Dramas high, low and everything in between (including mamas)

When I first got into the musical, I knew I was getting into some of drama. What I didn't realise was that I'd be getting into more forms of drama than expected... well, put together enough ppl and the shit stirs itself. What's sad is the lack of maturity in the party involved. Anyway what's done is done - people do what people do.

So are there any lessons to be learned from this?
1. Think about this - what are the stereotypical caricatures of theatre people? Self-absorbed, liable not to think before speaking, attention-seeking, trying to prove themselves, and the like. Given that you'd be in an environment comprised of such people, does it not make sense to grow thy skin a little thicker?
2. The secret to life, the universe and everything, besides 42. Learn. To. Laugh. At. Yourself. Don't make me go all Anthony Robbins on you. Oh what the heck.

Do you want more friends?
Do you want to be happier?
Do you want more respect?
Do you want to live easier?
Do you want less stress and stomach ulcers?
Do you want to exude maturity and sexiness?

What? I can't hear you!

The answer: LEARN TO LAUGH AT YOURSELF!

Fool.

3. Mai Kiau Sai, or Stir No Shit. People will joke, tease, bitch. Sometimes its at other people's expense. Sometimes not. Sometimes harm is meant, and sometimes not. It can be done to de-stress, to build camaraderie, to have fun. If you feel that the person ought to know what others are saying about him/her, think. What is your intention? What results do you want to create by doing this? What are the consequences of doing this? Are you sure you have a clear picture of what's really going on? You see, if people are genuinely being nasty for no good reason, and you stand up against that on noble grounds, lovely. You're a Hero. If you got any part of that wrong, you're a Dumb Ass(tm).


One of the ways I'm thankful that I don't live in the UK, is that I'd be wasting money on things from here. Cleverly called "I Want One Of Those", it's tagline is "Stuff you don't need... but really really want." And it's true! From foam-missile launchers (oh the pranks you could play in the office) to rubber-band gatling guns (your very own drive-by shooting!) to lightsabres (sorry can't find the other items' links anymore), it rocks! And it's not all boys' toys.

On the other hand, THIS would be bloody awesome. Earn London income, live in bloody Barcelona. Holy moly crappity crap! If you haven't been to Barcelona before, go. It is GOOOORGEOUS. Ok caveat is that you need to interested in culture. Antoni Gaudí has some seriously mental works of architecture there, my all-time favourite being La Sagrada Família.

It is a cathedral. Yes, bitch-ass enough to put the fear of anything into you. For scale, you would be about as tall as the shortest tree in the picture. Holy-mother-of-god (whoever that is) indeed. Wikipedia has the above picture in 7MB (about 2 desktops wide and 5 tall). I seriously believe that it is the embodiment of "fear of God", in contrast to other catherals (in my experience, St Paul's in London, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Basilica and a couple more in Italy) where it inspires awe and grandeur and a certain humility. They shout "God is great!" whereas La Sagrada Família yells "God will whoop your puny mortal ass!"

You can actually go up one of the spires, cross that little bridge (Petronas Twin Towers' skybridge eat your metal heart out) and come down another spire. What is seriously scary about that is that the bridge is open-air. The holes in the spires are windows. Open air. You're climbing up and up and up these stone stairs, and the higher you go the more wind you feel. Does the spire sway to the wind? I don't know, but it bloody feels like you're going to fly off. It gets so damn windy and high but hell it's a fantastic rush. Love it.

The other big highlight of Barcelona is Las Ramblas. It's these flow of streets (where 50% of the street space is pedestrian) with lots of little shops and cafés with lots of street performances going on - mimes and dancing and whatnot. Looooove it. It starts at the Plaça de Catalunya (a square / plaza) and eventually ends at a tall statue of Cristobal Colon (aka Christopher Columbus) proudly pointing at the New World, which overlooks the Mediterranean.

C'mon, imagine this. Take a city. Plonk it between a mountain and the most beautiful sea in the world. Fill it with fiercely independent people who refuse to be told what to do. Who are apt to dress up for no reason whatsoever (I'm talking 3-piece suits here). Throw in an absolutely gila-fied artist / architect and allow him to build a meringue house, an astigmatism house, a rojak park (Park Güell) guarded by a cicak on LSD, and the most kick-ass cathedral in the world. Fill the land and the seas with plenty - fish, fruit, veg, meat, wine, aguardiente, cigars. Yes, I absolutely love Barcelona, I does.


Ahhhh episodic gaming. Interesting idea, is it not? Applying the concept that sells serials like Lost and 24 to gaming. Instead of packing everything into one (and taking all that time, space and resources), break it apart into smaller, more exciting (hopefully) bits that keep gamers more satisfied, more regularly. The dilemma I face is this: the first game trying this novel concept out is Half Life 2: Episode 1. They rock, and I'd gladly buy their games. Except the problem is that I'd have to buy original, in USD. I'd be paying about RM80 for a game that's meant to be done in 4-6 hours. I think the original Half Life 2 took 20+ hours to complete, and I think the original here cost RM160. So, value for money, no. For greater value for money, I'm tempted by their "Gold Package" or whatever they call it - a huge bunch of their original games for USD80. Except of course... there's a bunch of games I'll probably not play. Anyway, I'll succumb soon. When Episode 2 comes out.

Star Wars: Empire at War's getting an expansion pack. Called Forces of Corruption. Now that is one game I'm surprised I don't enjoy more. I was so impressed by the demo I bought the original, but I hardly play it now. Command your own Star Destroyers, with your own squadrons of TIE fighters and bombers, in a decently executed system. Cool right? Dunnolah. I think I've been spoiled by Dawn of War (check out Maybel's promotion of it) with its very fast-paced and varied action. Hope my enjoyment of it gets revived by this expansion.

I just can't stop yakking, can I? Must cut down my estrogen supplements.