Dance, my Esmeralda
^_^
Went to see Notre Dame de Paris with Elaine on Sunday. Haven't been to the Indoor Stadium in years. We were both a little unsure of how to get there from Kallang MRT though, so we both ended up a little sticky.
I bet Bus No. 11's route has only one vehicle assigned to it. It took soooo long for it to come, both before and after the show.
During the first Act, Elaine and I were sitting facing the front and turning our heads to our right to see the stage 'cause we were at the side. During the interval, we suddenly realized how painful that was on our poor necks. Haha. So we wisened up and sat facing the stage instead for Act 2.
Aching neck aside, I also came out with a spinning head. In case any of you are intending to go to the stadium any time soon, I can assure you their sound system is in tip top condition. So is their lighting system. The only problem the stadium has is the size of the subtitles. From where I was seated, the words on the screen turn out to be roughly this size. Plus, there was this group of about three French blondes who were seated some distance in front of us and they were putting their "powerful" vocals to good use.
And I thought Westerners prided themselves on being more cultured than us Asians. I guess I shouldn't generalize eh?
Still, the singing was great, the acting was good, the props were quite amazing, although after a while the "awed" feeling started to wear off. The lighting was well done too, except for the fact that we were seated at the side and thus got most of it in our eyes. Oh, and the guy who played the poet is quite good-looking too. He and his rainbow-coloured socks (for want of a better noun) that sort of remind me of the high socks worn by high school girls in Japanese anime.
Watching the musical, it made me feel for the characters who have, according to the story, been given a bad hand by fate. But somehow I can't really imagine a gypsy who can capture the heart of every male in the story. The characters also don't quite seem to take marriage as something serious and sacred. I mean, going to bed with some other guy just after getting married, falling in love with or going to bed with a woman who's married, allowing your new wife to go around with other guys... Sheesh. Why even marry then? It's just a waste of time.
Still, it was good.
Was reading Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jone today. If there's one thing I admire in her writing, it's the way she uses the little things that happen in life to show the reader more about the character, and the way she drops the most subtle hints and her use of foreshadowing. It's such a thrill to read it, even though I know the ending. Although the vocabulary is simple, the writer's technique is brilliant. Add to that a very good sense of humour, a flowing plot and a mystery that turns out to be different from what it seemed to be, and you get a rare piece of fiction that is wonderfully magical.
Ah. I could wax lyrical about it. ^_^
Most of all, I love her pragmatic way of writing about and dealing with the characters' emotions. Howl's cool and calm "I hate getting angry" and Sophie's method of releasing her hurt and sadness by splashing potent weedkiller everywhere creates tension but at the same time although you know the characters are hopping mad, the angry and negative emotions don't overflow out of story and affect your feelings. I think too many so-called "novels" do that nowadays. Jones also has a very unique way of dealing with emotions: when Sophie finds that she has fallen for the charm she placed on Howl's grey and scarlet suit when she muttered "Build to pull in the girls" while mending it, she doesn't cry or get "emo", as they like to call it now. And while Sophie has a most pragmatic way of dealing with her feelings, you can still taste the hurt and sadness she feels.
Another flaw many "writers" have today is their obsessive compulsion to use foul language. I don't understand why they have to use such uncouth, blaring language. Jones uses the cleanest language, but she is still able to show the unhappiness of the characters. Perhaps modern readers get a kick out of seeing cuss words covering almost every inch of a novel.
I've realized that good writing isn't about writing a story that requires the average reader to use a dictionary every five sentences. Sure, I agree that a good vocabulary is important for effective communication, but isn't language more about communication with one's audience? How can a story that few can understand fully without a dictionary be called an effective communicator?
Jones has made believable a fantastic tale, and brought to life muti-faceted characters. Not something your average writer could do. It would be a waste to miss out on this book just because it's vocabulary is "unsophisticated".
There are writers out there who are as good as her, like Jeffery Archer. But I do wish he'd leave out the swearing and adult business from his stories, just for once.
Oh well.
Goal mezashi
Eranda michi hashiri nukou
Yo nai jibun wo semeru yo ri
Naritai jibun egaite miru
Hajime no ippo fumidasu yuuki
Ashita no bokura kaete yuku
Habatakou!
That time of the year I have tried not to think about has come around. Sigh.
Dou shio??
Went to see Notre Dame de Paris with Elaine on Sunday. Haven't been to the Indoor Stadium in years. We were both a little unsure of how to get there from Kallang MRT though, so we both ended up a little sticky.
I bet Bus No. 11's route has only one vehicle assigned to it. It took soooo long for it to come, both before and after the show.
During the first Act, Elaine and I were sitting facing the front and turning our heads to our right to see the stage 'cause we were at the side. During the interval, we suddenly realized how painful that was on our poor necks. Haha. So we wisened up and sat facing the stage instead for Act 2.
Aching neck aside, I also came out with a spinning head. In case any of you are intending to go to the stadium any time soon, I can assure you their sound system is in tip top condition. So is their lighting system. The only problem the stadium has is the size of the subtitles. From where I was seated, the words on the screen turn out to be roughly this size. Plus, there was this group of about three French blondes who were seated some distance in front of us and they were putting their "powerful" vocals to good use.
And I thought Westerners prided themselves on being more cultured than us Asians. I guess I shouldn't generalize eh?
Still, the singing was great, the acting was good, the props were quite amazing, although after a while the "awed" feeling started to wear off. The lighting was well done too, except for the fact that we were seated at the side and thus got most of it in our eyes. Oh, and the guy who played the poet is quite good-looking too. He and his rainbow-coloured socks (for want of a better noun) that sort of remind me of the high socks worn by high school girls in Japanese anime.
Watching the musical, it made me feel for the characters who have, according to the story, been given a bad hand by fate. But somehow I can't really imagine a gypsy who can capture the heart of every male in the story. The characters also don't quite seem to take marriage as something serious and sacred. I mean, going to bed with some other guy just after getting married, falling in love with or going to bed with a woman who's married, allowing your new wife to go around with other guys... Sheesh. Why even marry then? It's just a waste of time.
Still, it was good.
Was reading Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jone today. If there's one thing I admire in her writing, it's the way she uses the little things that happen in life to show the reader more about the character, and the way she drops the most subtle hints and her use of foreshadowing. It's such a thrill to read it, even though I know the ending. Although the vocabulary is simple, the writer's technique is brilliant. Add to that a very good sense of humour, a flowing plot and a mystery that turns out to be different from what it seemed to be, and you get a rare piece of fiction that is wonderfully magical.
Ah. I could wax lyrical about it. ^_^
Most of all, I love her pragmatic way of writing about and dealing with the characters' emotions. Howl's cool and calm "I hate getting angry" and Sophie's method of releasing her hurt and sadness by splashing potent weedkiller everywhere creates tension but at the same time although you know the characters are hopping mad, the angry and negative emotions don't overflow out of story and affect your feelings. I think too many so-called "novels" do that nowadays. Jones also has a very unique way of dealing with emotions: when Sophie finds that she has fallen for the charm she placed on Howl's grey and scarlet suit when she muttered "Build to pull in the girls" while mending it, she doesn't cry or get "emo", as they like to call it now. And while Sophie has a most pragmatic way of dealing with her feelings, you can still taste the hurt and sadness she feels.
Another flaw many "writers" have today is their obsessive compulsion to use foul language. I don't understand why they have to use such uncouth, blaring language. Jones uses the cleanest language, but she is still able to show the unhappiness of the characters. Perhaps modern readers get a kick out of seeing cuss words covering almost every inch of a novel.
I've realized that good writing isn't about writing a story that requires the average reader to use a dictionary every five sentences. Sure, I agree that a good vocabulary is important for effective communication, but isn't language more about communication with one's audience? How can a story that few can understand fully without a dictionary be called an effective communicator?
Jones has made believable a fantastic tale, and brought to life muti-faceted characters. Not something your average writer could do. It would be a waste to miss out on this book just because it's vocabulary is "unsophisticated".
There are writers out there who are as good as her, like Jeffery Archer. But I do wish he'd leave out the swearing and adult business from his stories, just for once.
Oh well.
Goal mezashi
Eranda michi hashiri nukou
Yo nai jibun wo semeru yo ri
Naritai jibun egaite miru
Hajime no ippo fumidasu yuuki
Ashita no bokura kaete yuku
Habatakou!
That time of the year I have tried not to think about has come around. Sigh.
Dou shio??
posted by munchkin @ 7:04 PM
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