Culture Vulture

had the opportunity to immerse in some cultural stuff last weekend.


first up was giselle at fort canning park. it's something like ballet under the stars, where you bring your mats and food and enjoy the ballet. the ang mohs really made it into a big outing, with bottles of wine and picnic baskets containing delicious looking food. there's nothing quite enchanting to watch a ballet in a park at night, with the cool wind blowing through one's hair. xia haiying was amazing as the ill-fated giselle, who gets cheated in love but who eventually forgives the jerk. as a dancer she's outstanding (i always think that the easier you make a dance look, the better a dance you are) and as a performer she evoked appropriate emotion. i really felt quite sorry for her as giselle danced away at the end, condemned to be a wili for eternity. heh.


then it was sam hui's concert. went only because my parents like his songs, which are all in cheem cantonese and are thus all greek to me. i enjoyed the audience banter, especially that of his younger brother. it was hilarious and sent the entire stadium roaring with laughter. what amused me was the group of middle aged women who were obviously long time fans. they were armed with their signs, song requests and gifts (wooden sculptures, bouquets, stuffed toys) all ready to please him. and when he came down to the audience to shake hands, their screams of adoration would probably have made their daughters blush! what a sight.

and on sunday, it was we will rock you. coming from a non-queen fan, i must say it was amazing! the story sucks of course (really bad and cheesy plot about a time in the future when music is banned) but i don't think queen fans will care for a meaningful story. it was a riot, what with the hilarious digs ("victoria beckham saved us!") and local references ("sorry lah!" and "this suit is not from armani, it's from bugis street.") the cast was pretty good, but what a gem mig ayesa was! he came in third in the search for a new lead singer for inxs, and it's clear why. i've never heard such a fantastic voice 'live' before, and it really blew me away. on top of that, he's a good dancer. i had fun, and even this young caucasian kid who stood up in his seat at the end of the performance and started doing a mini john travolta thing. haha. a must watch!

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some other stuff: honestly, some people need to be shaken up a bit. it's not the first time this person has done this, not to me but to a whole lot of people. it's not just basic courtesy, it's also responsibility, and if a someone can't even do that, i think it's very sad. c'mon, grow up already.