19-2000

The soundtrack will never be able to reproduce the effect one experiences from watching the live musical. The acoustics, the visual impact of the production and the theatre setting all contribute in some way to the songs, enriching them for the visual and aural pleasure of the patrons. Grooves on vinyl just will not suffice. It’s akin to the common philosophy that some things in life are better experienced on a personal level that heard from the words of others.

The soundtrack produced serves as a trigger to the memories created.

Glinda:

"You can still be with the wizard
What you’ve worked and waited for
You can have all you ever wanted…"

Elphaba: "I know –"

"But I don’t want it —
No — I can’t want it
Anymore…"

"Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I’m through with playing by the rules
of someone else’s game…"

- Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked

So, whose rules and expectations do we answer to?

* The title is a reference to the song by Gorillaz.

We Can

Presently, I have been swimming once a week.

In the past, whenever I decided to head to the public swimming complex near my place, I would make sure to do so at some sunny point of the day. I have consistently kept it this way for my annual or semiannual trip to the pool. The reason was simple: There would be maximum exposure in the sun to get some sort of tan. A bit of Vitamin D intake once in a while for someone like me who sits far too often in front of the laptop.

These days, I prefer the quiet of the late evenings where there’s hardly anyone else and I can swim freely by myself. To try for the sun would mean to go at the before-work timing or mingle with the lunchtime crowd. While both are viable options, it is the hassle of having to rush and change into working attire at the end of the swim that puts me off.

Too often we hear that exercising is good for the health and I wonder just what constitutes doing something beneficial for one’s health. Does climbing up and down hills count? Does walking distances matter? Granted the back is well taken care off, can carrying boxes and boxes of canned food be a form of workout?

Keeping fit and staying healthy. Well, at least there are some efforts that we as individuals can undertake.

* The title is a reference to the song by LeAnn Rimes.

My Side Of The Story

First there was August. My recollections of it are a blur. I spent my days helping out in preparation for an event. Work is work and there is no escaping it, not unless I can be independent of my worldly and familial ties. Then perhaps I can freely pursue some different path without a worry. Yet, the highly likely possibility is "perhaps not".

August did however, end on a high note in spite of the seeming-jadedness and routines. I had a play to look forward to, a story to experience that made me think, ponder and marvel. Theatre in a different light, from the grand production of songs and flair that was Wicked to this intimate setting of familiar stories and life experiences of Recalling Mother. An artist tells a story. What do I think and what is the point to it? What does it mean to appreciate life more?

I ask you a question, albeit slightly paraphrased from its original presentation at Recalling Mother. When you were young, when or how did you come to know the woman in the same house as you was your mother?

September marks my one-year mark in "the working world". Perhaps I should look forward to the F1 race. That is going to happen in town where I work and there is bound to be a cheery atmosphere of delight and engine-revving sounds. In the meantime, it’s meeting up and catching up with friends as usual, I think. Maybe I can do something by myself, like fly to some place on a budget flight for a long weekend and just be.

The world continues and I haven’t the slightest clue to my life…

* The title is a reference to the song by Hodges.

Keep Breathing

It’s almost been a month since I returned from my trip.
It’s almost been a month since I really blogged about anything other than my trip.
It’s almost been a year since I started working.
It’s almost been a year since so many different things happened, pulling me in different directions, flooding my senses and perceptions.

There are days in your life when you wonder why the heck you are who you are, doing whatever it is that you do.
Too many days, too many times.

Some days, you have no solutions.
Some days, the solutions you do have, do not work out.
Some days, you have a solution that no one will approve or endorse.

What do I do when such a time comes?

* The title is a reference to the song by Ingrid Michaelson.

Floorfiller

So, the most burning question posed to me of late has been, "Are you excited about your trip?" The reply I gave, "Not really." I suppose with all the work that I have been trying to get done before I head overseas, the mind simply gave no way to plans for the trip.

Cut to present time. I’ve tried my best to clear and hand my work over. I’ve checked through the packing list and the luggage is all ready. My documents are in place. I’ve even got the clothes to wear to the airport singled out!

Excited? Most definitely =)

* The title is a reference to the song by A*Teens.

If This Is Love

Barely two days more before I fly and here I am in office, rushing to complete my tasks so that I am ready to hand over work to my colleague. The quantity, the rush, the procrastination pouring in from all directions. Then the strangest of feelings came over me. Well, I’m more hit by the suddenness of its arrival than by the feeling itself.

Although I don’t think so, deeper down I think I actually kind of like the things I am doing at work…

* The title is a reference to the song by The Saturdays.

Existence

Wow, that was some entry I wrote just the Sunday past. A blog entry on the blogging of the entry itself. The banality of it, if not apparent, should nevertheless be not lost upon you.

A simple online search with the correct search terms will yield you the tracks that comprise the game I have been quoting from for the past few months. Well, since March of 2009 to be exact. A quick run-through will show that excluding this entry, I have used up twenty-one titles. But of course the previous was a rhetoric since no one would have done as mentioned and I have promptly provided the statistics for the purpose of my following illustration anyway. That is, the options for my entry titles are running out if I continue my trend.

For the most part of it, there is a reason why I write the stuff I do or feel compelled to blog certain parts of my life. There are also those almost-completely random moments. The content materialises before I decide what is the best title to plug it as chosen from my repertoire representing the "theme" for that month. Actually I am rather proud to say I haven’t had a moment where I did not blog due to a lack of available titles or that I titled an entry randomly. Well, at least not yet anyway…

Three paragraphs later, I tell you there is a reason to this. There is a reason I name this post "Existence".

Colliding Worlds as taken from an old entry

Standing at the traffic junction, one look at the sky obscured by clouds and hues of grey and one look at the cars whizzing by, one wonders what the next course of action he should take. The storm is gathering; he is pressed to make a move. The traffic does not stop; it’s one side or the other. The centre of the crossroads is not a place for him to consider. Take one or the other but not the best of both worlds.

It’s not a suicidal thought when one asks oneself why there is this compelling need to live out the rest of his or her life. There are so many factors to life. As for me, I think I have pretty much categorised this entry under all the possible factors to be considered. The "why" and the enigma pervades, engulfing reason, thought, logic, identity and self.

From the real world, to the waking world, to the digital realm where it manifests in writing. Perhaps a mere banal entry, perhaps more. Such might be explained to be rooted in some Freudian sub-conscious theories, yet theories abound, where doth the remedies lie and what be your take on all this, my reader?

I stand at the junction waiting, continuing this wait for that which eludes me…

* The title is a reference to Assassins Theme from the game Guilty Gear XX #Reload.

Good Manners And Customs

I recall when I was in Secondary School, we had to write our own testimonials for graduation. Hazy details blur my recollections but I do recall I sat on the topic for quite some time before replying my teacher something along the lines of not knowing what to write. There’s something wrong with writing your own testimonial that I cannot quite place my finger on. It’s a wonder I got through my one and only job interview.

If "modesty" is being humble about one’s merits, then what is the lack of ability to handle compliments?

Speaking of work, I think I understand why people develop high blood pressure and work-related stress ailments. If you spend every ten minutes or less with an angered tone and making excessively loud noises with your keyboard and accessories at your table, something’s bound to snap. It’s rather disruptive to the others as well, making it hard for some to concentrate what with them kicking up a ruckus and the obligatory gossip session that follows. But I suppose if it helps to get work done, one will resort to any means or rather, forget to consider other possible means.

Work and its unexpected baggage. I remember this course I attended early this year and the topic of under-representation of information in advertisements came up. Policemen sign up for their job to serve the citizens and protect lives, never expecting that part of their job also entails going to schools to give educational tips on being a good citizen. Then they lament their predicament. Can teachers maintain a sole purpose to teach and impart knowledge, absolving themselves of the administrative work and supervision of co-curricular activities? While there is a necessity to draw lines when it comes to job scopes, there is also a need to present them succinctly so that others can fully appreciate and understand them.

* The title is a reference to the background theme of Zappa from the game Guilty Gear XX #Reload.

The Midnight Carnival

My original plan was to write something about the AWARE saga going on in Singapore right now. No offense to homosexuals, Christians and women out there, but I have decided to neither give you mention nor mention my reaction to the fiasco.

The Wednesday Group met two weeks in a row, albeit not on the namesake day. I must say I enjoyed myself immensely, bringing some bit of life to characters on the pages and in the process, learning from my peers. Reading, critiquing and writing, I think I am better at the first. The latter two are areas I need to brush up on.

The King of Fighters XII (KoF) is out in the video games arcades! Admittedly, it’s a bit underwhelming given the long wait for it. Street Fighter IV has gone 2.5D, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger retains the stunning gameplay and graphics of its spiritual predecessor, Guilty Gear. The latest installment of KoF had re-drawn detailed sprites, which unfortunately were pixelated and looking less than polished. A new Critical Counter system along with movelist revamps didn’t exactly help in its "wow"-factor. Well overall, it was passable though I must add I was rather miffed Athena’s Psycho Teleport and Crystal Shoot were absent from her repertoire of moves!

Last Saturday morning, I was at Alara Reborn’s Prerelease Tournament. Poor showing as I won the first round but lost the remaining three, losing the last one to the only lady playing in the Tournament that morning. I’m just making a note, and not showing gender bias or discrimination here. A pure multi-coloured cardset meant crazy potential. I look forward to buying more booster packs already =)

Monday of this week kicked off rather well. I managed time to take a small walk in the Supreme Court building. I think if students were given the opportunity, it would be an extremely conducive place to revise their work indeed, though the place prohibits laptops…

* The title is a reference to Final Boss Theme from the game Guilty Gear XX #Reload.

Awe Of She

If you so happen to be bummed out when it comes to making a choice on DVD purchase or rental, I recommend The Devil Wears Prada.

Boom Town Blues

Watchmen was a great show, compounded by the fact I had not read the visual novel prior to the watch. After the critically-acclaimed but personally-disappointing The Lord Of The Rings, I think it’s best if I start with the summary that is the movie before opening my eyes to the written work.

KTV on a Friday night is expensive. Yet the price was made worth by the company, and not forgetting the sashimi that was part of the singing and buffet package. More to work than just the 9-to-5 routine, the co-workers in our project teams. In fact the group of us all came from different departments, the common thread being we somehow knew each other from the same session of Orientation Module we attended for new-hires. If there were a cap of fortunes for work, I am indeed blessed to have been able to put quite a number of feathers in it. I don’t know about the future but as of this entry, I think the kind of people one is able to interact and hang out with at one’s workplace can really make or break one’s experience and morale. Ah, the words of a newbie to the working force.

Yet for all the triumphs listed above, what is it that has been persistently gnawing at my psyche for the past few days, forcing my thoughts?

* The title is a reference to Ending Theme 2 from the game Guilty Gear XX #Reload.

Momentary Life

Which of the following do you believe in: personality tests, fortune-telling or both? I’m not too sure myself. I mean if I checked “Will try to mingle in crowds” instead of “Prefer to keep to myself in crowds”, I should not be surprised if the results label me somewhere along the lines of “Outgoing and chatty”, right? A collection of data and the results of cross-product analysis. Do the results reveal something new? What of their purpose?