencer Hawes. Or one of those lousy right-wingers who just HAS to go against Al Gore if not they’ll die.

400 years ago, the term ‘global warming’ didn’t even exist. Because humans didn’t pollute as much as they did now. Teslar and Franklin did us all too much a favor – electricity to be exact, once harnessed, created the world’s climate problems as they are today.

The one change that we did was not for the better. We, in other words, ruined the world.

Have you noticed how hot it is nowadays? I go out to buy something and I practically melt on my way there because a SUNDAY AFTERNOON is fucking hot!

It’s not really a good thing. And there’s no way anyone can deny it isn’t there. If people actually deny global warming, ask them to go to hell since they like the heat so much.

The problem is that what we are doing, what the so-called superior beings of the Animal Kingdom and the Homo-Sapiens are doing, is changing the world for the worse for the ANIMALS too.

The rest of us genetic beings, yes. The rest of life on Earth.

Polar Bears. Did you know they would nearly be all extinct in 100 years?

Glaciers. Did you know they would nearly all be melted in about 70 years?

Rivers. Did you know most of them would have lost at least HALF of their present size by 2030?

Disasters. Hurricane Katrina. That recent Tokyo Typhoon. The recent Australian floods. What we give out are coming back to us.

Diseases. Dengue fever outbreak. Mosquitoes have so many places to breed now!

**********************************

And yet, as humans, we’re still immersed in our own nice little world, where we are the Lords and that nothing else affects us.

You know what I’m hoping for?

I actually think and hope, that Man will die off first. The world will become so blisteringly hot that the entire human populace on Earth would die off, and leave only the animals. Slowly, they’ll regain their place on Earth, and take back the natural world as it rightfully belonged to them.

Do you know how many trees and rainforests are destroyed every day, and how many species of flowers and animals are lost?

Apocalypse, in other words, would be a nice reprieve from Hell.

Live Earth took place 7/7/07.

I wanted to blog something about the whole purpose of a 24-hour concert, but decided against it as I was too subjective.

Now I think I have to say something.

The whole point of Live Earth is good. The whole Awareness-Inform-Take Action concept is wonderful.

I just highly suspect the hypocrisy in this planning.

24 hours worth of concerts? Is that the best way to do it?

Well, probably not big enough to make a bang, if it were any other duration of time, but Live Aid and Live 8 were successful enough. Live Earth would have been good too, if not for the tremendously-long period of time, and wasted resources going into powering up a stage in Wembley Stadium.

Then again, maybe Gore wanted to drive the point home. 24-hours worth of …—… (SOS) had to have some effect on people watching. Plus the incessant “This Could Be Good… Hey You” had to make some lasting point.

Well, for me, personally, I have to say it worked. No seven-point pledge for me, but I’ve made my very own 7-Point Pledge for the Normal Teen.

This is to allow teens to contribute to the Climate Protection Scheme. And of course, if you found the original ‘7-Point Pledge’ weird, this one here is easier to achieve and you can definitely play your part, as a teenager.

The ‘7-Point Pledge for the Normal Teen’:

1) I pledge that I will recycle at least one piece of trash every day, and encourage my parents to do so too.

2) I pledge that I will not waste any food or materials if I can. Use up the vanguard sheet scraps for additional decorations if I have some left over after my Arts and Crafts or projects.

3) I pledge that I will take public transport for at least 5 days of the week, and encourage my parents to do so.

4) I pledge that I will turn off all electrical appliances such as the TV, computer and lights when not in use. E.g. Stop whatever I’m downloading and save some energy, or turn off the handphone charger when not in use and reduce carbon emissions.

5) I pledge that I will buy items, products and merchandise from companies that support changing the climate problem. Support the right people who can make a bigger difference.

6) I pledge that I will volunteer for worthy causes, such as Planting of Trees events or, at the zoo, to try to learn more about the situation, as well as checking up on the Internet for more information about the climate problems.

7) I pledge that I will use what I have learned, in school, through volunteering and through the Internet to spread word about the climate problem in my school and in my community, and try to give advice on how people around me can play their parts.

This pledge WILL have to be taken up by many teenagers at large.

With this 400th Post, I’m going to make my own difference too. I have done all the 7 points above, and with that proof I know that all of you teenagers out there can do it too.

Pledge now in my tagboard, that you are willing to take up the pledge and that you are willing to change the world for the better.

It’s easy. This could be good.

So why not make a difference?

Tokyo (Part 2) – Heartpuke II

TOKYO TRIP!~~~~

Part 2!!

Finally. Some of the remainder of the photos I have. Blogger is freaking frustrating to me again… !!! GRGRGRGR!!!

So as you can see, I give up trying to type accompanying captions in this stupid post.

It’s all photos first, talk-talk later.

And as you will notice, this post is one month overdue.

First things first.

Day 5

The highlight of the day was the Akihabara Anime Center. Darn fun. I didn’t know what goes into making a Pokemon episode. You know how hard it was trying to sound like Jessie?!?!?! And I hate Team Rocket anyway. Recorded my own Pokemon episode and bought a cute little Drapion figurine (I just heart Bug Pokemon), which I’m looking at now as I type.

After that we ate at some uber-cool restaurant in some uber-cool street called “Ge Ji Jie”, which if I translate directly, means “Prostitute Street”. It was kinda like the Geylang of Singapore, mixed with bits of Wall Street of New York. Sounds weird, but it’s not. There was a big screen playing Maroon 5’s Makes Me Wonder over and over again, hovering above our heads, and porn shops were everywhere you turned.

In fact, the restaurant we ate at was surrounded by porn shops on all floors.

Sad that they couldn’t get any other location.

And we took a photo of all of us. It’s annoying, that the flash hit me the hardest, because (duh) I was closest to the camera.

Day 6

The highlight of this day was obvious. TOKYO DISNEYLAND!!!

I’m gonna state the obvious here, and say that the place is FRIGGIN huge. The entire bunch of us explored the entire place, and NONE of us ran into any other people, with the exception of an occasional glimpse of someone’s face or shirt.

And funny how many babies were there. You’d think they’d appreciate the rides?

The first train ride we took was Wild Wild West, which was this weird train that sped up through dinosaur-infested caves, and then this powerhouse coaster that made breakneck turns. We then came up with the weird ‘heartpuke’.

Heartpuke: (verb) When your heart threatens to leap into your throat and choke you to death.

Horrifying. Then it was off to Haunted Mansion, where it was rather disappointing, a small sightsee to It’s A Small, Small World, where the mini-dolls were really really fucking eerie-creepy, nd a long queue at Space Mountain, which, in its own right, is a FREAKY HELL SHIT OF A RIDE.

There were 5 ‘Escape Pods’ for people who decided to back out halfway before taking the ride, and so many disclaimers and safety advices pasted on the wall. The ride itself was SUPER FAST and kept going around and around. When I opened my mouth, my saliva actually flew out of the corner of my mouth due to the rushing winds.

Thank goodness there were no sudden drops, just rounds and rounds of dizziness, because if there was a sudden drop I would have just DIED of a heart attack.

Sudden drops were at a place somewhere else.

Specifically, Splash Mountain. The drop in itself is actually quite quick, and rather un-frightening, if you can conquer the ‘heartpuke effect’.

Heartpuke Effect: (noun) An effect whereby the heart threatens to leap into your throat and choke you to death, but instead just leaps halfway up the oesophagus and stays there.

The HORRIFYING part was WAITING. Right before the big drop, the train will pause at the top, freeze, and take its own sweet time to ascend. We were inclined at an angle for a good 10 minutes. It was mortifying to think that if the train had lost its grip on the tracks, we would drop BACKWARDS instead.

*Cue Final Destination 3 music.*

Well, it wasn’t that bad.

Day 7

Checking out of our hotel, which, I was sad to say, was much nicer than the Hostel, but yet only had 2 days to enjoy it.

Tried to ‘da tongxiao’ (play through the night) Daidi with Nah, Shing, Joel and Sng Yi, but got damn tired after staring at Amanda Bynes in What I Like About You that we returned to our room and I slept for only THREE hours.

By the way, we bought a Chip N’ Dale tee after Splash Mountain. Just for fun, we put them all on, and we looked like a bunch of retards that had the fashion sense of a cartoon character. Nearly called ourselves, S.C.U.N.C – Society for the Creation of a Universal Nation for Chipmunks. Pronounced as ’skunk’.

Don’t even get me started.

Anyway, it was so sad, getting back on the plane to go back to our sunny island.

Kazuko Watanabe was crying, and so were so many of us. It was so sad you know… the leaving and parting of ways. You may think that a tour guide and 40 students may not have a bond, but believe me, the bond is sickeningly strong. 40 little buggers, and she got attached to each one of us in just 2 days, and vice versa. We even got used to her kinda laggy-chokeypokey-laugh.

On the plane, Nah told me a damn scary story about a Swissair plane falling from the sky and into the water after the electrical circuitry at the top of the plane caught fire and sizzled off. The plane crashed into the water with a force of 350Gs. 5Gs of pressure is enough to render someone unconscious. Imagine, 70 times that force, pressurizing and FLATTENING the passengers to pancake pulps. I shuddered, and prayed that that wouldn’t happen.

You never know, right?

And like I said before, I’m scared of death. I’m also scared of planes.

It must have been horrifying, being flattened, knowing that this is THE END.

I looked on the bright side, and tried to be hopeful that this kind of thing was rare.

ARRIVED SAFELY IN SINGAPORE! *whew*

While worrying about the could-be disasters on a plane gave me airsickness. I wanted to throw up when I landed in Singapore, cause I just felt so nauseous. Dunno why. Wasn’t like that on the plane ride there.

Anyway, Daddy was there to fetch me, and =))))) that I didn’t have to take a cab!

OK, Ramblings over, and that’s all for Tokyo LJ 2007! I enjoyed every single minute of it (except for the dingy beds at the Hostel) and I will remember the trip forever (or at least until the next one comes along)!

P.S Speaking of Final Destination 3, I was rather apprenhensive when reviewing the photos, cause I was suddenly reminded of the whole situation in FD3 where the photos told the death scenario. Noticed especially me being overexposed in the restaurant photo above. *shudders*

Matching Music with Moods

A new session I like to call:

MATCHING MUSIC WITH MOODS!

For all those who visit my blog, dun mind trying it out yourself or on my tagboard… helps you to evaluate your emotions at a point in your life:

Here’s my mood-matching music at this point in time:

8/7/07

Matching…

The following songs Make Me…

Loving : The Corrs – Runaway

Sad : Chantal Kreviazuk – Flying Home (Brenda’s Song)

Dirrrty : Rihanna – Shut Up and Drive

Angry : Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know

Happy : Just Jack – Starz In Their Eyes

Inspired: Madonna – Hey You

Reminiscent: Kimberly Locke – Change

Peaceful: Chantal Kreviazuk – M

Energetic: Fergie – Barracuda

Reflect: Dishwalla – Counting Blue Cars

Your Match MUST reflect the song you’re listening to now, and the feeling that corresponds to it. Don’t go to your song list and see which songs you like and feel for. Just look at the particular emotion and write the first song that comes to mind.

There. My Match for Moods 8/7/07.

Check back next week for a new list, perhaps!

HELLO? Give them some space!

This is what I recently read in 8 Days:

It was quoted from a Chinese newspaper.

“Dear Miss Fann, it is a pity that you didn’t hold a press conference but instead chose to appear on your own company’s channel, chiding the press for disturbing your peace. The media have always known that you and Chris are very much in love and now that he is out, we just want to show to Singaporeans the tender moment when you guys meet. We just want to interview you and understand what you went through emotionally when he was in jail. Dear Ah Jie, do you really think that your emotional journey is considered not meaningful news?”

OH, PLEASE!

Don’t justify yourself by saying that all Singaporeans want to know. Yes, we’re gossipy. Yes, most of us thrive on gossip and being like aunties. But Fann and Chris are HUMAN BEINGS TOO!

If you were to read 8Days, the number of PICTURES featuring Chris and Fann as taken from an outsider are shocking. And the scenario is not unlike what happens in the USA or Europe.

Reporters trailing in cabs and cars, staking outside Shangri-La to snap a photo of them having the first dinner out of jail, even a reporter’s vehicle smashing into a Maxicab as it was trying to leave.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Diana

Just so happens that recently there was a concert held in honour of Princess Diana.

May I remind that she was trying to escape paparazzi?

May I also point out, as quoted,
Within seconds of the crash, the paparazzi had surrounded the Mercedes, and proceeded to take pictures of the dying princess. Not one called for medical assistance.

It’s really quite nonsensical, and ridiculous, when I read about Lindsay being stalked by media on the way to rehab. Or when Nicole is ambushed coming out of her car, just for a picture of her ‘baby bump’ which frankly looks like she ate a little too much.

I was always glad Singapore media always gave their stars their space, and their personal privacy.

Looks like I spoke too soon.

Yes, we’re concerned. Yes, some part of us are 1) sadistic, 2) interested, 3) overly curious, 4) silently comparing Chris to Paris.

But this DOES NOT MEAN that our so-called curiosity is reason for them to go outside Fann’s house and loiter there for days. Nor does it mean they can tail Chris to a dinner where he and Fann were supposed to have private time.

SO GIVE THEM THAT TIME!

For goodness’s sakes. It’s so fucking gross when the media actually tries to JUSTIFY their reporters being all inhumane. Imagine someone watching you 24/7, as you bathe, as you eat, as you walk around the house. Any nose-digging, butt-scratching, goes on the tabloids. The moment you step out, you’re surrounded. Time to surrender.

Maybe you say, it’s their price for fame. For being a big star. For their hoo-hah.

Fair enough. They wanted fame, now they got it. But they are obviously yearning for their alone time too. Just because they’re stars DOES NOT MEAN that they are not normal human beings who like being a normal couple.

Brangelina may like the spotlight, but we don’t know about Fann and Chris.

So stop justifying, and JUST ADMIT that your reporters went way overboard.

Stars are people too, and sticking a camera in their face is equivalent to treating them as an animal in the zoo.