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...

Lazy Monday Afternoon

Oh what to do on this lazy Monday afternoon... hahahahaha... very very happy!!

Well, there's work, and I will probably regret this later, but I don't feel like working now. It is a Public Holiday afterwards.

Wello, the taiwanese idol drama I am following now, just uploaded. Shall just watch the latest episode. Was thinking of jogging or swimming today... you know, get some exercise in.

And I have decided to sink in the $200 investment and sign up for the pilates class near my office, and attempt to go during lunch. I can and I will succeed!! I will try my very best... after work is really quite tough, and to have a workout, where I can then have a quick shower also sounds like a very good perk me up. Well, it's a $200 trial. We will see where that leads us to.

Been thinking of outstation posting. Maybe this is something I can pursue too... thinking thinking... and and... it's bloody shiok to have a LAZY MONDAY AFTERNOON!!! hahaha...

Movie Review: Gamer

Date: 19 Sep 2009
Time: 11:35 pm
Location: Golden Village Plaza Singapura
Kaki: MLSA
Rating: 3.5 stars
Language: English (with Chinese Subtitles)

Synopsis:
GAMER is an action thriller set in a near future when gaming and entertainment have evolved into a terrifying new hybrid. Humans control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online games: people play people...for keeps. "Slayers," a first-person shooter game allows millions to act out their most savage fantasies online in front of a global audience, using real prisoners as avatars with whom they fight to the death. Kable (300's Gerard Butler) is the superstar and cult hero of "Slayers." Kable is controlled by Simon who continues to defy all odds by guiding Kable to victory each week. Taken from his family, imprisoned and forced to fight against his will, the modern day gladiator must survive long enough to escape the game to free his family, regain his identity and to save mankind from Castle's ruthless technology.

Review:

Well, this is one of the few posts I am making, which is sorta directly after the movie. I attribute it to the Ice Yuan Yang I had just before the movie, so that I won't fall asleep. Frankly, I am in danger of that since this is an action flick.

It was a good movie, and I have to say, the idea that we humans will become overly obsessed with the online world, to the point that we forget about the real world we live is a theme that has been done till death on the newspapers. And unfortunately, there will always be those who are mentally weak and who blur the lines between reality and the virtual world.

I love Gerard Butler to bits, as he's a very manly actor, more so than Hugh Jackman, who recently seems to have become more "pop" for some reason. Maybe it comes with popularity, that someone, Jackman has lost a bit of the edge. He needs a dark movie (non Comic Book) to regain that position.

Am still thinking a little about the movie, but I find the "Society" that was formed within the movie, like a cross between The Sims and Maple Story... where there're online marriages, etc. Hmm... well, being an extremely sane and grounded person, I have always been aware that the online world is a fictional. And the younger generation, most are aware of the same thing. Save for that precious few, and my heart goes out to them...

Anyway, barring the fact that the movie is extremely jerky (for those who cannot play first person shooter games, you better don't watch this movie), it was a good one for me. Thick in action, and entertaining from start till end. :)

Performance Review: 魏如萱 - 泡泡音乐会

Date: 11 Sep 2009
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Esplanade Recital Studio
Kaki: YD & Skycloud
Rating: 3 stars
Language: Mandarin

Synopsis:
Ex-frontwoman of Taiwanese group Natural Q, singer-songwriter Wei Ru Xuan – affectionately known to fans as “Waa” (“dolly”in Mandarin) – is one of the biggest female voices in the Taiwanese indie music scene today.

Since going solo, she has sparked, with her clear vocals and unique sound, a new wave of music infused with sweet freshness, turning youthful musings into blissful ditties such as those in her Bubbles and La Dolce Vita albums, and her duets with SodaGreen lead singer Qing Feng in Love in Bohemia for the musical Turn Left, Turn Right.

Review:

Well... hmm... it was rather interesting a program... her voice was definitely unique. Not quite my cup of tea frankly, although I can definitely see why there's such a fascination with her and why she would be hot in the indie scene in taiwan (supposedly, since that's what the synopsis stated, I wouldn't know, since I am not not tracking the scene there, nor am I there in Taiwan for that matter).

Couple of songs that I think will grow on me, but I have heard better. Reading that she had a duet with Qing Feng just makes me wonder who has a clearer voice. IMHO, it would be Qing Feng, and I would say that I would make a fair judge, since I have heard both of them perform live.

Still, there was a lot of chat and banter in the performance, and it was a very interesting look into her character. Given that she is in the "indie" scene, one would supposed that while a lot of the dialogue was probably pre-planned, it still came across as fairly natural and read. It adds a refreshing touch.

Would I attend her concert again, maybe not, since it's not quite down my alley. But I am sure there will be ten others for every me, who enjoyed her performances... Let me rephrase this, if this current performance was somewhat lacking due to the lack of songs (cuz there was more banter and talk than songs) could be due to the lack of songs, if there was a next time, and I get free or really cheap tickets, I may rethink my position. hehe.

Performance Review: The Crab Flower Club

Date: 22 Aug 2009

Time: 8:30 pm

Location: Drama Centre Theatre (National Library)

Kaki: YD

Rating: 3 stars

Language: English

Synopsis:

Five sisters prepare a feast of crabs for their father. This work is partly influenced by poems in Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xue Qin. As the women plan to start a poetry club, bouts of ‘live’ painting and interludes from the works of Franz Liszt punctuate the drama.

Review:

Ok, from a non-artsy point of view, it was fairly entertaining. However... HOWEVER, there were some definite kinks in the program. Such as the fact that there was one particular actress, who had a definite chinese lilt to her voice. It is actually ok, but just a little jarring at times.

Having said that, her performance was good... and so were the rest. But for the topics covered, am just wondering if a chinese play would have done more justice to the topics, and the intricacies... at times, with the dialogue, etc, I felt that they were banging us over the head with the topic of rape, chastity, the helplessness of ladies then. It could have done with a more delicate touch.

But I understand the concerns, for an "ang moh" audience, who may not have grown up with Chinese literature, these may require some headbashing and "in your face" dialogue before it can be made obvious. Some things, to me, are best left unsaid, as the entire experience of why and what and how can be left to the intepretation of the audience. Ah well... still, applause for the show.

Sad People around me

Seems like September is the month for being mororse... I was just feeling very very down 2 weeks back. was feeling so bad that I was contemplating all sorts of possibilities of how I can have a change in life (aka, change in job)

Anyway, while I can't say I have recovered from my depression, seems like the people all around me are feeling depressed! It's amazing... and the fact is, I am being brought down again by everyone.. hahaha.. so farnee..

So... all the sad and depressed people around me... perk up! If you're sad, I am sad.. If I am sad, I hope you don't get affected by me! :P