OH!

Quite a pleasant evening well-spent (:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs didn't disappoint, despite a couple glitches here and there (what you'd expect from nervous actors and the opening show).

Long review ahead! Read at your own discretion (risk boredom).

Cast
Stellar. Excellent vocals from Elena Wang (Snow White), Celine Rosa Tan (Magic Mirror) and Sebastian Tan (Queen). Elena Wang is definitely someone to take note of in the future, quite a charmer. Dwayne Tan, lacking in vocal strength, made up by engaging with the audience and his consistency. The ensemble was great too, amping the overall performance a notch. Some of the kid actors were cute, but I'm not the biggest fan of how kids sometimes look like they've no idea what they're doing on stage.

In terms of dance and movement, however, not all characters managed to put it off fully. On the whole, it was distinct who were the weaker dancers or singers (there were more of the latter).

Nevertheless, unexpected situations were smoothly handled. Celine Rosa Tan and Sebastian Tan reacted to a very comedic accident well (I'll post about that on a later date, to avoid spoilers!). The entire audience was taken aback, yet pleasantly surprised. Poor Sebastian Tan was hit with the most situations, albeit unavoidable. He still managed to brush them off and successfully connected with the audience through plain silly shameless humour. (:

Plot
A classic fairy tale, put into the local context. Alfian Sa'at has done quite a good job for his first pantomime, though there's not much characterisation on the overall. More time could've been spent on developing characters, which could help the audience connect to the play better.

A good dose of humour and pleasantries, but the plot seemed a bit rushed in Act Two because there were too many events on the timeline. Justice was definitely done to the fairy tale, with a satisfying, feel-good conclusion.

Oh and, nice reference to 8 Days' comment on Margaret Chan! Laughed my head off.

Music
I've been impressed many times by Elaine Chan's work, but her approach seemed very different this time (I prefer Jack and the Bean-sprout a little more). The genres were slightly vague at points, and less emphasis was put on harmonisation. Nevertheless, the melodies were refreshing and supported the story well and the lyrics by Alfian Sa'at were well-thought, injecting emotion and humour at appropriate parts.

Set
I'm not too experienced in these areas, but I'd say despite being a tad bland, the set design was simple, clever and effective, allowing scene transitions to be smooth. I liked how the characters could literally disappear down a hole in the middle of the stage.

Aesthetics
Lights, sounds, costumes, hair and such were thankfully not too chi-chi. The choice of colours were quite appropriate of the overall.

Marketing
I must commend Wild Rice on their marketing efforts. Be it the design, advertising or even merchandise, they sure do know how to "package and sell"!

I managed to get photos with Elena and Sebastian! :D Autographs too!

Alright, time to end a long night! (: 5 more days /:

"GOMEWURK!"

1) Math self-study
2) LA EOY improvement essay
3) LA Commonwealth essay
4) IH SIA
5) Chinese SIA
6) A. Lit term paper (REPLY MY EMAIL YOU TEACHER REPLYYYYY)
7) CO Camp!

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NINE DAYS D:

Whoo Group 4!
Li Qi, Amanda, Henry, Zhi TIng, Alfred, Joanne, Dave, Jasline, Li Jun, Yong Guo, Benjamin, Michelle, Justin, Wen Yun, Min Ting, Yan Yan, Ernest (:

Though I didn't get to know every single one of you that well, you guys made camp mega fun! Not to mention our prata feast after camp! (Tan Wen Yun you better not make me eat that french prata thing again! It was so darn sweeeeet urrrgh D:)

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Whee I'm going to be at front-of-house for Snow White! Don't be surprised to see me on 11, 12, 18-20 December.

"CDs! Programmes!"

MOECCAB CO Leadership Camp has been fun so far (: (Yes it's a very long name for a camp. I'd rather not spell the entire thing out.)

Yesterday was spent at Jalan Behtera Adventure Camp, a pity the rain cancelled the outdoor activities though. Nevertheless the instructors were really enthusiastic and our group's instructor (Joshua) was super funny, despite multiple attempts to sabo people..... Haha I'm not going to forget our 牛妈妈cheer anytime soon! (:

As for today we had a talk by the Karl Heng uncle on the CO scenes in China and Taiwan, as compared to Singapore. Touched a little bit on Malaysia too. Quite an interesting talk, though we were getting restless because the videos refused to play for us. There was also a talk on instrument care by Eason Enterprises where many of our burning questions were resolved.

List of must-buys for instrument care:
1) Pledge - polishes wood
2) WD-40 - removes rust
3) Easy off BANG! (haha) or Autosol - gives copper a new lease of life
4) White glue (Note: Super glue is bad! For instrument repair at least) - for wooden parts that break/fall off
5) Brushes - to get rid of dust!
6) Humidifier for storage rooms - longer instrument lifespan
7) Sandpaper - to remove rust/even out excess glue after fixing parts
8) Tools (screwdriver, pliers etc.) - for tightening screws on drums and such!

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1 week to Snow White! Can't wait :D

Lyrics to the song from Jack and the Bean-sprout! Awfully morbid, but awfully clever.

When I feel a little bit hungry and I'm in the mood for a munch
When my tummy's feeling all growly and I haven't had any lunch
That's when I think of my favourite food
Kids taste so good!

When I'm tired of fried kway teow and I'm bored with burgers and fries
When seafood makes me feel sleepy and I'm sick of pasta and pies
That's when I hunger for my favourite food
Kids taste so good!

I'll twist off their little fingers and I'll pinch off their little toes
And I'll put their tongue in a sandwich with a slice of running nose
Oh what a feast for a giant like me and
Best of all, it's free!

Deep-fried ears, stir-fried feet,
Fast to cook, good to eat!
Curry boys, sambal girls,
Cutie pies with cheesy curls!
Teochew porridge, Hokkien mee,
Help yourself, kids are free.
Taiwan sausage, French fries,
Barbequed chicken Thais!

If you think your children are precious and their funny habits are sweet
Then just wait until you discover just how easy they are to eat!
Munch on a kid, it will brighten your mood
Gobble your children if they're acting rude!
Flame-broiled or roasted or toasted or stewed,
Kids taste so good!

Gin na, mai ham.

I think I'm drowning in puns now.

I'm in Shandong now! On our China Global Classroom Programme.

You know what? I shan't be bitter or sour or negative this time. I shall be honest.

(For the Shandong trip at least,) I think it's a pretty darn good experience. *cue gasps of horror and some hints of disgust*

For one it's really throwing your out of your home, your little fortress/bird's nest of a bed into a place where you take care of yourself (includes your own laundry). And it's quite fun travelling with friends anyway (:

And the schedule isn't really packed at all, so there's hardly any stress. In fact I wished plans would be more compressed into fewer days, with the same exposure. (Yesterday we were given free time from 2pm onwards. Until the next day.)

The only negative thing might be, yes, dirty toilets. The school's public ones don't have doors for cubicles (everyone's mooning while doing their business) so thank goodness for hostel toilets.

The teachers are taking care of us pretty well. They're quite fun people　:D

Alright, I shall retire to mindless computer games and videos!

P.S. Search Jimmy Neutron on Facebook.