Seen.By.Ice.Queen

it's been quite some time since i updated anything on this blog. it's really not so much a case of nothing happening. rather, there's so much going on with so little time.

i used to scorn at people who say that they're too busy. to me, it was always about how you prioritize. and that still holds true. but now, i can empathize.

anyway, i won't be updating anything interesting in this particular blog entry. it's more as an akan datang.

look out for a few things coming up:

Duck n Dive: I'm taking my son to watch that in November and we're involved in a meet and greet session so will talk about that after.

Victor/Victoria: that is pending if Zebra invites me to their media night.

towards the end of the year, we're also looking at many celebratory parties and events so we'll see what happens then.

till then, i'm just trying to keep breathing ;)

For a girl, I'm a real gadget slave. Every time some new gadget (in the form on mobile phones or mobile media device, mobile gaming device is launched, I am struck by an impulse to run to the nearest retailer to grab it off the racks.

Unfortunately, this impulse has also been the result of painful lessons. Lessons that I should just hold my horses and not make a move until the 'lemons' are filtered off the first batch stocks and kinks are ironed out.

Many a times, I've had to go back to the service centres to get 'patches' for the softwares/firmwares of my devices in order for it to operate somewhat normally. The process is like having all these sexual fantasies for someone and hooking up for the first time only to realize that the someone needs viagra.. sigh.. anti-climax.

Anyways, my latest lust is the Nokia 5730. I particularly fancy the marriage between a 'smart' and 'fun' phone, as well as, the co-existence of a candybar phone dialpad with a slideout qwerty keypad.


I am someone who is hopeless at typing out sentences on a regular alpha-numeric keypad (no, i don't belong to the generation with an enlarged thumb). Plus, i use my phone massively as an organizer, hence, notes are taken on the phone all the time and i appreciate the speed in which i can achieve with a qwerty keypad.

I also dream about having the whole media player on my phone (the 5730 boasts a stereo audio quality and plugs direct to screen with a 3.5mm jack) so I can watch all these videos and enjoy my music on the go. How I go about getting the content I have yet to figure out but that is another story for another blog entry.

This time though, I want to hold out to make sure that this special someone really is THE one. So everytime I see a 5730 ad or phone on display, I wring my hands together like an OCD anonymous and try not to cave in to my lust. Hopefully, this lust can last..

And if you've been involved with the 5730, do kiss and tell.

As mentioned previously, I was looking forward to taking my 4-year-old to SRT's The Little Company play - The Boy Who Cried Wolf.


Some things I expected, some I didn't.

First, let's talk about what I DID expect. My scaredy-cat boy, who is taller and bigger than most kids his age, started to freak out the moment we went to pick up our tickets from the box office. It appears his little mind is already retaining more than I give him credit for. He apparently remembers The Tooth Fairy incident and is shuddering at another 'real-life' experience with the performers.

Anyhow, when I tugged and pulled him into the theatre at DBS Arts Centre, he started doing his Ninja thing where he ducked and ran semi-squat through the rows of seats so that he's camouflaged amongst the chairs, until we finally reached our allocated seats.

When we reached our seats, he proceeded to sit me down urgently in my seat before clambering onto my lap and grabbing my arms to encapsulate him within me. I could hardly breathe as he made sure my arms were tightly wrapped around him. He also quickly removed his beloved Ben 10 watch and made me keep it in my handbag's (which was taking the seat he refused to be on) secret zipped compartment so the "Big Bad Wolf would not take it, Mummy!"


We waited in trepidation for the play to begin and my trembling todd surveyed the set and evaluated if he ought to make a dash for the exit.

Enters the Big Bad Wolf played by Filomar C. Tariao who is no where as scarily styled as the witch from The Tooth Fairy. Truth be told, he looked a little comical with his fluffy long tail and stylish boots. But his sheer presence and our proximity to the stage was enough to hold my son ransom to the intangible fear.

Despite the gripping fear, he responded to the Wolf's requests to sing "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf" and to practice screaming at the sight of the wolf. This is with credits to Filomar who engaged the kids in the audience with his song and dance sequence. Filomar who is obviously a trained dancer did jazzy numbers and ballet steps that had both kids and adults entertained and entranced. It also helps that he has good comic timing and wit and was able to poke fun at the adults while ensuring that the kids understood his jokes.

One good example was when Wolf was looking to eat a sheep in the audience and when a kid pointed at his dad, volunteering him as an offering, Wolf proclaimed that the sheep was a little too old, causing the kids to break out in guffaws (OK, so did the adults but we were trying to be more discreet about laughing at the poor guy).

Back to the point of the play. Petey, played by Tim Garner, and his Father, played by Darius Tan sets the storyline of Petey being asked to watch the sheeps while his daddy (a wood-cutter) goes away to work on a project in the castle to earn more money for the family (and with hopes of climbing the "corporate ladder" to become the Royal Wood-Cutter).

As we all know, Petey proceeds to cry wolf (although they did improvise to make it Cry Giant the first time and Cry Dragon the second) which resulted in his dad not believing him the third time when he cried Wolf for real.

I was also expecting appropriate points to make reference of these lying examples to my todd about not telling lies. What I was NOT expecting was a hidden lesson in there for parents too.

Watching the play, I discovered that the moral of the story was not just about telling the kids that lying is a bad thing. It also hinted to parents that there are some underlying triggers that may make kids lie.

Petey lied to his dad to get his attention because dad was "always busy working" and "never kept his promise" to spend time with Petey.

So to parents of kids who cry wolf, before you tell them 'shoo' the next time because "Mummy is busy", remember how many times you have broken that promise (that counts as lying too, no?) and told your kid, "I promise I will take you to a picnic next week. Promise!"

Ratings:

I love Selena Tan, Pam Oei and Emma Yong. I also love Hossan Leong, Sebastian Tan, Kumar and Najip Ali. I even love Lim Kay Siu. But I am so so sad. So sad that I had spent my dollar, no, make that dollar$$, on something that I had to force myself to laugh at.


Have you ever seen a person who has great features when you looked at each feature separately, but when you put the features together, the person simply looks.. plain?

Well, this is the equivalent of it.

When you rip the production apart, I find many redeeming factors:

• The cast was made up of really talented and famous actors who can sing, dance, act and overall, entertain.
• The set was beautifully done. Each piece of stage decor, costume and prop had alot of heart and detail in it.
• The songs were wonderfully written. The lyrics are funny and punchy, the melodies were catchy and matching.
• The story and jokes were current and meaningful. When you talk about money issues and the tussle that happens around it, what's not to make for good comedy material right?

Well, if everything seem to be the right ingredient, what went wrong? I can't quite put my finger to it but simply feel that I was not entertained. I feel like most times, I was laughing at very cliche jokes and laughing simply because they were appropriate laugh moments (like when you attend talkshows and they flash applause on the screen to make the audience clap at the right moments).

It was not to say that $ing Dollar was not funny or that it was bad. But perhaps, the problem lies in the fact that it was trying too HARD to make it funny while exploring very real issues and emotions. And also because Selena was trying really hard to match up to Dim Sum Dollies' success. Afterall, this is the production that is filling the gap before the next one, after 6 consecutive years of Dim Sum Dollies.

My notes to you if you are watching $ing Dollar:
You can sleep when:

• Najip Ali's character of Sa'adiah starts 'her' heartwrenching piece on being torn between morals and material.
• Sebastian Tan's character of Valentina Siong Soon Huat talks about anything in general.
• The entire cast get together to discuss what to do with their windfall

Slap whoever is dozing off beside you when:

• The various currencies (British Pound, US Dollar, Indian Rupee, Singapore Dollar) came to life
  
• The boys (Hossan, Kumar, Najip, Sebastian and Kay Siew) do their Michael Jackson thingie in their roles as the infamous people (don't wanna spoil your fun by letting on too much)
• The scene with the merlions (especially if you've been a loyal follower of Dim Sum Dollies)
• Whenever Kumar is in his Syed, the Bangladesh character.

Although I feel like my money could have been better spent buying Dim Sum then on this production, loyalty deems me illogical and I simply would not have forgiven myself if I missed any production written by Selena.

Just a friendly note to Selena and Zahim, you may want to throw in a few kids to give you a bluntly honest opinion of how funny the acts are when you're doing the scripts and rehearsals.

Rating:

Some of you may remember this plucky Hawaiian lass who was attacked by a great white while surfing and at the tender age of 13, lost her left arm. What made her a revelation is that instead of developing a phobia and swearing off the sport for life (I know I would have!), she returned to hit the waves merely a month after.

Bethany Hamilton

This girl I'm talking about is Bethany Hamilton, AKA, brand ambassador for the new to Singapore brand, OCEAN MINDED. Last heard at the Press Launch of OCEAN MINDED on 25 June 2009 @ Vista Bistro, Playground @ Big Splash, a movie's being made about her story. Here's a little background to her story if you've not yet heard of her (where have you been man?)


Back to the subject of OCEAN MINDED. OCEAN MINDED seeks not only to bring comfortable and fashionable footwear, and subsequently apparels to Singapore. It also wants to inculcate being responsible to Mother Nature and Brother Earth. This goes beyond just using materials that are environmentally friendly, e.g. materials made from recycled plastic, water-based glue that will not harm the oceans etc. OCEAN MINDED also seeks to develop their customers into environmentally responsible people by organizing green activities e.g. beach clean ups.

Their efforts thus far may have gone relatively un-noticed to us busy city-buzzers but it is slowly and surely gaining foothold (no pun intended).

Sole of Meilani

With its first concept store launched late last year at Vivo City, it has started a trail of flowery prints to a series of store tie-ups and more coming up this year. Look out for the big wave from OCEAN MINDED that is sure to hit you.

For Her: Meilani

OCEAN MINDED's Brand Attributes

• Environmentally Conscious
• Quality, Fit and Comfort
• Natural and Sustainable Materials
• "LIVE" the ocean lifestyle, "PROTECT" our environment and "RESPECT" life!

OCEAN MINDED will be launching their products at Isetan Tampines Mall come 4th July 2009. Meanwhile, go grab a pair of OCEAN MINDED footwear at the following outlets:

• Ocean Minded Concept Store (Vivo City #02-62)
• IMM Mall
• Queensway Mall
• CHECK Stores (AMK Hub, Heeren & Westcoast Plaza)
• OG Orchard

The Thunder Asia Mosler Racing Team, featuring Singapore's own Melvin Choo, and ­Martin Short who was co-driving the Mosler MT900R, had an eventful weekend at th­e Super GT Round 4, held in Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia from June 1­9th to 21st, 2009. The debut of the team at the Round 4 race finished at a respe­ctable 13th position despite mechanical failures due to the heat.

Prior to the big race, I had the honor of a private tete-a-tete with Melvin Choo, checking out the machine itself and also meeting the Race Queens, Nana-chan and Yu-king.

Here's the 1-on-1 with Melvin Choo:

The Race Queens say their Hellos to Singapore:


And I got to pick up some trivial while chatting with Melvin as well. Did you know that...

There is no air conditioning in the race cars
Despite the thick race suits that these race car drivers have to don for the rac­e, there is no airconditioning in the race cars because air-con sucks too much e­nergy from the automobil and adds unnecessary weight to the machine.

Race car drivers lose weight and height after each race.
Due to the intense heat in these speed machine, race car drivers lose alot of wa­ter after each race, hence contributing to the weight loss.

Being strapped down so tightly in their seats causes spine compression that resu­lt in height loss of up to a couple of inches after each race. Thankfully, the s­pine resumes it's 'suspension' and the height loss is only temporary.

Anyways, I do hope to be able to be at one of these races some day. Maybe I can go hang out with the boys when they practice as well. Sponsorship anyone? :)

It was a mad rush to get from the Changi Airport (i left at 1023am) to Vivo City's Golden Village to catch the 1045am Monsters VS Aliens. In tow was my 4 year old son who was arguing throughout the whole journey about the fact that I did not keep my promise to let him take the Skytrain. Hello, mommy had like 22 min to travel multiple kilometres and she's not driving a jet plane! Grr...

Anyways, we got to the ticketing counter a few minutes shy of 11am, with bursting bladders (him and mine) and a promise (to pacify sonny from breaking the skytrain promise) that I'd get him popcorn for the movie.

These are the few moments in my life I'm grateful that there is a culture of late startings for movies in theatres that runs tons of movie advertisements.

We got into the theatre past 11am, after clearing our bladders and buying popcorn, and we managed a catch a few more trailers before the movie began.

Let's start with a run down of the characters. Well, there are the MONSTERS:

Ginormica: This is a regular lass who got "zapped by a meteorite" in her own words, on her wedding day and grew to become a giant lass. The substance, we found out later, that she got "zapped" with was Quantonium.

Dr. Cockroach: One mad British scientist who's extreme experiment went awry and he turned himself into a cockroach in the process. The good news - he's now indestructable like a roach. Bad news - he's stuck with ugly looks and unappetizing food choices (this dude eats garbage)

The Missing Link: Some sea creature that is an Ape-Fish with bulging muscles and water-skills only a fish can manage.

BOB: essentially a blob of goo, he was created brainless (LOL) when fused between gelatin and tomato or something.


Insectosaurus: A gigantic bug that is in my opinion, rather adorable. What with huge innocent eyes and soft rounded bug teeth, how can anyone think he's scary?

And there's.. effectively only one ALIEN that went and clone himself into multitudes:

Gallaxhar: This octopus looking dude with an ape-ish face and an over-sized brain-cap is the ultimate bad guy who wants to conquer the universe or something.


So the gist of the story went that these Monsters were gathered by an intelligence in the US force and was volunteered for services in the form of fighting Alien forces that had invaded planet Earth in a bid to retrieve Quantonium - an ultimate source of power.

The ordinary life of Ginormica (before she became a giant, she was about to marry the love of her life, a weatherman on some news channel) got turned topsy turvy and she discovers her incredible strength and ability to save the earth, literally.

Caught and jailed in some unidentified underground facility along with fellow Monsters, they only found freedom when the US President got them to fight the alien force of Gallaxhar.

Amidst the fighting, the movie was interjected with messages of friendship being the ultimate driving force for incredible power, selfish love, female power etc.

Packed with lots of action, my four-year-old jumped on his seats at unexpected loud sounding attacks and gobbled the popcorn with an intensity of a food eating competitor.

For an animation movie, launched during the school hols (so assumingly targeting kids), Monsters VS Aliens had lines and themes that were too complex for a young child's understanding. Hence alot of the humour was lost. However, I'd recommend it for a family bonding time since kiddo will probably enjoy the animatedness and the lines should keep the parents entertained enough not to doze off mid-movie.

My favourite part: when Ginormica AKA Susan Murphy picked ex-fiance up at the end of the movie and flicked him off while LIVE on camera. (Watch the movie to find out why she did that)

My son's favourite part: when Ginormica put on 2 cars and skated around the streets.

Rating: