Jam at Indoor Stadium

Up to the point where I was sitting at the indoor stadium waiting for the stage lights to come on, I was sure if I wanted to be there. I don't usually enjoy praise and worship all that much. Once the first half hour passes, it all gets a bit repetitive and draggy for me.

A friend once said, sometimes we worship, and sometimes we sing songs. Last night was sort of like that. The first 10 minutes I just sang songs. They were good songs, full of meaning and melody. And written by a very talented pool of people at New Creation Church.

But gradually, I found myself being lifted by the music. I looked around at the people from my vantage corner seat, and instead of a sea of faces, I saw individuals who were determined to leave their worries, emotions and cares below and soar with the music.

And I realised it doesnt matter that I feel like crap, or my emotions are on overload. Because it was a time for my God and me to dance together and enjoy each other's company.

And we did. And it was good.

Banana Leaf Apollo Epiphany

The uncle came up to me as I was scooping
the last mouthful of rice and curry into my mouth;
"What do you want?" he asked, in Tamil
with a kindly twinkle as I caught his soft, warm eye.

I looked down at my leaf, with its unfinished portions
of extremely tasty veggies and meats,
and then up and around at the tables around me,
before I replied, with a wistful sigh,

"Uncle, I want the happiness of that
large family in that corner, with the three sisters
taking care of their baby brother, while their parents
look lovingly into each others eyes.

"I want that look of unbridled lust that newly wed
husband is giving his wife, while they hold hands
under the table, so his in-laws won't see them and
mar their joy with ancient disapproval.

"I want the easy camaraderie at that table of friends;
who are just as free with the insults as the praise
and punctuate each sentence with a punch to the arm
or a slap on the back.

"I want the shy innocence of that young teenage girl
who is sitting opposite the guy she really really likes,
although he is totally clueless and responds to her
intense gaze with a silly grin and nervous hands.

The uncle looks at me, and asks again, kindly,
"Do you need anything else?". Again the twinkle.
I look up at him and say, with true knowledge,
"No uncle, I have everything I need."

Nacho Libre

In order to really get what this movie is about, you need to have seen other Mexican movies whose genre Jack Black has attempted to honor by copying

The Milagro Beanfield War, for instance.

When Nacho Libre was good, it was very very good. Jack Black plays the main character, Brother Ignatio, who grew up and now works in a God forsaken Catholic orphanage (no pun intended) Frustrated by lack of funds to feed his charges, and tired of being the object of everyone's disdain, he fights in local wrestling matches, where even the money he makes from losing can buy fresh food for the kids.

The sexual tension in the movie comes in a very mild and kosher form of Sister Incarnasion, a new teacher in the school who is, of course, a nun. A very beautiful nun.

The noteworthy things in this movie were:
1) None of the actors were attractive, except Sister Incarnasion.
2) Besides Jack Black, all the actors were Mexican.
3) The great one liners were spread over all the characters and not confined to just the main hero. This is a mark of good writing, if you ask me.
4) The actor playing Esqueleto is truly a comic genius. His posture, actions, fake smile and hangdog expression takes after the great physical comedians of the screen - Groucho Marx, the Stooges, Lucille Ball, and more recently Jim Carrey. I really hope I see him in more movies.
5) Jack Black did all his own singing.

Go watch this movie. It won't be the most deep and sophisticated movie you will see this year, but once in a while, its good to see something that does not conform to the Hollywood formula.

am not in a blogging mood...

Maybe it's Mr Brown's song, or just the downward spiral my life has been taking recently, I'm just too sian to blog.

Things have not been going according to plan, and I know that life is unexpected yadda yadda yadda, but I hate not having control over the things that affect me. I gues this is one of those "let go and let God" moments.

On the upside, I just finished a 22 page transcription, so I do feel a small sense of fulfilment. This piece of work has been pending for about 1.5 months now, so I am glad I am done with it. Now, I can't wait for the next one.

One of the little nuggets of truth I uncovered during this transcription thing is this:- never do something, expecting the reward. That is the way of the world, but its not the best way. Instead, do your work as an expression of who you are, and the rewardsw will come look for you!

I am preaching. I know. But its more for me to hear than anyone lah, so no need to get offended all.

I am getting a little jaded with the office politics too. As a department, we are fine, but so many people resent our existence, I wonder how they decided to hire us in the first place. We are the necessary evil, I guess.

Anyways, I feel like I am just ranting now, so I will stop and let you move on to a more interesting blog.

Ciao

P.S Do NOT eat at this new restaurant at Citilink, called New York, New York. Unless you are into substandard pseudo American food, clueless wait staff and paying over the top prices for stuff that mainly comes out of a can.

POTC was awesome.....

If you are wondering if you should go and watch Pirates of the Carribbean, please do. Here are 10 reasons why:-

1) Johnny Depp (enuff said)
2) 2 and a 1/2 hours of pure entertainment - only Tamil movies give that kind of value for money.
3) The make up was awesome. Hanan and I had fun trying to identify all the different sea creatures that made up the Flying Dutchman crew (the ghost ship ah, not the Class 95 DJ)
4) The special effects were truly beleivable. Ok not totally. I mean who will beleive that a cage made of human bones, full of people, can be suspended 30 feet above a ravine.
5) That voodoo mama was hot! Albeit the black goo that coated her lips and teeth. But that Creole accent was amazing and she was hot!
6) Orlando and Kiera have the on-screen chemistry of hydrogen and oxygen - bland and tasteless, yet wholesome and good for you. Which is good if you have a major cruch on either of them.
7) That skinny dude (assistant to the General Manager) from The Office is in it. No, I don't know his name.
8) It has so many cool one liners that you can use on your friends to annoy them incessantly. E.g "Hello Beastie!"
"That's enough knowing! I thought I was doing the knowing" (Jack to Voodoo mama)
"Summon the kraken!"
9) The kraken special effects was amazing!!! So was the three way sword fight!
10) The great promise at the end that there will be another POTC coming real soon!

Burgers, Buddies and Blessings

Carl's Jr has completely changed the burger eating experience of Singaporeans. (I speak of burger chains, and not restuarants that also make a good burger). Gone are the days where we will pay close to $7 for a Big Mac Meal that will half satisfy you with their rubbery meat patties and dry hard buns. Or the $7++ flame broiled "Have it your way" burger, that is so obviously stuck in a microwave for reheating.


Carl's Jr is the "put hairs on your chest" burger joint. Portions I can hardly hold in my tiny hands, generous amounts of extras like bacon, chili or guacamole and a taste explosion when you bit into it. Sorry its a little messy, but the napkin dispensers on your tables means you are not at the mercy of the harried waiter, while you drip tomato sauce down your tshirt.

And free flow drinks - THAT'S what I am talking about!

Please try the sourdough burger. It's amazing!(Here's a promo for $2 off too)

Thanks Wicks and PKH for the great time!

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Just My Luck is your ultimate chick flick. Or should I say teen chick flick. Lots of kissing, lotsa romance, but no tongue and no jumping in bed with clothes off.
I realised for the first time how majorly freckled Lindsay Lohan is.

The movie is your basic girl meets guy formula with the strange twist - luck passing from her to him through a kiss. If you saw the movie Prelude to a Kiss, you will know this is not a new concept.

What I liked: Chris Pine is a cross between Rob Lowe and the Baldwins, which makes him really yummy. Very likable, very sweet.

What I disliked:- The story was a little predictable and little formulaic. There were points that I had to really try and pretend I didn't know what was going to happen next. (Rhordan, if you read this, I wasn't kidding about the duct tape. Deconstruct in your head, not out loud, ok?)

Still can't wait for The Lake House to open.

Old People, New People

I realised today that taking the time to keep in touch with friends is really hard work. I was going through my phonebook on the train. (As in the phonebook in my mobile while I was on the train. I don't keep a phonebook on the train. Do I really have to explain this?)

I was just basically doing some housekeeping, and found some names that have all but passed from memory. Preman, yes, I promise we will do the coffee thing. Lisa, I know 3 Saturdays have gone by since I said we will talk on Saturday. I have no excuses. Aunty Shanti, I still owe you that hi-tea, I have not forgotten. And Prebhu, thanks for your persistant smses, or I would have felt very bad coming across your name under the "Ps".

Investing in friends really takes work man. You have to call them, find that sliver of time in each other's schedules where you can meet, find new things to talk about, try not to get jealous of new friendships/ relationships and finally make the effort again in another 3 months.

So to all my friends, those I contact, and those I don't, you are all alive and well in my mobile phonebook.

I have a new resolution for July. That I will call/sms at least one old friend a day just to touch base and say hi. And from there, hopefully they will reciprocate.

Clubbing with Dad

Saturday night was crazy. It started out rather tame; dinner at Achaya Curry for some good ol fashioned comfort food. Dad, of course, had to go and berate the man for the meaning of the word "Achaya", which led to Purana stories being exchanged for the better part of 15 mins, while the rest of us went to McDonald's next door to get dessert.

Then we got in a cab and heading towards UE square, figuring we could decide what to do once we got there. Big mistake.

First stop - Naughty Nine. Reason - Dad needed to get some Indian music to start the night out right. Ok, so maybe I needed it too. Wish we had picked a better club though. For one thing, its a bit of a hike from UE Square to Boat Quay.(Dad goes, after 10 mins of walking, "Where is the goddamned place?" It was funny at the time.) And the sign was so small, we almost walked right past it. When we got there, there were about 2 guests, minus all the bar staff. Then out of nowhere 15 boys and girls (really BOYS and GIRLS) came from nowhere, the music changed to serious Tamil gang theme songs, and we decided we had to leave.

My brother then got a call from his friends who were at O bar, and so we went down there. Slowly the group grew, from 3 to 5 to 9 and finally 14. We decided to cash in on the marvelous 2 bottles of Remy Martins for $300 deal and got a nice corner booth into the bargain to sit and watch the action. There were this bunch of young nubile women dressed in pretty much nothing who were gyrating against each other. Dad and I enjoyed the show.

Prashanth got majorly smashed, and how I could tell was, he was actually spending money! My brother never spends money. And he was dancing with no rhythm. When a brown man dances with no rhythm, he is either drunk or deaf. Even Melvin, the only "manjen" in our group, had more rhythm. Kudos to you, Mel!

Soon it was 4 and O Bar kicked us out.Alcohol count for the night is as follows:
1) 2 bottles of Remy Martin
2) 1 bottle of Moet and Chandon champagne
3) 1 jug of Gin and Tonics
4) 1 jug of barcadi coke
5) One shot of 150 proof (dad only)
6) 2 beers
7) 3 Barcadi Breezers (orange flava - yummy)

Do you know how long it takes for 13 Indians, and one Honorary Indian to say goodbye? That's right, bloody forever. I finally got in a cab at 4:45 am and headed home. Last I saw of Dad, Prashanth and Tish, they were heading for bedroom bar. Good for them.

Update: Prashanth strongly denies being a kanja pisunaari who can't dance, i.e engineer. Views presented here are solely the blogger's and do not represent her immediate social circle's opinions.

Happy Birthday Dad!

You took me swimming and taught me not to be afraid of getting water on my face or sand in my swimsuit.

You brought me to get my ears pierced when I was 5, and promised to buy me "Black Beauty" if I didn't cry. Well, I didn't and you did.

You used to braid my waist length hair into 2 long plaits and tie the ends with ribbons to match my clothes. And then kiss my forehead while you admired your handiwork.

You told me that it didn't matter to you what religion I adopted, as long as the reason wasn't because I like the name "Patricia" or "Hamidah".

You gave me my very first copy of the Mahabaratha when I was 8, and would spend hours discussing it with me.

You made me feel smart, beautiful and special. I thought you were the handsomest man in the world.

You did what you thought was the best thing for me when you sent me away. I know it hurt you to do it.

I love holding your hand when we go out. It's warm and strong and makes me feel secure.

I love it when you are drunk and sing off key and do your little dances that go with the songs.

I love that you mispronounce words like "charisma" and "tsunami", and don't bat an eyelid when I make fun of you.

I love it when you look at us, your kids, with unconditional love and pride in your eyes, even when we screw up.

I love you Dad! Happy 58th Birthday!

The 10 month itch

You know how marriages are purported to have the 7 year itch?
Well , every employment cycle reaches this point which I will refer to as the 10 month itch. It's that point in your employment where you either need to change your jobscope or pick up an extra challenge or two, because your job just looks bleak and boring.

I work for a local SME who are resellers for computer hardware. Yes that is as techy and geeky as it sounds. And those of you who know me, know that I am not neither techy, nor geeky. So being the only one of my kind, in so many ways, can get a bit stifling at times.

Noone knows what I do (marketing). Noone thinks its important. Noone is interested in my little successes and triumphs, unless its value can be represented by a $ in the front. Besides the big boss, as far as everyone else is concerned, marketing is dispensable.

So here is what I think I should do to inject new life into my job, and make my life more exciting:-


1) Pull a Mimi. You know, the never-subtle, wildly made up, loudly dressed, always on Drew's case character in the Drew Carey show. Played by the talented Kathy Kinney, Mimi is basically an over the top, vulgar and vindictive co worker, who gives hell to everyone who crosses her path. I think I can pull it off rather well, since I am almost halfway there. Everybody already thinks I am weird anyway, because I speak in English, go home on time and have no desire to karaoke every weekend.

2) Switch from marketing to another role. Maybe HR I was thinking. I have terrific people empathy, and I think I know what this company needs in terms of training. They needs surgey to remove the stick that's been shoved up their arses.
(Note: Do you need a cert or something to work in HR? I dunno)

3)A new challenge, or something I can be passionate about. Like a raise in salary, for instance. Or a better desk space where I don't have to listen to Hokkien conversation, Chinese radio or the damn shredder ALL DAY LONG. Where I have a window and a view of the outside world. Oh wait - what view?

4) My boss back!! She has been gone too long, and it will be another 2 weeks before she comes back from maternity leave. She is now the only person left in the office who speaks my language. English.

5) New colleagues wouldn't be bad too. What I need is some fresh perspective of the ourside world. It's too homogenous in here.

So if you know any other ways to take care of the 10 month itch, please share ok? I need all the help I can get.

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The seafood soup thingy at Delifrance rocks. Ok, officially, it's called the "Brioche Oceane Sauce Mornay", but that's too long and French for me. It's really an awesome meal, light enough to still spring for dessert later, but with enough ingredients and flavour to satiate you. In it, they have real fish, shrimp, sotong, and the sauce is just amazingly creamy and yummy. And also they have it listed as a starter, I would wait till it arrives before you decide if you want anything else. Its good stuff!

I am Singaporean

Mr Brown just started this Iamsingapore meme, so here is my contribution.

I am singaporean.
Past
Born in 73.
Had one brother because that time, must stop at 2.
Lived in army quarters before moving to brand new 5 room flat in Ang Mo Kio.
Watched National Day fireworks every year from my window till they built Bishan.
Used to spend allowance Saturdays at mama shop deciding between Chiclets or Bubba Yum. Bubba Yum won hands down. Until they banned it cos it spoilt the train doors.
Spent every recess playing zero point. Until they banned it because it was "too dangerous".
We took Bus 166 to Tekka every friday to go to temple and eat thosai.
Going to secondary school was 2 bus transfers to Yishun, but no sweat, because got bus pass.
We spent the journey listening to "mix tapes" on our walkman, that we recorded off 98.7 FM
Went to Polytechnic, but kena sabo because still must get degree.
So went to study in Australia.
Came back with Singaporean accent intact.



Current
Have a son born in 99.
He has no siblings, cos his parents cannot imagine supporting another mouth.
Lived in rental flat before buying 5 room HDB resale.
Couldn't watch NDP because cannot find tickets for love or money. And our flat's window is blocked by 4000 other high rise buildings.
Spend salary on food, bills, taxi fare and HDB loans. Got chewing gum also, no money to buy.
My son plays Xbox and PS2.
We take the MRT to church and eat pasta.
We pass the journey by listening to our ipods and watch movies on mobile media players.
My son goes to Pri One, brings back homework EVERYDAY. And his written Tamil is even better than mine.
Thanks to TV and my American husband, he speaks English with an American accent.

I am Singaporean. I take the bad with the good. Not perfect, but not condemned either.

Technorati tag: iamsingaporean

Why Salsa Rocks My World (the dance, not the dip)

1) It's the most fun you can have with a partner with full body contact, to great rhythms and lots of passion, with no sexual intentions whatsoever.


2) I have the best instructor in the world. Kit is patient, funny and kinda cute. And he makes it look oh so easy. His only flaw is that he tends to lapse into Mandarin once in a while, but I think that's more to cater to the grassroots crowd at Bukit Ho Swee CC than anything else. And yes, though he looks like he bats for the other team, he is all man!Click here to link to his website.

3) The people in my class are really a fun bunch. Sam and Doris, Vivian, Edwin, Steven - you ALL rock! Good for us: there is an even number of guys and girls. In Kit's class, we all have to rotate partners, so we learn how to adapt to different leads and styles (and most importantly don't learn the mistakes!) In the whole class, there is only one couple that refuses to swap partners and insists on only dancing with one another.

4) Dancing really make me high. Something about the adrenalin rush, but I really feel like I can do anything when I am dancing. It's a good self-esteem boost! And we all need that at some point, right? - something that we know we excel at and get to showcase even if the audience is not very big. Yes, I am a natural born dancer and I love my newly acquired salsa skills.

My next challenge is to dance with someone not from my class. In class, we all learn the same routine, so we tend to follow the steps instead of improvising. But dancing with someone else will really put my skills to the test and see if I can follow someone's lead or not. Therein lies the rub.

So calling all salseros! If you wanna take a Salsa nooB (20 lessons only) and let her practise being a good follower, please tag me eh?

**Update: I was told by one of my readers that my rant about one of my classmates was unfair because I don't know her enough to comment. So as not to offend my reader's sensibilities, I will remove the comment.

But dear reader, even when a blog is public, it is still someone's personal opinions and musings. If you cannot handle the occasion rant, then maybe blog reading is not for you.

Another Fabulous Superman Returns Review

Click here to read Orson Scott Card's review. Thanks to Mr Card for permission to link his review to my blog. This is the closest I will probably get to 6 degrees of separation to my favourite author.

Leave Letters (from India)

This is a collection of leave letters and applications written by people
in various places of India ...

1. Infosys, Bangalore : An employee applied for leave as follows:
Since I have to go to my village to sell my land along with my wife, please sanction me one-week leave.

2. This is from Oracle Bangalore:
From an employee who was performing the "mundan" ceremony of his 10 year old son: "as I want to shave my son's head, please leave me for two
days.."

3. Another gem from CDAC. Leave-letter from an employee who was performing his daughter's wedding:
"as I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week's leave.."

4. From H.A.L. Administration dept:
"As my mother-in-law has expired and I am only one responsible for it, please grant me 10 days leave."

5. Another employee applied for half day leave as follows:
"Since I've to go to the cremation ground at 10 o-clock and I may not return, please grant me half day casual leave"

6. An incident of a leave letter
"I am suffering from fever, please declare one day holiday."

7. A leave letter to the headmaster:
"As I am studying in this school I am suffering from headache. I request you to leave me today"

8. Another leave letter written to the headmaster:
"As my headache is paining, please grant me leave for the day."

9. Covering note: "I am enclosed herewith..."

10. Another one:
"Dear Sir: with reference to the above, please refer to my below..."

11. Actual letter written for application of leave:
"My wife is suffering from sickness and as I am her only husband at home I may be granted leave".

12. Letter writing: -
"I am in well here and hope you are also in the same well."


13. A candidate's job application:
"This has reference to your advertisement calling for a ' Typist and an
Accountant - Male or Female'...As I am both(!! )for the past several
years and I can handle both with good experience, I am applying for the post.

Superman Returns, and I for one am glad!

Forget all that nonsense about Superman being an inferior superhero, compared to Xmen, Batman and Spiderman. Superman is in a league of his own (no pun intended).

For one thing, he is the only superhero on the list that was born to be a hero. He is not a reluctant hero, who is constantly struggling with whether or not he wants to use his superpowers to save the world. For Superman, it's a given.

What I loved most about Superman Returns was the parallel to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even you are not a Christian, you will recognise the many references to the idea of a fallen world, the need for a Saviour, the oneness of a Father and a son, the passion of the Christ (when Lex and his men work Superman over, my eyes filled up with tears) and the resurrection message.

And what about that Brandon Routh eh? Blue contact lenses notwithstanding, I can't think of a better actor to play the role. He still has that small town farm boy charm (he is from Iowa), which comes across when he is Clark Kent. But when he is Superman, he is self-assured, confident and oh so yummy. My fave scene was when he is floating up in space, drawing energy from the sun. The relaxed pose juxtaposed with the enormity of what he was doing, was the perfect image of who Superman really is.(Another Christian message here - when you are at rest, that's when the Son can fill you up)

I have to mention here Kevin Spacey's role as Lex Luthor. He played the consummate Luthor - evil? yes. Megalomanical? Yes. And yet so human (fallen but redeemable) and personable, there are times when I found myself actually understanding why he wanted to ruin Superman so much. His role was very much like that of Judas Iscariot - ultimately it was his choice to destroy good, but somehow you know he was led to make that decision.

So if you are considering seeing Superman, do it!! In additional to fabulous casting, great character development and a water tight script, the sfx and cinematography are flawless. It probably won't be nominated for an Oscar because the Academy has a childish pet peeve against nominating good comic movies, but it is still a magnificent film.