what's been happening in my life?

I am suffering from gaps in my memory. I have this vague recollection that I wanted to do a blog on Ennio, this performance I went to at Victoria Theatre.

Having said that, I recall having watched some movie as well... after Julie and Julia.. but for the life of me... OH MY GOD!! OK I REMEMBER!!... it was "this is it"... well, the term unfortunately, is forgetable for this program, since it wasn't much of a movie to start with (nor did I expect it to be)...

Anyway, I suddenly realised that I was depriving myself of too many joys in my life, sacrificed due to my lazy nature and heavy workload. Let me explain... heavy workload = no life. Any extra time is spent running errands, or lazing/sleeping at home/catching up with friends. This means, there is precious "me" time... well, except for the 1/2 odd hours you have in the evenings, assuming I get back before 10pm.

Anyway... I rediscovered the joy of reading fantasy novels, and I have been reading David Gemmel (not bad, but somehow, I am not too keen on his writing style), Mercedes Lackey (I now have two books on reserve at Orchard Kino, but no time to go down and purchase it) and just bought the first book of Robert Jordan's Eye of the World (from the Wheel of Time), supposedly really good, but I never got around to reading it. AND, I have reserved all three books at TPY Library for the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson... I am going to swing by this weekend to collect it probably...

So, I am all set to settle into the couch and relax... AND! I have been a good girl, I went to the "stretch fit" class on Monday, my "New Body" class on Wed, and I am planning to go for my MacRitchie walk this Sat... JIA YOU!!!!

So, the posting on Ennio and This is It will have to wait... :D

Movie Review: Julie and Julia

Date: 24 Oct 2009
Time: 9:20 pm
Location: GV Grand
Kaki: ZXL & AL
Rating: 4 stars
Language: English (with Chinese Subtitles)

Synopsis:
Meryl Streep is Julia Child and Amy Adams is Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron's adaptation of two bestselling memoirs: Powell's Julie & Julia and My Life in France, by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme. Based on two true stories, Julie & Julia intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends...until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.

Review:
It was a good movie, and I totally enjoyed myself. Well, all the food cooked was obviously a little too tantelizing for me, since I am on a diet. But hor.. I really liked the way the movie was filmed... two separate storylines...

I love Meryl Streep, and am increasingly thinking that Amy Adams is a fairly good actress. Having said that, I have seen Meryl Streep in a myriad of roles, while Adams' role somehow, has been pretty similar to me so far.. but of course, her standard is still higher than others. :P

Go watch the program!

Performance Review: Nylas in Wonderland

Date: 22 Oct 2009
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Esplanade Theatre
Kaki: Skycloud & YD
Rating: 2.5 stars
Language: Music

Synopsis:
Slip away to the idyllic dream world of NyLas where bleeps, glitches and samples float amidst shimmering waves of muted sounds, ethereal vocals and pure whimsy, pulsating with a subtle, sometimes funky, riff.

Nominated as 'Best Vocal Group' at this year's Golden Melody Awards, Taiwanese dream-pop group NyLas combines electronic effects and beats, acoustic guitar, fantastical melodies and lyrics, and elements from rock, ballads and even children's songs to create magical music for grownups.

Review:
Well, this was a rather slow performance, maybe there wasn't sufficient rapport being built and maybe they were just too foreign to me and to the bulk of the audience. So once you are not able to build rapport, a lot of things, communication, etc are lost to us...

Still, the music was actually a little more down my alley, as compared to the Wa Wa concert. Pity they were really not that great in building rapport.. so I left the concert feeling somewhat shortchanged...

Oh man

I was supposed to work.. but after bringing my dog out, hot shower later... I think I am ready to crash into bed... and so... Work shall wait... Blog on Nylas performance shall wait... Over and out.

Performance Review: STOMP

Date: 10 Oct 2009

Time: 8:00 pm

Location: Esplanade Theatre

Kaki: JoC

Rating: 4 stars

Language: Music

Synopsis:

The international theatrical sensation STOMP is back – fresher, faster and funnier than ever, with brand new routines!

With unstoppable energy and toe-tapping exuberance, STOMP takes the clutter and junk of everyday life – everything from boots and bins to Zippo lighters to tractor tyres and even the kitchen sink - and transforms them into a pulsating, witty, utterly irresistible theatrical event.

To date STOMP has set feet stamping, fingers drumming, adrenalin rushing and feel-good flooding through audiences totalling 14 million across 43 countries, from Las Vegas to Sydney. The show is now in its 7th year in London’s West End and its 16th year on Broadway.

STOMP is a unique multi-award-winning combination of percussion, theatre, dance and comedy that consistently wows audiences and critics alike with its infectious rhythms and ‘pure stage magic’. STOMP will get your pulse racing and leave you stomping for more!

Review:

Well, this was a performance that I had regretted missing the last time they were here in Singapore, so I was really glad to have the opportunity to catch it this time.

Hehe.. was really glad to get a lift from JoC to Esplanade. Getting to Esplanade is really a pain.. as it's rather far from the MRT, even though it's linked via the underpass. And there is a bloody $2 ERP that cannot be avoided if I take a cab, even on bloody Sunday. (And today is Sat, so no hope)... AND.. to get a cab to go home from there is another pain... no cabs want to come into the cab stand, as they are all waiting for us idiots to call .. sorry.. sidetracked from the performance review...

Yes, it was good, a trifle too loud at times, so it's a little jarring. JoC, who is taller than me, did complain of the fact that the seats were rather cramped.. so she can't move. And, the aircon was rather stuffy, so it made her feel sleepy and tired. I was okay actually, but it could be colder.

Anyway, YES, it was a good performance. I was glad I went. I think they are all terribly talented, v creative, and the program was funny. Not too sure how it compared against the previous perfomance, since it's supposed to be fresher, faster and funnier. It was really quite funny. And they were quite good at interacting with the audience.. and I realise that I am quite retarded when it comes to hand foot coordination (I don't believe the stars would predict that I can be a percussionist/drummer anytime soon).

I can't say I was mesmerized, but I was kept entertained from start to end. Maybe I did fidget a little, but it's in my nature to not be able to sit still for prolonged periods.. not in the same position that is.. :)

Should catch it, definite eye-opener. The interesting thing to note is, this would not be something that I think I can watch again.. hhmmm.. it's a good one time type of show.. :)

the few big things...

well, there are a few big things, and some smaller things happening in my life...

1. My brother is getting married and we are all getting hyped up and excited about it... it's a very nice feeling to know that there is a happy occassion in the family... :)

2. Well, for those who don't already know (but frankly I have told rather few people), is that I am saving ALL my leave, yes ALL... aka, I have ZERO leave left... to go Nepal at the end of the year. It will be a 10-day meditation, followed by a 7 day trek. Mountain trek mind you... trip to be taken with my sis, my god sis and my sis's friend.

3. And to prepare myself for the trek, bearing in mind that I have learnt my lesson from the rather disastrous Chiang Mai 3 day 2 night trek, where I died a horrible death... and the more recent Kuching half day trek, where I didn't die a horrible death, but everyone travelled at a snail's pace cuz of me, and of course, I was the only one who emerged from the session with muscle aches. :) I have signed up for 10 sessions of Pilates with The Body Clinic.

The target is to build up my core muscles, so that overall, my body will be stronger. Simultaneously, I will continue with Amore, where there's more resistence training and toning. And we are starting a weekly trek of Bukit Timah Hill. I was unfortunately not able to join my gang on Sunday, but this coming Sunday... I am going to!! I am afterall, the weakest link in the whole group.

4. In addition to the exercise regime *which probaby doesn't sound that jialat to those who are fit, but it's very shiong for me*, is that I am on a low carbo diet. And frankly, this is the first time I think I have succeeded in keeping to a diet for more than 2 weeks. And I am going to maintain this all the way till start of the trip.

I realised that the greatest difficulty for me, for these trek, is that I weigh a ton, and my muscles are extremely fatigued from having to cart my heavy body around. So while I work on strengthening my muscles, I have to also look at lowering my weight, so it's not so shiong on me, my knees and my back. :)

5. Was thinking of what Item 5 should be, and a lot of smaller items came into my head...and so it shall be

5a. I am watching STOMP this weekend. Not the most ex tickets, in fact, it's 2nd cheapest.. but okay lah. I am on a severe budget crunch now.

5b. Guess what? An ex-colleague was asking me to apply for an open position at another co (same industry as the one I am working for now), for L&D work. Amazing... I feel so wanted. But I rejected as I really want my bonus at this org...

5c. Indicated my interest in an outstation posting, but was rejected by boss on the basis that I required more exposure in my position and in the org. *agree totally*... hey at least she says that she will keep me in mind... which is a rather nice way of rejection HAHAHAH

5d. During that discussion, I had a 10-min appraisal, where good news, generally, it seems that I am performing well. My area of improvement would be that I need to be more assertive.

5e. Thought in my head now is, the bloody DVD writer that I have reads and writes very slowly... what am I doing wrong? Hmm... wondering if I didn't use the correct driver or that I am too spoilt by the speed of the thumbdrives and other usb devices of this world... S L O W leh...

and, that is about it folks. I am tired, and I still need to do some stuff. I think I will wake up early tmr to work on it. HAHAHA... Does anyone believe me at all?

庸人自扰

Have you ever heard of this Chinese phrase / idiom (not sure which one this falls in)? 庸人自扰

Well, pretty much my whole life I have been aware that my problems are never as big as somebody else, and even when I am upset, my life will never be as bad as somebody else. And so, I have always subscribed to the theory of the point that, frankly, I have no right to complain. Suck it in and move on.

BUT!!!! Sometimes, it's not possible to be a smart person, sometimes, I just want to be a 庸人, and one that 自扰... I am just a normal peasant.. and I will never be free from the syndrome of 庸人自扰...

Sigh.. life really sucks...

Dreading work

Brought work home to do... and to think I only knocked off at about 8pm. But then hor, ended up, dun feel like working now. Which is normal..

You know who I really admire? those who are very focused when they are working, I am only very very focused when I am very very busy. Other times, I am half doing, half not doing. But I guess that is my style...

So now chatting and blogging... wahh.. I feel damn "shang jing"! Ah well...