dwayne blogged

Having tried roller-skating, roller-blading, ice-skating, skateboarding, wakeboarding, boogie boarding, cycling, unicycling AND driving (but not racing… yet!), I decided to add snowboarding to the list since there was a chance at a place called 49° North. There were more people than I thought, but there was more than enough space in the mountains.

I wore the new Goofy shirt that I got from my visit to Seattle and to my surprise, it seemed there was such a term as a Goofy Boarder (which means someone who boards with his or her right foot in front)! And I was definitely and coincidentally a Goofy Boarder! I didn’t think I would do too badly since I used to skateboard, but I realised snowboarding was more like wakeboarding. Nonetheless, I was going down the steeper black pistes (lanes) in no time! Of couse, I did fall here and there and soon became familiar with the phrase "to have the wind knocked out of you". I actually had more trouble on the easier lanes because they were less steep which got me stuck a lot! It really was more exercise than my body was happy for.

The highlight was travelling on the ski lifts. It was a great way to rest up and enjoy a wonderful view! I had no idea it would take me through and beyond the clouds. Neither did I imagine that trees grew so high up! On my next visit, I’ll try skiing. It had better be soon ‘cos I’m not getting any younger. And with those words, I leave you with a picture of me on a unicycle!

When I read that Heath had passed away in his New York apartment, all I could think was, "I need to verify this." But it soon became apparent that it wasn’t a lie. And ultimately, I had to come to terms with the fact that this talented actor has left us too soon and too tragically. Then, all these questions started to pour in. Could we have seen it coming? Could we have stopped it? Are the "antics" of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears a cry for help?


Heath’s career was a bright one, but it may not have been a happy one. In September last year, he split up with "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Michelle Williams. The two have a daughter named Matilda. There is also the lingering possibility that his recent movies could have had an effect on him. In "Candy", Heath played a poet wrestling with a heroin addiction. Playing Robbie in the Bob Dylan film,"I’m Not There" had left him "stressed out
a little too much", he confessed in a New York Times interview in November 07.

Following that, Heath had difficulty sleeping while playing the Joker in "Dark Knight", the next Batman movie to be released. He referred to the Joker as a "psychopathic, mass-murdering,
schizophrenic clown with zero empathy." Whatever the debate on why Heath is no longer with us, his brilliant portrayals will forever be immortalized on film for generations to see and for the rest of us to remember him by. May he rest in peace.

It’s glorious! I love this journey. Being a part of "Beauty World" has given me faith in local musicals again! Each night, the audience are a joy to perform for. I truly appreciate their support and warmth. I believe that reviewers should also write to reflect how well a show is received. After all, it is the general public that reads a review to deem if a show has been enjoyed by others. Alas, some reviewers do their readers a disservice by expressing their own hoity-toity opinions. My school of thought is that a show is not about the actors, creative team or a reviewer’s "well-penned" A+ dissertation. It is for and about the people, the audience. And it should serve them.

A good reviewer should be able to discern and articulate what the public liked or disliked about a particular production. A flawed review only highlights his or her own shortcomings and inexperienced eye. I say, catch Beauty World before it closes, because as an actor on stage every night, I find it hard to deny that the audience (the majority at least) is enjoying it. So I simply wish for more people to be a part of the magic.

I would like to thank everyone that has blogged nice things about me and the character Frankie Wong Fei Hong. It was such a pleasure playing him and bringing in the laughs (a new experience for me). And thanks to the wonderful girls in the picture for taking a good resolutioned image of the billboard. They helped to sell merchandise for the show and also magnanimously cheered Frankie on! Until the next time. Cha Cha Cha! 

I just came from a screening of "Enchanted" in Singapore. Strangely enough, she’s the first country outside the US to get to see the movie, in fact, at the time of writing, it is still hours away from the official movie premiere in the US. The movie is a far cry from Disney’s previous movie musical, "High School Musical", which is to say charming! It had all the good elements of a fairytale, keeping Disney fans like myself busy with little homages to "Snow White" and "Cinderella", among others.


I am not sure I envisioned Giselle quite the way Amy Adams played her or was directed. I understand she’s a more traditional princess like Snow White or Cinderella as opposed to the more modern Jasmine or Ariel, but
nonetheless, a little less wide-eyed innocence could have taken me away from thinking that perhaps she was a little deranged. Bursting out into song was justified by the fact that it was a normal thing to do in fairyland Andalasia, so "Enchanted" didn’t end up having difficulty with transitions into songs like most movie musicals have.

Here are two pictures taken with my own camera on the set of the movie. If you look closely, you can see Susan Sarandon in my background! But of course, in the movie, it was the reverse! And I wasn’t just there because I am the crazy Disney fan I am (well that too), but I actually auditioned and got cast as an Asian tourist! All in all, it’s a great film and I highly recommend it!

Who would have thought that doing research for a musical set in 1960s Singapore could be so much fun? With any research like that, I usually start with finding the differences in the way people carried themselves, what they wore, how they spoke, what products they used… because these were clues to understanding other things like culture, weather, education, etc. I marvel at how far Singapore has come. Just look at the pictures on the left. The first picture is of a Singapore transport guide in the 1950s that cost 20 cents! The second picture displays what we have at some bus stops in present day Singapore. Believe or not, commuters are now able to tell how soon a bus (and the next bus for that matter) is arriving.

I had a good laugh while clearing out a drawer full of old stuff. I could not believe the gaudy handphone covers I used to collect for my previous cell phone. How far I’ve come! I even looked up where the Golden Kiwifruit came from when it was offered to me. It was the result of 11 years of research and cross-pollination and grafting.  We’ve only had this fruit for 9 years! I guess what I’m saying is that if you question the things around you a little more, you’ll find that everything has a little history to it. And sometimes, that history is worth taking some trouble to discover.

It was life in the fast lane all over again upon touch down to Singapore. And it wasn’t just pace I was adjusting to. There was the weather, people (is Singapore more populated than before?), food (no complaints there) and the time difference! The very next day, I was thrown into preparations for a press conference for Beauty World, the musical, in which I play Frankie (tacky blue suit). Right after that, the day continued for the television commercial shoot. I also got the script and music to look through for the workshop the following day.

So far, it’s been a lot of unpacking and repacking, so my room is sporting the "warzone" look at the moment. I just finished a corporate show for ST Electronics. We performed a medley of Singaporean musical numbers, including Beauty World (tacky gold suit). I have also finally built my own computer. This time, I fried a hard disk and a motherboard. It was a tedious process, but all is good now and I’m enjoying it immensely along with my PS2 and a new TV (that replaced a 15 year old one!). Now it’s time to earn some mula and pay back debts!

To get to Spokane I had to transit at the Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. The huge mall experience at Pacific Marketplace was excellent and indeed improved my spirits. There was even a cafe with free wireless internet with any purchase. I had an excellent Red Tea Smoothie there. What’s with all the different coloured tea now? And when I got to Spokane, I saw a house in two parts on the road! Literally… moving house!

I wanted to get my friend a nice house gift for letting me store my stuff at his place and staying there, so I actually used bits of my old desktop and constructed him a semi-new computer for just US$200! All it takes sometimes, is putting your hands where you never dared to. I’m so proud of myself. Heh. Look what Daniel got? His own desktop! We went to celebrate with one of my more favoured food now… gumbo!!

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but the US & Singapore have become both my homes. It’s impossible to be in two different places at a time. But in some strange ironic way, I am getting the best of both worlds. Here’s some interesting product trivia. Chunky Soup is hardly available in Singapore anymore. Meanwhile, check out the newish Fully Loaded ones in the US ! Then, there’s Clorets breath mints (in Singapore) versus Clorets gum (in US). Gum is banned in Singapore, but I don’t see the breath mints anywhere in the US. I end up hording products that I can’t get in either country between them both.

If I had a "whaddya do?" smiley, I would put it right here.      

I saw a great run of the next show, Ain’t Misbehavin’, at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse before I left Auburn. Now that I’ve left Auburn, I’m starting to remember it fondly. The Thoroughly Modern Millie cast hosted a fashion show where we designed and modelled our own clothes. Mine was made from only white cloth and toilet paper! As I promised on my MySpace blog, here are the pictures.

From left to right, pictures with the cast. 1) Bethany Moore (who plays Miss Dorothy whom Ching Ho, me, falls in love with). 2) Joy Lynn Matthews (who plays Muzzy. She also originated one of the 4 women roles in Menopause, the musical). 3) Chris Shin and Megan Thomas (who play Bun Foo, my brother and Mrs Meers, my boss). I miss the show ALL you guys! Best wishes to everyone for the future.

Andrea and I visited the Agriculture Farm just opposite the Playhouse (theater). We learnt of the farmers’ way of life back then and also got to study the tools and machinery they used for farming. A very insightful experience. In the early days of technology, farming machinery was apparently often "consulted" when developers were stumped.

Megan drove us to Skaneateles for lunch and a bit of sight seeing. The lovely view is from the back window of a clothing store owned by our very own director/producer’s sister. The store happened to be selling a line of clothing designed by a Singaporean! Small world! (The latest entry on my MySpace blog talks of more of such discoveries).

Cast members have been very generous about their cars. Andy drove a bunch of us down to the Treman State Park in Ithaca. We took a hike around the gorge, by the waterfalls, through the trees amongst nature (the two other boys got stung by bees) and now have many pictures to remember the lovely afternoon by. It’s not that uneventful in these parts after all!

August 9th, 1965 was the day Singapore became an independant country. I am writing this minutes after trying to watch Singapore’s National Day Parade online at 7am in the morning here in New York. Frustrating. Skip ahead. It is 7:45am. After trying unsuccessfully at http://www.ndp.org.sg/, http://ndp.mediacorp.com.sg/livestream.php and http://www.tvunetworks.com/NDP/NDP_webplayer.html, I finally get feed from the latter. Well worth it! The parade looks better than before! I don’t just happen to wake up this early every day. It is meant to be.

I am getting a little teary watching my performer friends back home singing! Sebastien, Nuris, Asha, Gani!! It’s a great song too (no cheesy lyrics), backed by a chorus and ending in fireworks and another song sung by Kit Chan. Voices and people I know from home makes it all the more special. I am definitely looking forward to returning home this September. Happy 42nd birthday Singapore!!