Yesterday, after an unamusing day waiting for the aircon man to come [and he never did], I went to watch my school's choir performance - "Cadenza 2005".
What a Night.
One of dance.
Of movement.
Of Song.
The disney medleys were wonderful and I left the place feeling that it was $8 well spent. Hah! Woe to all who felt it was TOO expensive! [I won't name Names. *winks*] Initially, I too had my reservations - umm... the choir just stands and sings right? Hello. My drama production charged the same and we provided more than just aural entertainment. Happily I've been proved wrong and it was a two hour spectacular of visual and aural delight. Hahaha. What an upstart CCA.
Unfortunately, professionalism wasn't very high. You can see over eager faces peeking from behind the curtain before the show started and there seemed to be lot of movement behind it. Also, during some of the more action-oriented pieces, i.e. the disney medleys which operated in the style of a musical, some members of the choir clearly couldn't act and looked 'wooden' on stage. One of the duo scenes was actually painful to watch - no chemistry at all.
However on the whole it felt good. Some brush up on confidence and acting skills and it could have been better.
Having sat through two musical performances, the Piano Ensemble concert "Ivories in Black and White" and the choir's "Cadenza 2005", I find that it is rather interesting to note how the 2 concerts had such different atmospheres. The Piano Ensem's one was a much more elegant affair, but not much of a crowd pleaser. The audience too behaved more or less like what an Arts audience should be. The Choir's one on the other hand was a much more rowdy concert and the 2nd half of the programme appealed more to the audience which wasted no expanse in indulging in catcalls. Huh. Perhaps it will be nice to have a concert that not only exhibited a sense of elegance like the first half of the choir's concert but also ended off with a bang to cater to the audience. A mix of class and "crowd-pleaserness". After all, the audience here constitues mainly of students and it would better to well, organise a students' concert for popularity's sake.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Friday, May 27, 2005
Island Club Road
I find myself doing the weirdest things. Today we had a geography field trip to conduct Stream Studies. So where did we go? I assure you that it had nothing to do with the Singapore River or Kallang for that matter. Instead we find ourselves 2km from the HSBC treetop walk thing, leaping down a near 90 degrees slope slippery with mud to get to the stream which my geog teachers happily christened "River Venus" because it was near this road called Venus Drive. You can see part of the stream from the road and you'll think us insane for going there. But it was fun.
The water is ankle height mostly, though there is a narrow stretch that goes up to knee high [near two fallen logs] in the upper course. You can see fish in the water...quite big too. We all got quite muddy on our way there, since we had to trudge through treacherous black mud and sneaky tree roots that if not noticed would have endeavoured to ensure you had a nice fall flat on the ground which by the way, had lots of small pebbles on it.
Anyway, about the stream. It's really clear..not sparkling but really inviting, and when you step into it, the first thought that came to me was - its nicely cold! And so clean! Haha.. An urbie in a jungle and liking it=) Thank goodness my slippers were more durable than they looked; the riverbed sort of sucks your feet in [not unlike quicksand, which doesn't actually exist] and I have to pull my feet out each time I take a step. Sadness. Haha... An interesting experience I must say.
What fascinates me though is that a natural river complete with monkeys exists in sunny, sanitised Singapore. I've gone to such places before in other parts of Singapore, but I guess it takes a new perception to see the wonder of a place. Just seeing the two geog teachers being so enthusiastic and eager to point out different things and offering useful pointers already makes it all different - we are all having fun, the teachers, while not forgetting their roles, being relaxed and helpful...too are enjoying themselves and that is all it takes for the ideal classroom. I've never really enjoyed myself this much at a river before. The last time I went clam fishing..I was itching all over and being scratched by the low-growing brambles. Thankfully the view more than made up for it. Gotta go.
The water is ankle height mostly, though there is a narrow stretch that goes up to knee high [near two fallen logs] in the upper course. You can see fish in the water...quite big too. We all got quite muddy on our way there, since we had to trudge through treacherous black mud and sneaky tree roots that if not noticed would have endeavoured to ensure you had a nice fall flat on the ground which by the way, had lots of small pebbles on it.
Anyway, about the stream. It's really clear..not sparkling but really inviting, and when you step into it, the first thought that came to me was - its nicely cold! And so clean! Haha.. An urbie in a jungle and liking it=) Thank goodness my slippers were more durable than they looked; the riverbed sort of sucks your feet in [not unlike quicksand, which doesn't actually exist] and I have to pull my feet out each time I take a step. Sadness. Haha... An interesting experience I must say.
What fascinates me though is that a natural river complete with monkeys exists in sunny, sanitised Singapore. I've gone to such places before in other parts of Singapore, but I guess it takes a new perception to see the wonder of a place. Just seeing the two geog teachers being so enthusiastic and eager to point out different things and offering useful pointers already makes it all different - we are all having fun, the teachers, while not forgetting their roles, being relaxed and helpful...too are enjoying themselves and that is all it takes for the ideal classroom. I've never really enjoyed myself this much at a river before. The last time I went clam fishing..I was itching all over and being scratched by the low-growing brambles. Thankfully the view more than made up for it. Gotta go.
From the Road to Feminism
We had a rather interesting class discussion yesterday about feminism – about what worked, how it could be improved and what didn't work or were setbacks yet to be solved. It was a lesson that took an hour and a half, and we talked about several interesting points which I shall not elaborate on. What I mean is, I'll only touch on a couple of the points made today.
One point that struck me was the discussion on Kay Ebeling's "a biological thing". The author felt that it was the biological differences between men and women that is the impossible barrier that prevented women from having an equal chance at success.
A classmate of mine agreed that it was the case and went on to explain his views: A pregnant woman who is also a working woman would certainly lag behind her male counterparts as she would not be in the best of positions to do her job competently. Worse still, as mentioned by another classmate, two months of maternity leave would set her even further back as the male employees would have progressed much more in the time she was not there.
Not to mention family expectations: both a bread winner and having to fulfill the normal expectations of being a good house maker and child-rearer. Expectations that only the women are expected to fulfill. Ebeling stresses on this point by claiming that Feminism has in this way added pressure on women's lives by throwing on the unneeded responsibility of holding a job; that because of our biological differences, we women would never be a man's equal.
However, what struck me was where these expectations came from–yes, we are made different physically, but why should that stop us? There are many single women out there who lead successful lives, without children of their own. To me, it is not so much our biological differences that has prevented women from getting that shot to success but the stereotypical roles that men and women still play. Traditionally, women are expected to be the ones to raise the child, cook, clean and maintain the household. Men are traditionally the bread-winners. It is here that the Feminist cause has failed–not because of our biological differences but in its failure to address the issue of gender stereotypes. Women will always be regarded with suspicion (whether saddled with a child or not) if they hold top positions in a company or are the presidents of a country or mingle in what are commonly male-dominated fields. A female soldier in the SAF–few and far between. And likewise for the men. Think about it: what would the normal reaction be if you heard of a househusband?
Another point that came up during our discussion had to do with what feminism stood for – ladies do we really want equality? A fine idea brought up by my classmates [a guy naturally]: If the girls are so determined to get equality why don't they just do NS too? It's voluntary for the girls. I would think they wanted double standards” Yup. As Jane says it, "All we want is a better life." And I agree. Feminism isn't about equality really – it's more of empowering the women to live the life they want, and not be oppressed by society.
One point that struck me was the discussion on Kay Ebeling's "a biological thing". The author felt that it was the biological differences between men and women that is the impossible barrier that prevented women from having an equal chance at success.
A classmate of mine agreed that it was the case and went on to explain his views: A pregnant woman who is also a working woman would certainly lag behind her male counterparts as she would not be in the best of positions to do her job competently. Worse still, as mentioned by another classmate, two months of maternity leave would set her even further back as the male employees would have progressed much more in the time she was not there.
Not to mention family expectations: both a bread winner and having to fulfill the normal expectations of being a good house maker and child-rearer. Expectations that only the women are expected to fulfill. Ebeling stresses on this point by claiming that Feminism has in this way added pressure on women's lives by throwing on the unneeded responsibility of holding a job; that because of our biological differences, we women would never be a man's equal.
However, what struck me was where these expectations came from–yes, we are made different physically, but why should that stop us? There are many single women out there who lead successful lives, without children of their own. To me, it is not so much our biological differences that has prevented women from getting that shot to success but the stereotypical roles that men and women still play. Traditionally, women are expected to be the ones to raise the child, cook, clean and maintain the household. Men are traditionally the bread-winners. It is here that the Feminist cause has failed–not because of our biological differences but in its failure to address the issue of gender stereotypes. Women will always be regarded with suspicion (whether saddled with a child or not) if they hold top positions in a company or are the presidents of a country or mingle in what are commonly male-dominated fields. A female soldier in the SAF–few and far between. And likewise for the men. Think about it: what would the normal reaction be if you heard of a househusband?
Another point that came up during our discussion had to do with what feminism stood for – ladies do we really want equality? A fine idea brought up by my classmates [a guy naturally]: If the girls are so determined to get equality why don't they just do NS too? It's voluntary for the girls. I would think they wanted double standards” Yup. As Jane says it, "All we want is a better life." And I agree. Feminism isn't about equality really – it's more of empowering the women to live the life they want, and not be oppressed by society.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Down the Dark Side
So. I went to watch Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith. Which is unlike me because I've told myself and everyone that it disgusted me. I didn't like Anakin Skywalker - he remainded me of a certain Shakespearian French prince I'd detested. Dear ol' Hamlet and Anakin have SO much in common; for instance that fetish for black which undoubtedly a cool, fashion trend defining colour is really ugh. For another thing both decide to lose their heads after the death of a close family member. Really, one would think George Lucas is a present day Shakespeare of sorts.
But then again, I am forced to say that after watching the movie, it was cool. Not once did I yawn or plead earnestly for it to end, except ironically, maybe at the ending which was totally predictable because someone HAD the fine idea to produce a saga backwards,prequel last. I am sidetracking...the merits of the movie could be summed up thus: the lightsaber battles can only be described as "Whoa"..lots more villians and one to one battles ...more than makes up for the not very unique storyline. But lets not put it that way either...Let not the story define the character but characters define the story...On the whole I'll say it wasn't bad..just not to my taste.
So how did I end up watching a movie that I had no intention of watching..even if a dozen monsters were clutching at my heels? Well..it begins with my journey to the inhospitable place that is the Singapore Zoological Gardens..my sis's fine idea (not this sworn couch potatoe's) on a day where upon arriving at the said godforsaken ulu corner of our island it started to pour. I make that clear- pour. Not rain. We gave up and went home in spirits that were probably as damp as our current weather conditions. So I got blackmailed into going to the movies because my sis refused to go alone with only my mum for company. Guess which cinema? My mum picked Balestier - another godforsaken location which has yummy wanton noodles. There must be something about eating food from inconvenient locations. The stress and time required to get to the place must account for that extra special flavour. Oh joy..what a great way to end a great day. And as they say: May the force be with you...(Why do I complain??)
But then again, I am forced to say that after watching the movie, it was cool. Not once did I yawn or plead earnestly for it to end, except ironically, maybe at the ending which was totally predictable because someone HAD the fine idea to produce a saga backwards,prequel last. I am sidetracking...the merits of the movie could be summed up thus: the lightsaber battles can only be described as "Whoa"..lots more villians and one to one battles ...more than makes up for the not very unique storyline. But lets not put it that way either...Let not the story define the character but characters define the story...On the whole I'll say it wasn't bad..just not to my taste.
So how did I end up watching a movie that I had no intention of watching..even if a dozen monsters were clutching at my heels? Well..it begins with my journey to the inhospitable place that is the Singapore Zoological Gardens..my sis's fine idea (not this sworn couch potatoe's) on a day where upon arriving at the said godforsaken ulu corner of our island it started to pour. I make that clear- pour. Not rain. We gave up and went home in spirits that were probably as damp as our current weather conditions. So I got blackmailed into going to the movies because my sis refused to go alone with only my mum for company. Guess which cinema? My mum picked Balestier - another godforsaken location which has yummy wanton noodles. There must be something about eating food from inconvenient locations. The stress and time required to get to the place must account for that extra special flavour. Oh joy..what a great way to end a great day. And as they say: May the force be with you...(Why do I complain??)
Monday, May 23, 2005
My New Blog [duh]
Ok..a major milestone for this unhi-tech person. To get a few things straight, one, I apologise for the hideous look of this blog, which will be amended and redemmed once I get to it. Next, I hope you'll enjoy [or pardon, depending] the nonsense I spill out into this little space of mine. This blog is where I I let loose myself because there really isn't anyone stopping me. Not really true but at least its a place I can escape to. Already I sound like a schizophrenic case..the fact that it is the TV premier of A Beautiful Mind going on right now doesn't help either. What helps is that it is a public holiday tomorrow though I find that I shall be up at some unearthly hour to play badminton with an old friend of mine. She claims it would be too hot to play after 10. 1As in 10AM. What joy. No really...it is joy..to meet up with ye olde friends is a joy that I find I seldom get enough of. People I want to see, I don't get to. People I Don't want to see I do..but that as they say is Life. A lot we like to think are blamed on 'Life' or Fate or whatever. And so shall we go on with this. Ciao for now.
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