Swan Lake by The Bolshoi...

I was actually feeling very lazy to blog this, but "God Never Blinks" suggested I keep writing.. so here it is...

This is the second time a performance touched me to tears. The previous time was in Russia itself, a competition performance by a group of Bassoonists on the Brandenburg Concerto. But this time, it wasn't just music, it was the art of the body, the BALLET, that moved me to tears.

The first act where the two ladies, Friends of the Prince, were playing with Prince Seigfried. They danced in so lively, with smiles, just the way anyone could possibly enjoy dancing. The Russians really know their art. They're so immaculate, every part of their body is angled perfectly, every first position at 30 degrees from the torso, the temps leve goes to the exact width apart. I was reminded of the Hermitage, the art of porcelain 'painted' drawings on the tabletop. The Russians are really into their art.

Touching stories don't really move me to tears, but perfectionism in artistry does. I was really lucky I got Ekaterina Krysanova for Odile-Odette. Her Aura more than makes up for her lack of flirt with Seigfried. Grigorovich's updated choreography of the ballet didn't mean for them to flirt anyway. I've watched Swan Lake performed by different troupes and this, this Odile-Odette, trumps all the rest. She has no need for energy. Every muscle in her body exhudes grace. Every Odette I've watched angles their arms the same feathery way, but Krysanova's somehow hid the Aura of the Swan in within. Something you see the same, but feel different. This is what is so awesome.

I guess, having started ballet once again helps me appreciate even more thoroughly. Its not the movements that are hard, its the stills. When the swans stay still, that's the hardest part. And the hardest movements yet, Four Swans. Oh my goodness, the all familiar tune, yet Four Swans added the magic to the tune with their precisely coordinated movements, mind you, even their EYEs were coordinated. Never, never before have I seen such coordination. I don't even think the Kremlin guards can march in such appalling unison.

Talking about swans, there is nothing in the ballet that cannot claim credit for. The black swans were dark, sinister, yet they showcased perfect combinations. In this case, it wasn't just unity, their formations were precise, their V-shaped dances were impossibly touching with perfection. Not to lose out, the white swans were given the honour to induce immense peace with their movements all across the stage. The whites covered the entire stage and sprinkled it with peace, grace and beauty, overflowing into us audience.

The Straits Times review were critical on the choreography, I'm not so sure it deserved such criticisms. For a ballet so well-known, so mature, we're not so into the flirty chase anymore. Grigorovich has given the substance its maturity required. He showed us ballet and pushed the grace of it onto us audience. This is an art that feeds the soul.

1Q84 (bk 1)

Sometimes I don't understand why I'm so ill-disciplined. I finished a book at one shot again. No need eat, almost no need sleep. When I'm too free, I'd google to figure out how to kick off addictions like this.

And 1Q84. Its amazing. Some parts are really lengthy, but I guess if not for the 3am reading, I'd probably have not skimmed through certain parts. The good parts I just relished. (note to self: re-read when possible)

I'm just here to contemplate. Its very common for readers/viewers to find a character they identify with be it reading books or watching tv. The most interesting thing about this is that one will realise the difference in the characters they emphatise with and the one they find themselves falling into role with changes! It shows alot about our growth. I see myself in the form of a 17 year old who doesn't speak nor write well in 1Q84. Its in the way she speaks that I see myself time and again. The short replies she gives. The way she questions without a question mark. I did it to my mother but it seems she's used to me. Yet the way the author puts it across, makes it sound like a psychological anomaly!

I see myself in how she trusts others and how her trust is so discerning a wise old man goes along with her instinctive trust. Of course, in the book, the wise old man had ulterior motives. But that's beside the point. Fuka-Eri is a very independent girl. Someone who's capable of protecting herself in her own creative little ways. Such a character! Maybe not the main character in the book, but definitely my star.

P.S. To add on, I really want to thank the lovely girl who introduced the book to me. In person when I see her next year. I hope. We have so much to talk about!

Eat. Pray. Love

And so, after I finally managed to catch the movie (in two parts actually cos halfway the plane landed then the entertainment system was switched off) on the plane ride... it got me inspired to get the book and read it the moment i landed in SG!

But its such a long and thick and trvel guide book kind of thing that I took almost a MONTH to finish it! many many hours.. i think almost 3 x 24 hr days...

The most gross thing and the only reason it got me so attached was the way I could emphatise on every single pain and happiness of hers. Its gross cos she's 34, divorced etc. But the ability to emphatise, leads me to realise there's always a silver lining if not a pot of gold.

Many may not know, it actually is non-fiction! can you believe it!? such intimate secrets printed, i totally cannot. The book did make me want to go to Naples (esp after my visit to the pompeii exhibition) and to Indonesia as well!

this is MY TYPE of travel guide. haha.. ten stars!!! read it if you can!!! its something I will read, time and again.... :D

P.S. and she's such a humours writer, i love humour in books, like that in meyer.

Twilight Series...

Just completed the fourth and last book this morning at 4am!!! Haha.. I remembered I read eclipse till 5am (Saturday) and had to resist the urge to go on as I had family events on both days of the weekend! Seriously, its been a long time since I'm this mad. But either affected by the madness of Bella, or just the refusal to control myself especially when on holiday.. I've been living zombie.

Shall not dwell further on this amazing series.. but touch on my apalling visit to the post centre. Well, I was about to post stuff that cost me only 30 bucks.. but can you imagine postage actually cost more! lol.. Its like, the taxes costing more than an air-ticket...

Well, I've got a yet more appalling story to tell.. Just yesterday, my distant aunt was kind of like so super worried that her son of age 25 will NEVER marry, that she asked me to be her daughter-in-law! Appalling indeed.. she made it sound so real it was hard for me to laugh at the joke.. but yea.. I think parents start to worry.. I think my mother might too, at my inactivity with the opposite 'species' especially since we're at this age where we should be moving towards the big M.

Well, either way, I'm finding it harder and harder to communicate with this opposite 'species' I'm having trouble figuring out why too. But heck it, enjoy life as it is.. all will fall into place.. :)

Where there's a will there's a way..

You wont believe i was so desperate to read the sequeals i went straight to borders first minute of my spare time.. couldn't find it... I was too hungry (after having no apetite for these few days.. was actually glad to be hungry).. so came home..

Think i left out the fact that the day I was looking for popular at bras basah (to buy twilight) I hopped by the national library to pick out three random books. I finished one today after food, deciding I'd check online to see if the library might somehow have new moon. Dun have.

Well, in my desperation, I FOUND THIS:
http://mynewplayground.wordpress.com/e-books-downloads/twilight/

Yes omg.. I'd never imagined I'd be so desperate to resort to reading e books. Things I do when i'm just too free. THe bad thing about ebooks is, you dun get to flip. You kind of get to scroll, ya, that's abt it.

Now, back to my ebook.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Is just so enchanting I'm so sorry to the igakusei who warned me against sleeping late.. I mean, i knew the story from the movie so i just HAD TO GO ON~!

Anyway, the book is so very mesmerising cos Meyer managed to inject humour, mystery, romance, action... i think everything thrilling to me you can think of into her book!!!

And actually to my devastation.. there are like 3 sequeals to Twilight and I think I'm gng to die by the time I finish them all(Or turn vampire)! Haha....

I'm already becoming vampirish.. sleeping so little.. doing so much.. feeling adverse to food.. you know its weird. Cos usually when I didn't sleep enough, I tend to eat more.. today on the contrary, I didn't feel like eating at all! Then again, my appetite all week hasn't been very healthy so.. not too weird after all.

And I just had to highlight the differences just in case in another year's time i end up entangling the movie and the book not knowing which is which anymore! Ahaha... In the book, the girl wasn't so smart, She didn't find out everything via google or some book store in the secluded shopping area. That descendent of the special tribe told her everything! And... she didn't escape via the hotel so easily, she had to wait patiently till the time was right and trick Emmett then run off! There's many more, but overall, I think the movie got the idea, thought I'd say you just have to read the books to fill in all the burning questions about VAMPIRES.

Movies from books..

Oh oh.. before I start on the book, let me first comment on movies that derive from story books. You know, its just a movie, so they tend to have to stick to visual restrictions, time restriction (2-3hour) etc.. so they tend to cut off certain stuff. And to romanticise things, they even change the ending of the books! I remembered clearly that which i watched in Canada, my landlord lent me the book that contained a collection of stories by Somerset Maugham, which I onli read The Painted Veil. In the book, the woman never loved the man, but in the story, she eventually found love! Sigh... I guess, sometimes I prefer to be awaken of reality, but today is not that times... :)

Pple who amazingly live forever..

I've recently came into contact with two such shows that has pple living forever.

First off is the Mummy Returns where Michello Yeoh lives of the lake of everlasting life. Can you imagine a thousand year old girl? Well, at least that's what her daughter's supposed to look like.

I'd say, I see a more REAL situation in Twilight. That Edward Vampire seriously gives off the thousand year feeling! You can feel from the way he speaks and his expression that he's not a 21 yr old! THAT IS WHAT I CALL A MOVIE.

Anw, that's all for now, i'm so fazed with Twilight I went immediately to popular to purchase the book! And I'm so gng to read it now. Ciao! :P