Encounter of a Kind

I was getting ready to leave the house. With everything in hand, and before I opened the door, I paused for a few seconds, as I always do, to make sure that I had my essentials: purse, key, phone. Okay, set, ready... open door.

I opened the door and was greeted by the sight of an Asian girl waiting in front of my unit.

We stared at each other for what seemed like an extremely long second.


As it turns out, she's a neighbour, one door away, at the other end of the hall. She heard me practicing on the piano, and actually came out and sat in the hallway to listen.

She sat in the hallway! To listen to me?!

I was rather flabbergasted. I didn't quite know how to respond.

Her name is Junna and she's from Japan. Junna arrived in Melbourne last April and is here until the end of July only, for the purpose of studying English these few months.

And if my neighbours from all the way down the hall can hear the piano, does that mean the entire floor can hear me banging away at the piano?? I have not received any complaints from anyone, so I suppose that's a good thing!

But ohmygoodness. Feeling quite embarrassed and still feeling a little flustered, I told Junna that she can just knock on the door next time and come in and listen to me if she wanted. (Having an audience might be good practice for me too!)

It is really quite a bizarre thing that happened. What's more, there was at least a full ten minutes where I stopped playing to get all my things ready to leave the house. She could not have possibly waited for me!!

I might see more of her. In any case, it's always great to meet someone staying on the same floor. I hardly know my neighbours, so even if she's a temporary resident, it's nice to know that my piano-playing can connect me with strangers. Haha.

Everything between then and now.

The new semester of another new school year has begun; third day, and it's already a whirlwind of classes, lectures, and activities.

Third year, and I feel "old". To think that I was one of these first-years a couple of years ago.


Hillary won in Ohio and Texas (!) - amazing victory, especially after her dissenters were already writing her off after a string of defeats over the past week. But despite her victories, she still has a tough journey ahead of her. Obama is still leading in delegates, and the Democrats are still nowhere near to actually having a clear nominee. On the other hand, the Republicans have chosen, and Huckabee has bowed out of the race and given McCain his endorsement after yesterday's Super Tuesday II.

And yes, I've actually been following the US elections since late last year - it's actually quite interesting, but at the same time, confusing. The US political system is crazily complicated.

I've decided to take up a second major after re-evaluating my degree - have got just enough points left for that second major. Have no idea how it'll turn out, but I'd probably still focus more on my intended major anyway.

Politics is completely new waters for me. I've tested the waters, and it's exciting and daunting, to actually learn something "new", and that feeling of eagerness is something which I haven't felt in a while now. Wading into it, and trying not to feel overwhelmed by the currents. I chose American Politics and Society for this semester, and especially with the current events, I figured that this subject would make for a very interesting study.

The extremely thick coursepack with a gazillion articles and readings, which is
insanely expensive for a bunch of papers thrown together and merely binded.
Oh, the trees.

I've decided to go for the Guys and Dolls musical after all, after managing to sweep up several people along with my expensive taste in arts and entertainment =P.

I finally got around to watching Sweeney Todd on Tuesday night with Caleb (half-priced Tuesday tickets!) and OHMYGOSH. At the end of it, I just sat in my seat, blown away and still lost in that world which Tim Burton has re-created and adapted from the musical. He's an amazing director. Now if I can have the opportunity to watch the musical itself, which is apparently much darker and much more mind-blowing. (I would so love to get a Sweeney Todd poster.)

The throat-slitting montage of customer after customer was a bit on the gruesome side for me - I was covering my face for those scenes; I can't really stomach these kind of scenes. Lol! But wow - Stephen Sondheim's music is incredible. (Incidentally, he also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story the musical.) I need to get my hands on the soundtrack! I especially loved the song between Mrs. Lovett and Mr. T about the different types of pies they can make. Morbid, but wow! Haha. My other favourite song is the one about pretty women between Todd and Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman, who surprised me with his singing; in case you didn't know, he plays the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films).


The trailers shown before the film began featured Vantage Point - Lydia told me that it's a really good movie, and we'll probably go watch it next week once it comes out. But the trailer that REALLY took me by surprise was - "SHUTTER". Yes, the American version. Hahaha. So weird! It's like - "spirit photography, it's real, yadayada". I wonder how successful this remake will be. Asian horror movies normally incorporate a lot of cultural references, and most of those will probably be lost in translation in the remake. I remember watching the original Thai version in the cinema. Yes, with my hands covering my eyes half the time. =P The ending completely creeped me out, with that twist, and it took me about a week to recover. I enjoy horror movies, and the thrill and chills that it gives, but it's the aftermath which I dread. Horror movies aren't too healthy spiritually too. Lol.

This post is all over the place. I'm quite excited for this semester actually. I'm determined to make the most out of this year, especially after a horrible second year.

Till the next post; adieu!

Gaah.

I am feeling super sien-ed. So not in the mood to study. Sigh. Even looking at that piece of paper with the funny lines and squiggly things on it makes me want to groan and just climb into bed and bury myself under the covers.

School starts on Monday. My exam's on Monday.

Summer flew. Literally. Today is the coldest day yet since I came back - Autumn's certainly not delaying her arrival.

The Degraves household is complete again! Lydia came back yesterday, and the four of us, together with Dawn, went for the final night market of the summer at Victoria Market. Today we re-arranged the living room, to give it a different sort of feel, after a year of the same layout. I'd like to rearrange my bedroom as well, but I can't see how.

I realize I've never posted up pictures of the apartment nor my bedroom. An idea for a future post, I suppose, especially if I don't know what to blog about. (Another realization: I'm still very much wary about blogging personal things, hence I try to keep most of my posts general and non-specific.)

Hmm.

This blog needs something newwww. Does ANYONE want to co-blog with me? SERIOUSLY.

Musicals, operas, concerts!

Listening to the Phantom of the Opera original London cast recording never fails to move me. I am brought back to the theatre once again; the feeling of sitting there at Princess Theatre and watching the story unfold before my eyes, and the beautiful, soaring music soar through the air - it's magical. If there's a next time, I'd definitely go again.

I bought the poster last year when we went to watch. Beside it (in the picture) is the Josh Groban poster I bought when I went for his concert last October - which was really good, too! At the end of it, I managed to find the back door and got his autograph!! (Along with other fans who managed to find the stage door as well Haha.) A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, probably. Anyway it was so cool to have been this close to him.

Wicked is opening at Regent Theatre in Melbourne this year, and there's no way I'm missing that! Guys and Dolls is going to open soon at Princess Theatre as well, but I've yet to decide if I want to go for it, too. Both are critically acclaimed and award-winning musicals. There's too many things happening! A few notable operas are being performed by Opera Australia this year as well - Bizet's Carmen, and Puccini's Madama Butterfly. I want to go for everything! I need MONEY.

Whyyyy do I love the theatre and arts?? And why are all my hobbies and interests such high-maintenance ones anyway! Books and CDs, rather than clothes and accessories, suck my bank account dry instead. I need to ... control. But these things aren't there forever. You'd never know when you get another chance to watch that particular musical in the theatre or the opera being staged, or that particular artist hold a concert.

Sighhh...!

Of picnics and film sets.

The filming right outside is really a first for me. I've never seen a real film set before, nor a live shooting of one, so it's quite interesting. Even as I'm typing this now, I can hear the director's voice (at least, I assume it's the director) shouting, "Action!" over the boomspeaker. Haha. It's interesting to see Flinders St. Station made up to look like 1940s Melbourne.

Went for picnic with Andrea, Adryll, Kingsley and Ian at the Royal Botanic Gardens late this afternoon. Today's weather was absolutely beautiful; 28 degrees, sunny, but not hot. The wind felt refreshingly cool in the sun. Summer has been surprisingly pleasant so far, even though I was told to expect raging heat.

Pictures!

Royal Botanic Gardens, picnic by the lake.


Blueberry cake I baked


A round of Citadels


The set!


The black sheets set up along Flinders Street, blocking access to the set

Couldn't get a clear picture... gaaah blame it on lighting, and I hate using flash if possible... The soldiers are near the tram. Apparently they're using the old, classic Melbourne trams. Looked really cool, with all the vintage cars on the set as well, and the non-soldier actors and actresses dressed up in 1940s fashion.


Another blurred picture. Sien.

Most of my shots came out in a quite 'cannot-make-it' status. But anyway this person here took really good pictures of the set. I should have gone in the morning to take pictures, probably. Lol. While I stood there in the crowd watching, they re-did the same scene three times. Can't be easy to shoot a movie, especially with the big crowds of nosy people clambering to get a good vantage point. (Yes, including yours truly.) The security had to repeatedly tell the crowd, "No flash, please!" when they were about to shoot a scene.

They're packing up tomorrow morning, I think. Now to wait for the series to air next year to catch those scenes I saw this evening. Haha.

A few hundred metres from fame. Lol.

It's funny how pain works - it passes, and you can't seem to recollect that agony you went through; it all seems like a hazy phase. And thinking about pain brought to mind the incident with the ceiling fan. When I think back to it, I couldn't recall any pain, just a film of sped-up memories and the rush to the hospital. But anyway, I woke up today feeling sort of better, although I decided to just have porridge for the unwell stomach. For once, I don't feel like eating anything much... sigh.



Exciting (or not) news: Flinders Street is closed from Russell to Queen Streets, from 10 p.m. tonight until 9 a.m. on Sunday for the filming of Steven Spielberg's The Pacific, which is the sequel to Band of Brothers. The exciting part is that I stay right outside Flinders Street. Lol.

It's quite a major thing for the street to be cordoned off though - Flinders Street is quite a busy one, which will probably be quite an inconvenience to many motorists and pedestrians. And the trams, too. The signs telling people of the closure have been up for a few days now, but I'm sure the general public would know why. I expect many people to probably crowd around the area to catch sight of some of the action going on. And oh no. I hope that it won't be too noisy for the next two days, seeing that it's a war-related drama...

According to this site, people hoping to get a close look at Tom Hanks or Steven Spielberg will be sorely disappointed, as they are not in Australia at the moment. Lol. Well, guess you can't have everything. =P


UPDATE: Okayyy, I just heard REALLY LOUD screaming outside. It's either a bunch of crazy drunk girls, or it's related to the filming. -___-

JERRY WONG PLEASE UPDATE

It was this foggy in Melbourne a few nights ago. The red light there belongs to the hardly visible building in the background.

In other news,

- The gunman surrendered to the police by himself.
- Winter Camp next week.
- Hillsong Conference '07 in Sydney, two more weeks!
- Phantom of the Opera musical, two and a half months away!
- And,

Josh Groban, I can't wait!! It's too early to feel excited yet, but I'm happy. I was debating with myself whether to go or not, but decided that I love his music (and him) too much to pass up this opportunity to catch him live in concert.

Connie is happy.

O Fortuna...! >=/

I'm feeling exceedingly frustrated - ever since I saw the posters and advertisements for the upcoming Carmina Burana chorale, I really wanted to go, but stalled, because firstly, I thought I could get someone to go with me (which didn't happen), and secondly, well, I decided to just go by myself.

Tickets were supposedly sold "at the door" as well. The concert is at 5 p.m. I arrived close to 5 p.m.


I should have known it would be sold out!!

Gaaaaah.

Carmina Burana is composed by Carl Orff, and the first chorus, O Fortuna, is world-famous, as in, really world-famous. The name of the chorale, and the composer's name might not ring any bells to you guys, but listen to the Youtube video.

And imagine listening to that live in a concert hall.


Now imagine my frustration.



Enough said.

Miss Saigon - the aftermath, and many more

It's been ages since I've updated! And it's been centuries since Jerry updated, for that matter. But here's a very delayed review of Miss Saigon. (I think I may have been slightly biased, since I already love it. Oh, all right - very biased.)


I couldn't help but cry at the end of it. Tears rolled down my cheeks when Kim shot herself and slumped to the floor. Silence reigned in the theatre as everyone's attention was transfixed on the tragic and poignant scene unfolding before our eyes. Chris runs to her - he embraces her and carries her in his arms as she whispers one last time, "How did in one night ... did ... we come ... so far..." The refrain of Sun and Moon swells into a crescendo and the last notes lingered in the silence - wow. The End.

Miss Saigon was - no - is awesome. There is no other word for it. After hearing and knowing about it for years now, I finally have my chance to catch it in the theatre, albeit not at the West End or at Broadway (and it's ended its runs at both locations already). However, the leading cast were absolutely splendid in their performances, especially Leo Valdez in his critically-acclaimed performance as the Engineer, who brought much comedic relief and "spunkiness" to the musical.

I love, love, love the songs. The music - oh, it's simply glorious.

Laurie Cadevida shone as Kim, and sounds almost as good as Lea Salonga, who took on the original role on the London West End. Chris was played by an Australian lead, David Harris, who put on an equally stellar performance. But Leo Valdez, in his energetic and uplifting performance, was undoubtedly the star, and pretty much stole the limelight most of the time.

We managed to get a few pictures with Chris (David Harris) and John (Juan Jackson)!!! *insert groupie squeal here* The pictures are still with my housemate, haven't gotten it from her. (Yes, I was that fanatic to have wanted pictures with them.) Kim (Cadevida) came out through the side door as well after the performance, but in the rush to pose with Chris and John, we missed her, and she went off in the other direction. ("Noooo!!") We (oh, okay - at my insistence) hung around for a bit to see if Leo Valdez would come out as well (to get his autograph and picture would have been huge pluses, since he's an internationally-renowned performer), but he didn't, so we left.


Anyway, it was a great musical, and I really would love to see it a second time (except for that one material possession we are always in dire need of - money!). Anyway, I have Phantom of the Opera to look forward to in early September.

Speaking of events, I'll be going for quite a few in the coming weeks. There's the Comedy Festival, and I just bought the tickets for the Jason Byrne stand-up which is on this coming Tuesday, and on Friday, I'll be going for A Night in Fantasia 2007 - the Symphonic Games Edition, which I'm very much looking forward to. And there's the much-anticipated world famous Cirque du Soleil - Varekai, in early May which I'll be going for as well! (Second row seats, A reserve - beat that!! =P)



Anyway, just to liven up the blog, and though it's been weeks over already, here are a few firework pictures from the Moomba Water Festival held last March.