I'm not the most sportiest person on the planet....okay I AM the least sportiest person on the planet. However I found out about these two things, that I found really cool.

In Berlin, there's this thing called Urban Golf. You basically take your golf clubs and your golf balls and that thingy you stick the ball on, and go all over the city and hit balls! Like anywhere! Even off roofs! its so cool! I mean I've never played golf before, but I'd totally play urban golf. Sadly Berlin's the only place where you can do it as far as i know. Sigh.

Anyway, I saw this ad the other day. There's this thing called Smartpools. They're basically the length of an average man, or slightly longer and like 1 metre wide or something and you can actually swim like you're in a lap pool within that small area. How? There's this machine thing that like moves the water or currents or something that it feels like you're moving forward. Cool huh?! Then if you don't need the machine thingy, you just turn it off and use it as a splash pool! So cool!

so yeah, that's really it.

love love
shini!

I just read the most awful article ever on the net.

See I was reading this book, and it mentioned something about the Mini-sari and the furore it created in India when it was created. So I decided to check it out and see WHAT THE HELL IT WOULD LOOK LIKE, since I just couldn't imagine it and I came upon this ridiculous article arguing that women should wear saris all the time and it condemns the use of the salwar and jeans, separately or together. I wouldn't mind it so much but the way it was written, sounded so chauvanistic and disgusting that I couldn't BELIEVE that someone of this level could even EXIST in this time and age.

Personally I think that Saris are fabulous, though I'd never wear it because I think I'm too short for it to actually look GOOD on me? and it'll probably make me look shorter than ever, all that cloth. So yeah, but I think its still a wonderful representation of Indian culture but I don't think it is appropriate for work and everyday wear, like for moving around and going to the market even. See, the sari isn't the most secure of garments to wear, since its techinically just a blouse and a whole LOAD of cloth just wrapped around you, so really, it can quite easily fall off or unravel. its also easy for blunders to just occur. Plus, there's really nothing wrong with the salwar and jeans. Even the saris of the modern day, the kind with bikini tops and cholis and a sewn up and ready-made sari, its STILL a sari so I don't know what is that person's problem.

Anyway, I'll be going off now cuz I gotta wake up earlier tomorrow.

so, bye!
shini

Merchants of Bollywood!!!

Yes, as you can see from my title, I have gone to see the musical and my verdict?

I LOVED IT!!!!!

Granted that I'm not as discerning as the journalist from Life! newspaper who ALWAYS is sent to cover anything related to Indian culture and is ALWAYS reviewing the hindi movies, HOWEVER, I'm still an audience member and I can still have SOME valid points, thought I do know that I use capital letters too much.

Anyway, let me start talking about the show. The dancers were perfect, with so much of energy and they were absolutely in sync, ALL THE TIME! The costumes were so colourful and even mimicked the original costumes from the movies. The dancing, my gosh! I LOVED the dance moves!! The were so complicated, more so than the ones in the movies, because naturally, the ability of the trained dancers is much higher than that of the Bollywood actors and actresses. The theme of the story is something that I've contemplated before myself, traditional versus modern dance styles, especially since my mother is always complaining about the "vulgur hip thrusts" in all the songs nowadays. I didn't realise till now that, actually the show's story, while it has nothing directly to do with me (I don't have a famous choreographer as a grandfather), but if you think about it, it sort of does. While I'm always saying that I'm a crap dancer, I can't deny that i AM a dancer. Its interesting cuz I've been learning classical for so long, and still learning(sort of), and yet, I'd love to learn the Bollywood style of dancing too!

What I loved especially about the show was that during the entire musical, the dancers on stage would be whooping and yelling and cheering while they danced and they always made it a point to tell the audience to clap along! It made it feel almost concert-like. At some point, 2 of the dancers came off the stage to dance with some of the audience members and I could see, at the front, the guy the dancer asked to stand up actually did start dancing with him! It was so cute and spontaneous and the audience member was so willing! I loved the fact that the audience itself was cheering and clapping so I felt that the performers were getting their just dues.
At the end of the show, the 4 main characters were signing autographs, and even though they had run out of programmes, I queued up (it wasn't a particularly long queue), and got all 4 of their autographs on the tickets. On the whole, The Merchants of Bollywood was an incredible experience and even though I had been looking forward to it for so long, it totally exceeded my expectations(sometimes, you wait so long for something to come and when it finally does, it falls a litle flat)!!!! I loved loved it and sigh, wishI could see it again!!

love love,
shini

*shakes head* Sigh.

Hello hello children! Let's get down to business. I didn't actually read the commentary written by that journalist about the molestation incident during the New Year's Eve party at Sentosa, but from what I gathered from the respodents to that commentary, apparently a girl, dressed in a bikini, was molested by a group of men and it just so happened that onlookers took videos. I'm not 100% sure about the details, so I really don't know but I was quite interested by this situation.

First of all, I don't think anyone DESERVES to be molested, no matter WHAT she is wearing. I mean seriously. Its AT the beach, though yes, since it was a party, the girl should at least have worn a wrap, I mean it can actually get quite cold, or at least windy, and no matter what you can say about drunken men, at least have the sense to not MOLEST someone. Its different when its one guy doing it to one girl, and when a group did it to one girl. You're telling me there was no one else at the party wearing a bikini and dancing seductively? Do all of them deserve to be molested too? I mean come on! Those guys deserve all the punishment they get! As to the issue of the people taking a video. HELLO? did it not occur them to help the poor woman? I understand that one man cannot take on a group of men, but from what I gathered, there were a few people around. You're telling me that they couldn't help the girl? Did they honestly think the girl was HAVING FUN? Okay, i'm getting too worked up, cuz I don't know all the details. But if you think about it, if you see a girl being groped by a bunch of men, don't you think that something's wrong? Even if she was a hired dancer, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TOUCH THEM!!! They're not strippers you know. There's a difference! Sigh. I think I shall go and find out more, and vent later to someone.

Don't you find it interesting that people call their respective other, their "boyfriend" or "girlfriend", but never "lover"? Why is that?

Is "lover"a bad word? Is it offensive to other people hearing the word? I suppose it DOES imply some sexual activity, and if you don't want disturbing thoughts appearing in your family's minds, you tend to stick with the safer 'boyfriend". Plus I think the word "lover" is quite a heavy term to place on someone. It speaks of your own feelings toward that individual, the EXTENT of your feelings too. Its probably why I've never heard any of my friends refer to their significant others as "lover". Maybe when we're all older, will I hear it being used. Cuz quite frankly, the term's more exciting and sexy right?

shini

George Carlin

I know I said I wasn't going to say anything about religion but I found this guy's stuff which I found very true and funny, so whatever, here it is.

George Carlin everybody!

love love,
shini

P.S. I'm not against any religion, just wanna put it out there. I just enjoy different comedians' work.

Not really much to say, just came across this and found it quite hilarious.well, maybe not hilarious, but relatively funny. don't know how to attach link so please just copy and paste if you can be bothered.

loves to all,
shini

http://entertainment.sg.msn.com/photos/photos.aspx?cp-documentid=3769119&page=1

Sonu Nigam LIVE IN CONCERT!!!

WOW! what a show! Okay, some might say that oh it was small, or oh everyone was seated, but to ME, it was FAB-U-LOUS!!!! I absolutely loved it and think I've fallen in love with his voice. I'm not one to gush mind you, about a singer especially but boy is he a performer or what! The poor thing had some viral gastric something where your stomach is KILLING you, and a lower back thing, and he still put on a brilliant show! I had so so much fun, I am so GLAD that my mum bought the tickets for me! I have been to another concert before, but that was for FallOut Boy so I'm really not a fan of them. Was almost forced to go, but I did make the effort to learn the songs so I did have fun at that time. However its so different when you actually like the singer and you know the songs, because you have like, 10 times more fun! I was clapping loudly cheering, practically dancing in my seat! I'd have gone down to dance in the side, where there was some space where some people were dancing, but i KNOW that my sister wouldn't come with me and my mother surprisingly enough didn't look like she was gonna move so I just bounced in my seat. Luckily the people behind and infront of us had gone down to dance so I wasn't annoying anyone behind or infront of me.

And that whole thing where he showed us how a song can be made using like 5 words, which were Aloo, Muli, Gobi and Muttar Paneer(or smth like that) by the way, was incredibly cool! At least to me. It was brilliant how he could sing those words in the different styles, even according to different music director's preferenced. He got Himesh's one SPOT on I tell you! I was especially glad that he did Shukuran Allah and All Izz Well, cuz I LOVED those 2 songs. It was just a humongously fun show for me, and I was amazed at his stamina and ability to entertain and perform so well!!

Even the other aspects of the show was amazing! The female host person, who was from Spore apparently spoke extremely well, and the male host person was hilarious during the interval with his stand up; I especially enjoyed his impressions! And even though the audience wasn't particularly friendly toward the opening act, Gunjan(i think that's her name), I think she did a pretty good job, holding her head high and trying to engage the audience. Her voice, may have been a little sharp and high for some, was really not that bad and fairly versatile, enough anyway to do the Don song, Beedi, PCD's Jai Ho and Yeh Ishq Hai. I felt quite bad for her cuz the audience wasn't very nice to her but, what can u do if you're opening for Sonu Nigam to a Bollywood-celebrity-starved society that is Singapore(they NEVER come here, its like damn annoying la). OH and one more thing which I found quite cool and squealed "omg" like 10 times when it happened; ANIL KAPOOR SHOWED UP IN PERSON!!!!!! AMAZING RIGHT???
I was actually quite doubtful and cynical, assuming like he wouldn't appear and it really looked liked it, but then he did appear on stage and I could see him and everything and HEAR him, confirming that it WAS him! I know I went for Sonu Nigam, but it WAS a nice surprise you must admit. Of course when Sonu appeared for the 2nd half everyone went wild again of course, as did i.

All in all, a FUN-FILLED rocking(if i ever hear that word again, it'll be too soon i tell you) fabulous time at the Sonu Nigam Live in Concert show!!!

a happy shini,
shini

P.S. totally saw at least one person I knew, other than my relatives.

P.P.S. People may make fun of me cuz I LOVE bollywood so much that I actually go for the concerts, but I really don't care anymore:) I like being indian in this aspect.

3 glasses of champagne, 1 of red wine and a faux mojito lThough I didn't manage to catch a picture of my dad giving my mum a kiss on the cheek, it was definitely captured on my mind's harddrive. I just hope I'm not jinxing it by talking about today.

Feeling a lot more happy and a little inebrited(I'M TOTALLY LEGAL),
SHINI

P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR DARLINGS, hope its a great one for all of us cuz Lord knows we need a good year:)