Runs on food and music, will sing for chips and pasta.

Friday, September 30, 2005

Of Anniversaries and bad behaviour

What happens when you forget your best friend's birthday?

You could end up in her `shit-list’(learn new thing everyday), like me.

Anyway, I guess it’s deemed bad behaviour when you forget someone (close to you)’s birthday…

After realising my absolutely fatalistic mistake for not keeping a `birthdays alarm’ (second new word learned today), I tried to analyse whether I should be consumed by guilt for offending my best buddy with my stupid mistake of not having a memory on such important occasion.

But then again, I can’t deny that birthdays and other anniversaries have little significance to me. So I guess the question now is, am I evil because I did not respect my best friend’s perception of the importance of birthdays? You see, the impression I got when the announcement came that I’m on the shit list was that I deserve to be on it because I allowed myself to forget that date.

Something wrong with me? Do I need social engineering?

The world I know in general, celebrates birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Christmas, dating anniversaries, death anniversaries, Valentine’s day, etc. No wonder I feel like I’m the idiot who think otherwise…everyone gives a damn but me? I can’t be normal when everyone else is acting the other.

Or would I be forgiven and be excused for having my own perception on the importance of these dates and the acceptable behaviour on the subject of birthdays…?

Perhaps I just gotta figure out a way to strike a balance between keeping my own ways with things and cohabiting with people I chose to live with in my social circle. To have things and want things my own way can also be seemed as `selfish’.

While I think it is damn silly to hold on to the birthday thing, I can’t impose it to others to think like me. You can’t agree, you have to respect and accept.

Other things I don’t give a damn to: (don’t mean to sound superior or arrogant, it’s just something I have to say, in the name of freedom of choice)

Expensive and extravagant Chinese 8-course dinners for weddings and such (especially those tasteless hotel food)
Award-winning TV serials
TV
Diamond rings
Owing the latest hand phones
Hollywood flicks
Da Vincci code
Seafood
Meat products

But in the meantime, I stay in the shit list.

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Friday, September 23, 2005

A Day In A Life of A Bum

This is getting too fun, not working. I guess I haven't felt the pinch yet, soon, it come, soon it will. I have paid all bills for Sep except for my Maxis.

The flat is slowly changing, today I realised the vacuum cleaner is gone. Chief must have taken it to his new pad for cleaning...it's probably going to stay there since it's now only weeks to their moving into there.

The dust-pan is gone too...I had the most creative way of disposing the dust after I used the broom for the first time since I moved in. I like vacuuming better, the dust at least fly all over and you have to chase them all over.

the diary diary

I woke up again at mid morning due to my late night yesterday....late night IN, not out. Had water and yogurt drink and watched Marilyn Horne and Montserrat Caballe on DVD while the laundry sorted itself out in the machine (soon that machine will be gone with Chief too), I cleaned the balcony with my shampoo because the floor detergents are gone too (to Chief's new pad)....maybe I should have searched the kitchen for more options. The balcony cleaned with my St Ives shampoo is now nice and clean, but my laundry is still damp from the wet weather.

Oh ya, and who says opera singer are terrible in pop music? Marilyn Horne and Joan Sutherland could belt some tasty jazzy oldies fine! And you should check out Renee Fleming does her Sondheim all right.

I still have one DVD to go but don't think I could sit through an opera....it's Rusalka. All three DVDs borrowed from CY who is my unofficial music supplier and the group's official music material supplier. I can watch recitals, autobiographies....but I can't sit still for an opera on DVD.

While milling about cleaning the pad to please myself, I drank. I had OJ, water and yogurt...and realised what a `liquid diet' is and how it must be very effective for weight-losing. All I had so far are drinks, different kinds of drinks and one packet of instant Korean noddles (will never get sick of it)...and I haven't felt hungry since. Yum, I guess I just need to stock up in the drinks department.

HL milk
Various yogurt drinks
Yogurt
Fruit juices
Ribena
H2o

Sent my CV to an agency for temp positions. Gotta send to a few more. Temp jobs are gotta be fun, put the lousy pay aside. Imagine you get to meet new colleagues every few weeks, get to park at different offices, get to do different stuff all the time, get to try out different lunch places...(I was deprived for lunch choices for 4 years).

Ok now I remember why I slept late last night, I made a dress out of my Indian skirt that has been sitting around because it's too long to be worn as skirt. I have figured out new ways to wear at least three gorgeous skirts last night. Have sorted out some more clothes for sale. The girls in Pygmalion are hoping for a second jumble sale so that's under way.

Oh I got the pictures from the first sale but haven't got down to having them scanned for posting here. I need a home office, for my work and for pleasure, and need other household appliances...once Chief is gone.

Scanner
A notebook that works!
Printer
Internet
Vacuum cleaner
Rice cooker
Washing machine
DVD player

while all these are underway being processed by the Save Soul Doc Foundation, I think I better go get some more `drinks' and some dinner.

Don't worry about me ok? Will tell you if I'm addicted to sitting on my ass the whole day...then you can slap some sense into me. A girl my age deserves a little break right?

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Thursday, September 22, 2005

Pygmalion is here

I haven't decided whether it's a good thing or not...but many who has seen the Pygmalion poster have thought that I'm playing the leading role...well, thanks to Michelle Quah who is my age, has about the same built as me, I think our foreheads are quite `similar'...that's about it, hmmm, oh, actually her eyes are bigger.

Well, for your information, Michelle who will be playing the immortal Ms Lisa Doolittle is the funniest girl I know this year, she is such fun to work with, nice to look at, her singing is fantastic to the ears, her emotions seize the entire stage...

Well anyway, I have been busy busy with my latest project, Pygmalion by KLPAC (KL Performing Arts Centre), we are opening in about three weeks. In case you didn't know, My Fair Lady the musical was based on the novel Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.

I hope you are planning to get tickets for this musical. Well, you have less than 2 weeks to get your tickets at a really CHEAP PRICE....for MAXIS ONE CLUB members, and MAXIS subscribers.

Check out the show details and cast pictures here

Rates

REGULAR TICKET PRICES are RM 120/80/60
Regular Maxis subscribers pay: RM 108/72/54
Maxis One Club members pay: RM 84/56/42

(and you also get a Free Tshirt and Programme book (possibly something else) if you're a ONE CLUB member)

Show Details

Pygmalion (The Musical) by George Bernard Shaw
Venue: the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (Sentul)
Date : 14 Oct – 30 Oct
Time : 8.30 pm daily except Monday & 3.00pm Sunday only

Cast

Harith Iskander as Henry Higgins
Indi Nadarajah as Pickering
Michelle Quah as Lisa
Sarah Shahrum as Mrs Pearce
Llewellyn Marsh as Freddy
Elaine Pedley as Clara
Suzan Manen as Mrs Higgins
Monti as Alfred Doolittle
Reneé Aziz Ahmad as Mrs Eynsford-Hill

Chorus
Janet Lee
Nicole Anne Thomas
Tabitha Kong
Christina Yap
Lum Kay-li


Synopsis

An all-new musical production of the bitter-sweet George Bernard Shaw play in which a common flower seller is miraculously transformed to pass herself off as upper class. A tale about language, class, manners and matters of the heart that is as true today as it was at the beginning of the last century. And given Malaysia's unique penchant for the use and misuse of English; the opportunities for Manglish, malapropisms and hilarious turns of phrase are fantastic. The music will be totally original, composed especially for this production. And with lyrics which, while mainly drawn from the text, are given a real local flavour with titles like, 'Don't talk like that one' and 'Muddy Bunga'.

Starring the wonderful Harith Iskander as the irascible Professor Higgins and the marvelous Indi Nadarajah as his bumbling friend from India, we can expect general mayhem. And introducing Michelle Quah as the flower girl Lisa who speaks like a market girl and sings like an angel.

Altogether, exciting, hilarious, witty, tuneful and sometimes heartbreaking. In fact, no emotion left untouched. Definitely a must-see musical spectacular never to be missed!


Production Design
Jia-wei

Costume Design
Loh

Music & Lyrics
C33 & GBS

Musical Director/Arranger
Llewellyn Marsh

Executive Producer
Faridah Merican

Artistic Director
Joe Hasham

Director
Paul Loosley

Labels:

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Monday, September 19, 2005

Alive n still kicking

Am still alive, what a great thing to be…though the past few days I have been having intervals of distractions in my mind thinking about where my next month’s rent is going to come from.

My laundry is still spilling out from the basket but I don't have dreams about models and disasters at shows anymore. I have a long list of to do list still, mainly singing-related activities.

I was congratulated by a friend yesterday on my quitting of the full time job, well, quitting without a new job and quitting with arts in mind. While I felt a little stupid at the side, she said money is secondary if I still have cash for my gas and food…not many people have the confidence to do it, she added.

Finished my temp job at a recent conference, I now start my official deployment as a bum. This bum is low on cash, but been on an emotional high since I start bumming.

Of course, the thought of quitting came when I realized how much I was dreading screwing up at work because of my increasingly heavy singing schedule; and not willing to compromise on my quality of life, the low point of the juggling between the booker job and my singing include

Getting all up-tight about my lack of time for house chores (anal-retentive I am)
Getting all bloated with late dinners
Began to enjoy meals while driving way too much
Running out of everyday clothes to put on while laundry piled up
Slacking in my vocal training
Growing more Panda-like
Falling asleep while driving
Not calling my parents

With some rough plans jotted down and discussions with possible people on launching me as a more active singer, I put down my walking paper to the agency. It was nice that I got a few calls from job offers straight after my last day at the agency, for both full time employment and temp jobs, no one should starve in this city…though I understand I have a slightly unusually high monthly overhead, I have this lifestyle….this very life style that seem to be part of the package for aspiring singer – voice lessons fee, gas, car maintenance, rent for a cozy pad (nothing too fancy but fancier than my last rented pad), theatres, grooming costs for those gigs….etc.

While I hope this strange time to be my great character-building period, I have been swamped with very exciting experiences. There have been strings of gig-opportunities for me to attend to, both paying and non-paying…

It is absolutely thrilling to know that people will be paying for me to do what I love and that people have appreciation for what I do on stage, it’s even more intoxicating to know that I get these jobs when the fact is that this city of mine is currently being overrun by many great, young talents.

I should be envy, I guess I am, but this is a feeling of overwhelm I think, overwhelm with the wealth of always being around with people with enormous gift in music. I have been meeting people whose musicianship is blowing my mind…

Yes, it is of course naturally can be annoyingly intimidating to have so many other more talented souls out there in the same market, but I guess this can only be benefiting – having highly competent people in your industry will push you to be better than yourself and at the same time you learn from the good people you work with.

Hopefully this month of temp-job hunting will allow me some time to soul search my singing abilities and my REAL potential of becoming the real Soul Doctor. To many I might appear to be a `trained singer’ but having been trained in singing technique is really, only the beginning of the long journey of art of singing. Next to my incredibly talented new friends, I know I have only just started to probe the craft of performing, communicating music. What makes a Soul Doctor different from a mere singer is what your singing can do to the people listening to your singing, touch souls.

While all these are taking place, I have been kept on my toe with my housing affair. You see, the day has come, about three weeks ago my housemates (one became two, how? will explain below) informed me of their moving out by end of October. It almost became too much for me to handle.... my state of affairs.

Quitting the agency (losing monthly income)
Going on full-force rehearsal for Pygmalion
Losing my pad?
Moving out?
Taking over? -- What about the expenses, great timing with the loss of regular income

I managed to smile again hours later...

So who is looking to stay at my pad? Have decided to take over the tenancy, not going to go through the pain of scouting for rooms and moving out.

Drop me an email if you are game :)

Anyone looking for temp help?

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