A Whiter Shade of Pale

Its been one hell of a weekend, but let me start with Wanhua's Birthday first. Many thanks to Chris who managed to organise this thingie & pull it off successfully! Thanks for bringing us to HelioCafe too. Which serves fabulous food! :) You'll see the dessert pictures later. Unfortunately, we were too hungry (& too greedy) and thus i dont have any pictures of our starter & main courses. We were well-stuffed though. The food is really really good. Havnt had such a satisfying meal in ages. Lunch lasted me till Midnight that day (because we were too busy running around & filming on Sunday).


So that was my Sunday Lunch. Sunday Morning was spent travelling to JasonGabe's house to do our Breakfast scene for CT. Haha. Then after a few shots, we went back to school. I was charging my handphone at the Sess benches near MrBean, then this dude on the other bench came over to talk to me. He's called Lawrence, hes 28 years old & hes from the Bahamas! All the way from those idyllic sunny islands to our sunny island here. I really wonder what made it so attractively to him. He told me he really appreciated its small land area which makes commuting around town very convenient. I suppose I take it for granted now. (& I bet he thinks I complain too much. Haha.) In fact I'm reluctant to travel to the East if u asked me to. Haha. He also said hes gonna study or work here. Blah blah & he thought I was 22/23 because I looked that old. Haha. Thanks. So far from what I've gathered, I either look like a kiddo, or i look like I'm 20odd. Not bad at all. Anyway it was really fun talking to him, we had this whole inter-cultural communication thing going, u know?

After lunch, i rushed to Groove Dance Studio for 3 classes straight. I almost died. Advanced bachata first. Then the super killer Reggaeton! It's fast, fun, energetic & tribal. I really like it, but i think i look like an idiot doing it. By the time I went for Salsa shines & styling, I was so dead I couldnt do double spins properly.

Next after all that, I rushed back to school to continue filming. We did an evening post-dinner-date stroll at Chijmes, which featured an argument scene with myself & Noel in it. Hahaha. It was really hilarious to make because Noel looks suppppeeeerrrrrrr nice & instead of him being the unreasonable ass-hole boyfriend, I think I'll do better bullying him. But he can do the part of an abusive bf cause he threw the keys at me too enthusiastically accidentally which bruised & cut my ankle. Haha. After more scenes, we flew to Changi to Joe's friend house to do the gay bar scenes. Due to Joe's terrible sense of direction, we went from Changi to Tanah Merah to Pasir Ris to some god-forsaken place.

We were planning to visit Taboo at first, but due to the lack of funds (cover charge of 24bucks!!!), we had to change our plans. That castle we visited was damnnnnn creepy. It was eerily quiet, extraordinarily ULU & in 90% darkness. We had fun scaring ourselves in the full-length mirror along this dusty & dim corridor though. In fact, I was pretending to be the star of the horror movie. Hurhur. So eventually this action ended at 11pm and i got home close to midnight.

On saturday itself, we had already started filming at 8+am at Marina Bay MRT. I think its a really novel idea to poledance in the MRT, which was what I did. Haha. A little exhibitionist streak in me probably, even though I was a little paiseh at the same time. Nevertheless its cool, heck those people who were staring! Hurhur. I enjoy CT & my group members' company, but its really tiring to have it at this time of the year.

On the topic of CT, my CT class today was unusual. Kwang made us do his SMU StarSearch. So the characters I've played today include a Bellydancer with an uncontrollable Itch. Haha. it was really unglam doing that one. I also played a Jane who was being held by a grizzly bear (Suffian), and then i was rescued by Tarzan (Young). Hahaha. Apparently they found my chest not ample enough to be Jane. Haha. BOO! If I had sat next to Dixi or Young ( They were planning to sit on my left so that they can instruct me to do stuff.), my fate would have been worse. Haha.

Lastly, Poledance. Arghhhh... I'm so disappointed with my progress for that. I've been having quite a few problems learning the tricks, especially the inverted swing & the cradle. I get tired really quickly and then my muscles go lazy. I wont be able to climb properly, I cant do the boomerang & carousel nicely too. :( And poledance HURTS LIKE HELL. Fire doesnt even burn this bad i think. Haha, okay nevermind. I'll keep trying, its an addiction which i have a love-hate relationship with. Wish me luck. I'm hoping its not one-sided.

Alex Fletcher is a washed-up '80s pop star who's been reduced to working the nostalgia circuit at county fairs and amusement parks. The charismatic and talented musician gets a chance at a comeback when reigning diva Cora Corman invites him to write and record a duet with her, but there's a problem--Alex hasn't written a song in years, he's never written lyrics, and he has to come up with a hit in a matter of days. Enter Sophie Fisher, Alex's beguilingly quirky plant lady, whose flair for words strikes a chord with the struggling songwriter. On the rebound from a bad relationship, Sophie is reluctant to collaborate with anyone, especially commitment-phobe Alex. As their chemistry heats up at the piano and under it, Alex and Sophie will have to face their fears--and the music--if they want to find the love and success they both deserve. (From Yahoo!Movies)

Anyway... In a nut shell, the OST is fabulous. It is a great feel-good movie. Predictable plot, but still entertaining, amusing and enjoyable. Witty Dialogue (duh, because of Hugh Grant/Alex Fletcher's sharp brit humour.) You wont be disappointed since theres gonna be a happy ending. Cora is HOT. Drew Berrymore/ Sophie Fisher is adorable. But most importantly, Hugh Grant is soooo very very charming. I want an English Bloke too!

Fresh–faced, idealistic twenty–three–year–old Erin Gruwell is ready to take on the world as she steps inside Wilson High School for her first day of teaching. Her class, a diverse group of racially charged teenagers from different walks of life--African Americans, Latinos, Asians, juvenile delinquents, gang members, and underprivileged students from poor neighborhoods--hope for nothing more than to make it through the day. On the surface, the only thing they share is their hatred for each other and the understanding that they are simply being warehoused in the educational system until they are old enough to disappear. Despite her students’ obstinate refusal to participate during class, Erin tries various means to engage them on a daily basis. But then ghetto reality steps in to focus the picture. A racially motivated gang shooting witnessed by a Latina gang member in Erin’s class, and an ugly racial cartoon that Erin intercepts during class, become the most unwittingly dynamic teaching aids. They spark a transformation in the classroom, compel them to listen and force her to take off her idealistic blinders and take in the kids’ survival stories of their undeclared war on the streets. Erin begins to connect with them. She brings in music from the ‘Hood, and literature from another kind of ghetto, The Diary of Anne Frank, and with these simple tools she opens her students’ eyes to the experiences of those suffering intolerance throughout the world and the struggles of those outside their own communities. Knowing that every one of her students has a story to tell, Erin encourages them to keep a daily journal of their thoughts and experiences. After sharing their stories with one another, the students see their shared experience for the first time and open up to the idea that there are possibilities in life outside of making it to the age of eighteen.

From: Yahoo!Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809280899/details

I just watched this movie with TheElvin today, at GV PS. Because resourceful TheElvin has free invites from the SMU movieclub membership. Something like that. I was reluctant at first, because my original purpose of going to school today- was to MUG! Gosh. Haha. So much for doing work in school. I ended up watching a movie instead. That totally translates into HIGH productivity. Gimme a pat on my back. Hurhur.

Anyway, although its a tried & tested movie with a done-to-death storyline, i still found it pretty inspiring and gripping. I was genuinely moved by their stories, and i cried so many times with them. I liked how the characters affected people without being melodramatic. Thank goodness, they managed to overcome the booby trap of being cliched. I loved Hillary Swank's performance. Great as usual. So it was good 2 hours spent in the theatre. A BIG THANK YOU to TheElvin!

Well, I wouldnt post much about my week, because it was just a blur of mundane chores, rushing for deadlines & doing last minute work. It has been an uneventful school week.

Meanwhile, Happy Birthday to KEXIN. My Module-cum-gym-buddy! Shes been my buddy in most of my classes. I really appreciate her sense of humour, which keeps me sane in class. :) Have a Sweet 20 girl!

Happy Birthday to JIAXIN, my NJ 1st-3-months-buddy-who-MIAed-after-the-A-lvls. hahah. At least i still have u on MSN. Have a good one! I'm still waiting for your letter in the mailbox!

Time flies. Please, I beg of you. Please, fast forward to 11 April. I'm running low. Low as in Laptop battery critical power stage.

I am stuck in a difficult moral dilemma now. (My BGS module doesn't give a clue as to HOW to solve the problem. It only serves to make us discuss it on the tabletops, only to sweep it under the carpet again...)

I've just been told that my neighbour's maid is being abused (to a lesser degree) in numerous ways- such as being denied of sufficient food and medicine. Not just that, there is no respect for her and she gets verbally abused everyday, when the maid is just at a tender age of 18 years old. Shes even younger than I am. I cant imagine how someone is able to treat a young girl so cruelly and not feel any tinge of guilt. A little patience isn't too much to ask for, is it? A kinder tongue doesn't come cheap, is it? Do you take pleasure in monitoring all the activities of your maid, only to pounce unto to her, triumphantly claiming that you saw her committing a mistake, which warrant your scoldings?

On top of that, she'll lash out at my maid too, when she hasn't done much wrong, except to talk to her at a few instances. If wasn't as if my maid made her maid slack off. The employer ticked off the both maids and then bad-mouthed about my maid to hers, warning her to stay away.

I think theres something twisted with such behaviour. People with Psychology knowledge, please enlighten me. Does she think that what she's doing now is nothing wrong? Un/Intentionally Amoral? Un/Intentionally immoral? Or does she enjoy being a bitch? What's going through her mind?

Besides that, the more important question is this? What should I do now? If i stay silent about this, I'll continue to witness all the unnecessary suffering all her maids go through. (She changes them frequently, except for a few hardy ones.) If i dont, my neighbour would surely know who spilled the beans... Then, we'll create discord & expect a raging backlash from her. In fact, im sure most of the immediate neighbours are aware of this. Shes even more annoying than drilling at 2am in the morning. So what should I do? Is there any way I am able to sound the alert to some sort of relevant authorities while staying anonymous? Is the ministry of manpower in charge of this?

Friday evening was spent at TWC project meeting. Then, there was dramatic incident which involved the IS Queen, The Elvin & Mark. Haha. Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like an IS Queen's (or a woman) scorned. After dinner at PS, we watched GAYA 2007. I thought it was a nice performance which served its purpose well to entertain, as well as introducing us to a little Indonesian culture at the same time. The acting was sufficient, but the singing was commendable. I swear all Indonesians can sing. Haha.

Saturday morning was quite dreaded. We had an Econs Midterm. We had a shock when we flipped open our examination booklet. Haha. Okay, enough about that. I had Felix for company before I left school for pre-concert dinner at Rafflescity. I found out some shocking information from Mad. Scary thought, but Im hoping its not true. Then, we adjourned to EXPO, for the long awaited FALL OUT BOY gig.

I got a rude shock because there were so many YOUNG GIRLS. Maybe we went to the wrong concert. Is it Backstreet Boys instead??? Haha. The demographics were probably something like 60% girls; 70% of them were younger than me; 70% angmohs, 10% mats, 5% ah bengs & ah lians wannabes, 1% parents. Haha. It was really weird. And the crowd was pretty rough too.

Firstly, they started on time, with 2 opening bands. Im not too sure about the first act, but the second was home-grown Saw Loose (the updated version of Pug Jelly). Despite the fact that they were pretty good, the crowd was extremely impatient and they got restless after 3 numbers. I think Saw Loose knew that the crowd was getting unhappy from the incessant F*** YOU chants & the patchy sea of third fingers. A pity, because i thought they deserved a better response from the crowd, rather than hostility.

Next, after Saw Loose (finally) left, we had to wait a ridiculous 30+minutes for FOB to set up their stuff. I swear its the most boring 30mins I've spent in 2007. The people behind got sick of standing & waiting, they sat down. It was so anti-climax. I cant help but be really disappointed with the organisation. Grrr. I mean the lack of.