In sleep he sang to me...
in dreams he came
that voice which calls to me...
and speaks my name
If you ever feel inclined to go for a musical, you should start with no other but The Phantom of the Opera.
Word of caution - going for this first might cause you to be disappointed if you watch other musicals, simply because there is no other musical as breathtaking and heartstopping and fantastic and haunting and unforgettable as this!
Their voices are still ringing in my head. The hauntingly beautiful music and lyrics... I was mesmerised. Transported into a different time and place, even. Starry-eyed and gawking, mouth-wide-open, and probably looking really stupid. But no one in the Esplanade theatre that day would've noticed, because they were doing the same. These songs, especially Music of the Night, All I Ask of You, and Phantom of the Opera, were composed to touch your heart and stick in your head. I've been humming these songs silently these few days (Ha! Betcha didn't notice)... That is the impact they've left on me.
And the sets! Allow me a moment to rave about the sets (hmm I guess no one has to allow me to since it is my blog, and you could just choose to stop reading. But please don't! Hehe. =p Okay end of crazy self-talk). Where was I? The SETS! There was this scene, this unbelievable scene, where the Phantom takes Christine to his lair, set in a candle-lit underground lake... You almost don't believe it is a stage - you think it HAS to be a lake, for the 'water' seems so real, and the light from the candles reflect so beautifully off the 'water'... and the boat just seems to glide right through. Truly magnificent. And the CHANDELIER! Hey how cool is it that they have an interactive stage? The rusty old chandelier morphed into a brightly lit one and was transported from the stage UP to the ceiling of OUR theatre! It's like WE were in the Phantom's theatre, that the Phantom inhabited this very theatre, with voices coming from behind us, and the chandelier later FALLING from our ceiling...... WAH. Sheer amazement.
Okay, enough raving. Pictures! (Not mine, since we weren't allowed cameras)
In his lair: Phantom and Christine. Passion, mystery and obsession... oh the drama!
Masquerade! A myriad of colours, I didn't even know where to look.
No more pictures! :(
Go watch the musical. You have to be there to experience it. It's still showing in Singapore till the end of May! Speaking of Singapore, my family and I had quite a unique experience. After arriving in Singapore, our first stop (after driving blindly for dunno-how-long) was Geylang, the infamous red-light district (don't ask me why we ended up there). I went to top up my dad's cash card in 7 eleven, and had the weird experience of seeing a middle-aged prostitute with a HAIRY EUROPEAN MAN! UGH. Dirty. And then, the day after that, we watched Phantom. And after that, we walked the streets of Little India, among lots of Indian men, looking really out of place coz 1: We were Chinese. 2. We were in formal clothing! Haha. Anyway we were looking for dinner lah. And had some very yummy cheese and garlic and butter naan from the Banana Leaf restaurant. Yumyum! Diverse experiences huh? :D
I have babbled on for too long. Shall leave you with pretty Phantom song lyrics! This is Music of the Night.
Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation,
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination
Silently the senses abandon their defenses
Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendour,
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender,
Turn your face away from the garish light of day
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
And listen to the music of the night
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams!
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before!
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!
And you'll live as you've never lived before
Softly, deftly, music shall caress you,
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you,
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind,
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight
The darkness of the music of the night
Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world!
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!
Let your soul take you where you long to be!
Only then can you belong to me
Floating, falling, sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night!
You alone can make my song take flight
Help me make the music of the night
Masquerade!
Hello hello!
It's been a while... lately I've been keeping busy with work and watching all sorts of tv and playing computer games. Yaay! Life is good when you have a lovely set of coping skills: tv, computer games, internet, a comfy bed, FOOD! These are all the things you need to be a well-adjusted individual. Heh. At least I like to think that I am well-adjusted. Do my colleagues think otherwise? *glares at you if you dare to think otherwise* >.<
Well I talked about how much I love Venice in the very first post in this blog... and how I want to participate in a Masquerade... we had that last Saturday, in a much smaller scale and with much cheaper masks that made us look like our heads were on fire.
But it was fun! Dressing up is always fun. Hehe. So is taking photos! lookie lookie......
Pretty little ladies, all in a row. :D See what I mean about heads on fire?!
Satnam! What's wrong with wanting World Peace? ^^
We want FOOD!
Speaking of food, everyone needs to eat at Paddington's House of Pancakes. They have a huge selection of both savoury and sweet pancakes... and MAN. The PEANUT BUTTER and CHOCOLATE SYRUP pannekoeks (dutch pancakes) were the best pancakes I've ever tasted in my life. Oh and it comes with maple syrup, blueberries, chocolate icecream and fresh cream! Yumyum! *drool* See what I mean about food being a coping skill? Food should totally be everyone's coping skill.
Byebye now. It's time to drool at Wentworth Miller on Prison Break. ^^
Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you.
