Archived randoms

SG skyline enroute/ atop Marina Bay Sands (taken on 29th Aug 2010 - my bd!)

Cai Guo-Qiang: Head on & Vortex

1st Aug (日曜日)
Cai Guo-Qiang's installation art plus gunpowder on paper @ National Museum of Singapore .

一个字：赞。

Forces of nature

Damage from last nite's heavy rain & strong winds...

3rd July (土曜日) - NDP Preview @ Padang

很幸运的，Tuk从亲戚那边拿到几张票，让我们有机会出席5年一度在Padang 举行的国庆日庆典。可惜天公不作美，下了一整天的雨，害得我们从一进场就一直淋雨，整整淋了3个小时左右。幸好隔天没生病，伤风。

看一看当天跟我们一样急着进场的民众！



原来那么多人一起穿着雨衣会是这样的场面哦。。。



终于找到位子了！先拍照留念再说。



彩排正式开始了！





直升机带着国旗出动了！



然后是一贯的“总统”出列巡视。



紧接着便是真正的performance。
由于观众席是用钢铁搭建起来的，时不时会随着合唱团的人一起摆动，让我感觉它好像会随时垮掉似的。真是有够吓人的。









由许多被亮起的国旗所组成的“满天星”场面。



没多久就finale 了！




不知道是否是因为这是一场彩排的关系，烟花并没想象中的灿烂多姿。
也或许是会场的局限吧。烟花发射地点被份成几个地方，感觉上有点散，失去了那种视觉上的震撼。可惜。可惜。

1st July (木曜日) - Voyage de la Vie @ RWS

Thanks to Cheryl, I got 4 tickets to Voyage de la Vie - 2 for me & Tuk, and the other 2 for Ah Hua & her friend. (^ _ ^)



I went for the show thinking it was a Singapore version of Cirque du Soleil as the show had been positioned as "a theatrical circus spectacular [that told] the universal story of a young man seeking to discover his destiny", but was deeply disappointed.

Bits that stood out like a sore thumb were:

a) The plot sucked BIG TIME. It really was more of putting the different acts together in a half-hearted manner. The boy (which Jonathan Leong played) was supposed to be missing link to connect the different acts together. But his role was under utilized and there was barely any interaction with the respective performers. It was just so rojak (aka random).

b) The 'desire' scene was a mess and totally lost me there. The music sucked and the stage design for that scene too.

I'm sure there were others, but I couldn't remember them at this point.

Well, not to be critically cynical, the show did have its merits too. Kudos to the stage designers (except for the ones in-charge of the 'desire' scene) and the stage effects. Really mesmerizing and impressive.

Was also greatly impressed by Viktor Kee's stage presence - the team should really utilize him more. His role as the lantern master should appear alongside with the boy and interact with the respective performers more. His body language was just so damn mesmerizing and convincing.

Was also impressed (and with great pain when I saw him contort) by Alexey Goloborodko. I had the goosebumps (in a good way) when he performed. I couldn't stop pinching Tuk who was sitting next to me.

Had draped in cold sweat when Martti Peltonen performed as well. Same goes to the rest of the cast who had performed mean feats.

Oh well. The script writers really need to do something about it. But overall, still quite an enjoyable show (if you don't go in with the same preconceived notion as I did). Go in with an open mind and you'll be fine.



After the show, Cheryl, Tanpopo and us met up for a drink at Hard Rock Cafe @ RWS and chilled.

Sang the same birthday song twice to 2 strangers in the cafe, and headed home to rest after that. Oh well. I must be getting old to retire home so early. Damn!

5th June (土曜日) - Trip to Haw Par Villa

Woohoo! Finally got down to visiting Har Par Villa (虎豹別墅). I've been wanting to do this for years but somehow or rather, other things just kept popping up and the plan to visit just didn't materialize, until now (^ _ ^)



Basically, to quote Wikipedia, it's a theme park (free admission) that "contains over 1,000 statues and 150 giant dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese folklore, legends, history and illustrations of various aspects of Confucianism. The attractions include statues of the Laughing Buddha and the Goddess of Mercy, as well as dioramas of scenes from Journey to the West. The most well-known attraction is the Ten Courts of Hell, with gruesome depictions of hell in Chinese mythology".

Needless to say, the Ten Courts of Hell was first on our list.

Here's a taste of what awaited us...



... and there were the ox and horse constables of the underworld at the entrance...



... and into the gates where the person's sins and misdeeds were brought forth before Yama ...



In the 1st Court of Hell, the virtuous would be exempted and led over a golden bridge to heaven.



But for the sinners, they would be sent to repent before the Mirror of Retribution (where all their past sins are revealed to them) and then taken to a court of hell for punishment.



2nd court of hell - conmen, robbers, and those who had inflected physical injury would be thrown into the volcanic pit. Those who were into corruption, stealing and gambling would be frozen into blocks of ice. And for prostitutes, they would be thrown into a pool of blood to drown.





The ungrateful and those who had either shown disrespect to elders or had escaped from prison would be brought to the 3rd court to have their hearts cut out. The drug addicts and traffickers, tomb robbers and people who urged others into crime and social unrest would be tied to red hot copper pillar and grilled in this court too.



4th court of hell - tax dodgers and those who had refused to pay rent or had committed business fraud would be pounded by stone mallet. And those who were disobedient to their sibling or had shown lack of fillal piety would be grounded by a large stone.



5th Court - those who had plotted another's death for his/her property or money, and those money lenders with exorbitant interest rates would be thrown into a hill of knives.



6th Court - People who had stolen from temples committing blasphemy and those who killed animals mercilessly would be made to kneel on iron nails, saw in two or chopped in half, and later gnawed by rats.



7th Court - The rumor-mongers and those who had sown discard amongst family members would have their tongues pulled out. Whereas the rapists and those who drove others to their death would be thrown into a wok of boiling oil.



8th & 9th Court - Robbers, murderers, rapists and those who had conducted any unlawful conduct would have their head and arms chopped off. And those who had neglected the old and the young would be crushed under boulders.



10th Court - After serving their sentences, the sinners arrived here for King Zhuanglun to pass the final judgement, before they were allowed to drink the magic tea that made them forget their past life and go through the Wheel of Reincarnation. Depending on the sinner's past life, he/she may be born into a life of ease and comfort OR into sorrow and suffering.



All in all, this attraction's rather educational. It's something worth bringing my kids to (if I have any in time to come) and kinda give them an education/ overview on the various virtues and about Karma, and linger about especially around the displays on 'fillal piety'. Hiak, hiak.

OK, moving on to something more light-hearted. This park's not just about scary, gruesome stuff. There's also stuff on Chinese folktales...



... epic mythical war scenes...



... characters and scenes from 'Journey to the West'...



... statues of gods...



... and displays on 'modern' sins and virtues.



Too many scenes to absorb and too long an entry to write. So I guess I'll just end it here :P

Moments @ Pulau Ubin/ Chek Jawa