My Sordid Past

In my sordid history, I was a choir girl - Enough Said. People who know me, know that I can't sing for nuts right now. But still, choral music plays a special shameful part in my heart. So when I saw that part of the Singapore Arts Festival included the Moscow Soloists with Yuri Bashmet & Moscow State Chamber Choir, I immediately bought a ticket. One of the world's best violinist, a world class choir, two for the price of one, I am still Singaporean to the core people !

The performance was fantastic, the choir was good but Yuri was Great which made all the difference in the world. The audience encored the team twice, he was simply unforgettable.

Programme on 12 June
Igor Stravinsky : Concerto in D for Strings
Johann Brahms : Adagio in B minor for viola and strings Op. 115 Soloist - Yuri Bashmet (viola)
Toru Takemitsu: Three film scores for strings

W.A. Mozart Exultate Jubiliate, K165
Franz Schubert Mass in G Major for Choir and strings, D. 167

Electrical Electra

As an absolute failed example of womanhood, I attempted shopping today. After hitting 3 malls and 3 hours later, the only thing I managed to buy was a pair of earrings. There were shoes, bags, dresses, tops that I desperately needed to update my wardrobe with, then I saw the crowds and I decided that looking dated was better than being in a human sandwich with sweaty, gross strangers. Yes, woman I am still lacking slightly(maybe more than slightly, like ALOT).


Headed off to the Victoria Theater for a Singapore Arts Festival performance of Electra by the Suzuki Company of Toga.

I love the Victoria Theater, it is old, run down, functional, yet charming. Home for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, this theater held plenty of memories for myself. I remember hearing & seeing my first Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 performed in Victoria Theater, the tour around the stands, the various performances that has faded into the recesses of my memory.

Today was no different. The premises of Electra is about a woman who mourns for her father's murder at the hands of her mother. Placing all her hopes on her brother Orestes to exact revenge, she later takes matters into her own hands when he fails to live up to her expectations.

A cast of Korean and Japanese actors, set in a mental asylum. The performance was simply electric. A percussionist was on stage, timing the physical movements of the actors with the sounds perfectly. Electra was all primal and feral in her expressions of rage and joy. I wish I had the proper words to express it all, but it was simply an experience of pure theater, pure physical actions and movements to convey the raw emotions of hope, disappointment, bitterness and guilt.

The staging was well thought of, even down to the shadows in the background. This Singapore Arts Festival program is making me look forward to the performance on Friday that I got for the Russian Chamber Orchestra. There is a clip on the Singapore Arts Festival to give a sample of what I watched. Enjoy ~

City Girl Gone Fishing

At 530am in Singapore, a city girl emerges from the comforts of her home to the wilderness beyond. A hired minivan came to pick the gang up to send us to a jetty in Eastern Johor, Malaysia for a 2 day 1 night fishing trip at a kelong out at the South China Sea.

Bringing masses of snacks and rubbing tons of sunscreen, we huddled onto a crowded little boat and headed for the kelong

The kelong interior was clean and relatively decent. Not to mention the mahjong tables, karaoke machines, cable television and plenty of supplied meals to help pass the time by.


Around the afternoon at 3pm, we headed to the nearby Sibu Island for a short trip.


Then back for a comforting sunset view at the kelong ..


At this spot, I caught my first 7 fishes !


Kelong Fishing

Be Careful of What You Wish For

I finally caught the production of Top Girls which I bought on a whim after catching Proof. My faith in Wessex Theater is now restored with a certain level of admiration. Top Girls was a play for to raise funds for Aware. The production was good, the actresses well done. I wouldn't say that it was the best play I have ever caught, but the style in which the playwright had portrayed the sequence of events to bring across her point is something that I admire. A trip to Kinokuniya once my salary comes in will be in place, I would love to own the script.

Top Girls start with a dinner of mythical famous women including Pope Joan, explorer Isabella Bird, Dull Gret the harrower of Hell, Lady Nijo, the Japanese concubine of an emperor and Patient Griselda, from Canterbury Tales and later moves on to a modern setting with the leading character, Marlene, involving the audience into her career and personal life.

There were many elements which struck a chord with me and explored some of my own worst fears. The pursuit to the top which leads to emptiness in the end, the tugging feeling of wanting to get away, the balance between the individual and the community, the price that we all have to pay. The play did not end on a happy ending, just a lot of questions for each woman to ask herself at the end of the day.

Going to read the Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan again over the weekend..

The Singapore Flyer Experience

Life is good, then extremely bad, then good again like I am having PMS, except it is nothing that chocolate can cure.

Thanks again to T, the friend with connections, we had free tickets to the Singapore Flyer and went over the weekend. I, honestly, would not have paid so much money to have a ride as high as a HDB building to look at construction sites from the aerial view. But since it was free, to hell with it ~

The ride lasted under 30 mins, and I was secretly praying that it would stall so that I can claim a ridiculous amount of insurance money to start traveling again. Unfortunately, it did not happen (Damn you, additional power supply)

We were rewarded with views of the Marina Barrage.

F1 Race Track

The Stadium that was supposed to be destroyed but still standing there (National Stadium)

The cabin was spacious and air conditioned, there was a free audio guide provided to give a running commentary on the history of Singapore. But everyone in my group were busy cam-whoring to even bother listening to it.

The location where the National Parade is held

I wouldn't go again until the Integrated Resorts are fully constructed, which will be a while, given the current difficulty in raising funding (e.g. the Sands) But if you are interested in riding the world's biggest Ferris Wheel, do go in the night time, where the cover of darkness makes everything so much better. Twinkling lights make it so much more romantic. Where a free flow of booze and sugary desserts will make me so much happier(purchased as a package from the restaurants nearby).


Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd
30 Raffles Avenue
Singapore 039803

Prices
Adult: S$29.50
Child: S$20.65
Senior: S$23.60