Personal Blather!

Sometimes, things happen that you really can't say much about... You don't have any control over them so the only thing you can do is sit at the sidelines and watch...

Now it seems that this sideline at least, is getting cramped. Please don't get injured anymore.

With so many things happening, it's best to just wait for the dust to settle before doing anything... rash decisions now can be very detrimental...

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I've been waking up everyday with a song in my head these past few days, and sometimes even when I'm just walking. Perhaps it's a side effect of having thought about what songs we could do for Phoenix. It's pretty great though that the songs that DO stay are really nice songs. I wake up pretty often with worship songs going on and on in my head. It makes it really easy to get into God's presence every day. I wake up feeling more alive and energetic than I've ever been before!

Worship songs aside, some really nice songs have been running through my head too. One of them particularly, has managed to capture my attention, so much so that I've been singing and obsessing over this song for the past two days. I found the link to the mp3, but I don't think I'll post it up here. I DO have a Youtube link though.

Empty Decorations

I'm not embedding it because the video doesn't feature me.

If you don't know it already, it's the theme song for the Malaysian sitcom, Kopitiam that used to air some years back. It's a really catchy tune and the lyrics are really meaningful, especially because it really reflects how things are going right now. This song together with The Calling's Our Lives are really suitable for us as final years in Raffles Hall.

I'm really looking forward to an interesting week ahead. The future can be uncertain I guess, but if you walk close to God, He can make everything seem so bright. There's really a feeling that everything is going to be great!

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I'm guessing everyone's expecting some comments about concert since it's over. I don't really know or bother much with the opinions of others, but here's my 2 cents.

Acting
Since it's a musical, acting should logically come first. Admittedly, the cast were not perfect, and I'm guessing there are many criticisms from different parties. I personally believe that the acting was pretty good. I might be biased because I DID see how abysmally they performed at the initial stages of preparation, but I won't deny them the credit due to them. It was a job well done, and no matter what anyone else says, I truly think their acting was acceptable. Not perfect, but good nonetheless.

Singing
Who can deny the strength in this year's cast's ability to sing? Compared to ANY OTHER YEAR, I'd say this year the singing was as close to perfection as we can get. The music itself was pretty amazing, and the fact that the leads were really talented made it come out that much better. I'd give them a 9/10 minus one because of projection issues. Still, I can't get so many songs out of my head! Soundtrack please!

Dancing
I don't think there was all that much dancing this year. What little they had though, was pretty astounding, although I'm unsure whether that was because of the costumes. Sad to say, I cannot help but feel this is the one area which could've been much much better. It was more than acceptable, we had the talent! It's just sad that we didn't manage to really capitalize on that. Still, this isn't a dance production, so we can't be having too high an expectation can we?

Script
It was short and sweet. True, it's not perfect, and there were a few 'loopholes', but it was done not by a theatre major, or an experienced writer, but an ordinary student struggling with his ideals, ALONE. It might've been lacking in some areas, but it managed to carry the main theme across very well, and the writer's message was communicated clearly enough. That in itself is testimony of its strength.

Music
Like singing, music was exceptional this year. We really did a good job in this department this year. 'Nuff said!

Sets
The sets were worryingly simple, but somehow managed to pull through with the help of very good lighting effects. It conveyed the correct setting where necessary, and that's all that really matters actually. Past sets teams might complain of the lack of quality, but I think the final effect was adequate if not acceptable.

Costumes
When they were first revealed during Comm Hall runs, I was worried as it seemed utterly plain and dull. True, clothes at that setting were probably a dull white/gray/brown combination, but following that would've been disastrous. Thankfully, there were many different bright shades at the final show, which really spiced things up. I wouldn't say it was superb, but the costumes were certainly not shabby.

Conclusion
While it may seem that I approve of everything, it must be noted that there were MANY areas which could've been improved on. Projection was only one of them, something which were told to all cast members from the very beginning. Most of the things mentioned above are actually only at the 'acceptable' or 'barely adequate' level, and failed to really impress. The lack of a really STRONG scene was also a minus point, as people came away not really having any part of the show making a very lasting impression. Overall, I'd say it didn't turn out bad, but IMHO, it still wasn't the best that could've been achieved based on the talent we had. For this reason, I'd have to give it an above average rating.

Of course, these are just my opinions and thoughts about the concert, from my perspective.

Technorati Tags: Raffles Hall, Filodoksia, Concert

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Comm Hall week is over. A lot of things happened. At this point, I guess I'm looking forward to seeing how everything will turn out. As mentioned in my past two posts, It's been pretty much up and down for concert, with a very interesting climax last Friday. Apparently the first run was disastrous. Again, after much rebuking and encouragement, they managed to put up a spectacular second run. A lot of drama was involved, and I'm not sure if it's suitable to be shown here. Do ask if you want to know what happened exactly.

In any case, it's finally UCC week. There are many things which should happen and it's going to be a busy, tiring week for everyone. Still, I don't see why I can't look forward to an exciting show this weekend. I've seen what these bunch of people can do, and I have every faith in them that they can put up a good show. No one can deny that they've put in a lot of sweat and blood, and if nothing else, I believe in them.

Here's to a great show this weekend!

PS: Cast people, please do get rest so that you can be focussed this weekend.

Technorati Tags: Raffles Hall, Concert

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After posting last night, I went down again to take a look see at how the Comm Hall run was going to be progressing. My initial fears were coming true... and I was worried... really worried...

The first run was horrible to say the least. I didn't even need to be watching them to know they did possibly one of their worst performances. There was absolutely no energy or projection and not a soul was remotely interested to watch. People who came for supper never once looked up to find out what was happening... it was THAT DEAD...

The run ended at about 12... and we were contemplating just going off. Things were NOT working out... and both me and JJ decided to talk to some people. Obviously, the stage manager was not happy. Apart from the dismal performance, sets had literally no sense of urgency in their sets changes. There would have to be another run, starting at approximately 1215 am.

As usual, we made the cast see how disappointed we all were. It wouldn't have been very appropriate to be pissed, but I really felt that they needed to wake up... Their director was absolutely devastated at the incredibly sub-par performance. He gave all of them his 2 cents and told them to do a better job this time.

And then they all drew together and did a 'cast whoosh'.

So the act began again, with some seniors watching from the front waiting to see how it would turn out. I had the intention of leaving if they didn't put up something decent.

Fortunately, I didn't have to. SOMEHOW they managed to pull together and really spike up the energy level. The whole act became alive and interesting, with many scenes done to the best I've ever seen ANY of them perform. They managed to build on each other's reactions and the result was something short of a miracle. I'd almost given up hope on them.

In any case, at the end of the run, the director was almost reduced to tears and we could see that they KNEW IT! They KNEW it was a good run, and I certainly hope they keep maintaining this level of energy and acting, because...

IT'S ABOUT BLOODY TIME!

What this shows, is that they DO have the talent and ability to perform well. Now all that's left is to see if they can improve on the minor stuff and capitalize on this experience to continue performing at this level, or at an even HIGHER level. I'm pretty sure they could, if they ALL really wanted it and worked for it. All that remains to be seen is whether they can actually sustain their performance.

Concert is next weekend, things are finally looking up...

Technorati Tags: Raffles Hall, Concert

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Concert this year seems to be shaping up a little worryingly. I'm in no position to say anything, but it's always been an activity that I feel strongly for, and it's just been interesting to see how it has progressed this year. There were problems at the initial stage with many problems cropping up which was nobody's fault. The inability to form the entire CCC before the holidays was IMHO one of the biggest factors to the problems. I credit this more to the fact that we have a relatively 'less committed' batch taking over. The people who remained are really good, but as a whole, there just isn't enough manpower for them to be able to cover all the important roles necessary in hall.

In any case, Comm Hall run is ongoing this week. As of now, projection seems to be the biggest problem for cast. Sets wise, it's a bit worrying that a lot of sets are simply too 'big' to be put into the Comm Hall, making the run less efficient. Costumes have yet to come into the picture but that will change as the days progress. In fact, so many people have mid terms today from 830 to 930 that the run had to be pushed to 10. I'm assuming this means they'll be ending a little later than usual.

That aside, ticketing has been a slight headache as we're buying for a huge number of people. Fortunately, we still managed to procure relatively good seats, but it did come with a rather steep price.

In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing how things shape up. More updates are to come I imagine.

Technorati Tags: Raffles Hall, Concert

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Ok, it's not exactly the slew of posts I thought it'd be. It's been way to hectic to actually have the time to sit down and write something decent.

As usual, a lot of interesting freshmen stories. Some nick names have cropped up, including banana / 'hor hor girl' and 'plaster', which seems kinda familiar IMHO. *shrug* There are also siblings, but they're all sisters, which explains why we don't bully them as much this year, or perhaps it's just that we're not that mean.

Orientation has been tiring, from Initiation to Courtroom Games, to Raffles Day. At this point, I've got a sunburn so bad, it would rival Dr Zoidberg. I guess being in the water is really bad since it washes off the sunblock and amplifies the damage done. =(

In any case, Raffles Day yesterday was uber fun, and rightfully so, because we worked for it. WWW and RHOC slam turned out pretty well, or at least much better than what we've seen previously. Interestingly enough, the freshmen seem quite enthusiastic about everything, often taking the initiative to go and hype themselves up, instead of waiting to be hyped. You could go as far as saying they're a tad bit crazy. Island princess turned out a tad bit scary. The 'crazy' year ones got too much into it that they did some things which cannot be mentioned up here. The drag queens turned out to be either a dominatrix, or an over-enthusiastic 'partner' to their 'ka kia'. A little disgusting, but as long as they enjoy themselves...

So keeping this post a little short, we're all recovering from the long day yesterday, and thankfully all made it back in once piece. Now the only problem is to survive the pain for the next few days...

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Anticipating a slew of posts with regards to this year's orientation, I'm numbering this.

It's that time of year where all the freshmen come en masse to our hall. Nothing spectacular really, but it IS an opportunity to really have fun and everything. After all, it's the few times in the year where studies aren't a concern.

The big worry about orientation is the same its been every year, where people find it boring or uninteresting and start leaving. It's important for hall because this determines whether or not the batch would be united and strong, and determines if the hall can actually survive. While things look pretty OK so far, it's still too early to tell.

It's funny how as we grow older, we have to act more 'childish' to make things more exciting. That's just an observation. It DOES however seem to work pretty well. It makes people excited and enthusiastic, and I hope I get the chance to impact the freshmen positively so they are excited about hall.

Significant changes have been made to the way orientation is conducted, and I think that's a good sign. If people were more excited conducting the events, the participants would also be more excited. It's contagious. I intend to also be spontaneous, loud, excited and enthusiastic as a senior. It seems that having OGLs (leaders who also participate in the group and help hype the group up) is a better model than just having activity heads and a detached person-in-charge, at least that's how it looks.

In any case, it's just day one. Hopefully, everyone enjoys themselves enough to make this year an exciting year. Who knows? These batch might be the strongest we've seen yet. No harm hoping and fighting for that is there?

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