Of shows and stories

It's been an awesome week of Broken Bridges (yes everything else has suffered, unfortunately). We've had 1.6321 standing ovation(s?) - yes a scattering of people who so enjoyed the show that they stood up every other night or so. It's such a wonderful feeling having people you know in the audience. Thank you so very much for coming guys + families. If anyone reading this still hasn't come, make sure you bloody do! This is the last week, and Saturday's unavailable, and people are loving it (for the most part). Monday's Star Two (page 13) has a write up on it, here's the online version. Also, kakiseni.com has some feedback from various people on their article, as well as a full review by Nigel Skelchy (who, I am still embarrassed to admit, I couldn't remember when I met him after the show). Sorry dudes... but your cakes ARE Heavenly!


Recently ate at Italiannies at The Curve. Never again. The only positive I can say is that the portions are large (yes, and that's not always a positive). Overpriced, undertasty. Bleh. Also, Marché at The Curve ain't all that hot. Singapore's one is faaaar superior, with greater variety and at relatively cheaper cost. I was even disappointed at the rösti here! Rösti (fried grated potatoes if you're culinarily wondering [wiki entry]; Alt-148 if you're geekily wondering) is absolutely yummilicious and has to be experienced at least once in anyone's lifetime. But go down to Singapore's Marché for it - unless someone can tell me of a good source of rösti here. Hmmm so far, the makan at The Curve has yet to impress me.


Plane passenger tells security penis pump is bomb. So, kids, no matter how excited you are about your newest toy, never say it's "da bomb" to men in uniform. On the other hand, if anyone's wondering what to buy me for my birthday, Vertu's coming up with a new phone. If you don't know what a Vertu is, fear thy ignorance not - they are merely the makers of the most ridiculously expensive mobile phones in the world [their website]. They are the Ferraris / Patek Philippes / double-latte-with-vanilla-shots where your phones are the Protons / Casios / kopi-o's. Ok a simpler parallel - your phone costs what, 4-digits RM at most? RM2k is expensive, right? You'd expect the full works muthafokker! Bluetooth, WiFi, 3G, EDGE, GPRS, and a dozen complimentary "oohs" and "aahs" from anyone who sees it. Yeah? Well ok here's a Vertu. Entry level model = 5-digits RM. No Bluetooth WiFi 3G EDGE. Possible GPRS. ZERO complimentary "oohs" and "aahs" from ANYONE ("what phone is that har? Never see before wan..."). Only a nod of approval from those in the know. But no plastic screen for you mate - only sapphire. Would you like your phone in gold or silver? Titanium perhaps? Laced with diamonds? Very good, sir. Ok I might exaggerate about the titanium, but not the rest. Serious shit - go check out the website for yourself. So yes, thank you in advance for my birthday present. I might sell it though...


Interesting shows in the area that I'll be going for: Butterfly Lovers, by the famed Dama Orchestra, at KLPAC; and Forbidden City, at Singapore's Esplanade. Both look most interesting and I am so looking forward to it. On a similar note, I'm seriously considering writing a play based on some people I know. Possibly a musical (yes I'm getting addicted to them). Their story is absolutely fascinating and totally drama-filled. Any input / ideas / contacts / suggestions / whatever, you know how to tell me.

A massage and a standing ovation later...

... and I am at one with the world. Rapturous joy. Sheer ecstasy (the emotion, not the pill - unless there's no difference). Positively orgasmic. It is truly a high point in one's life to have that (standing ovation, not the orgasm - which should be MULTIPLE high points anyway).


Had a massage at The Comfort Zone. Not bad, very simple and very reasonable. They're currently having a promotion for first-timers at RM48 for an hour.


No regular decent internet connection means I stop here.

Elation

That is the word to describe how I feel. "On cloud nine" could work too. Here I am, at the end of our Broken Bridges' Opening Night - mildly pissed (3 glasses of champagne) and very very happy. A great run, having many friends who turned up and thoroughly enjoyed the show, having some great opening night party makan and drinks, listening to our original cast recording, reading our programme book. What a fucking awesome combination!!!

I'm so happy I could cry. Wooh what a rush. We have a psycho 70-odd pages programme book that is goooorgeous, and everyone looks so great. Hell man, my theatre debut's immortalised in sheer beauty - the CD sounds good (well the voices do - unfortunately without the whole band the songs are a bit lacking now), the set is fricking awesome (so any pictures taken look great, ta muchly Jia Wei!), and we're just blowing people away. Coolness man!

So here I am now - on my "balcony" (you'll have to see it to understand the quotes) with a cigarillo (I SO wanted a cigar but didn't think of getting one), and full of love. Think about this - these are the people I got to work with: Joe and Faridah, long-time hardcore theatre veterans; Mervyn, god-like vocal coach and music veteran; the band, a wonderful amalgamation of musical talent; the backstage crew, a dedicated and focused bunch; and the actors, a massive rojak-pot of assorted aptitudes - be it comedy, leadership, dramatic ideas, mellifluous voices, elegant poise, fluid grace, serious stepping-out-of-the-box or real self-actualisation - we have it all. I am so honoured and overjoyed to work with this crew. No regrets man! All the time, energy, commitment, dedication and passion - all worth it.

Hearing feedback from the audience like "was the music all recorded? It sounded too good to have been sung" (MULTIPLE TIMES okay!) to "the songs were great" to "you were great" to "I really enjoyed it" and all the sobs and tears - love it. Fucking love it. Walking on air. Rainbows everywhere. Yes, the performing arts is all about attention-seeking and approval-seeking (let's not go into the philosophy of that) but holy crapamoly what a feeling it is when you get it.

Personally, from a self-development point of view, I have crossed a major mother milestone. Singing with everything I've got in front of 400-odd people; AND THEN being told that I actually sound great is really a source of pride for me. It's like being told "I wanna be JUST like YOU!" Fuwaaahhhhhhhh! Okay man Douglas, you have a contender for the lead role of the next run of Broken Bridges.

To those of you who came tonight: thank you so very much. You don't know how much it means to me to have seen your faces after the show. And of course the ego-inflation was kinda nice. To those of you who haven't come or don't have a clue: come! You'll love it. And I'll love you for it.

Matinee show tomorrow so must rest. Nighty night.

"You need an audience"

These words were spoken by our director himself, 2 nights ago. I don't think that there can be any more encouraging words to be heard a few days prior to Opening Night. Fuwaaaahhhhh what a rush! What a feeling... *jeng jeng... jeng jeng jeng jeng* start believin'...

Last night was an exhausting sound check. Tonight'll be an even more exhausting technical run - in English, that's meant to be a run where all the cues are practiced. Set changes, light changes, possibly sound changes (mics muted or unmuted, etc). Tedious, dull, but very necessary. At least we got to mess around with our real costumes last night. Gotta keep telling myself to be extra careful changing shirts - I keep messing up my mic!

I think, my friends from outside this musical (who are still my friends after not seeing them for so damn long) - you will die laughing after seeing my costumes. Well, my 1st and 3rd, really. Prepare yourselves.


For people who like Russell Peters ("be a man... do the right thing"), he's in Singapore doing shows on the 6th and 7th of October. Info and tickets here - S$100 and S$85 man!


What is the use of the hymen indeed.


Not impressed with Performancing - I made a blog entry a couple of days ago but I can't view it today. Looks like I need to republish it or something. Nonsense.

5 days to go...

Opening Night. Saturday night. 19th August 2006. How exciting. Tonight's our last night in the rehearsal studio (where many of our shots have been taken) and tomorrow, it's back on stage. Woo hoo, with the full set and full costumes. How damn bloody exciting. It's tradition to have a "kenduri" on the last night in the rehearsal studio, and Joe's preparing his yummified chicken soup. Today's shaping up well already.

Rehearsals are all going well, we're in the stage where only minor refinement is needed. Everyone's regularly reproducing good results - even Mervyn doesn't have to give us as much hell over our articulation. Admittedly, last Thursday we had a real hell session - I was so exhausted halfway through the night as we started with the costumes (which were really kelam kabut) and then we were repeatedly drilled by 3 sergeants. Starting right, closing right, breathing right, accenting right, pronouncing right, pitching right; then it would be feet, or hands, or faces; then finally it would be, "guys, you don't look like you're enjoying yourselves out there". It's one of those 'putting your head through a glass window' situations.

So maybe it all works. Anyway it's all working NOW, which is important and Very Very Good. I'm personally very pleased with my growth - I'm at the stage where I really don't worry about my singing or my words anymore, and can completely trust myself to get it right; which allows me to act. Of course, even if I get it wrong I can't do anything about it at that moment... so might as well give in completely lah. Ultimately, you can tell me how it goes on performance nights.


Currently hooked on Shogun, by James Clavell - reading it for my 2nd or 3rd time. Well, not reading every single word per se but going through the book and story again. Love it. Makes Japan so damn romantic and sexy and shiok-eda. Set in the 16th century so there's lots of things happening - samurais and ninjas and daimyos, and Portugese and Spanish and Jesuits and Franciscans, and Inquisitions and silk and tea and the introduction of cannons and muskets. It's fiction, yet based on history as we know it - I love those kind of stories. For history buffs, it's the period of time where the European powers are busy colonising the world when they're not fighting or marrying each other; and the Spanish and Portugese are the global powers (after the Dutch and before the English). And the Chinese and Japanese aren't talking to each other (with Korea getting whacked on both sides) but Japan wants Chinese silks and Chinese want Japanese silver / gold. I think I'll go live in Japan for a while. Anyone wanna come?


Also semi-hooked on Titan Quest. It's been far too long since I've gotten into an RPG, so you could say it's about time. On the other hand, I don't have time for get hooked into epic books and RPGs, so it's good that I still don't own Titan Quest (and have almost finished Shogun). Played it multiplayer at Clutch Gamers (SS2) with M and recently Azmir, and it's good fun lah. Simple and intuitive and lots of sexy magic (flying shards of ice and exploding fireballs, it's geek paradise). What's also great is that M's hooked on it - it's her first but she's really gotten into the whole levelling up and getting ridiculously named equipment like "Alleviating Great Helm of Recovery" (yeah I wouldn't put one on my head either) thing. Another point for computer games!


I tell you, only in Wales can a man get so drunk to want a joyride with a goat.


So guys, show some love and come check out Broken Bridges. Mini-poster's on the right, at the top. I promise an exciting and fun show that's well worth your money.

Shorter and sweeter

No, I'm still NOT talking about that. If you have discovered how to make it sweet though, tell me - I'm sure women the world over will be immeasurably happier.


Once I received this on a newsletter, I had to share it:

Love one another, but make not a bond of Love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
- Kahlil Gibran

Wonderful, isn't it. Love is not a solid bond that never changes, not a fixed structure that never moves, not a constant feeling that never ebbs. Rather, love is fluid - like energy, always flowing. Growing, shrinking, adapting - different forms, different sizes, different colours.


On a further diving note, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQWxIrSRDQQ&NR

That's called a mimic octopus. Practically the most WTF creature on the planet. Apparently it can mimic (copy) about 9 different underwater predators to scare away anything that wants to eat it. Cool shit.


Seeing as Janice is doing such a good job on set, here's a place she could find employment after BB in China. I'd love to go to a place like that man. Don't know about working there though.


Lastly, I'm trying out Performancing for Firefox. Don't know about the name, but it allows me to blog on my browser without going to www.blogger.com . Sits on the bottom half of my browser screen. There are quite a few gadgets and buttons and stuff that I'll be trying out. Unfortunately, no image upload capability (unless I surrender completely and get a Flickr or Picasa or ShareYourPhotosWithTheWorld thingy). Reviews to continue.

Short and sweet

No, I'm not referring to THAT. Sheesh. Get your mind out of the gutter, will you. How can it be sweet anyway?


1. Dawn of War: Dark Crusade is coming out bloody soon, and I can't wait. I've just discovered some way cool information about what else is new in that expansion pack. That game so rocks.

2. A friend of mine has started creating art (for interiors) for people, at a reasonable price. Check out her gallery - pretty interesting stuff. She's a cool funky chick too, if anyone's looking. Might have your balls for breakfast though.

3. The dive pictures from my previous post are courtesy of my diving instructor, Chooi. Check out his website if you wanna join him for diving trips and/or lessons. He's a damn good laugh and excellent company for any trips. He also does outdoorsy stuff - hiking, caving, that kind of thing. He also knows some of the best places to eat in Malaysia, so he's handy to have in a cross-country road trip. BTW those pictures are just a tiny sample of what you can see - if you like underwater pics tell me and I'll show you more. But yes, the last 3 are really some of the ugliest buggers you'll see underwater (depending on who you bring down with you).

4. Yes, I will put up a profile picture soon. And a title banner. Eventually.


To end, I'll share one of my all-time favourite pics with you.
To the geographically-disadvantaged, that's western Europe as well as western Africa, and the Altantic Ocean. That shadow reflects the sun setting - hence the lights that are on in the dark areas. Isn't that just fucking gorgeous? You can make out the cities by the constellation of lights, and you can even make out the depths of the various parts of the oceans... islands, reefs, the deep blue. Notice how many lights there are IN the Sahara. Happening eh?

Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars...

Creatures of Habit

I'm actually missing blogging. Here I am, sitting in Studio 5 of KLPAC, waiting for M to finish her part of the rehearsal. Tapping away at my computer. It seems to have become a part of me, spilling the contents of my mind into the formless ether that is the internet. Either goes to show how much goes on inside my head, or how much time I have. Assuming the former, I really enjoy this "dumping". It really IS like taking a crap - all that accumulation, you gotta let it go. Sometimes it comes out really smoothly, like BANG profound thought exquisitely communicated. Sometimes, well, not so... eloquently. Variegated pebbles of thought, massive spurts of multicoloured ideas, irritating concepts that need to be squeezed out. The parallels to shitting are countless. Guess I've just proven how full of it I am, huh?


A huge challenge of being in a musical is the package we need to deliver. Individually, there's the acting singing moving/dancing. Being in character, singing in pitch & volume, being where you need to be, expressing whatever you need to express. As a group, we need to keep all that congruent - all our characters need to belong and make sense; our singing needs to be equally good (starting verses, pitch, volume, closing words, emphasis/accents); our movements and physicality need to make sense; and we all need to express something (a variety is fine - what you want to avoid is emotional blankness). My respect for musicals (and the ppl in them) have grown infinitely in the past few months.

We've recently been heavily drilled on our singing of the opening song, "Ipoh Town". As the opening, it has to be absolutely perfect, it has to be absolutely mind-blowing. Absolutely "grabbing by their short & curlies", as Joe would say. So we received hell from Pope-incumbent for about an hour, who, I was thinking, had to undo all the bad habits we'd picked up along the way and reinstall good habits which would make the song work. You see, He came in only quite some time after we had learned our songs - before that, we didn't have a vocal coach. So we learned to sing however we did (very unclearly) and that's been stuck with us since. Unfortunately, being human, we'd receive another dose of hell from God when we had to sing and move - the whole associating a movement with a way of singing thing. More reinstalling, then (Microsoft, anyone?). Reminds me of a quote from a decently intelligent fellow:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle

I am so grateful that we're having an awesome singer and actress open our opening number. You don't know what a contribution and an inspiration you are, ma'am. Thanks, Fang.


We've also received 2 pieces of very interesting news regarding our production:

1. We're going to perform in Ipoh! Slated for the last weekend of November, in their cultural hall (or something like that). 3 shows. Coolness! I think the writers are supremely chuffed at that news.

2. We're going to have a most august audience for our last Saturday show, which will also mark the official opening of KLPAC - Yang Amat Dudeness himself, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi. How fucking cool is that?!? Not that I'm dying to meet him or anything - I haven't got any good ideas on how to transform Malaysia into THE global superpower yet - but it's a very tangible display that this show is really something big. Who knows, the show might even get extended...

An oooooold schoolmate of mine just contacted me telling me that she's enjoying my blog. Shock and horror. Thanks girl, you really did make my day. Furthermore, she added that she'd be in KL in Dec and hoped that Broken Bridges would still be on then. What faith. Who knows, right? So, to everyone out there, please give Uncle Lah a call to tell him to make BB the official musical of Malaysia with X number of shows every month, and we're sorted.

To my further shock and horror, we've been given more time off rehearsals. 2 whole Saturdays off. It's great yeah, can rest and get a much-much-needed massage, but really Joe, I think that's quite inconsiderate of you. I've completely settled into the fact that I have NO life (see what I'm doing now) and my friends only know me as IN THE COCKPIT. Now, there's the whole of Saturday to play with. AND Friday night too! Cyber cafe is no longer the only option! Crikey. I mean, really. What the hell am I supposed to do?!?


To all divers and nature lovers out there, in case you haven't heard, Sipadan is safe from myopic capitalist scum once again (click this if you're big into preserving Malaysia's natural heritage). Thank you very much Pak Lah! Bloody stupid asswipes lah the Sabah government. Honestly. Think about this: you have one of the best dive sites in the whole world (top 5, varies according to who's ranking it). You have a serious treasure-house of marine biodiversity - think an underwater rainforest. It is one super-killer of a tourist attraction. You get all the resorts on the island to fuck off, to protect the whole environment. Then, you turn evil (and excredibly stupid). You somehow lose the barracudas there (you can NOT believe the sight of these babies). You crash a monster barge into the corals. You decide to build a mama-resort ON Sipadan itself! Hallo?!?!?

Actually maybe that's something I'll ask Pak Lah for: to be the justice dispenser for the Sipadan fallacy. Judge, Jury and Executioner of the Sipadan Outrage. That would be an awesome name card. "Yes, I'm looking for the Minister of Stupid Decisions. No, I don't have an appointment. Here's my card. Yup, you are SCREWED MOTHERFUCKER!!! Evidence shows that you don't know you can't park a fucking barge on coral like a fucking construction lorry. I pronounce you guilty of abuse of nature and extreme stupidity, and sentence you to lifetime imprisonment in a tank of unhappy crabs." Aaahhhh... satisfaction.

Allow me to demonstrate the beauties of Sipadan.
This is how divers see it. Minus the cicak. That point's called Drop-Off because the land (slightly underwater) drops off to a depth of 2 km or so. That is Very Very Deep. Here are some common beauties you'll see:

Lionfish

TurtleClownfishReef sharkPorcupine fish

Bumphead parrotfish

And here's a bunch of things to make you go WTF?!?

Cuttlefish (seriously)

Leaf fish

Some kind of Flat fish

Frog fish

Handsome buggers, aren't they? This is just a tiny sample of the kind of shit you'll see in Sipadan (plus Mabul & Kapalai, which are nearby islands). Let me tell you that diving is one hell of an experience. Spiritual, even. You HAVE to try it, especially if you're in Malaysia (it's so accessible lah!). You'll see things that will blow your mind, and you'll notice that sci-fi stuff aren't so way-out after all. Love it love it love it.


Ate at a place called Sticky Fingers over the weekend. Near No Black Tie, which is somewhere I really need to go sometime. They're famous for their ribs, which are pretty good. They do pork (melts off the bone, mmmm) and lamb (fatty yummy), in a multitude of sauces and VERY reasonably too. RM21 for half slab, RM28 for full (you WILL be full, too). Cheapest wine was RM80, had a red (can't remember ANY details) which was decent. Far better than the Rib Shop in Damansara Heights.


New Scientist explains why drinking beer is good for the planet. I'm off to save the world now.

A foggy day in London town...

Just discovered another blogger's review of (the preview of) Broken Bridges, check it out! She's quite a psycho chick. There's loads of really nice pictures there though. I think she's going to London soon, which made me think about my time there.

It's always with mixed emotions that I recall London. There's the depressing weather, the grey, the damp, the dirtiness of it all, the mass of people people people. Then there's the whole sheer romantic beauty of history, of the river, the bridges, the random works of art, fountains, statues, the wonderful oldness of it all. It's expensive, and it's a capital city, and it's a madhouse. There's anything and everything you could ever look for or want. It is truly a living, breathing organism - dirty and smelly in some places, and breathtakingly beautiful in others.

It is truly the epitomy of scotomisation. Or rather, the idea that "you cannot see what you don't know". For example, Leicester Square. All my time there, I know it as 'the expensive cinema area' (there's a special Odeon there that charges £11 per ticket - that's currently about RM70 for a movie ticket! For reference, it's about 3 times more expensive than the cheapest movie ticket you can find in London). Sometimes there are street performances. I recently found out that it's the most happening 'pick-up' area in London and that it's filled with players. No idea.

Of course, with sooo damn many people, it can be very impersonal. There's a wonderful sense of anonymity there that really allows you to just be. No one knows, no one cares. It needs a little getting used to, of course - but it can be the most liberating thing in the whole world. Especially with Asian culture being so tight-knit and kay-poh. Maybe it's just Malaysian culture, since we aren't so numerous - I don't know the perspective of crazily populous places like Japan and China. Now THAT is another adventure I'd like to partake in sometime - living in one of those places for an extended period of time. Undergo ninja training or something. Kick-ass!

The thing I miss most about the UK is the people. Or the language. Or the humour. Some subtle combination of it all. Funniest people in the whole world. Sorry lah Americans, it's true. The best joke you have currently sits in the White House. If a nation can come up with Ali G (and "ultimate" site), man they're good. There isn't a show, no matter how banal, where they don't try to inject some humour into it. Nothing is too serious or important to be laughed at (including themselves). Their newspapers and magazines are really a joy to read. Hence my daily e-mail subscription of BBC. Now I don't even read The Star or NST every day, but I do my BBC. One of the more neutral coverages around, methinks - I'm not keen on US propaganda. I love BBC's Day in pictures.


Now on a more serious subject, here's a scary article - Environmental 'crisis' in Lebanon. Hallo, fuckers, wake up! It's a fucking HUMANITARIAN DISASTER in Lebanon! Kids are signing on missiles and bombs that are being launched into Lebanon. WTF?!? It's crazy shit it's madness. Thank God Malaysia's a peaceful paradise on earth. Shit man, we're so pacifist that if someone fired a gun on the street, I don't think anyone would duck. We'd all be looking around, like, aiyo whose tayar pancet so loud wan?

I mean, wtf right. Can you imagine if Singapore kidnapped 2 of our soldiers? Ok there are hundreds of hilarious reactions to that, from "sure, take them thanks!" to "Malaysians, there will be a temporary cut to your water supply while we attempt to flood Singapore...", but imagine further that we retaliated. Can't right? What, rolling tanks across the causeway? Our jets shrieking by overhead, sonic booms vibrating through our Twin Towers? JB converted into a massive military bunker?

Of course, realistically I think they'd whip us left right and centre (if we don't sink them in time). Every Singaporean is NS-trained and gun-trained. We have to ask parents permission to train our people with guns. And promise not to use real bullets.

But the article has a point. It would be a real environmental 'crisis' if we sank Singapore.


On further notes of frivolity, this is one funny site: HotorNot.com . American approval-seeking at its finest. Am I hot or not? Give me a rating! Tell me if I'm a 9 or a 10! Holy crap I'm an 8, daddy daddy pay for my plastic surgery! Okay the thought just popped into my head and I had to check for a CacatorNot.com or CacatorNot.com.my . Nope, not there. Anyone interested in a business venture to get Malaysians to ask "Am I cacat or not", you know where to find me. I'm also open to book (Dummy's Guide to Being Cacat) opportunities.

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Black Comedy

In your life, things are so twisted that you just have to laugh. You may end up insane, but you'll have fun on the way to the asylum. Your best movie matches: Being John Malkovich, The Royal Tenenbaums, American Psycho

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Thanks anomie. Me, Johann Malkovich, the Malaysian Psycho.


Went for an audition yesterday evening. A most interesting sounding play, called Ah Steve/Suzy, by a fellow cast-member. Quite a straightforward process, it was just a reading (2, actually) where I read for the part of a doctor, in the opening scene. What I liked about it is that the intro's intriguing, there's a sprinkling of Penang Hokkien in there and it's promising to be a black comedy (see above). No idea on how I did - just played the part as I would expect a psychiatrist to be: clinical, professional, detached yet connecting with the patient. We'll see.

Also heard about another musical coming up, slated for January, that sounds very interesting and exciting. No info yet so will update as and when.

Oh yeah - we have a sexy banner up at KLPAC. See.
And we're in this month's KLue. And a small ad in New Man.


So exciting.

What a mess...

... I feel. Haven't been sleeping well due to an eternal battle I fight over the past 2 nights. No no nothing to do with Space Marines or Orks or Eldar. Nor singing nor scary movies nor business. It's the hot/cold inside/outside war, against that age-old nemesis, the blanket. Or doona (Aussie for duvet), in this case. Too hot inside, too cold outside. Have you ever had that feeling you wanted to rip your own skin off 'cos it was so irritating? No? Nevermind then. Bleh.

See what happens when we get too much time off. We've had the past 2 days off - no rehearsals whatsoever. Suddenly, there was time. We had NO idea what to do with it. Balls man. Suddenly there wasn't anything knocking me out at the end of the day. I used to tease some ex-colleagues about having an inflexible routine and not having the time to try new things out. Now I see how doing less is more. Having only 2 things to focus on (work and rehearsals) has really improved my concentration on both. Not having time to do anything else has really improved the status of my wallet, too. Yes, my life will fall apart after the show's done. The solution? Make sure the show NEVER ends! Muahahaha...

Speaking about the show, it seems that the last 2 Saturdays have already been fully booked. Loverly. We'd been practising at Pentas 1 (our actual performance venue) over the past week, with most of the set. Awwwwwesome Dawesome. It's been such a great experience, esp as it's some way before the show yet. Working with the actual mics, and the band, and the set, and the lights (sometimes), and the backstage crew. Coolness.

Update since the press conference: an article came out in the Weekend Mail interviewing Douglas, Tony and Colin. A few bloggers have covered it as well. Check it out here and here. And the 2nd blogger (Nazrul) also took some videos with a digital camera. Check out the edited version and the raw footage of one of our songs, 'KL in a Nutshell'. So far so happening. To think that it looks so fabulous even in such a dinky little camera. We were also a little under-prepared in the costume department. Okay okay and in the practice department as well.

Watched a movie called The Dorm (yes we're in an era of HORRIBLE names for movies), made by the same dude as Shutter. Let me start by telling you that The Dorm is NOT a horror movie. It does feature ghosts (of course - this guy is quite the master with them), but the story itself is quite heartwarming and nice. A bit slow at parts, but you'll leave feeling good. Shutter, on the other hand... if you haven't seen it, and do watch horrors, you MUST WATCH IT. Great story, and brilliantly executed. It'll scare the shit out of you. Unless you're like my mother, who laughed at Ju-On and finds The Ring quite boring.

Just finished the 2nd season of Lost, with the expected WTF ending. M's recently finished her Nip/Tuck as well. Man, that show is RIDICULOUS. I think it's awesome that they show the actual operations (the 2 protagonists are plastic surgeons), but some of their plots are just... mad. Mental. Absolutely gila-fied. Mind you, Lost's a bit like that too. So yes, the zeitgeist for TV series is mad mad stories. At least their names are clever.

I've given up on Blogger for Word. I'm actually quite happy typing into blogger.com, and I don't open Word every day (while I do open Firefox every day). BTW if you don't know what Firefox is, wake up! It's the most kick-ass browser available today, and thrashes the shit out of Internet Explorer (and there's a LOT of shit there). Seriously. Try it for a few sessions and you'll never go back.

Time to makan. I'm going for an audition today at KLPAC (where else), for a play called "Ah Steve", showing in December. It'll be for the part of a doctor and should be interesting. I believe that it's written by one of my fellow actors, and it's directed by Faridah.

Wish me luck.


PS - BTW if you're interested in helping out or even adopting some dogs, check this out.