The City Never Sleeps

1st of all, I am writing this article as a Singaporean, from now onwards.

2ndly, I am mourning over the death of Princess theatre in Bedok Central. The only cinema that still exists in Bedok Central has gone for good. (Anyway, the heydays for Princess are long over. Presume that Overseas Films make a wrong judgement when Princess was converted into a 3-screen cineplex in 1994. They didn't know that modern cineplex with better seats and a cupholder with a popcorn stand works much more better than having a McD downstairs.) The cinema was once the only hangout that I could visit with my dad, apart from the former Liwagu (now converted as Geylang United Football Club) and the now demolished Bedok and Changi cineplex.

All I could pray was a cineplex will be included at the proposed 4 storey tall commercial building at the current Bedok and Changi cinema location.

While I thought that I could no longer enter the hall of Princess and immersed in that special feel of the cinema, a theatre in town brings back the good old memories I had.

Oh which theatre? You would ask.

My answer: Alliance Francaise De Singapour theatre, located at Sarkies Road.

One thing that makes AFS theatre so special is that 1) the seating arrangements are exactly the same as Princess Hall 1 and 2. 2) The seats used in AFS theatre are exactly the same as Princess!

Just imagine AFS theatre is a medium replica of Princess that screens only French R(A) films and normal French artsy films. (Yes, they are still using R(A) for some of the French films playing in AFS theatre. Well, the film will be run at AFS theatre over and over again.)

The reason I was there is because I am watching the only screening of Sita Sings the Blues, a animation directed by Nina Paley, at Singapore Animatiuon Festival 2008.

Out of all animations featured in the fest this year, only Sita Sings the Blues and Aardman Studio shortfilm workshop draws my interest. The rest? Mainly filled with dull and boring Jap anime and manga, all about human VS machine in the future years.

What makes Sita Sings the Blues so special? Think the Indian legendary folktale The Ramayana and his wife Sita applied into today's modern world in New York.

A brief intro of The Ramayana (just in case you do not know what is it about): Ramayana was the son of a King who was put onto exile into the forest for 14 years. His virtuous wife Sita follows him. Sita was kidnapped by the king of Sri Lanka, who was believed to have 9 heads. Ramayana came to Sita's resuce, but believed that Sita is no longer a virtuous wife after been captured by king of Sri Lanka. Ramayana brings Sita back to the palace, but puts her under 3 test. If she make it thru the tests, Ramayana will bring her back again.

Applied to today's modern world: Nina Paley, the director of Sita Sings the Blues, had a boyfriend named Dave. Dave was offered a post in an animation studio in India. Nina sees Dave off, but ends up Dave wanted to file a divorce with Nina thru email. So Nina picks up The Ramayana and relates Sita into her life.

The presentation is cute and hilarious, and appears in different formats. You had pastel colour, crayon colouring, paper cutting presentation and colour pencil sketches. Seeing Sita Sings the Blues is just like a colourful visual feast for your eyes. Even though it's presented in plain old 2D format, it works much more better than some of the upcoming pretendous 3D animation, that makes a novel remake looks real ridiculous. Somehow, real-life movie adaptation works better than making it into a animation.

Sad to say, Sita do not get a commercial release here due to 1) it appeals to only a niche target audience and 2) this reason puzzles me most: Sita Sings the Blues was rated R21 for Mature Content in Singapore. How matured do the censors want it to be for Sita to cry a Ganges River in your neighbourhood theatres?

Indeed, Princess Sita sings La Vie En Rose for me that night. And it was hard to forget.

Few months ago, while I was still an RP in Bedok Camp, the group of RP's and the MPs had a best companion in the guardroom that removes our boredom: radio.

It was actually an old radio which we spend our time listening to Yes 93.3 and Perfect 10 98.7.

And when I was in guardroom alone, I will tune in to my all time favourite: Lush 99.5.

Once, 93.3FM had a radio drama which was broadcast for weeks. I could still remember the DJ who produced the program chose a song from Jenny Tseng, aka 甄妮 as the theme song.

Apparently, the song makes eveybody going gaga when it was played at least 3 times per day, double the amount if we were doing guard duty.

Today, I am fighting with tonnes of work in my office, while WC is completing his service soon. Jasmond ORD in Feb, followed by Shawn in Jun and Choo Qi in Nov, all in 2009.

Who will be there tomorrow?

無論有幾多變遷　何必諸多掛牽

過了今天　再有一天　仲有幾個十年

願望係做過預算　夢幻係自我去編

無謂去搵個道理　把你欺騙

命裡係註定從前　夢境係一片胡言

唯有我永遠面對目前　明日話今天

昨天亦提到　想到舊年　更多挑戰

迎面有幾多變遷　誰知道邊一個先

這裡高山　那裡滄海　在那天變良田

實在係話變就變　預伏在樂趣前面

前面有千變萬化　不會睇見

Let's talk about today tomorrow.

P.S: I am writing this blog as a Malaysian for the last time. I am becoming a Singaporean on this Friday.

Guys, wish me luck.

That was the tagline of Izgnanie (The Banishment), the Russian movie directed by Andrei Zvyaginstev. He was the man who directed my all time favourite Vozvrashcheniye (The Return), about 2 brothers going on a road trip with their father who had absented from their lifes for 12 years.

The story tells a family who moved from the city to the countryside, where the husband believes that he will have a better job prospect in the countryside. Alex, the patriach, thought that he had moved to a place where he finds it his garden of Eden. The beautiful dream shatters into pieces when his wife, Vera, told him a piece of news:

'I am pregnant. But, the child's father is not you.'

Alex was given 2 choices: to forgive Vera and live with humilation, or to get his mobster brother, Mark, to teach Vera a lesson.

The idea of The Banishment is all about the banishment of man from the garden of Eden, and how he faced the life after being banished.

Somehow, I had the kind of feeling of being banished right now. I experienced it twice: once in KL, and once in Singapore. And what is all about? Being stood up for an appointment arranged with friends who I could really trusted, twice.

It's sad to been stood up in a place you are familiar with, but even worst when you are stood up in a place where strangers surrounds you.

I read a story not long ago, and it was a fable from Arabia.

Two bestfriends, who are businessmens, went to a faraway place to hitch a deal. They had to walk pass deserts, mountains, forests and long winding road, before they could reach the destination.

There were no transport back them, so they had to walk for miles. After days of walking, one of the guy was really tired and frustrated. At the desert, he vent his anger on his friend, and beats him up. His friend was upset for what he did, so he written the following on the sand:

'My bestfriend beats me up today.'

At night, the sandstorm came. The fella who beats his friend during the day wakes him up, and told him to run for their life. They hide behind a small mountain, and his friend carved the following words on the mountain:

'My bestfriend saves me today.'

The businessman who beats his friend up was puzzled. He asked: Why did you write your feelings when I beat you up on the sand, and carved the words when I saved you?

His friend replied: One feels angry when his friend do something bad to him. But, by writing on the sand, you just the sand gets blown, and forget everything. When your friend do something to help you, you must never forget the kindness that he gave you. That explains why I carved the words on the stone.

The story sounds simple, yet it has a deep meaning behind the story.

Do we kill our friends or forgive them, when they do something to your disadvantage?

After giving a miss for several years, I finally decided to go for The 24th Singapore French Film Festival. With the screening held at The Cathay, The Picturehouse and Alliance Francaise De Singapour, it makes more sense and a better reason for one to go catch a decent French movie that is missing in our theatres.

So I decided to catch Love Songs aka Les Chanson D'amour. A French musical that finally make it to the film fest in Singapore, for 2 shows only.

With a screening held at The Cathay last night and Alliance Francaise De Singapour next Sunday (closing night), it is a rare musical that grips me throughout the whole film. And man, I really love it. (It's theme on homosexuality and bisexuality makes this a favourite among all the films screening at the festival. Not forgetting that it gains the musical an R21 rating.)

Here, you have Ismael, our leading character. He is the boyfriend of Julie, and Julie has a girlfriend named Alice. Together the trio are staying together and engaging in a menage a trois relationship. Until tragedy strikes, the musical leads us to a new twist in the story.

Boy loves girl, girl loves girl, girl introduce another boy, boy falls in love with boy...

Will they be living happily ever after? Don't miss this. Give it a try next Sun.

Trust me, it is better than some B-graded films playing in mainstream theatres.