Siong Leng Multisensory Nanyin Banquet

Siong Leng Musical Association held its 3rd edition of the multisensory nanyin banquet on 22 & 23 Sep at the Changi Beach Club.  Nanyin music, "Music of the South", is one of the oldest Chinese music form.  The evening's event would combine nanyin event performance with cuisine.

F1 Day 1: Trying out and Jay Chou, 21 Sep 2012 (Fri)

It was the first day of F1 in Singapore. It was a more relaxing atmosphere as there are no major races. The area was well lit.

I bought the 3-day walkabout ticket.  It was my first time attending this event and I was not prepared for the loud noise made by the fast cars.









No major races, just a day for the drivers testing out the track. 

The technical crew hard at work..

At the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre, Pan-African singer Dobet Gnahore gave a good performance with her band. 

The main highlight of the evening would be the concert at the Padang by Taiwanese singer Jay Chou.  It was my first time catching his performance.  As expected, I could not comprehend what he was singing.  I also noted teleprompter on site, showing the lyrics of the songs.  Hmm...

His concert had a F1 theme, which was race car and beautiful ladies.

The concert lasted slightly more than an hour. It was just ok for me, maybe he could not create his theatrics at an outdoor venue. 

Canon Powershot S100

This camera unfortunately broke down while I was in Vietnam.  While doing a google search, I noticed that it was a world wide problem, affecting those cameras starting with a certain serial number.  It sort of ruined my travel plans.  Getting it repaired in Vietnam would cost me US$200-250, almost half the price of this camera.

The service staff back home said that Canon has put up notice on its homepage.  But who on earth would visit that website unless necessary?  As most of us registered our warranty online, Canon should have our email address, and could have alerted us of the problem.  Shame about how Canon deal with this issue.  Although Canon has fixed my camera since, it has left a bad impression.

Shows that I like: April to Aug 2012

The following performances strike a chord with me one way or another, and they made it to my more memorable shows for the second quarter....

The 2 Shakespear performances, adapted into local contexts.   I like Wild Rice's production for its cast and directing and SRT's production for the beautiful staging.

Wild Rice's Romeo and Juliet at the Drama Centre
http://www.clumsycompass.blogspot.sg/2012/04/wild-rices-romeo-and-juliet.html

Singapore Repertory Theatre's 12th Night at the Fort Canning Park

Hum's Theatre Kanjoos, which was adapted from Moliere’s The Miser and set in local context.  Funny production, and I particularly like Subin Subaiah's portrayal of Kanjooswamy (aka the Miser).  He was the one who held the show together.  Maybe a nomiation for Life Theatre Award this year?

Da Pacem: Give Me Peace by the Hilliard Ensemble.  Not a fan of sacred music, but this group made it accessible and entertaining.

Lear Dreaming by TheatreWorks.  Strong cast.  http://www.clumsycompass.blogspot.sg/2012/06/singapore-arts-festival-2012-lear.html

Lao Jiu: The Musical.  Second time round, they did it brilliantly.  http://www.clumsycompass.blogspot.sg/2012/07/lao-jiu-musical.html

Soul Journey - Cicada Zen by SIong Leng Musical Association.  A group that preserves an old art form and at the same time innovates by fusing with other music and art forms.  A good attempt.  http://www.clumsycompass.blogspot.sg/2012/07/soul-journey-cicada-zen-by-siong-leng.html

Slava's Snow Show, Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Slava's Snow Show made a returned visit to Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands.  I last caught the show at the Ediburgh Fringe Festival years ago, and it was done with minimal props and stage effects.  So has it changed much through the years? Based on the promotional clip, it seemed so...

Vietnam Celebrating Independence Day

Vietnam would be celebrating its 67 Independence Day on 2 Sep, but I would be back home.  Streets are lined with puntings and some stages are erected along Hoan Kiem Lake.  The country has also celebrated the Ghost Month (similar to the Chinese's Hungry Ghost Month) on Friday.  The streets in the Old Quarters were less crowded than before, probably the people are visiting the temples or making offerings.

Hopefully the next trip would coincide with the Independence Day.

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Day I Met the Prince

The Theatre Practice restaged Day I Met the Prince (我要上天的那一晚) as part of the Kuo Pao Kun's Festival 2012.  The play was written in the late 80s and most of us did not have the opportunity to see it.  It was therefore with great anticipation that I attended this performance staged at the School of The Arts Studio Theatre.

Crossings, The Necessary Stage & Trafik (Croatia)

There is always a challenge of staging collaborations between theatre companies, in particular across language and culture barriers.  The project by The Necessary Stage (TNS, Singapore) and Trafik (Croatia) made an attempt in the staging of Crossings.

Based on an Asian myth and also a historical event in former Yugoslavia, both narratives worked well when presented on its own.  It how did not gel as a production.  We were like watching 2 productions juxtaposing one another and did not see much collaboration on stage.

Having said that, the production standards were high, and the Singaporean and Croatian actors gave a good performance.  Probably a better co-production second time round.

Ciputra Hanoi: Private Residential Area

I always wanted to see how the priviate residential area in Hanoi look like.  So on a Sunday afternoon, I asked the hotel staff to recommend a place to take a look.  Taxi ride from the Hanoi Old Hanoi to Ciputra Hanoi (past the West Lake) costs about US$14.

The area was rather isolated, and the surrounding was still the odd shophouses and empty land.  Passed by the security guard post and you would see the apartments.

Bun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim

At 67 Duong Thanh, near the Hoam Kiem Lake, there is a stall that serves good Bun Cha (beef patties/ grilled pork).  The street and house number may take a while to locate, do ask around.   Photo shows the shop front.

It opens till late afternoon.  And one lady server speaks English.  Other staff would know what you want.

It is said that bun cha originated from Hanoi.  It is served with rice vermicelli and herbs, where you dip them into a bowl of fish sauce. 

The stall also servies other side dishes but it is not necessary if you do not have a big appetite.


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