stolen colours

Had the first two caroling performances at the Esplanade yesterday. It was good, in the sense that I didn’t screw up *whew* and no bells dropped off the table. (someone dropped a handchime, though…) The practice earlier that afternoon was … rather disastrous ^^;; [e.g. At the end of one particularly dramatic passage I got carried away with playing and banged into Rachel beside me, which caused her to forget about her note, but scream (at the same time and pitch of that note)

Thanks everyone who came to watch me – Shmeen (alone), Teresa (with escort), Stella (with escort), Joan & Zixuan. The first performance was better than the 2nd, I thought. They switched on stage lights (yes, the Concourse has got stage lights) so it got rather warm. I felt like a roasted chicken in Cold Storage.

The Esplanade staff are wonderful! They were waiting with trolleys upon 3 minutes of our arrival, and they were really nice while waiting for us to get in and out of the dressing room ‘cos they had to lock it. Speaking of the dressing room, it’s GORGEOUS! Rows of mirrors with lights around them! And paneled drawers and pigeonholes that look like they’re part of the table legs. Plus built-in toilet with many cubicles and showers! And boxes of mineral water for us. (Last time they put us in a conductor’s room, which had coffee table, wardrobe and sofa.) I went crazy and started taking photos of everyone in there ^^;; Two of the youngest ringers are really pretty girls, and there was this instant when both of them were applying lipstick at the mirrors and I could see their reflections from where I was standing…It was such a beautiful shot! … But I was too slow in bringing out my camera. Ach.

My current dreams:
1. Be a ringer.
2. Be a dressing room photographer *cackle*

I HAVE to go back for caroling again next year, by hook or by crook…

Well…the top has been salvaged, but need stitching back of amputated parts. The skirt now has a pretty tie-dyed look. AIYAH HECK LAH! At cosplay, only what, 10 people have seen the phoenix in the manga before; and out of these 10, only 2 know in detail what the phoenix looks like.

Going off for caroling later. To repeat, it’s 7.30pm and 8.30pm at the Concourse of the Esplanade, today and tomorrow. And then… no more ringing for a long, long time. It’s really depressing. One day I will buy 2-3 octaves of bells and the equipment to go with it and become a solo ringer. One day. I don’t think money will be a problem ‘cos the next 10 years will see me earning $$ with no time to spend it.

I’ve finally updated my Saikano site! I just added one interview ^^: Would like to put scans but my scanner can’t be used right now.

Complete sincerity: You believe in being straightforward with others, and you expect the same from them. People would consider you a good listener, and one who is calm and mostly serious.

Which Characteristic From the Samurai Code Matches You Best? (You may find out your best trait) at Quizilla

It hurts, but perhaps making light of it won’t make it seem that bad.

Lynn to me: Dry-clean your costume, ‘cos it’s made up of many different fabrics stitched together.
(I think she said something about colour running too.)

me to Mother: Lynn says to dry-clean. (that’s all.)

Mother: Hm. I think handwash can. Just not machine-wash.

What happened today: many hours of frantic dabbing to get out most of the dye that escaped from the brocade. I witnessed first hand 2 physics principles: capillary action and chromatography. Also ripped off some parts of the costume in a bid to limit the damage.

Well, it’s no longer like the Singapore flag. Every time my cosplay outfit involves the colour red, something bad happens. Remember Kaine and wig? Ach.

A very bad case of broken telephone.

Mother’s really sorry about the whole thing, but I think most of the fault is mine. As Father drily commented, “You should do things yourself.”

I’ll probably never do the Phoenix again because it’s so cumbersome; and I don’t see myself going for too many cosplays next year, and I already know what I’m going to cosplay for those, somewhat. Still…I love the Phoenix ‘cos it’s so beautiful.

Went to Carrefour earlier. They’ve stopped playing Christmas carols (NONO!!) and started blasting Chinese New Year songs. ARGH! Grating.

The flesh just under my left thumbnail has been throbbing painfully since this morning. I only just realised why: I accidentally stuck a needle into it the day before cosplay. Pity. There are things that my left thumb does that my right thumb can’t…like sticking itself into an orange to peel off the skin. It STUNG when I tried to do that -_-;;;

cosplay yesterday
Will put up a proper, objective cosplay report with some photos on my cosplay site later, after I find out the names of characters people were cosplaying and beg for photos from others. I didn’t take many photos this year because 1) It was painful to move around 2) I spent most of my time being the subject of photos 3) There wasn’t a great variety of cosplayers. Well, you had the usual Angel Sanctuary and Sakura Taisen group (who on earth would want to go about in white tights year after year huh????), but… no Kenshin group! Shocking.

I cosplayed the Phoenix from vol 9 of Petshop of Horrors – obscure character from obscure manga. *sigh* Spent my time with Alanna, Ivory and the Cafe group – min, shuui, gnoserif, arilce. min and shuui were fantastic as first-timer hairdressers! You guys should really, really consider setting up such a booth next time. I can’t thank you enough for helping me with my hairpiece and extensions; I realised there was no way I could have done all that myself, while you two were sticking pins into my head ^^; I love the Cafe group. The costumes are so simple and striking, and the people were so genki all the time. (guess what…they make up 40% of the photos I took) min and shuui’s booth sold their t-shirts and artwork respectively.

Ivory came as Lion from Tales of Destiny (destiny right? not eternia?) for the 1st part of the cosplay. Those MAC @(*$$%* didn’t let her register as an individual cosplayer ‘cos she was already registered under the Petshop of Horrors team. Grr. Her sword was really beautiful – clay handle with acrylic blade. And she used Christmas baubles for her costume too!! See, I’m not the only one with a penchant for baubles! Just that this time I’m using lots of mini-baubles i.e. beads.

Alanna was the Basilisk from PSoH, complete with tail and blindfold. She cemented herself on the ground beside a pillar in the middle, which was the cue for many cameras to start flashing. I spent most of my time on the pillar (or rather, the ring surrounding the pillar), which prompted even more camerapeople to appear. I think we two had the nicest dresses around. Thanks lynn for making my dress! I’m glad you were satisfied with how my entire outfit turned out…I was rather worried about my headpiece at first, but everyone seemed to love it.

lynn, karyn and yuankai came as part of a Ragnarok Online team. They looked so together and comfortable, not like some teams where you got good costumes and not-so-good costumes. They have a wonderful policy about posing for photos – go read lynn’s blog to find out what they did.

Shuhui came later decked out in purple and lace as Relyss from Neji by Kaori Yuki. (what kind of ostrich mentality is that, woman??) Rinka was Myoubi in gorgeous, rich outfit plus cage. I saw the cage sitting on Bright’s booth and nearly wanted to ask if it was for sale. *sigh*

There was a lot of Prince of Tennis hysteria this time round ^^;;; ivory in fan-girl mode is FORMIDDABLE. I didn’t watch the anime, but I’m rather tempted to because there has got to be SOME reason why people are going so crazy over it. (the last time I got excited about tennis was during a Kuerten-Ferrero match back in 2000)

Oh yes…the PSoH team went up on stage later during the competition where Ivory/Count D auctioned Alanna/Basilisk and me/Phoenix off. Poor ivory was a nervous wreck right before going up, but she did credibly onstage and was loud, low and audible. Guess what…a Ringwraith bid for me! Ack. Shu won both pets, as pre-arranged ^^;;

The other cosplayers
There was a Naruto group (which eventually won Best Group), which I quite liked. Their group performance was tight and action-packed without any “oh no what’s going to happen next” moments. Karugi WAS Naruto ^^;; I think she won it for the team.

The mandatory Angel Sanctuary group, though I think it wasn’t too well-done this time. Rather uneven, this group. Angela was Kurai, and I really didn’t recognise her ^^;;

A Lord of the Rings group! The female elves had such lovely dresses. Frodo was really IN CHARACTER, as Alanna and I found out while taking photos.

One cosplayer I really, really liked was the Kazuhiko (Clover) one. She did the thing on his arm really well. Aaaahhh… how do people make such nice props…

Tally:
Right Hand
  – Super glue on palmar surfaces of lateral 2 digits, and on 2nd fingernail.
  – UHU glue on palmar surfaces of all 5 digits.
Left Hand
  – Super glue on palmar surfaces of lateral 2 digits
  – UHU glue on palmar surfaces of lateral 3 digits

I’ve done my headpiece i.e. I left the glue to dry out in my room. I hope it doesn’t fall apart. ARGH.

You are naturally born with a gift, whether it be
poetry, writing or song. You love beauty and creativity, and usually are highly intelligent. Others view you as mysterious and dreamy, yet
also bold since you hold firm in your beliefs.

What Type of Soul Do You Have ? at Quizilla

R-right…then why am I having so much trouble making accessories for cosplay on top of zero colour coordination sense? *sobs*

I’m finally 70% through Luck in the Shadows – the 1st book of Lynn Flewelling’s Nightrunner series! I am hooked. Granted, it took me a few chapters before I realised that it shares the same universe as The Bone-Doll’s Twin ^^;; I was wondering why Skala and queens sounded so familiar. Rie, you should really, really, really try it. (and after you finish reading it you will be swooning over Seregil and telling me how much he reminds you of Vanyel.) But he’s way more capable and not so ultra-perfect. BRICK!! hahahahahaha.

Do you spend Christmas with your family or your friends? Say you had a family gathering and a class/clique gathering at the same time; which would you actually go for, and which would you want to go for? My JC classmates are meeting up tomorrow – 10 of them! It’s nice that people are turning up, but I’m kinda surprised that so many of them are going. I’d have thought that almost everyone would have family stuff on.

To the CoRngress: I have got cards for you, but they’re too heavy for 22cent postage. Will give them to you when we meet.

what’s a handbell choir?
This guy, who has known me for THREE years, thinks that I SING when I go caroling! Argh. A handbell choir is NOT a singing choir!
From Mariam-Webster:
CHOIR
1 : an organized company of singers (as in a church service)
2 : a group of instruments of the same class [a brass choir]
3 : an organized group of persons or things
4 : a division of angels
5 : the part of a church occupied by the singers or by the clergy; also : the part of a church where the services are performed
6 : a group organized for ensemble speaking

It’s not accurate enough to call it a handbell ensemble because that doesn’t really give the impression of all the instruments being the same type.
ENSEMBLE: a group producing a single effect: as
a) concerted music of two or more parts
b) a complete costume of harmonizing or complementary clothing and accessories
c (1) : the musicians engaged in the performance of a musical ensemble
(2) : a group of supporting players, singers, or dancers; especially corps de ballet.

Lesson to be learnt: not every choir is a singing choir.

cosplay blues
I HATE GLUE! I wish I could just take out a wand and yell “Adherius” or something. Grr. I am sorely tempted to become an Alchemist and start drawing arrays all over my desk.

To Ben: Yes! The PIE is ugly and dusty with all thatt construction work going on, and it’s congested with lorries! The CTE and ECP are way more aesthetic. Father says that KJE is the most scenic expressway in Singapore ^^;; Haven’t had a chance to drive on it yet.

I have to buy glue. All the glue at home is either dried up or not suitable for adhering cloth, metal and plastic. Does the glue gun work for all, or super glue, or white glue, or what??? ARGH!! Sigh. Should I sew my beads onto my hairband, or just stick them on?

I have finally figured out what MAC is trying to do.

1. Each representative (of a group) has to be at a briefing at 10.30am at Expo on Saturday. [Why can't they do this through email?]

2. Therefore, the representative must register prior to the day of the cosplay to make things easier on that day itself. [I don't quite see any logic in this.]

So everything just centres on that representative alone. The other members in the cosplay group are not involved, though the representative may register for them when he/she registers himself/herself first.

*lightbulb goes on*

Was this stated in any of the emails that MAC sent to the mailing list? I don’t think I got this understanding from those emails.

I really do hate the PIE. It is a horrible expressway to drive on. Thank goodness the CTE is the expressway I have to commute on out of necessity (i.e. to NUS)

Why was I on the PIE? I was driving to Fengshan Community Centre (in Bedok) to RE-register for the coming cosplay. It’s rather silly, actually. In chronological order:

1. Alanna registered for our PoH group via email eons ago.
2. MAC later called her and said we have to go down to Fengshan to register and pay.

Question: Why can’t we pay on the day of the cosplay itself?

And today, they were supposed to be there from 2pm to 7pm. I was there at 2pm. They weren’t. Finally one guy arrived and unlocked the theatrette, only to discover that he couldn’t get the lights. He then spent THIRTY MINUTES trying to get the lights on, ignoring the requests from myself and two other cosplayers to register first, before he played master electrician.

When I finally did get my hands on a registration form, I was told quite a few things:
1. Only one person from a group need register today. The other members may register on the day of the cosplay itself, or the representative could register them today. (I did the latter)
2. The representative has to attend a briefing at Expo at 10.30am on the day of the cosplay.
3. They already have the details of the various cosplaying groups and individuals, because the guy ticked off my group on a piece of paper.
4. The details of the registration form were no different from the form I have been emailing to them for the past few cosplays.

I left at 2.40pm.

I didn’t really bother to conduct myself nicely and my face said very plainly “WHAT THE HELL???” all throughout. I’m sure the other cosplayers there felt the same way, but didn’t show it. I don’t care for tact anymore.

Met Elaine and Benita there with weird chains of beads for earrings. Met a nice soft-spoken girl called Fate. She thought I was 16 and I thought she was 19. (It turned out to be the other way round)

Caroling at Bishan today was BAD:
1. It was outdoor; we couldn’t be heard.
2. They put mics at the lower bells ‘cos the higher bells usually produce sounds that travel further, but today we were drowned out.
3. I missed a significant number of my notes…MELODY LINE NOTES! Argh. I didn’t miss them before; somehow I just blanked out at that point. It happens EVERY concert >.Sound of Colours too; it’s my favourite Ji Mi book along with The Moments. And now you know why I love the NTUC at Bishan J8.

Qich: Thanks so much for the chocolate! I didn’t know that the brown thing was chocolate; I thought it was some plastic container till I dug a fingernail into it through the plastic wrapper and saw the dent it left.

Got drenched by the rain yesterday and therefore didn’t feel like meeting up with jade and wei theng today at that point last night. But this morning, I just felt like plonking myself in a movie theatre alone. To hell with the $8.50 ticket. I originally thought of watching Sound of Colours, then decided I might as well watch a longer movie and get my money’s worth. So I ended up watching LOTR: Return of the King instead at Bishan…I’d originally wanted to watch it in a HUGE cinema, and at a time that wouldn’t delay lunch, but heck.

My thoughts? Perfect and faithful to the book. I think that if you read the book very long ago and forgot all but the gist of it, everything that you remembered about it would be in the movie. The movie is so much more moving than the book, though. For raves and rants on the movie, go see rie’s or Stejuste’s blogs ^^ I think they’ve said everything already.
(How come the yaoi factor in the 3rd film is so much higher than that in the previous 2 films, hm?)
Side note: One thing that surprised me about the films was the intelligence of the orcs. The orc leaders could very well be humans in Gondor’s army, just very much uglier.

The trailer for Peter Pan looks rather promising. *puts it on list of movies to watch*