Today's Muse: Crispy

Birthday day was a day of extremes. No middle ground. Either raucous and extravagant or solemn and restrained.

But mostly upbeat, I say. A full day spent in the company of wonderful people. I am content.

I got a laptop protection unit aka a schweet padded case. There is a person threatening to blow up on it. And I had toast.

Cristina's coming to do a show! Excellent.

Today's Muse: Ishkabibble

So, guess what I'm vaguely obsessed with at the moment?

I know what my holiday project is going to be... Whee.

*On another note, I found a lovely little nook in Boat Quay. Perfect for a birthday hole-up, I think. Time to mail the invitations.

Perhaps I will attempt the finger-waves Saturday morning for the occasion.

*I'm cautiously optimistic about the Watchmen movie.

*Yay 300!

Today's Muse: This Gaping Hole in My Elbow

They love the baby girls in my family.

They're cooed at more. They get what they want all of the time. One of the first things they learn to say is "Pretty?" so they can ask the adults when showing off a new hair clip, a new dress...

They're also considered to be tiny luck bringers.

One year, one of my many nieces ran around repeating four numbers over and over. My older brother noted the numbers and used them to buy 4-D; he won a tidy sum.

My youngest niece was born on Friday the Thirteenth; her father seems to have had nothing but sucess since then.

There are other stories, some so vague that they can be dismissed as coincidence, others so weirdly accurate. It gets a bit mad, sometimes. Saturday night, while driving, the tot pointed out a "yellow taxi". Cue mad chase to try and catch the license plate number of said taxi for 4-D.

Now, it's not as though the boys are neglected. They get cooed at when they're tiny; it's just that no one asks them for lucky numbers.



Chinese New Year smells of salted pork and spring onions and fresh fish and tinned peaches. And layer cake. So much bloody cake. I'm shocked the oven hasn't exploded yet. It's been doing days like this for over ten bloody years, and every year I wait for it to explode but all it does is give a tiny shudder after the whole week-long ordeal and NOT EXPLODE.

I love this holiday.

Today's Muse: Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me

New toy - A first gen Creative Zen Neeon. A steal, too - 6GB for just $149. Finally, the transition from disc player to mp3 has been made. Even the bundled earphones that came with the player are miles above my old ones.

This video makes me happy. Trying to get me filthy mitts on the Ergo Proxy OST.

More work pouring in. There's the Chingay parade, which promises to be great fun. Assessment projects are taking shape, and expectations are definitely a notch higher than last year. Dance; presentation on Jacques Lecoq for Movement; Legend of The Curse piece for Play Analysis; duologue for Acting... And the Youth Company schedule! Woo.

Everything's going pretty smoothly, methinks. Legend of The Curse, for example, is a self-directed presentation for mid-semester assessment. It's a chorus piece from Berkoff's Agamemnon, and we've got the largest group. But it's surprising how much we've choreographed already, despite our size. In fact, rehearsal processes are a dream - everyone's giving ideas AND listening and considering. We all seem to be on the same wave-length, with movements coming very naturally.

Oh, oh!

Hungry.

We presented about half-an-hour's worth in Scene Prep, and we pulled it off. We had shown various scenes here and there in class this semester, but this was the first time we were running it through for an audience; complete with transitions, something we had been wrestling with since the beginning. And it went well. That's the truth. It is amazing what even a small audience will do - besides our classmates, the Tech Theatre Level 1's sat in. We do have to clean up some of the transitions; get rid of dead time, which I think ate into our half-hour limit.

Teach Matt commented how the surreal nature of the script allowed us to explore; more breathing space around performances - and I think that sums up why Hungry was chosen for this project. Something different, something new, something to play with. And it paid off, playing with character choices and movement - despite the quirky and sometimes extreme performances, they were all balanced.

A shout-out to Jac, our baby-in-a-jar - she's been working really hard on this, despite the difficulty and weird positions the character entails - but during that presentation it really paid off. "Excellent performance developing", were the exact words, and I know those mean a lot to you. I grin at you.

I think we should slow down now, before the final presentation, before we burn out. Just tweaking bits here and there. Hell, yesterday while watching Smoking Incense at the Substation, Laura came up with a brill idea to circumvent the lighting and transition problem.

I get to work with the terrific-est people. Eee hee hee.


First Young Company meet today. It was a working session, involving rolling around and much hopping. Eight weeks of body conditioning for the May extravaganza at Fort Canning. And mooooore shows! On stage! With them bright lights and ev'rything!


I'm so hyped up on how this year is shaping up. And I hope yours is, too. Sweet Amy-girl's all the way in Canada-land, and from her letters and pictures is very happy. Hullo, Amy-girl. I wave at you, here in technologically-primitive Singapore.

And so, I leave you with this:
Bruce Osborn's Oyako Photo Exhibit

Today's Muse: Greasy - Singer Style

Finally moved the sewing machine downstairs to base. Spent the evening cleaning and oiling it proper. It's really quite remarkable; this Singer Sewing machine was purchased almost sixty years ago, but is still in fantastic working condition. Runs smooth as butter. My paternal grandmother used it, my mother made her famous dresses with it, and now I've laid claim to it.

It was sitting quietly with the rest of the boxes and books in storage. They said there wasn't any space for it? I made space. And I think it makes this place feel more like ours, instead of theirs.

Tomorrow, polishing.

EDIT: Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

The bobbin case is missing.

Follow-up to the last post:

Ah, much better now.

Pachelbel Rant

Today's Muse: It's Dry Inside, innit?

It's raining hard, and it doesn't look like it'll stop for the next couple of days. Good weather for tottering about indoors in oversized shirts and soft socks, reading smelly old books and occasionally bursting into melodramatic poetry. On days like this, even Baby will permit us hu-mans to share The Chair with him.

All very well, but I have to leave the house. If I don't purchase my bits and bobs today, I'll never get it done by this week. I'm already dressed for inclement weather, anyway.

But the rain is really heavy, and The Chair looks awfully warm.

I think I'll experiment with that fuzzy yarn today. Until, y'know, the rain lets up.

Today's Muse: Can you slap a copyright on an internet meme?

My God. It's nice being busy.

It does seem like I've more to do now that school's out. Just today: Hungry rehearsals in school in the morning, looking for a gift for Laura (the loveliest I've known) whilst navigating the shopping district in the rain, then a bus ride up to Tampines for dinner at Fazri's, an insane bus-train-bus trip back to town for GBM rehearsals (where Joyce nearly got crushed by the MRT doors), then some weird shit at Clark Quay into the wee hours.

Now home to read and write essay-like things. And look at Hungry designs. Just look.

It's fantastic having so much going on. So much to do, to say, to see.

There's something to be said for running screaming after a bus with like-minded people. For painting silly titchy flowers on a purple teapot while they sing and dance in the next room. For pulling off one's sweater in the middle of the store in the name of finding a present. For sneaking around looking for empty studios to practice in. For walking out of a library with eight books and that silly, materalistic vibe one gets with an armful of books. For Freudian slips. For pretending to beat the shit out of each other and getting graded for it. For putting your name down first on a brand-new sign-up sheet for performance practice. For cinema antics. For Doctor Who discussions. For making lists that couldn't possibly convey how wonderful and stressful and gnaw-worthy the past couple of months have been.

D'aww, I'm all sappy noooow.

Flying

Amy, silly pet, snuggled somewhere in my heart and probably gnawing at one of the important arteries.

Today's Muse: Wit, Or Lack Of It

My desktop luvvie died. For good. Last night, while I tried to finish up the outline for Wednesday's presentation. So, today during the bloody 4-hour break we have between Movement/Dance and Performing Analysis, I fried my ovaries with Laura's Mac. Of course I had it on my lap. It was Laura's.

I've set up me Da's old IBM ThinkPad; you know, the sort that still has the slow-scroll-load thingie that kills the eyes? It chugs along at a decent speed, and I've downloaded the bare essentials. Good enough for essaying. [I just realised my essay for Ac. Writ. wasn't backed up. Ppfft.]

Speaking of essaying: Two weeks into the new resolution and already I'm lagging. I'll get something up; been reading Steven Berkoff, and God the things he sends me brain into.

So, for now, random links:

Girls do fucking like geeks, you matyrs! - Alex A. reflects, complete with momentary burst of rage.

Doomsday: 21st December, 2012? - According to certain interpretations of the Mayan calender.

Banksy L.A. Exhibition - Stencils, Booze, Elephants (Why am I not there?)

And Lord Hair introduces his son and heir, Prince Hair - Because I NEVER get tired of the intergalatic dictator.


PS: Damnit, when is The Science of Sleep gonna open here?

Today's Muse: Blessed hum and whir and trudge

After a scary couple of days the laptop appears to be working again. Nearly peed meself in terror at the prospect of all the documents and videos gone.

Bloody cat, knocking it into its end.



Yesterday, during Scene Prep we tried something very different from what we usually do in class. Just discussed what we thought goes into a good and riveting scene.

Irksome: argument for the sake of it. Nnngh.

Was divided into smaller groups. Had to come up with a scene, keeping in mind what happened before it and what was to happen after (motivation).

Whenever tasked with something like this, I tend to start gibbering. But that's good; spewing nonsensical phrases which the group might take and bounce off from there. Stuff like: Monkeys. Before the white flag. No gravity. Talking to superheroes in your head. Subway mob. Kittypillars. Ka-boosh.

Then, as a group, we just start improvising. We jump straight into the scene, and see what happens. And it's both great fun and incredibly liberating - usually we come up with loads of ideas and peel back to get the final product (Which, isn't really final until after we've performed it).

Once, when the group was stuck, I wandered around and pulled a school desk over, and jumped on it like a monkey. Almost at once another member threw himself in front of the desk, and mined death throes. And the others joined in, and we were off.

Improv. Sitting down and talking about it - no. I'm very fond of saying, "Lets just try it and see what happens.", as one lovely pointed out.

With Scene Prep, we started out with a girl simply talking to two imagined people, weirding a bystander out. And with each improv, the story evolved - the imagined people became the personifications of the girl's more extreme personality traits; the bystander became a writer looking for an interesting case; the girl had just come from a humiliating experience...

But even as we performed it, it was still evolving. The writer became an awkward fellow. I played him, and it seemed, at that point, so very natural to keep my hands in my pockets and fiddle with my collar. I didn't have to think about stumbling over my words; it came easily. The oversized shirt I used as a jacket suddenly became a way to hide myself - but as the conversation with the girl progressed, it was allowed to fall open.

I'm not quite sure what it was. As I think about it now, I'm not quite sure if I was simply showing the character or being him. Or just being myself.

Matt, the teach, asked us why we cross-gendered. We hadn't really thought about it, to tell the truth. The one guy in the group, played the frightened, child-like personification at first. As part of the improv process he switched roles and played the writer for a bit, before concluding that, hey, his reactions to the girl seemed more along the lines of the child. So, he went back. I'm being terribly vague.

I guess, we cross-gendered because it felt like it would work well like that.

Matt said it worked for him, and I think the class concurred. That was nice, feeling like you've really done good in that class, after the first couple of presentations you did being so... not good.



Today, Marium and I raided the SGST FLEE! Market. I found lovelies galore, going for so very little. Glee.

The highlight of that little escapade, I think, was finding the suede clutch going for just three dollars. Blood red, and superb lining.

I'm easy pleased, I am.

Today's Muse: Victorious

In your face, phone company! You may have suceeded in keeping me from the inter-slice for nearly a week now, but I have SUCEEDED and I have connection! Again!

UP YOURS, TOOTHY!


Also: Are yooou in looooove?

Because I like bosoms.

Today's Muse: Golden The Pony Boy

I'm a handsome muthafuka, and y'all know it


BABY'S COMING HOME.


Oh yeah, Kim's moving back in, too.

Today's Muse: I Am A Stinky Piggy

vicki's everyday shoes

2004 - 2006

Faithful and True Until The Deluge

Today's Muse: Puff the Magic Dragon!

There's a foundation student the music boys call Jesus. I expected something satirical, a savant-esque joke of sorts.

But, nooo. They call him that because when he lets down his hair he's apparently the splitting image of the one true saviour.

There's another chap who deals with the "Luke Skywalker!" and "I am your faaather" jokes with blank looks.

Sometimes, between classes, if you hang out at the Performing building, you can watch the Fine Art and Design students appear in the small field armed with bubble-blowers.

We watched Royston Tan's 15 and a couple of funny commercials yesterday, as part of the semiotics lecture. Woo, test next week.

Today, Michael gave us a crayon each and told us to design a costume for the play we're studying on the spot.

I stepped over the Bonang Barung by accident during Gamelan. The instruments haven't been blessed, but you never know. Gah.

The PEOPLE.

Have I mentioned the pure AWESOME that is LASALLE?

Today's Muse: Awake

Holy guacamolee I am loving this. I've finished my essay for now, I'll probably be editing it until the last minute. Open-ended questions, feh.

Quick, someone give me more dodgy homework!


EDIT: Realised I do have more homework, for voice later this morning. Colouring in the spine and ribs. And me without a single colour pencil in the house.

I wonder if crayons will do?

School so far is filled with pure AWESOME. So great is this AWESOME that to even begin to describe it reduces one to a gibbering mess; causing one to lose control of one's bowels periodically.

I hope no one notices the smell anytime soon.