You Are At The Archives for May, 2009

May 31st, 2009

[Blog] celebration

this past week has been pretty eventful. True Hearts rehearsals as usual of course, and i was also involved in the celebration of a historical milestone in public transport. let me get to that in awhile..


all 5 of us.
4 performing artistes and Melody

Frontline came to film the dance rehearsals and to interview Melody. she’s definitely looking forward to the performance and i can tell she’s really happy to be part of it. i’m glad to be part of it, because of her.. simply because i feel she injects so much more meaning into the dance.

she’s done very well.. see it yourself to believe it.. Frontline will be on this friday, 10.30pm.

《前线追踪》拍了舞蹈彩排的幕后花絮 也访问了Melody
我问她怕镜头吗？
她说她不怕 就当是在拍照一样
但聊了一会儿 她感觉到镜头一直拉近 她很自然的牵了我的手不放
她依然是个害羞的女孩子

她很单纯 也很聪明
我也觉得她的舞蹈跳得很好
她的努力是应该鼓励的

just yesterday, the four of us were invited to the opening of the SMRT Circle Line, at the Bishan circle line interchange station. there will be greater convenience and connectivity for the commuters in time to come

check it out:
http://www.lta.gov.sg/projects/proj_rail_ccl.htm


we played games..


thanks to my fans for always being there..

i’m happy to be involved in this celebratory opening of the Circle Line. convenience in transport is important to everyone, not just here in singapore but everywhere. it is definitely a milestone in the transport department, providing the best possible to our people.

come to think of it, life is a journey. we may take different routes to a certain destination. our destination may not even be the same place. we may not share the same ideals or have the same views. but this difference is the beauty of life, isn’t it?

for example, i have observed people who don’t look at others in the eye when they’re talking, or they would give a none-too-interested look. this doesn’t gel with my idea of being polite, as in looking at the speaker, a warm handshake, and being sincere to whom you are speaking to. but i guess people are ultimately different, and they may handle things differently, have a different mindset, and we just have to respect that..

at the end of the day, there are more important things in life to be bothered about. so many things happen every minute of the day, things that we may not be even mildly aware of.

i wish to share a clip that i found to be very meaningful (thanks to my fan who shared it with me in my jeanius forum).. and i hope you find new meaning within too..


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May 23rd, 2009

[Blog] thank you auntie kim

do you remember auntie kim (from one of my earlier posts)? the lady who gave me the pink （pheonix） kebaya.. well, in this post i want to particularly express my gratitude to her for specially making the orange kebaya for me for this musical. auntie kim even came down all the way from penang to hand it to me personally.. thank you so much auntie kim..

表演当天所穿的kebaya是auntie kim特别做给我的
真的好漂亮！
她还从槟城来到新加坡
亲手把衣服交给我
我也答应auntie kim会把她店的地址放上博客
如果你们喜欢可以去找她哦！

170-04-77, Gurney Plaza,
10250 Penang, Malaysia.

前几天收到更多歌舞剧的照片
在这和大家分享


some photos from the 8 days shoot
(i used this as my blog banner too)

last of all.. i’ve been busy with True Hearts comm chest dance rehearsals. this is melody, the girl i will be dancing with. this is her first time dancing. she’s put in so much effort and she’s doing very well. 7th june.. you’ll see..


the lady on the far right is michelle (choreographer for this item)

我在干什么呢？
这阵子忙着《公益献爱心》舞蹈训练

节目很有意义
因为受益者们也参与了表演
他们都很努力 而我也觉得他们真的很棒

我将会和melody一起跳舞
这个舞蹈项目也包括了cavin soh, jeremy chan, michelle tay

here’s a short preview clip.. enjoy


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May 21st, 2009

NETS: The Preferred Card In The Heartland Fiesta

NewDesignWorld Press Release Center

NETS, Singapore’s leading electronic payments provider, is sponsoring a shopping event in the heartlands called the ‘Heartland Fiesta’ from 5 June to 28 June 2009. This event is supported by Housing Development Board (HDB) and SPRING Singapore.

In doing so, NETS will bring forth the shopping funfare to five heartlands. The heartlands participating in the fiesta are People’s Park, Serangoon North, Tampines St 11, Hong Kah and Toa Payoh Central, which represents over more than half-a-million people living in these areas.

Themed “Eat, Shop, Play”, the objective of this event is to draw more shoppers to the heartlands with value-for-money offerings. In this effort, retailers in the various participating neighbourhoods will be encouraged to promote their products or services actively during this period.

The Fiesta also aims to encourage residents to explore shopping within the heartlands and discover the convenience right at their doorstep. “We were encouraged by the success of our Heartland Program last year with the community at Ang Mo Kio, Bedok and Toa Payoh. Not only did we help drive heartland business up by 15% among the merchants, but also drove home the message of convenience in cashless payments for both merchants and consumers. This is a win-win situation for all,” remarked NETS’ CEO, Poh Mui Hoon.

Propelled by the success of last year’s event, NETS is collaborating with more Merchant Associations this year by helping to organise activities over the weekends that will drive customer traffic and spend.

Mr Yeo Hiang Meng, President, Singapore Toa Payoh Central Merchants’ Association said, “To extend a mall-like shopping environment in the heartlands is a very refreshing experience that will be welcomed by the residents here. We are looking forward to this event and are confident that it will boost neighborhoods’ retail environment and drive greater customer traffic to our shops. We are glad to be a part of the Heartland Fiesta and collaborate with NETS!”

The Fiesta will have several fun-filled activities targeted at the young and old that include a family day, a heartland race, carnival games, magic shows, puppet shows, inflatable bouncers, stage performances and freebies.

A major highlight will be the initiative by Singapore Sports Council, the organiser of the Asian Youth Games, which will bring the mascot to the Fiesta. Residents can also purchase tickets to the Asian Youth Games at this Fiesta.

Another highlight of NETS participation is that residents can sign up for the new NETS CEPAS 2.0 Cashcards at the NETS booth. NETS plans to recruit 5000 new users to start using the new card for transport, as well as for small value purchases at quick service retailers, starting August this year.

Coinciding with 25 years of providing payment services to all Singaporeans, NETS is giving out prize money of $2500 daily to consumers who spend using NETS during heartland fiesta period. If the shopper uses the NETS card at “10X” exclusive merchants, it increases his chance of winning the daily draw by 10 times.

To liven up the event, special appearances will be made by Ms Jeanette Aw, NETS Ambassador and actress well known for her portrayal as a nyonya in the much celebrated recent local television drama serial, at one of the neighbourhood centers at scheduled time. Ms Aw has a wide fan base in the heartlands for her portrayal and recently emerged as one of the Top Ten Most Popular Female Artists.

An extensive publicity campaign involving marketing collaterals, web, print and radio has been planned so as to recruit teams for the Heartland Race as well as to cover the race ‘live’ on radio. Winning teams and correct answers to the quizzes stand to win attractive prizes in cash and kind worth more than S$10,000.

In addition to food and fun, NETS is partnering UOB Travel to offer smart deals to residents who are planning short holidays into the region during the month- long school break. NETS is also bringing in OCBC to promote their range of banking services to the residents.

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May 20th, 2009

Shaolin shenanigans

Star Gazing

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is May Seah, your Showbiz Sista, bringing you the low-down on an unlikely romantic pairing: Christopher Lee and Jeanette Aw.

Gasp! Didn’t he just get married? The harlot! Oh, don’t get your intimates in a knot. The pairing is strictly in the drama series The Shaolin Warriors, which is currently airing on MediaCorp TV Channel 8. The new Mr Fann Wong, we are sure, would never dream of cheating on his queen with one of the Seven Princesses. In this period drama, Chris and Jeanette play lovers, and are the only Singaporeans in a cast of regional actors such as Sammo Hung and his son, Sammy (inventive, eh?).

Before The Little Nyonya, there was Sun Haiqing. It’s the Ming dynasty, and Japanese pirates are in cahoots with local accomplices to wreak havoc in China’s coastal regions. Jeanette is running an inn as a cover for a spy operation, feeding the pirates with supplies and information. Christopher plays historical figure Qi Jiguang, a general in the imperial army. The star-crossed pair meet. They fall in love. Someone dies. But don’t ask Showbiz Sista how or why, because the Mandarin is really cheem.

On her part, Jeanette – who was clad head to sole in Gucci at the press conference – told Showbiz Sista she enjoyed working with Chris, but only thinks of him as an older brother. (You’d better, Jeanette, because Fann could crush you! Mwahaha!) “Since my first drama, he’s been acting as my brother,” Jeanette demurred. “Subsequently, when I worked with Fann, she’s always been my sister. It’s very natural for me to see them as relatives. And, furthermore, I have a brother his age. He’s really like a brother figure.”

Filmed in China in 2007, this was Jeanette’s first period drama. “I’d always wanted to do period dramas. There’s something that draws me to it. I think maybe it’s the costumes —the whole look — how beautiful it all looks. Even the fighting scenes. I had only one real fighting scene. But I wish I had more. I think it helps that I have a dance background, and I’ve been taught a little bit of the basics of wushu before.”

As for Chris, he did some time with the Shaolin monks to help him get into character and learn some martial arts moves. “I had three weeks of training,” he said. “I’d get up at 7 and walk to the Shaolin temple, then train from 8 to 10. Then I’d have a vegetarian lunch with the monks. When eating, nobody’s allowed to talk, and you have to wash your own bowl. Then back to more training. It was quite draining.”

To see if all that hard work paid off (at least it has for Fann — the man washes his own dishes now!), don’t forget to tune in to Shaolin Warriors on weekdays at 7pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.

Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!

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May 19th, 2009

Rich but lacking in spice

Channel News Asia

SINGAPORE : The culture of the Peranakans (Straits Chinese) is distinct for its richness and spiced-up food. Unfortunately, the team behind of “The Peranakan Ball” forgot to add enough of these crucial ingredients to the recently staged musical.

Coming hot on the heels of the very successful television series, “The Little Nonya” it was only a matter of time when someone would bank on the interest.

But it was really a case of biting off too much of the kueh (cake) than they could chew for the organisers of “The Peranakan Ball”, a musical staged at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and based around the Channel 8 TV success “The Little Nyonya”.

Star of the TV series Jeanette Aw was back, this time as a domestic helper named Bee Chin, who works for a rich Peranakan family.

Other leads from “Little Nonya” also made their appearance reprising their ‘Peranakan roots’ such as Dai Yang Tian who plays the grandson of the matriarch of the family who wants to find a bride for the young man.

To allow the grand dame to spot a potential bride, just as it was in the old days, the task of holding a ball falls on Caldecott screen veteran Xiang Yun, who plays Yue-Niang.

In true Perankan tradition, there was a lot of singing and dancing. That was only let down by the cast who could’ve taken some notes on lip-syncing to pre-recorded singing.

Being a musical, it would’ve been nice to hear the actors stretch their vocals as cast-member Olivia Ong, who is a singer rather than actor, did mid-way through the show with her ‘live’ rendition of the theme song, “Ru Yan”.

Going from screen to stage is a challenge and the musical’s stars Jeanette Aw and Dai Yang Tian stuck closely to their roles and performed as well as they could.

While there wasn’t much chance for them to shine in the happy, boy-meets-girl plot that could’ve done with a little twist for added drama, the “Little Nyonya” co-stars did show that both have formed a budding chemistry which came off naturally in their performance.

As always the colourful costumes of the Peranakans were a winner, as was the set on stage.

Effort was also put into introducing Peranakan culture, such as the stage tradition which saw men dressing as women which supporting cast of Rayson Tan, Brandon Wong and Ben Yeo did, appearing on stage as nyonyas.

Their appearance in the opening scene took the audience by surprise and needed some context to explain away the cross-dressing.

While pains were taken to pepper the English dialogue with phrases in Malay and the Chinese Hokkien dialect, which would have not been unusual for any Peranakan, there was just too much use of inappropriate and offensive Hokkien phrases. Maybe the intention was to draw laughs from the audience, but I was not laughing after a while.

The best performer of the night surprisingly was someone who did not have any acting scenes in the play – singer Olivia Ong, who delivered a touching and emotional performance.

That only goes to prove one thing – when it comes to musicals it might just be better served with a staple of singers, spiced with a small helping of good actors, or as a Peranakan would say, serve your ‘nasi’ (staple rice) but ‘tiok pang sambal belachan’ (do add spiced chilli) that will make it all ‘sedap’ (deliciously palatable).

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May 19th, 2009

[Blog] curtain call

we’ve come to the end of the chapter “The Peranakan Ball”. it’s been a joyous journey and a totally enriching experience.
experience.. manifests itself in various ways. it is multi-dimensional, can be subjective or objective, taken in your point of view or mine.
in the most personal sense, i enjoyed myself tremendously and can only be grateful for this opportunity to be on stage and to get in touch with a once-familiar theatrical performance.
i’m grateful.. and would like to extend this gratitude to all of you who gave me your support and love. thank you all.. so much!

《娘惹之恋》圆满落幕
非常感激有这次的演出机会
很享受在台上表演的感觉
让我有新的尝试 丰富了在台上的经验
感激 也感谢每一位到现场来支持我的朋友
收到了好多花，礼物，巧克力，书，卡片
谢谢大家


flowers from my 3 little ones..


from godpa.. love sent to me, all the way from UK


from Jeanius! thank you all! these flowers are lovely
21 jeaniuses bought the $118 tickets
just so they could sit at the front row to watch the musical
a very very big thank you Jeanius!


from my friend


both from hype records
thanks to my boss ken lim
also thanks to jonathan and my managers.. alison, minmin, and jiabao


more flowers.. thank you all so much
the flowers are very pretty and cheery, they’re lovely


director – goh boon teck


we were running lines before our vocal warm up


with ann


my make up artiste – clarence
he took care of my make up for all 3 changes (you’ll see)


he did such a wonderful job..
thank you so much clarence


youling jie (the lady on my right) did my 3 hair changes
thank you so much.. 辛苦了


谢谢影迷们
你们准备了好多东西 让我很感动
有几位还从马来西亚来到新加坡
你们好可爱 谢谢大家


the band

thank you to cast, ensemble and crew. it’s been a pleasure working with all of you. not all could make it to the cast party after the performance, so i did not get the chance to take a photo with some of them.


professional dancer and choreographer – jeffrey tan
someone i really respect
i love to watch him dance.. and i’m thrilled to have this chance to work with him

我收到了一个小小礼物
是向云姐的女儿送给我的
真的很可爱 好有心呢！
你们觉得呢?

其实你们每一位所给我的心意
我都放在心里
我会记住 也会珍惜

这个星期除了演出以外
也变成了突击惊喜的“同谋”
长话短说 崇庆为ivy策划了一个惊喜
那个惊喜就是在ivy不知情的情况下 我出现在她的面前


NETS – my latest endorsement
let me share more at a later time


8days cover
i love the bright colors and the cheery mood of this cover
the nyonya dumplings you see are real by the way!
it’s been meticulously wrapped up in bright coloured ribbons
if you saw what effort went into the set up of the place, you would be extremely impressed.
i was!

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May 18th, 2009

TrueHearts 2009: No drama, just sincerity and simplicity

By Favian Ng, Channel News Asia

SINGAPORE : Unlike most live charity shows, “TrueHearts 2009” will not feature any death-defying stunts or elaborate musical plays to elevate your anxiety. This charity show by the Community Chest will focus on the talents of beneficiaries who will be performing alongside MediaCorp artistes.

Offering a glimpse into the lives of its beneficiaries, “TrueHearts 2009”, hopes viewers will understand the daily challenges that they face, and the significance of long term charity support to the needy.

Conceptualised by music producer and “Singapore Idol” judge Ken Lim, “TrueHearts 2009” will feature performances by over 160 beneficiaries and 26 MediaCorp artistes.

And Lim is offering his services as creative consultant for this event for free. Said Jennie Chua, Chairman of Community Chest, “If people think of creative consultant, you probably think that he will get a big fee, but he is of course doing it pro bono. Actually, this idea of doing the show came from him. He said that it was a good time to do a show and asked me to get a committee.”

“TrueHearts 2009” which telecasts live on June 7 on Channel 8, will see the cast of “Table of Glory” – Zheng Ge Ping, Dai Yang Tian, Joshua Ang and Alan Tern – and Alex, a beneficiary from the Metta School, performing martial arts.

If you think that this is a breeze for these macho men, Zheng begs to differ, “We have to keep in this “horse-stance” position for 30 seconds but 10 seconds was already long enough to kill us.” Tern also reveals that he was bedridden after the first training session and his wife had to give him a massage to ease the pain.

Another highlight of the show is the joint performance by actress Ann Kok, getai veteran Liu Ling Ling and Osland who seeks treatment at the Singapore Chesire Home. Liu and Osland will perform a Mandarin number while Kok will play the Yang Qing, a traditional Chinese string instrument.

To show her commitment, Kok bought a secondhand Yang Qing so she can practice at home. “I’m fortunate that my neighbours are doing renovation so I can practice at the same time,” she said.

Organising Chairman of TrueHearts 2009, Edmund Tie, hopes to raise S$3 million to fund 155 social service programmes under the Community Chest. Despite the current economic climate, he remains hopeful, “Given the current economic climate and the increased needs, we hope to raise as much as we can.”

Actor Rayson Tan, who will be putting up a drums performance with Fiona Xie, Ben Yeo, Li Teng and Yuan Shuai, is more optimistic, “If a quarter of the population makes a donation, we can easily hit our target.”

Trained dancer Jeanette Aw will also don her leotard and tutu for a ballet number with Cavin Soh, Jeremy Chan and Michelle Tay.

The Telepoll lines for donations are open from May 13 to June 14, midnight.
1900-112-8805 – S$5
1900-112-8815 – S$15
1900-112-8835 – S$35

TrueHearts 2009 will telecast live from Toa Payoh HDB Hub on Sunday, June 7, at 7pm on Channel 8.

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