Hi you all, this is my virgin post on this blog. But whatever, it's not me that matters. It's the post. So, let's get on with it. ;) Following is a press release by Apsara Asia:
Unleash your dance potential with ASPIRE Young Talents’ Programme
SINGAPORE - Following its preceding success, Maya Dance Theatre is back with the second intake for the ASPIRE Young Talents’ Programme. Auditions will be on 14th March 2009 (Saturday) from 10am to 3pm at Apsara Asia Dance Studio (No. 2 Kampong Kapor Road).
The ASPIRE Programme by Maya’s Dance Theatre is a performance-based dance enrichment programme designed for teens and young adults between the ages of 14 to 25 to undergo fundamental training in dance techniques. The programme focuses on instilling basic foundation of Modern and Ethnic dance forms for promising young talents in Singapore. It aims to enhance dance knowledge and ability, instil interest in dance and eventually provide an opportunity to perform with professional performers from Maya Dance Theatre.
Participants will receive specialised dance trainings from professional dance trainers and choreographers for 9 months. Apart from dance skills, participants learn other associated skills such as costume design, wardrobe management and make-up. Participants will commemorate the completion of the programme by staging, managing and performing a dance performance under the guidance of choreographers and practitioners from Maya Dance Theatre in December 2009.
ASPIRE is conducted in two slots every Saturday from 10.30am to 1pm and 2 pm to 4.30pm at an affordable rate of $50 per month. Interested participants are welcomed to contact us at 62980996 or email: Info@Apsara-Asia.com.sg.
Presented by Maya Dance Theatre in collaboration with Apsara Asia, APSIRE is an exciting and professional dance programme for youths. For more info on our ASPIRE Young Talents Programme please visit our website at www.mayadancetheatre.org.
Bookworms, if you didn't know it already, the third annual BookFest is just over. This year, the festival is back in style with wider product categories and range - apart from books from all over the world, it brought along Stationery, Music and an IT corner.
The annual popular Bookfest took place over a week in the heart of the city, drawing thousands. The crowd usually includes shoppers, kiasu parents picking up essential assessment books, teenagers following the latest Chinese romance serial, and anyone looking for a bargain on stationery, books and music.
A series of activities including stage performances, book launches, author appearances and talks would be host throughout the 10 days.
If you missed it, don't fret. Just twiddle your thumbs in the meantime and wait for next year!
A couple of friends and I have decided to go for a hike in Mount Faber, and for those who don't know about Mount Faber, it is a hill nearby to Vivo City at Harbour Front.
Anyway, that was not really the main point. With the recent global crisis and all the price hike, we all feel the hitch... or itch...
And to make things worse, it is already predicted that 2009 is not going to be a really good year for fresh graduates like you and me. Ouch! Like what Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development Youth and Sports, said during his dialogue session on Sunday, we WILL have to find a job (and not be choosy), to safeguard ourselves for the worst of the economic climate, if it indeed worsens.
It is not going to be a matter of getting a highly-paid job or a lowly wage - just get yourself a job first and as the times improve, you can definitely improve yourself and climb up that corporate ladder.
Taking these into consideration before you apply for a job, do you know that our school have the Career Assistance Unit (CAU)? They are dedicated to finding and matching graduates and undergraduates to internships, though the only-Singaporeans rule still applies (sad, sad, sad!) Not only will CAU matches students with suitable companies, they will also help you with your resume and other necessary preparation before entering the fierce workforce market.
All in all, it is not just about you landing a good job on the get go, but also finding a perfect environment for you to Spark and shine! So, people, start planning your pathway to a better future from now! :)
I think it's time for me to start mine and get myself ready for the hiking tomorrow... So excited but yet so_____ (feel free to fill in the blanks) ;p
Tennis and soccer are two of the most popular games in any part of the world. We don’t have a shortage of players for both sports in MDIS as well. But what about a game of Tennisoc? It might sound alien but it’s a pretty simple fusion of both tennis and soccer.
A brain child of the MDIS soccer boys, the game is played in a tennis court. Instead of the rackets and tennis ball, the players will use a soccer ball and play with any parts of their body except their hands. This simple game was started off with the purpose of improving the ball control skills of the soccer boys.
What started out as experimentation has evolved into a rather competitive fixture during the soccer training sessions every Wednesday. Do join the soccer boys every Wednesday at 5pm and find out how this unique yet equally exciting game is played. by Mohammed Sathick
This is for everyone who falls into any of these categories:
You don't have a part-time job or an internship. Or any other job for that matter. Bottom line, you are unemployed and solely depending on monthly allowance from the parental unit. (See #2)
Your monthly allowance from the parental unit is hardly enough to cover your food, transport and your occasional leisure-time activities (so maybe in some cases, occasional is an understatement).
If personal budgeting was a subject in school, you think you probably got an F-.
If overspending was a subject in school, you think you probably got an A+++.
I threw in #4 for fun. LOL. But I honestly think I'll get an A+++ and I know I'm not alone in this. So here it is, if you are studying in MDIS and you think you seriously need to cut down on your expenses to save on other (bigger and better) stuff, I have a short list on how to save moolah!!!
Pack it. Pack yourself some light snack from home so that you don't have to buy from the canteen or the vending machine. I know, I know, on some levels, it may look or feel 'unglam' but think of it this way - you don't have to wait in line for food. The only reason why we have this perception that it's 'unglam' is because we've had this image of THE UGLY BROWN PAPER BAG. Pack it in style then if you would rather die than be seen with the brown paper bag. I for one, did this while I was still in school, my bag always had some snacks like a sandwich or Hello Panda or some salad my mother made for me (thanks, Mom!).
Flea! Well maybe not exactly a flea but more like a bargain. If you have friends who are a few batches ahead of you in your course and have taken the same modules that you will be taking, ask around if they are selling their textbooks or other course materials. I'm sure most of them (like me!!! WHO WANTS MASS COMM DEGREE TEXTBOOKS, LET ME KNOW!) are more than willing to sell them off. Anyhoo, you can do the same thing too and earn yourself some extra moolah. If you don't already know, our bookshop also sells formerly used textbooks, just ask them about it and you may get lucky and find yourself a steal (no pun intended, let's avoid going to jail).
Student Deals. Always always look for student deals before every purchase. Our MDIS student card has discounts in some retail and F&B outlets. Examples are discounts at the Donut Factory, Chocz, Seoul Garden, Harry's Bar, Spizza, O'Briens and more. For the full list of participating outlets, click here. If you have NETS or OUB Cards, save on movie tickets if you catch a movie at the Cathay Cineplexes on weekdays. Join the GV Movie Club (it's free) and save on your popcorn combo purchases.
These small savings may look insignificant but if you add them all up, you can save a whole lot more. It's not about being stingy, it's all about spending smart. Feel free to add on to this list because I'm sure you guys have your own money saving tips too. Looking forward to hearing from you because I seriously need as much help! Enjoy the rest of your summer!
In a year where most summer flicks flop (think Indiana Jones, The Happening), it might be difficult to see Wanted as promising. Especially when you know that movie trailers are the only best thing about a movie. But thankfully, Wanted is a good extension of its trailer.
An unassuming, no-lifer of an account manager, Wesley, (James McAvoy, Atonement, the faun in The Chronicles of Narnia!) had his life turned upside down when he meets a foxy assassin aptly named Fox at a drug store.
A delightful, heart-thumping car chase and many sadomasochistic bludgeoning sessions later, it is discovered that Wesley's father was a member of an elite secret society of assassins and his role was to avenge his father's death.
Loosely based on Mark Millar's comic book miniseries of the same name, Wanted brings you on a thrilling joy-ride. I could not stop gushing on the cinematography and action and... Angelina Jolie's feline sexiness as Fox. Also, do not think that you would be shortchanged with a predictable plot: Twists and turns in little nooks and crannies are expected.
Watch out for Morgan Freeman as Sloan, the scheming leader of the Fraternity.
If you loved watching Transformer last year, you would be sure to love this. Director Timur Bekmambetov is every guy's (and perhaps, the Lara Croft/Mrs Smith in every girl's) best friend for giving hard-hitting action minute after minute.
As students, we are all guilty of devouring fast food at least twice a week. It's the convenience.. and, well, it's just the convenience. When we are slaving away rushing a paper or cramming for an exam, it's very easy to just pick up the phone and dial for a delivery.
Face it, we all know it's bad for our health and those of you who have seen 'Super Size Me' will nod in agreement. In fact, we don't really have to know the documovie to know that fast food is bad for us.
I'll keep this short and simple thus, I will end with a thought provoking photograph of an artwork "Life as we know it" by artist Slinkachu at the "Trespass Alliance: Inside Urban Art" exhibition in London.
One of the best horror movies I've seen in years. The Orphanage is an underdog Spanish movie which provides a very fresh change to the endless cheesy American horror flicks that's been hoarding the theaters recently. The movie revolves around Laura (Belén Rueda) who buys the orphanage she grew up in and moves in with her family. Together with her doctor husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo), they raise their adopted and disease-stricken son, Simon (Roger Príncep) and opens a home for handicapped children.
The horror starts when her son starts playing a game of scavenger hunt with his invisible friends. After his sudden disappearance, Laura is convinced that the supernatural has abducted her son. She seeks help from a medium who gives her some sound advice. Forced to play the game herself and led by the clues around the house, Laura discovers disturbing secrets about what happened to her friends in the orphanage after she was adopted from the home years ago.
The movie adapts an elaborate treasure hunt where each clue leads Julia to another clue, and another, as the plot reveals itself. Highly unpredictable, the nice twist at the end makes the whole plot even more believable. The Orphanage is really one unforgettable horror movie which will keep you at the edge of your seat from beginning to end. . The only downside to this movie is you have to read from the subtitles, but if that doesn't bother you that much or if you understand Spanish, I highly recommend watching this movie.
I chewed/bit/fed on my calcium-laden fingernails since forever. I do not remember a day passing by without my sharp canines biting into the soft flesh of the overhanging skin on my fingers and the softly hard nails.
I used to hate a classmate of mine who would tell on me (for biting my nails, in class, like it's any of her business) to the teacher. That was in primary school and this habit of course followed me through high school. I considered myself a hardcore nail-biter by then because by the end of the school day, my nails would be ravaged by my incessant biting.
I even contemplated of creating an underground NBA (Nail-biters Anonymous) and had a few people to recruit - a close galpal, an ex-boyfriend, and numerous seniors. But that dream team never materialized because of the recurrent nightmares I had: They all turned into nail-biting zombies who would bite my nails during a feeding frenzy during such meetings.
Shudders.
Oh well. That was the past but spending the past 18 years of my life biting my nails? It's quite incomprehensible now that I am a reformed nail-biter.
I'm bored now. Let me get my DIY-manicuring kit out now and buff my nails (now that I finally have decent ones).
So I was surfin the net...when "whoops!...Friday=My Blogging Day" and I happened to be on some site giving their oh-so-interesting-and-yet-uninformative opinion on how Mas Selamat can be captured.
Well then, that rules out linking that site up here. 'Sides, although I am concerned about safety, prevention of terrorism (admiting to the contrary? Exceptions are always welcome) and all of those high and mighty ideals, Selamat's issue's sorta reached saturation level hasn't it?
- And here I go talking bout it anyway...silly moi. For those who haven't caught on, this is procrastination in its unadulterated form -
So I began meandering through my 2838 mails for inspiration (50 were unread..blah). I got lost in my own e-mail history which was disappointingly lacking in any sort of drama other than some Facebook alert (some random facebookie added me as a friend...what a ray of sunshine...). But inspiration I seeked and inspiration I did get. Gmail's a God-sent at times.
Huh? Turn off the lights for an hour...an HOUR (1/24) at home or office from 8pm onwards.
When? March 29 '08.
Where? Global. In your home. Office. Wherever you have access to a light switch.
Who? You. Me. Us. Well the whole of US would be ideal too. *ahem*
Why? I wanna say "duh"...but for Mama Nature I'm gonna be nice. Global warming goes a long way in cooling down the issue. Started last year by Sydney, the hour-long voluntary blackout resulted in a 10.2% energy reduction all over the city. Now you do the math when Earth Hour is taken up by cities ALL OVER THE GLOBE!
How? Lights out!
"What do I doooooooooo in the dark?' and variations of that whine is bound to take place. But switching off the light doesn't mean U switch off your mobile, laptop, ipod, stay out of the streets or huddle in a corner. I have confidence of you getting creative in the dark. Very creative. Let us know how you spent the hour though...!
March 29 2008 - 8-9pm - EARTH HOUR - If nothing else, you don't become poorer trying it.
As students, we've indulged in a cuppa at least once (or sinfully, twice) a day, especially during peak exam and project periods. We've also indulged in a little (or a lot) of WiFi freeloading at a certain famous coffee joint... I know I do!
Well here's news for all coffee lovers everywhere. Starbucks unveiled an updated mermaid logo and a new coffee roast called, the Pike Place Roast at the recent Starbucks Annual Shareholders meeting at Washington last week.
What do you think of the new logo? I think it's a big change from the current one, showing the whole mermaid compared to the current which shows the mermaid in a closeup.
I wonder when that will reach our side of the globe. I can't wait to try Pike Place Roast. After reading the company fact sheet, I'm guessing it was named after Seattle's Pike Place Market where the first Starbucks store opened in 1971.
Above everything, I am a cynical skeptic who scoffs at the mere sight of PDA (public display of affection, yuck), but underneath it all, my heart is all mush and goo. I can cry at the drop of a hat and watching local film The Leap Years had me sniffling, smiling, and sniffling more throughout the movie.
A local production starring a mainly Singaporean cast (includes Joan Chen of Hong Kong and Ananda Everingham of Thailand's horror-shocker Shutter), it tells the tale of a pair of almost star-crossed lovers who struggles over a span of four leap years of courtship.
Local actress Wong Li Lin stars as Li-Ann, a romantic who meets her soul mate Jeremy (Everingham) on the fateful Feb 29. After spending one night roaming the streets of Chinatown, he had to leave her but both made a pact to meet at their first meeting place, a cafe, every leap year.
And so starts a tedious love affair. So the dialogue and acting were not too snazzy or great, but the plot was enchanting enough to reign my attention. The Leap Years was deemed as too cheesy by press reviews, and though it is not the best movie ever made in Singapore (I vote for Army Daze!), I am glad I took this leap of faith to spend ten smackeroos for this show.
The nice cinematography and beautiful soundtrack scored points too. Kudos to the film for making Singapore appear almost romantically magical. Das Mädchen's rating: 3/5
Yak. Yak. Point fingers. Yak. And Yak again. That's the general description of masses in general.
Once in a while there are some people doing good like maybe...I don't know, falling in love or helping the helpless or simply minding their own business (those generally don't cause trouble). But how many of those do we know? If you do, please introduce them around. But till that happens, a person just simply can't gnash their teeth or rub itchy palms together right? (You could; if your teeth needed filing or palms needed exfoliating)
So anyway, a good movie/book does the trick of transporting thy troubled soul/mind/atma/alter-ego...to a place where, inspite of yakkity-yakkin folks putting you down, veering you off-course, or simply filling u up with crap, magic/miracle/hope/redemption and all of that good stuff happens.
We had a current movie review 2 or 3 posts back. Was fun wasn't it?Here's a not-so-current one. The Great Debaters. It is fun too.But then that would be subjective to your definition of 'fun' would it not? Debating aside (pun oh-so-intended), this movie seemed like another of Denzel's "Remember the Titans" plot...all of that X vs. Y, respect, ideals, goals, grit...blah blah blah. So what's wrong with that? Well nothing's wrong with that. So on with the show. And it is amazing...frustrating really as to why scriptwriters with such ingenious minds and directors of those double-take moments aren't global leaders...cuz really, this world could do with the visions that these people possess and so obviously believe in. Sorta like being messiahs-in-the-making really.
"St.Augustine said - An unjust law is no law at all - which means I have a right, even a duty, to resist; with violence or civil disobedience. You should pray I choose the latter."
Now that's a line from the movie..ok coupla lines...well several lines...point being, which drives the Point home, induces goose-bumps that seem to wanna 'pop!', stumps you for 10 minutes at the sheer genius-ness, and keeps you awake at night for a one/couple/several-liners like that...or better still a plan to be quoted just like that!
U beg to differ? Anyhoo...I do stand by this -To each their own. What rocks my boat may capsize yours. Peace. Have a wonderful and happy Easter weekend ya'll...and may many Easter eggs find you!
Something light to cut the mundane 'serious' entries that we've been posting recently... and also because our blog is beginning to grow cyber-cobwebs and cyber-molds. Enjoy!
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Based on a series of children's books of the same name, The Spiderwick Chronicles is a visual treat. The movie, which relied heavily on the special effects is a sensory overload for both the young and old. However, plot wise, it failed to deliver the 'edge of your seat' feeling one would expect from a fantasy/adventure movie. With a film rating of PG-13, it is not too surprising that the action sequences and the plot were a little subdued and may not satisfy the older crowd.
Spiderwick Chronicles is about a family who moves into a run-down house that's about 120 years old. It stars Freddie Highmore, playing a dual role of twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, Sarah Bolger as Mallory Grace and Mary-Louise Parker as Helen Grace. Jared Grace (Highmore), soon uncovers a secret book left behind by his great grand uncle, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn) about the secret world that exists outside the Spiderwick Estate. With the help of Thimbletack the house brownie (voiced by Martin Short), the Graces come up with a plan to safeguard the house and save all the fantastical creatures from the evil shape-shifting ogre Mulgarath (Nick Nolte). Along for the ride are the hot tempered trolls and goblins that work for Mulgarath, the sweet natured faeries, and the bird-crazy Hogsqueal.
However predictable Spiderwick turned out to be, the story does not drag on with boring explanations and history but rather, it jumps right into action almost only ten minutes into the story. It did have humorous moments in parts provided by the Thimbletack and Hogsquel. Watch only if you have no choice but to babysit five-year olds, or in my case, you have free tickets.
