Tuesday, October 18, 2005

It's a BIG Ad!

Watch this BIG Ad! :P

Can't see the BIG Ad? You need Apple Quicktime.

Friday, October 14, 2005

House Warming!

Last Saturday, I went to Shumin's house warming with Pearlyn, Joyce, and Xiaoqian. It's in Seng Kang, and already I can hear a gasp among you dear readers. Yes, there IS a MRT station in Seng Kang, but if Pearlyn's BF didn't give us a lift, we'd never find her place! It's so, so, so far from the MRT station...

But once we reached there, the food sort of redeemed the trip there. Yum! :P Shumin's place is a nice 5-room flat, just the one I'm interested in. The decor is well done, with a consistent theme. It's also quite spacious, with the common bomb shelters and shoe racks well concealed.

Shumin showed us the master bedroom, and the wardrobe is a maze! Well, a very SHORT maze. Er... ok, a very SHORT, ONE-WAY maze. We saw her wedding album on her bed, so we started browsing through it. When I asked how much was the whole package, all the girls just looked at me with incredulous stares, like how archaeologists would stare at a live caveman. Then Shumin said that I'm the ONLY GUY who asked about the album package, and that makes me a very sweet boyfriend. Aww... thanks girls... I just wanna be worthy of my Dear... :)

Before we left, we took some group pix with Pearlyn's digicam, and it dawned on me that I should take pictures of this place! Everyone were very amused by what I did, but I think they'll make great referrences in the future! :-) Should have shot a video tour of the place too, but we're rushing off. Oh well... enjoy the pix for now!

The sofas opposite the TV. That's Shumin near the bottom, handing out wedding invitations to us on the spot :P Posted by Picasa

Classy wall deco, with a Balinese vibe to it all Posted by Picasa

The droolsome plasma TV! Complete with spaces for my PS2 and DVD player! *hint hint* Posted by Picasa

Call me paranoid, but doesn't this look like a certain Jap restaurant to you? Posted by Picasa

Kitchen schmitchen :) Posted by Picasa

Guess what? That's the shoe rack! Nice rack... :P Posted by Picasa

I'm a fan's fan ;-) Posted by Picasa

Entrance to the master bedroom. Ooh... Alluring... :P Posted by Picasa

Mahjong room with ample lighting Posted by Picasa

Even the toilet uses the same theme :) Posted by Picasa

Pretty bedsheet and pillow case! Posted by Picasa

A special corner for wedding pictures! Aww... Posted by Picasa

Classy Light Posted by Picasa

Peek-a-boo... Posted by Picasa

... BOO! You have found a hidden wardrobe :P Posted by Picasa

Sunday, October 02, 2005

STOMP!

Man, oh MAN! This is one heck of a show! One word: AWESOME. I got friends telling me that I'm foolish to spend $113 to watch 8 ppl banging trash cans. Well, that's only half true: the "banging trash cans" half. I mean, this crew's courier service must be looking at the weirdest delivery list in the world (for 8 shows):

30 Brooms,

8 Lids,

1 Tall Bins UK,

5 Short Bins US,

10 6ft 6in poles,

15 Pounds of Sand,

4 blocks of Athletes chalk,

12 pairs of Drumsticks,

200 litres of Water,

8 Bananas,

and 12 boxes of Matches.

That's not all, I think. They also bought some local newspapers for one of the items. And then there're lighters, oil drums, rubbish bins, sinks, rubber tubes, tea leaf crates, measuring tape, saw, plungers, and a million other things that I missed out. The point? They all make wonderful music. Yeah, MUSIC. Even I myself thought it'll be a purely percussion-oriented show, but the rubber tube item was amazing. Using rubber tubes of various lengths, they create notes, and then you guessed it, MUSIC. So simple in theory (everybody knows it), and yet so wonderful in execusion (nobody thought of it).

If the show is just ppl banging stuffs, then they're nothing more than the buskers you see around Orchard Rd. However, STOMP got one thing they don't: Theatre. Add in a bit of acting here, a bit of mime there, a bit of dance everywhere, a bit of story to link it all together, and you got yourself the love child of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Metalica. That's quite smart, actually. Design the show such that it MUST be performed in a theatre setting (the lighters item needs complete darkness), then you can start charging ppl crazy ticket prices and make cray profits, instead of just putting your hat by the sidewalk.

But wait! That's not all! For the audience, it'd be head-splitting if all you do is banging and smashing and kicking and whacking and... you get the picture. So, the performers involved the audience in their show as well! Brilliant! I tell you, the one huge reason to buy the best/most expensive seat in the house for this kind of show is that you get the best view and involvement.

One example: a dude was sweeping the floor, he realised that we're all watching him, and he just watched us in return. Suddenly, a babe in the front row caught his eye. He tried to hit on her, then swept the dust in her boyfriend's face. That started the show and it's so, so funny.

Another example: this Loser dude was trying to do a solo item, but he kept getting bullied or interrupted everytime he tried to perform. So when he was about to attempt his item with his tools for the 4th time, a kid in the audience shouted, "What'cha gonna do with those (tools)!?" Everyone just bursted into laughter, and the performer actually acted along and mouthed the word, "Wait!". Marvellous stuff, I tell you...

They also taught us to clap to their beat and cue us in during their items. We were so into it, we actually STOMPed the floor to call for encore. The encore item got the whole audience up from their seats and clapped and STOMPed and cheered and danced. It was one of a kind, I can definately say that. :-)

The show was here in 1999 but I couldn't afford it then. Feels great to have finally watched it this time round, or else I might have to wait till 2011! The verdict? If they do come back in 2011, I'll be the first in line to watch it again!

Noisy Humming Bird Posted by Picasa

Kung-Pow STOMPing Sound Posted by Picasa

Broom sticks FURY! Posted by Picasa

Wonderful marriage of Sound and Lighting Posted by Picasa

Pogo sticks? Make way for Broom sticks! Posted by Picasa