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All the world’s a stage

tei o 6 Comments

It’s been a long time since I watched a Chinese play.. 真的是好久，好久。

I’m not sure…but I think one of the first Chinese play I watched was probably the play, 我在湖边等你 (I’ll wait for you by the lake) by 戏剧盒 (http://www.dramabox.org). Whilst I can’t really remember much about the play, I do remember that there was a beautiful song in it.

The theatre scene here had it’s infancy when I was in the university..which was a long, long time ago. Theatres or dramas were not as common before then and many of the ‘veterans’ today were involved in the varsity theatres then. Karen Tan, Daniel Boey (who is today a hugely successful dance choreographer), Ong Soh Chin (who is a very respected senior editor in ST). In fact, The Necessary Stage was formed back then.

I remember the times we often skipped lunch to go to lecture theatre 13 to watch a play. It was always fun to watch somebody you know on stage. Wonder if they still stage plays during lunchtime.

Anyway, thanks to CDAC (hahaha!), I got to watch a Chinese play last Friday night.

Snakes and Lover (再见白蛇传)

Produced by ETCeteras or 海燕等人, it stars Cai Li Lian (蔡礼连) and Shen Wei Jun (沈炜竣).

It’s sort of a play-within-a play, love story.

The play, “Madam White Snake” is being restaged one last time. Cai Li Lian (蔡礼连, as White Snake) and Wang Jia Yi (王嘉翊，as Master Xu) are going to get married the next day, after finishing the final night of the play. Shen Wei Jun (沈炜竣, as the abbot ‘Fa Hai’) has been in love with Xie Pei Shan (谢佩珊, as Green Snake) for 10 years. He has already proposed to her 98 times and has been rejected each time.

Li Lian, Pei Shan and the stage co-oridnator (oops, can’t remember hwe name) have been good friends since childhood, with Pei Shan always taking good care of Li Lian.

As the story unfolds, we find out that Pei Shan is pregnant and the father is Jia Yi. Incredibly, it was Pei Shan who seduced him and yet, she doesn’t love him… Her heart already belongs to someone else.

Complicated? Not really…

Boy loves girl…girl sort of loves boy…girl loves girl….

Seems everyone is doing a gay theme nowadays with the ‘liberation’ of the arts scene. Maybe the novelty of doing what was once taboo will wear off later.

Anyway, back to the play.

Perhaps because I did not have any expectation, it actually turned out to be better than expected.

The 3 femaale leads were actually pretty good, especially Pei Shan. The 2 male leads were so-so…. But Wei Jun drew much laughter from the audience, esepcially the children with his ‘wooden’ performance as Fa Hai.

However, the script was rather loose and many scenes involving the ‘extras’ were not necessary. Actually, at times I couldn’t hear what these ‘extras’ were saying.

You know it’s not easy being stage actor. It’s very different from being in a drama or movie.

In plays, there are no re-takes, so if you make a wrong move, you have to think your way out of the tight spot quickly, on your feet. Acting before a live audience means that you get the response and reaction from them immediately. I find that rather nerve wrecking. There are less distractions in terms of sets, costumes and action, so all ‘eyes’ are on you. You have to ensure that you speak loudly and clearly. And whilst you should act more ‘natural’ in movies, it is the opposite for plays where every action have to be exeggerated.

And yet it is because of this interaction that I find plays so enjoyable.

Not many movie actors can be stage actors. But, there are quite a few stage actors who are good movie actors. Many actors who want to challenge themselves or want to be seen as credible, serious actors harbour thoughts standing on the stage eventually, someday.

I wonder if BYJ, with his habbit of “one more time” would ever do a stage play. It would be interesting, don’t you agree?

For additional information on the story of Madam White Snake, please click here and here

Be With Me- Eric Khoo

tei o 1 Comment

I finally caught the movie, “Be Wth Me” directed by our very own Singapore director, Eric Khoo.

“Be With Me” has been showcase in a few international film festivals and seemed to have received substantial rave reviews. And I did like “12 Stories” so I have rather high hopes of this movie.

“Be With Me” deals with love in different aspects through 3 different but linked stories. It is very, very quiet, especially in the first 20 minutes or so, with only one line of dialogue. And yet, far from being bored, I was captivated by the scenes and how they tell the story.. if you watch carefully. Think April Snow… though without any the good looking actors and pretty scenary…

And the music score captured the mood beautifully.

The only snag is, the character that was a link to the 3 stories- Theresa Chan.
Theresa is a real character, who is both blind and deaf. In the movie, she plays herself and the movie is based on her biography and the people that she met over the years.

Unfortunately, her part felt too much like a documentary and did not quite go with the other 3 stories. This is not to say her story is not worth telling. But perhaps it may have been better if it was dealt with separately. And it seems most critics did agree on this.

Still, it was well worth watching and I enjoyed the movie. The following would contain some spoilers to the movie, so be warned…

Meant to be
In this segment, Eric deals with love eternal and the pain of losing it in the twilight years. The movie opens with an elderly couple closing up their provision shop for the night. Somehow I find this scene very strong and moving…despite the fact that not a single one was spoken. In a way, that’s how it is with old couples. Words are not needed. And then you see him in the market and subsequently cooking up a storm…..for his wife. Remember the scene in April Snow when In Soo was feeding his wife? In that scene there was no love though he was doing it dutifully and craefully. That was because they did not love each other any more. Here, in this scene, it was different as he lovingly, quitely fed her with the soup that he cooked painstakenly over the charcoal fire.

The old man (played by Chiew Sung Ching) does not say a single word during the whole movie. But you could feel his pain at tthe loss of his wife. He does not open the shop anymore, his wife’s bowl and chopsticks is there next to him at mealtimes.

After a lifetime with your partner, what do you do when she leaves you? Because there is a void, an sense of emptiness in your everyday life, rituals and chores…especially the simple thing like food… there is no one to cook for anymore.

So In Love
If the first story was a quiet, plodding pace, then this is the opposite. Surprise, surprise… it is about 2 young girls in love. (Hmmm…the MDA actually passed this through) It is still a silent segment though as the young do not ‘talk’. They text messages, they e-mail, they msn. I was not aware about this part as I didn’t read the synopsis earlier, so I was quite surprised to find out that “Sam” and “Jackie” were 2 girls. And it was clever at the way it was revealed too.

2 pretty girls, in their teens…having a great time because they have found each other- their ‘soulmate’. It is puppy love, yes. But as those of us who have been through this stage…a puppy love brings no less pain than a real love. And when one party loses interest and the relationship ends, it does seemed like the end of the world then.

How did the song go? ‘Puppy Love’ by Donny Osmond? Something like: “And they call it puppy love..”

Finding Love
Fatty Koh is a fat, sloppy guy. he eats alot. He shuffles and twitches his eye. In short, he’s someone who may not be quite right, someone to be wary of.

He is secretly in love with this woman executive in his office.

He is well aware that it would not be possible but still he tries to work up enough courage to talk to her. We see him ‘watching’ her in the security cameras (he’s a security guard), staring at her from her house below and following her from a distant as she goes shopping.

Ok, I’m a little biased here. I find the above slightly creepy actually. I’m not sure I want someone following me at my every move. But I’m sure if the character was played by a handsome Korean actor, I would have been melted at his love for her.

But seriously this guy is a mushy at heart. Because he finally took the step to write her a letter on a flowery paper. We also found out that he doesn’t have a great supportive family and was probably even abused as a child. All these are through hints only- no script or dialogue. It is really amazing how words are often unnecessary.

I guess we all often talk way too much and do not listen and observe enough.

Theresa Chan
Theresa is a remarkable woman. Deaf and blind at a young age, she lives alone and takes care of herself very well– including cooking and cleaning the place. She also learnt to speak English and type as well.

She is truely an inspiration. Unfortunately, her segment doesn’t quite gel with the other 3 stories though she is the link in the final end.

And how does it all end? Ahh… there is a twist to it…I shall not reveal it here as I think you should watch the movie yourself. Let’s just said that I found the scene when the old man and Theresa finally met really touching.

Here’s some reviews and infomation about the movie.

MovieXclusive
TWITCH
Official website

And oh…. food seems to feature alot in this movie. Perhaps because it plays such an important role in our life and amongst Singaporeans. Coindentally, I’m also talking about food in my other kimchi blog. Click here if you want to read about it.

The shampoo lady

tei o 1 Comment

On Sunday, an auntie tried to sell me shampoo

I was in my neighbourhood store. The shelves are very close to each other. The aisle is just enough for 2 person…with their butts almost kissing each other. Any bigger butts, and they would be arrested for being obscene.

And in this very narrow aisle, the shampoo lady worked her sales pitch.

She approached this woman who was looking at the various shampoos on display and stood next to her.

“Your hair very dry. Why don’t you try this?” she said.

The woman said nothing and continued looking at the shampoos.

“Your hair very dry! Try this one.” she said louder, pointing at a particular shampoo

The woman ignored her and tried to carry on but she was obviously not comfortable with someone shouting into her ear on a Sunday morning about the state of her hair.

“Your hair very dry lah. You should try this.” she said in a very determind voice.

By now, everyone in the aisle and probably half the shop was well aware about the condition of this woman’s hair. Poor woman. She gave up and walked away from the aisle quickly. Needless to say, she didn’t buy the shampoo that was supposedly good for her dry hair.

There was no one left in aisle. I knew I would be next so I tried to make up my mind quickly.

Too late. The shampoo lady saw me.

“Try this one. This one very good. Lots of advertisements. Top in Malaysia.”

Huh?

Lots of advertisements = Good shampoo?

Ok, ok, I know it is often the case.. we are lured by advertisements. But err… isn’t this a case of being too direct? How is that supposed to convince me that the shampoo is good for me?

Then again, it’s not easy selling shampoo in a neighbourhood grocery store. Sometimes though, you don’t need shampoo ladies to push the product, you just need the right face on it. Don’t believe me? Read about it HERE

I grabbed thhe shampoo that I wanted and almost ran off…before the shampoo lady tells the whole world about my hair.

Whew!

And writing about buying things from the local neighbourhood store, I was reminded of an interview that BYJ did once. He said he couldn’t just go downstairs and buy a pack of sweets (or something like that), his assistant has to do it for him. In my opinion, it’s really quite easy. He just need to now how to dress. Just do want all the uncles/aunties do on a Sunday morning.

1- No make-up, better still if unshaven
2- Make sure hair is not neatly combed
3- Wear a striped t-shirt in dull colors and a pair of long shorts
4- Wear black sandals
6- Bring along a market trolley

I am sure no one will give him a second look…. unless the shampoo lady catches him.

Last but not least…

tei o 4 Comments

Well, I guess that pretty much concludes my Phuket trip. Sorry if my posts have turned out to be like a holiday resort brochure. Hehe! But I do hope that some of you will visit the place sometime.

Oh before I end off… do you know that the Koreans really, really, realy like Phuket? 진짜! I think half of the guests at my hotel are Koreans. hehe! Of course, I took notice alot more and prick up my ears when I hear Korean. I tried very, very hard to understand what they wree talking about but unfortunately, sigh…
성생님, 미안해요.

And during the diving trip, we met an American with his Korean girlfriend. He commented he realised how strong the ‘Korean Wave’ was outside of Korea as everywhere he went, everyone seems to be interested in his girlfriend. (Maybe he was disappointed the spotlight wasn’t on him?) haha! Me too! Me too! I wanted to try out my borken Korean with his girlfriend but was very shy. I was afraid they would think i was some lunatic ajuma. Anyway, he was asking us about the Hallyu in Singapore and I had to literally stop hubby from telling him that I was involved in a fan club! Gasp! I would have been so embarrassed.

But I did tell him that I was importing in Korean books and magazines as there was a market. But I’m sure he noted the eagerness in my tone and how I pricked up my ears when they started talking about Korean stuff… hehe!

Hmm…. he said there’s a market for teaching English in Korea. Perhaps I can persuade hubby to do that and then we can move to Korea.

Wahahahaha!

Ok, ok… one last photo from the trip….

I want to go on a holiday again!

Here, fishy, fishy….

tei o 6 Comments

Well, we had only one more day left, we were leaving the next day. There was only one more thing left to do- diving. Phuket is well known for diving, in case you didn’t know.

Not me. I swim as well as a rock. Hubby of course. But I tagged along as well though by then I had developed the worse possible cold and cough. So it wasn’t as enjoyable as it should be.

We went to Ko Raya Yai/Noi, which hubby went some years before…when he was free and single (I did quized him about any holiday romance then but he has adamantly denied having had any. Hmm..)

They did 2 dives- one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Again, all drinks and food provided. But simple meals lor. And oh yes, I discovered some basic dos and don’ts on a diving trip:

1) Do not go to the toilet when you are near the diving site, especially if you’re going to be doing some ‘major’ business. Why? Because, it’s straight from the toilet into the sea. So imagine if you’re a diver beneath the boat and you suddenly see a piece of brown bit floating down… not very nice.

2) No throwing of paper or any none edible stuff down the toilet or anywhere into the sea. And in case you’re wondering, there’s a basket inside the toilet.

3) If you are going to throw up, do it stern (back) side of the ship. Nobody wants to see what you’ve eating for breakfast or lunch.

Hehe! Am I making you all lose your apptite? Again, not so bad lah. It’s all quite logical.

Actually, you can also snorkle and swim..if you can’t dive. But I’m afraid I can’t do those either. 🙁

This dive company is quite good. They have a dive master with each group, which is normally a pair. Now that’s another job you can consider if you’re free and single and want to travel. Get a dive master’s cert and then get a job as a dive master as you travel the world. Many of these diving companies hire freelance help.

Hubby getting ready for his dive. There’s this big piece of oxygen tank you have strap to your back and also weights to bring you down. Oh, another piece of information. If you’re fat, you will need more weights coz it will be harder for you to sink. Hmm.. wonder how much weights I would have needed.

Each dive takes about 45mns to 60 mins- depending on how good you are,ie. how fast you use up the oxygen. The first dive is always the scariest I would imagine.

Initially I thought I would take a nap whilst he was diving but how to sleep with views like this?

And yet, what made the whole trip memorable for me was this:

These fishes and many others were swimming close to the boat. The water was crystal clear and it seems I could see the bottom of the sea. The joy and thrill I felt when I saw them was unimaginable..I know, I know, they’re just fishes but it’s really quite something to see a school of fishes swimming so close that you could almost touch them. If I could swim, I would have been down in a second. Oh well. This is a case of if I can’t go to the fishes, then the fishes will come to me. hahaha!

Another photo with more fishes.. and no, we didn’t have them for dinner. ^^

Nice hor… : )

Suddenly, the cold and cough didn’t matter any more.

The Big 4Zero.. finally

tei o 4 Comments

I had a very pleasant surprise when I got back to the hotel room after the island hopping…. ^^

It was a cake, courtesy of the hotel management…

And no, I did not put 40 candles on it. Don’t think there’s space on the cake. But it was such a nice gesture from them even though the cake wasn’t err…very nice. hehe!

That night, we dressed up, booked a cab and had dinner at a very nice and posh restuarant. The Boathouse This restaurant has won many awards and I can only agree with they deserve to win. The food was superb. The service was just right. I only wish I could post a nice photo of the place but unfortunately, the camera doesn’t work too well at night. So…don’t have.

Yes, yes, I’ve kept the photo small deliberately coz I look very fat. hehehe!

When I first started this blog at the beginning of this year, the title was THE BIG 4ZERO.

I did not know what to expect when I actually turned 40, afterall it is supposed to be an important milestone. But when I actually reached 40, I hardly thought about it.

There was no sudden enlightenment, no dramatic changes with flashing thunder and lightening. Whatever changes that occured, they did over the years gradually.

And I realised that most things aren’t as important as I think they are. At this point, my good friend, Yee Lee would probably have given me some insights or quotes on zen. Me? I’ve not reached the nirvana stage yet.

But I’ve seen my fair share of marriages and divorces, births and deaths and had my fair share of heartaches and happiness.

Life can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be or as sad or as happy as you want it to be. If I’m going to be have to live another 40 years, then I would rather expand my energy on things that make me happy…

I think my baby niece has the right idea, don’t you think?

And on this note, I would like to wish Singapore a very happy birthday and may it enjoy peace and stability forever.

Happy 41st Birthday, Singapore.

My name is Bond. James Bond

tei o

Special occasions with hubby are normally ‘out-of-the ordinary’.
Our first holiday together was in Vietnam. We were climbing hill on an island off Sarawak on Christmas Day some years ago. Our honeymoon was in Cambodia and 2 years ago, I spent my birthday climbing yet another hill in Wales.

Comparatively, my birthday this year was rather mild really. We went island hopping.

Island hopping is a great actitvity to do and it can occupy you for just a day or more.. depending on what you want to do. And the views on these island are just breathtaking. We took up the Phang Nga Bay tour, which is at the northern part of Phuket.



You have to walk out to board the boat… and no.. this is not the boat… (Thank goodness). It’s a medium size boat and fairly comfortable. All meals and drinks are provided for on the boat. Hubby’s only regret- No beer lah.

Phang Nga Bay is well known for the limestone fomation…just like the Halong Bay in Vietnam and Guilin in China.

As always, when I see the vastness of nature…I realised just how small we humans are….really…

Our first stop was Lawa Island. It’s supposed to be a sandy white beach for us to relax and swim. Unfortunately it was rather crowded. You can do some canoeing though which was quite fun…especially when you don’t have to do the rowing. hahaha!

And then we visited the James Bond Island. Why is it called the James Bond Island? Because the movie ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ was filmed there. We arrive on the island on a sea canoe and was immedtiately struck with the commercialism of it. There were rows and rows of stalls selling touristy stuff. But I guess that’s normal. By the way, most of the sellers were Muslims, wearing their tudong. I read later that a good 35% of the residents in this region are Muslims.

Arriving on the island on a sea canoe…….

and inside a cave on the island….. (Below)

Presenting the James Bond Island….

Frankly speaking, I think it would have been a better experience if we had a little more time to explore but I guess that’s one of the drawback of joining a tour. Still the view was good and it was quite fun.

This was followed by lunch on board. Yummy…and believe me… sea air does make you hungry so the the food was simply delicious.

After lunch, we visited the highlight of the trip…visiting the ‘hong islands’ or ‘room island’.

You have to depend on the tide to visit these ‘hongs’. It has to be high enough to float a sea canoe to go in but low enough for us to go through the ‘doors’. At times, we have to lie flat on the sea canoe.

Entering the ‘hongs’……..

It does get rather crowded at times and this was considered as low season. Can you imagine what it will be like in high season? Nevertheless, it is well worth the trip because you are rewarded with these sights upon entering the ‘hongs’.

During low tide, it is completely dry inside the ‘hongs’ but during high tide..this is what you get.

Our tour guide told us that during the tsunami 2 years ago, he was trapped inside one of these ‘hong’ for over an hour. He didn’t know what happened and couldn’t understand why the water kept rising and rising. I supposed in a way, it was lucky for him as he escaped the calamity.

It was really, really, really beautiful inside these ‘hongs’ and makes you marvel at the wonders of nature.

The tour guide (Alan) and his colleagues were all great and very considerate. I think they’re called the James Bond tour or it might be the Sea Cave Canoe, I’m not too sure. He kept telling us to please spread the word to our friends if we find their service good.

Actually, the Thais are very easy-going and proud people. Unlike some of our trips in other countries, we have not encountered pestering, asking for tips or hassling etc (except for the tailors). They are quite happy to work to earn their keeps. So if you really want to help Phuket and its residents who were affected by the tsunami, then go visit the island. Contributing to the economy as a tourist is a much more sensible and sustainble way of helping them back on their feet.

At the end of the trip, we still had a little time left, so the tour guide said we could swim around for awhile… which a few did. Hubby of course, was one of them. How could he miss such an opportunity? If I could swim, I would too because the water was really clear.