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

Monday, March 26, 2007

The young Mozartians on Calvin's lenses

After our last curtain call for Magic Flute yesterday, I got yummy fried rice, my cheque and a CD rom of pictures from DRESS REHEARSAL (yes we looked quite different from actual opening night onwards). Calvin Goh (Kelab Shasin Fotografi KL) was the guy who sprawled on the floor, and in other corners of Pentas 1 with his camera, while we had our final rehearsal before opening on 22nd, just barely 6 days ago.

Not sure if Calvin has a photo portal for this series of shots but here you go, some of my favourites.

(Pictures not in order or flow of the story)

Pamina (Irma Lailatul) and Tamino united triumphantly after surviving their last trial from Sarastro (sung by John Tan)
Love, love changes everything..


Three ladies (Wang Dixia, myself, Kho Mei Ling) luring Tamino and Papageno (James Long) to the dark side for Queen of The Night (sung by Tan Sin Sim)


The furious Queen Of The Night orders Pamina to kill Sarastro


I got to sing the other role, of a chirpy Papagena, happy lover of Papageno who gets her at the end. "Then we will have a Papagena!"
Happy to have a `lady bird' of his own, Papageno and Papagena ravelled in their future plans of
a big happy chirpy family.

Sarastro of the temple of Isis and Osiris


Joe Hasham's narration gave the show a lively skin

Conductor Brian Tan

Hail to thee, great Isis and Osiris!

Thank you for the music....The KLPAC Sinfonietta players!

After notes...

The four-day-5-shows performance was sold out on Saturday night and Sunday matinee. It was quite a draining experience to have to remain composed on stage throughout the whole performance, try to keep warm and perform entirely new music (new music for me).

I have been receiving rather positive comments from colleagues and friends on my performance as Papagena and 2nd Lady. Am grateful for their encouragement and feedback. Much left to be said about my singing technique but I remain a keen worker in the singing department.

Other soloists in the line up are strong performers with impressive strings of singing experience, they are humble, giving and fun to be on stage with. I have made great friends in the two other ladies (Dixia n MeiLing), Irma was lovely and we now chat a lot online. Peter was my pillar of strength in times of choas and stress, he is ever composed and calm. Am grateful to Kok Ting (music director) who put up with my lack of music training, I guess what I lack in music, I made up in the attitude department :)

Am happy to have found great new friends in such incredibly short time, and learned much much more in working with people. And boy, do I love Mozart music now.....!!!!

Long live Mozart!

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Thursday, March 22, 2007

My waking from stupidity

I'm usually the one in a group who has the lowest tolerance for stupidity in others and I make it known too.

Last night it couldn't be any clearer that I'm one of the stupidest person I'd love to chide.

At the wake of my own stupidity and foolishness, I had a timely conversation with C, which couldn't be any wiser, the advise from her.

A bit of background, let's just say that I've allowed myself to be taken for granted by some people, in full awareness and I made the choice of continuing to be the one who can't say no to people. These characters have been continuously expecting favours from me without asking for it and in return, made me feel really bad for myself because it seems like they think they deserve these acts of favours from me, for no good reason.

If this fool (giving favours and being taken for granted) was someone else, I would have observed and snicker, thinking the person must the biggest fool for allowing herself to be taken advantage on.

All this time I didn't see that I've made a choice to be these people's door mat. I could have stopped being nice to these people after seeing that what I do for them are not appreciated, but merely as routine in their lives, like part of their breathing.

Last night was my final draw, had a minor out burst...if you can call it that, it was just me and myself there. I felt like a complete idiot, someone I'd love to slap for being foolish.

So the conversation with C went like, I shall just highlight the very advise she gave me, simple and neglected by myself before today.

C:

".....because you need to be generous with yourself first. that's not the same thing as being selfish. if you don't take care of yourself, nobody will. if you take care of other people, they may not even appreciate it.

sometimes we go the extra mile without being asked, but in time, if those people who are at the receiving end responds with gratitude, then you know it was a gesture well given.

don't just give. give wisely. "

Today am a new person, my own generous person who would be generous to myself.

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Star-struck for Renee

pic by Zalina Lee
star struck cast - from left - William Kao, Kho Mei Ling, Tan Kar Gee, Peter Ong, Miss Fleming, myself and Irma Lailatul outside Chinoz


It is wonderful to see and meet a diva in person, especially one who is warm and understanding.

Renee Fleming came to KL after her concerts in Bangkok and Singapore. We couldn't believe our luck when we saw her walking in with her pianist Hartmut Holl and some other folks (presumably IMG people) half way through our dessert and drinks at Chinoz KLCC after her one night only recital @ DFP.

Almost the entire classical music community was there at the hall on Tuesday.

Renee's musicianship oozes out of her. She is a lot `smaller' (skinnier) than what I imagined...she was warm like what I imagined. I managed to tell her that I love reading her writing (The Inner Voice) and took some shots of her while she was signing CDs and programs.

There were mixed reviews about her performance (about the lieder which I don't know enough to say anything) but I enjoyed thoroughly, of her style, her music, her communication and hmm, those frocks on her were some great feast too.

Thank you for the music and inspiration, Miss Fleming.

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Monday, March 19, 2007

Come hear the flute....

What good is sitting alone in your room/office
come hear the music/singing play
Life a/an cabaret/opera, old chum!
Come to the Magic Flute...

Yes, Mozart's Flute in concert, sung in English, narrated by Joe Hasham with animation on back drop. Opens this Thursday, March 22nd, in KLPAC, Pentas 1.

most of us in the concert...

Read about the opera highlights in concert in the media -
Mozart's spellbinding flute, March 15, 2007

Queen Of The Night, Soprano From Klang, March 18, 2007

pic by yours truly, Tan Sin Sim, singing Queen Of The Night














Opera For One And All, March 19, 2007


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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

I This, Me that, Mine, My, I, Me, ya, Me...

Yesterday I had an uneasy realisation and discovery. I found out that I have become the sort of person I can't stand myself, the kind who talks n talks about herself half the time.

I came to know that that is me, in the eye of some close friends. Very quickly I passed the uneasiness of finding out I have that trait, it's like being told that you have body odour. For the next few hours I thought about what qualify a `conversation' as `talking about oneself all the time'.

What makes us like to talk? I am always sharing MY thoughts, My experiences, MY friends' stories, yes. That's it....

However after a chat with IW where she told me:

"most people's favorite topic is that what...it's just human. Don't you think? I mean, most of your friends like to talk about themselves and what they know and people they know , right?"

I told her after I confirmed that ME and I are usually my own favourite topic, I gave some thought about my own friends, and including the friend who told me that; and what they talk about mainly, themselves.

I said to IW, "You are right. It's the same la."

IW: "I guess the person who told you that talks about herself most of the time. Well, it also depends on who does the listening."

So then, what is right and what is acceptable and what is being obnoxiously self-absorbed?

I decided that there is no answer to that because it's depended on who you are with and what kind of friends you have and what repulse them and what makes them tick.

And I, me, decide that

It is not wrong to share OUR thoughts, OUR experience, I mean, it's all I hear anyway, from others. It is not wrong to impart information (and useful gossip, yes there is such thing as useful gossip with friends that would do good in their humanity.

And I have pretty good judgement (judged by ME) about what is obnoxious, on a DAILY basis

telling people what I wore yesterday
telling people what I will be wearing tomorrow
telling people what my latest achievement in life is
telling people what cool & famous people I met last night
telling people what my boyfriend said yesterday
telling people what I bought last night
telling people what I ate last night

So...I shall talk, though I intend to talk less from here on.

And live and let live. You can be yourself for all I care, because I won't care about anything I don't like :)

In any case, if you have a sudden craving in reading blogs of people who love to blog only about themselves, drop me an email and I have a list to send you :)

Say, do you fancy to know what I'm reading now?

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Friday, March 09, 2007

My performance calendar!

Started a new page for listing of my performances, check it out.

oh ya, might as well...posters for my next two performances -

This month
Next month

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Thursday, March 08, 2007

Magic shows

It's amazing how after a year I left the modelling agency, I can still look back at pictures of models I know back then and be amazed at how make-up and photography could transform a woman's looks.

I mean, without knowing a person you see on a big screen or a glossy page, wouldn't you say that you'd feel a tinge of admiration for an image so well, well-made?

These days we all grow up watching popular media present to us the idea of beauty and perfection, giving and feeding us the perception of what life should be like. I still love going through fashion magazines and admire the great work in them, but imagine when I first got to see how that work was done in front of me...

Well, I behaved coolly on the outside, but inside, I was mighty impressed at how the world could look so different, with the great touch of a make-up artist, hair stylist, photographer, carefully picked outfit, perfect lighting and flattering camera angle.

Young models, Danielle from Brazil and Fico from Argentina...lost touch with them since I left, sigh.

I have met many models whom I admire for their brains and warmth but mainly, I envy how those (other) silly, ordinary, spoilt, plain, uninspiring girls and boys are constantly being transformed to extraordinary images. When that's done, these people don't remind you any bit of those uninspiring girls I seen before, before the works :)

I left the agency job and life without feeling impressed with the glittering world of designer couture, fashion show cocktails, celebrities, very tall and beautiful people. Though I left feeling glad that I have worked for the, possibly the youngest, and absolutely gorgeous lady boss of mine, Min Jee; and met many superbly flamboyant stylists, fantastic make up artists.

Am truly grateful for the short time I worked in the industry which helped me to further confirm my passion in the arts. It was a time when I had to choose between what I could do very very well potentially (a talent booker and show person) and what makes my heart sing.

The models got along with me well, I could handle the stress of the events and handling models...I could see myself working for a long time, jazzing in and out of shootings, fittings, calling models non-stop on my mobile, picking up labels and calling cues at fashion shows.

Now that I've chosen the other path.

Though not impressed with the industry, I cannot discredit the genius I saw at work there. Now very much at home in the business where just looking good is not enough...work is not so glamorous and there's freebies like cocktails or sexy couture but for me, going into rehearsal for a song beats smooching with top models.

While the world (including myself) continues to be mesmerized with the big screen, perfect skin and luscious lips, I'm happy to be going down my journey as a soul doctor. I'm happy to bump into models I know (and remember me as their mama-san once) and know they are doing what makes them feel good...like me, doing what makes me feel good :)

Some shots from my booker stint

Hannah Tan (she knows more than modelling...) modelling at jewellery show
backstage where the boys smiled for camera, on run ways they...dun smile that much
Amber Chia, backstage at Christian LacroixZuzana too knows more than just strut around prettily, she is a triathlon athlete

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Tuesday, March 06, 2007

The Deanna girls

The golden eyes make up was inspired by...

Saw this vcd my friend Jon passed to me before CNY...he shoot the video for me 4 years ago!!!! I popped it into my PC and boy, this is a video I was watching for the first time. Between 2001 and 2003 I did some a few live performances with Deanna Yusof as back-up singer. Jon videoed that one performance for us, some hot June evening when Deanna Yusof was the featured star on their ladies night, down in RP Club in Hyatt Regency.

Such memories!!!!

I wonder when I would get to sing those tunes again, Deanna's original hits, Kylie's Can't get You Out Of My Head, Abba's medley (ABBBBBAAA!!!!) and Makarina!!!!! Can't believe I actually memorized that song!!!!
Gorgoeus Deanna, the smooth operator on stage. I have so much to learn from just watching the video now. It's funny to see Nadia (back up singer) n I looking out-of-place-ly grim at some parts of the show!!! Nadia A. has since then became a little star of her own, as TV talent and appeared in movies, now studying in the States.

Though I love doing my usual classical repertoire now, I can't say I don't sometimes miss singing those oh-so-famous pop tunes. I remember how Deanna would showed me in her house to sing pop style, and played us her favourite CDs. It was her who introduced me to great singers like Eva Cassidy and Jane Monheit....

Time to drop her a note of a 4-year-old nosltagia.
after performance at bar Med (Desa Sri Hartams) in 2003 for Formula One pit party. From left - Maria Gomez, Deanna, Nadia A., myself and Marina (Deanna's assistant then).

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