Changing Channels

Now that that's out of my system, let me once again praise the awesomeness that is Supernatural. The latest episode to air in the US, called Changing Channels, has our heroes Sam and Dean caught in a series of terrifyingly hilarious parallel universes that mirror popular television shows, thanks to a powerful creature known as the Trickster who is able to alter reality. So Sam and Dean get caught in a crazy series of scenes a la Grey's Anatomy, CSI, Knight Rider, and even a Japanese game show. But my favourite has to be the way the episode started: with Sam and Dean being characters in a cheesy sitcom. Cue this hilarious video clip of the teaser and intro to the episode. Enjoy!!

What Eh Ver

Hi guys and girls. Just a brief update on what's being going on, which is the usual: not much. Once again I've been pretty down lately, feeling bummed and frustrated and kinda feeling the need to run away and get out of this depressing rut. But anyway. As of 2 Nov, I officially finished the first draft of rewrites on my musical The Edge, which I hope will be staged by April or latest May 2010. So that's really quite exciting, and yet frustrating, knowing there's this material that I know, I know deserves to be staged and yet hasn't, while mediocre productions are cropping up left right and centre out there. Sorry if that makes me sound like a self-absorbed douche. I prefer to see it as being confident of what I'm able to do, even though I don't feel that confidence as much as I tell myself I should. Does that make sense? Oh whatever.

Anyway, next steps involve putting together a production team, finding cast and crew, and then having to work on the demos and scores and the... gah, you know how it is. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. And then I get frustrated. And then I get bummed and feel the need to run away. See a pattern here? Meanwhile, I'm thrilled I went on this diet, because now that I've rediscovered the joys of binge-eating, it sure makes me feel damn good to stuff my face to make myself feel better. Lovely, isn't it? Like I said to little Jo the other day, sometimes I just don't have the motivation and energy to live. Life is too exhausting. Which isn't indicative of my wanting it to end, so don't you worry about that, but I'm just saying... I'm tired of being tired, and yet I'm still here. I'm still here and going nowhere fast.

End scene.

Love Never Dies, Till I Hear You Sing

When I was younger, I was a big fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber. After all, it was his Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat that inspired what would eventually become my still-to-be-truly-profesionally-staged musical, Follow The Light. And I loved his earlier works, especially Jesus Christ Superstar (even its cheesy 2000 filmed version), Sunset Boulevard (1993, yes, but with Glenn Close? Awesomeness!), and, of course, Phantom of the Opera, which my folks, little Jo and I saw in Singapore in 2007 (and the feature film of which I resented because the Butler couldn't do it).

I've kept up with his later works such as Whistle Down The Wind (which I actually liked, and which spawned the Boyzone hit No Matter What, led by the late Stephen Gately — and, more significantly, has had rock legend Meatloaf covering one of the songs; that alone, my friends...); The Women in White (forgettable, though oddly riveting when you view it in Japanese), and The Beautiful Game (a soccer musical, similarly oddly riveting when you view it in Hungarian, not to mention in Korean, and nothing to do with the locker-room scene, ok?? :P). Sadly, the quality hasn't been quite the same. And even It's My Time, the song he penned for the Eurovision Song Contest this year with lyrics co-written by award-winning songwriter Diane Warren, wasn't great in my opinion (two words? Horrible lyrics). For a full list of ALW shows, complete with info, click here.

So I wasn't terribly enthused when it was recently announced that ALW has been working on a long-awaited sequel to Phantom, titled Love Never Dies. (Side note: all the links lead somewhere, folks!) First reaction? "Jeez, the pressure!" After all, Phantom has been billed "the single most successful piece of entertainment in the world", having debuted in 1986 and, till today, still running. It's the biggest money-making piece of musical theatre ever, and the longest running in Broadway history.

Not to mention the fact that, as far as I know, never ever has there been a sequel to a musical (at least not onstage; Grease 2 was only a movie, and one that many say shouldn't have been produced to begin with!). What would happen if Love Never Dies tanked, after being so highly-anticipated and being the follow-up to the most widely-performed and widely-seen musical of all time? Good luck, sir!

I think it was only earlier tonight, literally about an hour or so before I started writing this blog post, that I began to feel rather excited about the Phantom sequel. And not just from the buzz that has already begun (mainly in the UK); just about a week ago they previewed a song from the show, titled Til I Hear You Sing, and to me, it sounds like classic ALW, with all the right touches: a memorable melody, a soaring climax, and absolutely beautifully arranged and performed. Nothing terribly original in the sense that it's still very much signature-style ALW; but I'm really liking it and I think it holds a lot of promise... which is just as well, given how much promise this show has to fulfill and deliver.

Lord Lloyd Webber was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, but reportedly in its early stages and he's expected to make a full recovery. So here's hoping it all goes well. I'll write more on the show and on ALW and musicals in general, but till next time, here's a video clip of that stirring song, Til I Hear You Sing, from Love Never Dies. Oy. How much did I sound like a radio deejay just then? :P

Random Retweets #1

Yes, they're in my sidebar, but the tweets disappear quickly (though they can be reviewed via my Twitter profile) ...so just for fun, here are some republished recent items. Add me to Twitter or sign up to join in the 140-letter-messaging action! :P

• Held a door open for guy with a tray & knocked over his fries all over the floor. Offered to pay; he said naer mind. Courtesy is overrated.
• Currently reading: Handle with Care, by Jodi Picoult. Compelling stuff. Chick lit, this ain't. Um. Necessarily. :P Arf.
• egad, microwave steaming bags, thou art the best! convenient healthy food in three minutes! :D
• day off today. yaay. hmm. now what? *looks around, lost*
• loves the crusty bits of melted cheese, but not when they fly all over the place when you try to scrape 'em. (I live a very full life.)
• nearly hit a dog driving back from work. am officially traumatised :'(
• Is it wrong that i'm THIS excited about my own script? Sorry, egocentric moment **bows head in shame**... THE EDGE! THE EDGE! OMG!!!
• hates the taste of apple seeds. And the trace amounts of cyanide make it all the more delectable :P
• there's an odd bliss that comes from petting the farmville animals. Or am i just really really sad? Probly the latter.
• Eat in moderation, someone says. "Where's that?" i reply.

Merely Playing: Historical Threesomes

Hey all, check out The Nut Graph for the latest article in my column Merely Playing. It's more Malaysia-centric this time around as it deals with the idea of juxtaposing three historical figures in a scene together. As part of a playwriting exercise, we came up with an unlikely scenario: what if Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim, infamous 1960s exotic dancer (read: stripper) Rose Chan and Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevara were in a room together? What would they say, or do, or think, or feel?

The [script] reading itself was a precursor to the more fascinating aspect of the evening: an interactive playwriting session, in which we imagined three historical persons, living or dead, in an encounter with one another. What would they say to each other, and how would their different beliefs, ideals and experiences colour their meeting? More importantly, who would we, as Malaysians, pick to be part of this scenario? What were the stories and issues we wanted to explore through these people, using what we knew of their voice, their personalities?

Who would your three choices of famous persons in an unlikely encounter be? Read the full article here!

Drunken Parties & Dates with Spring

Hey all! Whew, what a weekend. Um. Actually, it wasn't terribly hectic or anything, I just think I'm getting old, arf. Saturday night was the birthday party for my dear friend Nicole, which was really rather fun as there was a free-flow of booze and I really don't remember much of how the night ended. When you consider that I've not had an alcoholic drink for nearly six months because of the diet, then maybe it's forgiveable that I might've overdone it just a little, heheh.

All in all, it was a good night out (though I sense I might have to apologise for silly things I might've said, LOL, nothing new there), and the best part of it was, it was a fundraising kinda party. You see, Nic's an animal lover who's trying to build her own pet sanctuary (she was the rescuer behind that traumatic doggy story I wrote about sometime back), so there was a cover charge for the evening, which went into the drink, food and towards her pet pursuit. Definitely a worthwhile thing, and a good way to raise money!

Yesterday I went to see I Have A Date With Spring, a Chinese-language musical starring a bunch of my good theatrical buddies (including Anrie, hiiii Anrieeee!!, who played one of the leading ladies!). A very good show indeed, and thanks to the subtitles, I had no problems understanding it, heh. Very funny and poignant and tragic and moving, and the music was very well performed and arranged; good job, folks! Go check it out, I recommend it! Though think I might've enjoyed it better if I weren't nursing a hangover at the time, arf arf. Oy vey, what a life.

Anyhoo, I leave you guys now with some rather blurry pics from the party (in line with how plastered I was getting as the night went on), as well as a little song-and-dance number between Nic and our awesomely talented friend Peter. Nothing like a little blogging and publishing of a private party performance to liven up one's day, no?? Heh! Enjoy! Bye for now!

Nic (left) and my dear friend Bella!

My friends Johann and Diane.

Party people and the 'cake', which was really a mound of cream puffs. Clever. Yummy.

Nic and Pete boogie down. Strut their stuff. Groove to the beat.
And moon.

"100% Malaysian": An Interview with Colin Kirton

Hey, all! Sorry for the long silence. Just the same ol', same ol', working in the office and then working on rather substantial rewrites of The Edge. That's really about it, heh. But on to more exciting things... check out my latest article on The Nut Graph, an interview with Colin Kirton, actor, director, singer, musician extraordinaire. Colin was also/will be the director of FTL, when it's up and running! Yay!

"My great grandfather built the renowned West Highland Railway and Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland, famously featured in the Harry Potter movies.

"His wife disapproved of my grandmother's marriage because she was marrying below their status, and to a much older man. So Granny was cut off from the family fortune, and my father's family lived working class lives.

Granny was a whiz with numbers and worked as an accounts clerk. She was a very smart woman, and I think could have gone a lot further in life had she been born some decades later. Interestingly, one of her suitors was John Logie Baird, the inventor of the television!"

Read the full article here!

"That Means You're Chinese": An interview with Terry

Check out my interview with Terry, as featured on The Nut Graph. It's primarily to do with his background, upbringing and reflections on Malaysian sociopolitics, but I think it's an entertaining read no matter where in the world you are! :)

AT five foot five, Terry Ong says he has never been made to feel insecure about his height as much as he has been made to feel insecure about a more fundamental and unalterable aspect: his own heritage.

Ong, 29, is an emcee and voiceover talent. But he is also known because he is a vibrant, forthcoming radio producer and presenter on Redfm.

In an interview with The Nut Graph on 24 Sept 2009, he talks about his firmly-rooted ancestry in the northern state of Penang and why his childhood home scared him. He also recalls how, if not for the decision of a strong-willed forebear, he would have had a different surname...

Read the full article here!

Musicals 101: When Is It Religious?

Check out The Nut Graph for my article on staging Follow the Light in 2005, and its likelihood of being restaged in Malaysia!

IN 2005, as part of my postgraduate thesis, I decided to put on a musical, not realising the amount of work a production actually needs. With my vision of making it a large-scale song-and-dance spectacle the likes of a Great White Way or London West End production, it was an exercise in overambition. Still, it was a learning experience.

The first important lesson I learnt occurred because of the subject matter. I was keen on writing a musical that retold the Christmas story involving the whole gang: Mary and Joseph, the baby in the manger, the shepherds and the Wise Men. After all, the project was scheduled for year-end, and I was in Australia, where the audience would notionally be more receptive to the Christmas story...

Read the whole article here !

Jade's Malaysian Mini-Journey!

Hi everyone! It's been a pretty good few days, mainly due to the arrival of my dear friend Jade and her lovely mum Liz for a holiday in KL! Yaaaay!

It was just a short trip; they came here on Thursday night, and we met up for a lovely lunch on Friday at Straits Cafe in Centrepoint. They did their own thing for most of Friday; and then we met up again on Saturday and spent most of the day together. First off, we headed to the twin towers, KLCC; a partial car ride and train journey away:

The twin towers. As you can see, it was a pretty cloudy day, which made it perfect for walking about!

There we had lunch before doing the touristy thing and taking some snapshots (click on the thumbies for bigger views, folks!):

Jade and Liz, inside and outside KLCC

Afterwards we hopped on the train and headed over to Central Market, where we made our way towards our very own Chinatown, along Petaling Street:

There, Liz and Jade had a blast, getting approached by eager and overenthusiastic vendors selling everything from clothes to timepieces to shoes to pirated DVDs (which Liz bought several of!) and tacky knick-knacks. They even mastered the intricate art of bargaining, which allowed for some very interesting moments as they conversed with the vendors, who tried to sell them things in their pidgin Engleesh. "No laaah, too cheap, too cheap no profit!" they'd go, while Liz and Jade would go, "No, I refuse to pay more than this amount, so it has to be lower. Lower, I said. Lower." Good times. Here they are:

Buying some silken scarves from a vendor and haggling their way through it. Bargaining sure is thirsty work!

Finally, we visited a bookstore before heading back for a break; they at One World Hotel, me at my apartment. Incidentally, those two locations are literally only three minutes apart by car, arf arf. Can you guess who influenced them to book that particular hotel? Heh.

We were supposed to go into Bangsar for a street festival and lantern walk that evening, but we opted for a quieter evening instead; so Liz, Jade and I headed to 1-Utama shopping centre for a lovely and pleasant steamboat dinner. Oh, it was good fun. First of all, it was a lot of food, for little ol' me having just come off the diet, arf. But also, it brought back lots of memories for Jade and me of the numerous steamboat dinners we've had in Perth. Aaaah. Good times...!

After dinner, it was time for a stroll around the shopping centre:

....before adjourning to the hotel for drinks up in their room:

Ah, that was a good night. Didn't get too hammered, arf arf, but all in all, a great time.

Finally, today, Sunday, Liz decided she wanted to rest and chill out at the hotel, so I met up with Jade and we headed to The Curve for lunch at (gasp!) Marches. Hmm. That doesn't look like how you spell it. You know the place? The one that's set up like a Swiss marketplace and you go from stall to stall ordering food that they cook for you on the spot?? Arf arf. So much for easing back into regular-sized meals, oy vey. But we had a good time regardless.

No, I didn't blur out her shirt. It's really like that. Heh.

Sadly, I had to abandon Jade at the shopping centre because I had to work (yup, on a Sunday, flippin' by-elections and ridiculous Malaysian politics!)... but all in all, it was a lovely mini-reunion! Would've been great to have had a little bit more time (and if little Jo in Singypoo could've made it up for the weekend, which, alas, wasn't meant to be)... but nevertheless, Liz and Jade said they've had a wonderful, wonderful time, and they'll definitely be back next year for more Malaysian meyhem! So... hurrah!!

Jade contemplates next year's holiday in KL. And the following year's. And the year after that. And the year after that. And the...

Say bye-bye for now, Jade! "Bye-bye for now, Jade!"