Friday, April 27, 2007
The ONE Campaign
Visit www.one.org & sign the declaration... The One Campaign is a campaign to make poverty history with an online petition aimed at fighting global AIDS and extreme poverty & is affiliated with Bono's DATA (Democracy, Accountability, and Transparency in Africa) organization.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Days Weeks Months Years
On Week 6 of the 2nd term now.. I'm feeling like I'm 60 plus.. really tired & exhausted.. can't wait to cut down on travelling frm schools to schools but doubt it'll be tt way.. we're short on teachers.. come on, more teachers pls come on board.. soon we'll lose another 2 teachers due to pregnancy.. oh boy.. April is ending...
Monday, April 16, 2007
Mum's b'day
Yeah, my mum's b'day was yesterday, exactly 2 wks after my dad's.. lol 
Pink craze.. lol.. never noticed it til I took the pic
As usual my dad has a cramped face.. kept asking him to smile but to no avail.. sheesh
No smile again frm Dad.. what's with tt man???
Me, my Bear (Garry) & my mum.. goodness I'm in pink too.. LMAO
Mum, my sister & her boyfriend (Gary).. yeah, same name as my Bear only different spelling =D
Lung power!!!
Man, look at tt huge mouth.. bad breath.. LOL
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Intro to my family
Kinda overdue on this one.. lol... here are some pics of my family taken during my dad's 56th birthday 13 days ago.. yes yes, on April's Fools =p
Dad sawing thru' his hard cake.. lol
Dad's ice-cream cake.. it was such a chore just trying to put the candles in.. Dad demanded tt there only be 1 big candle & 6 small ones, claiming to be only 16.. hell right =p Told him next yr I'll make sure I'll put on 57 small ones.. LMAO
Yeah.. tt's my old man, my dad *g*
Dad & Mum & an extra lil beast - the crazy old blind & deaf dog of our house.. like my dad he's old but pretends to be young.. lol
Me, Dad, Mum, crazy beast & my sis.. trust my sis to turn up for this pic in her ratty night-shirt.. bleah
Michael Crawford - the original Phantom
Michael Crawford as the Phantom.
He embodied the character so well, it's like the charater was written just for him. Anyone who mentions the Phantom never fails to mention Michael Crawford. He gelled as one with the character & gave the character its life onstage. He was 44 when he took on the role of the Phantom on October 9, 1986
Hmm.. tried to see if I oculd add a video of this song on here but doesn't seem to be.. oh well.. simply love this number frm the Phantom..
Music of the Night
Michael Crawford
Night time sharpens
Heightens each sensation
Darkness wakens, stirs imagination
Silently the senses
Abandon their defenses
Helpless to resist the notes I write
For I compose the music of the night
Slowly, gently
Night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it
Tremulous and tender
Hearing is believing
Music is deceiving
Hard as lightning, soft as candle light
Dare you trust the music of the night?
Close your eyes
For your eyes will only tell the truth
And the truth isn't what you want to see
In the dark it is easy to pretend
That the truth is what it ought to be
Softly, daftly
Music shall caress you
Hear it, feel it
Secretly possess you
Open up your mind
Let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight
The darkness of the music of the night
Close your eyes
Start a journey through a strange new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Close your eyes
And let music set you free
Only then can you belong to me
Floating, falling
Sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me
Savor each sensation
Let the dream begin
Let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night
You alone can make my song take flight
Help me make the music of the night
Music of the Night
Michael Crawford
Night time sharpens
Heightens each sensation
Darkness wakens, stirs imagination
Silently the senses
Abandon their defenses
Helpless to resist the notes I write
For I compose the music of the night
Slowly, gently
Night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it
Tremulous and tender
Hearing is believing
Music is deceiving
Hard as lightning, soft as candle light
Dare you trust the music of the night?
Close your eyes
For your eyes will only tell the truth
And the truth isn't what you want to see
In the dark it is easy to pretend
That the truth is what it ought to be
Softly, daftly
Music shall caress you
Hear it, feel it
Secretly possess you
Open up your mind
Let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight
The darkness of the music of the night
Close your eyes
Start a journey through a strange new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Close your eyes
And let music set you free
Only then can you belong to me
Floating, falling
Sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me
Savor each sensation
Let the dream begin
Let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night
You alone can make my song take flight
Help me make the music of the night
Friday, April 13, 2007
The morning after of the Phantom
So yes, I had gone for my long-awaited musical finally.. what can I say? I liked the set that was done up for the musical of the Phantom and it was nice here & there.. ok ok ok, I know I'm being vague... Fine.. sigh..
I loved the splendour of the costumes, especially during the scene of the Masquerade Ball.. the setting in general for most scenes were beautiful (especially themain Opera House walls with huge angels adorning the pillars).. my favourite setting was the Phantom's lair, it had a aura and mystery abt it. It was lovely hearing the songs I've been hearing often frm the 1st time I knew abt the musical, felt a sense of warmth and understanding. When it came to the very one song that was my favourite, the solo number by the Phantom himself 'Music of the Night', I was sorely disppointed however. Maybe it was Brad Little's "off day" but he sure left me sad when I heard that song.. could have also been the sound system at the Esplanade. The parts of the verses where he sang softly, I could barely make out the words, then on the strong, crescendo and high bits, the Phantom's voice sounded strain.. like he was struggling to hit the notes. I know Brad Little ain't Mchael Crawford, so I didn't dare put too much hope into hearing magic but still, I was left disappointed. That favourite song of mine didn't strike a single chord with me thru' out.. sigh
John Bowles, who played the Phantom's rival in love was pretty gd in his parts, more so than the Phantom at some parts. I did felt that the Phantom picked up a little in the second act but it still sounded like he was straining.. the loud, majestic bits frm him sounded like blasted thunder, it was like some bits were loud & then out of nowhere another bit blasted thru. It must have been the sound system at work too. Even the part where the Phantom had discovered abt Christine's & Raoul's declaration of love & he was sobbing at his betrayal, it came across as in breaks & pieces, like the Phantom was forcing himself to cry. It was a rather jagged sort of sob emotion. Of course I'm not expecting wailings but it was strange, like a struggle to express anguish.. It was like a lil sniffle, pause, a louder sob, pause, longer pause, sniffle tt sort of thing & muffled words.. he sounded at tt point like he had cotton balls in his mouth, until the part where he gets into an anguish rage & rains a curse on the lovers.
There was of course some nice comic relief frm the actors, who played Monsieur Andre & Monsieur Firmin, the new managers of the Opera House & also the scenes when they get notes frm the Phantom in the Manger's Office.. lol.. another bit that I was looking forward to - the chandelier crash scene, was but a tinkle & jerky movements.. it was bad rigging on the theatre side. My Bear, who had gone for the performance back when it 1st came to Singapore said tt it was a real chandelier crash scene back then, with glass shattering everywhere. Saftey reasons for the lack of tt at the Esplanade I guess. My Bear even said the original cast who came the 1st time were better than the cast we had last night. All tt said, it was still an experience in its own (spent $25 on the programm too.. heh heh).. Next up, Sir Ian McKellen in King Lear.
I loved the splendour of the costumes, especially during the scene of the Masquerade Ball.. the setting in general for most scenes were beautiful (especially themain Opera House walls with huge angels adorning the pillars).. my favourite setting was the Phantom's lair, it had a aura and mystery abt it. It was lovely hearing the songs I've been hearing often frm the 1st time I knew abt the musical, felt a sense of warmth and understanding. When it came to the very one song that was my favourite, the solo number by the Phantom himself 'Music of the Night', I was sorely disppointed however. Maybe it was Brad Little's "off day" but he sure left me sad when I heard that song.. could have also been the sound system at the Esplanade. The parts of the verses where he sang softly, I could barely make out the words, then on the strong, crescendo and high bits, the Phantom's voice sounded strain.. like he was struggling to hit the notes. I know Brad Little ain't Mchael Crawford, so I didn't dare put too much hope into hearing magic but still, I was left disappointed. That favourite song of mine didn't strike a single chord with me thru' out.. sigh
John Bowles, who played the Phantom's rival in love was pretty gd in his parts, more so than the Phantom at some parts. I did felt that the Phantom picked up a little in the second act but it still sounded like he was straining.. the loud, majestic bits frm him sounded like blasted thunder, it was like some bits were loud & then out of nowhere another bit blasted thru. It must have been the sound system at work too. Even the part where the Phantom had discovered abt Christine's & Raoul's declaration of love & he was sobbing at his betrayal, it came across as in breaks & pieces, like the Phantom was forcing himself to cry. It was a rather jagged sort of sob emotion. Of course I'm not expecting wailings but it was strange, like a struggle to express anguish.. It was like a lil sniffle, pause, a louder sob, pause, longer pause, sniffle tt sort of thing & muffled words.. he sounded at tt point like he had cotton balls in his mouth, until the part where he gets into an anguish rage & rains a curse on the lovers.
There was of course some nice comic relief frm the actors, who played Monsieur Andre & Monsieur Firmin, the new managers of the Opera House & also the scenes when they get notes frm the Phantom in the Manger's Office.. lol.. another bit that I was looking forward to - the chandelier crash scene, was but a tinkle & jerky movements.. it was bad rigging on the theatre side. My Bear, who had gone for the performance back when it 1st came to Singapore said tt it was a real chandelier crash scene back then, with glass shattering everywhere. Saftey reasons for the lack of tt at the Esplanade I guess. My Bear even said the original cast who came the 1st time were better than the cast we had last night. All tt said, it was still an experience in its own (spent $25 on the programm too.. heh heh).. Next up, Sir Ian McKellen in King Lear.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Self-pity.. not sth u wanna live by
"Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world - making the most of one's best."
~ Harry Emerson Fosdick, 1878 - 1969
"Self-pity is our worst enemy, and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world. "
~ Helen Keller, 1880 - 1968
"Self-pity is easily the most destructive of the nonpharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure, and separates the victim from reality."
~ John W. Gardner, 1912 - 2002
"What poison is to food, self-pity is to life."
~ Oliver C. Wilson
Thursday, April 5, 2007
A good thought to consider
This was mentioned by my church priest today during the Homily of the Holy Thursday mass.. no worries, am not gonna be pressing religion on here.. just felt that this statement he made was quite true abt life.
Which is really true when it comes to us dealing with things in life, it's often better to get involved and involve others so that there will be understanding in the aspect of communication. Communication as it is, is exactly like what was said - telling, showing & involvement & I'm certain the best to adopt would the the last.
"Tell me and I will forget... Show me and I will remember... Involve me and I will understand."
Which is really true when it comes to us dealing with things in life, it's often better to get involved and involve others so that there will be understanding in the aspect of communication. Communication as it is, is exactly like what was said - telling, showing & involvement & I'm certain the best to adopt would the the last.
April 5th 2007
Am a wk away frm catching the Phantom... really excited.. heh heh.. & yeah, managed to get my hands on a tix for the upcoming Royal Shakespeare Theatre's King Lear on 20th July. If u thought I couldn't wait abt the Phantom, what more to see Sir Ian McKellen in the flesh, there onstage acting.. not on some movie screen but there in person! This is one performance that is gonna be totally worth the $122 price tag.. I would have spent more to get closer to the stage but I've no means for tt.. lol.. with the $122 price tag, I've already been eating bread & cup noodles quite regularly =p
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