Right...

I'm sick. Really sick. I haven't been this sick since May last year, when some kid gave me a flu virus that took me 3 weeks to fight off.

This one's probably paediatric in origin as well. From whom exactly though, I can't say. Must've gotten it during one of my rare weekend forays to crowded public areas. Sigh.

I'm probably not allowed to write this, but I'm going to anyway.

Frustration has set in yet again. Work-wise, of course.

[edited] But as this famous line from the movie Fight Club goes:

Rule #1: You do not talk about Fight Club.

Rule #2: You DO NOT talk about Fight Club.

Carrie's Crown

AI4 has finally come to a nice end. The finale was emotional, and yes, I'm happy for her. She's still sweet and innocent, and sings pretty well, but I'd like to see what happens 5 years down the road. Simon Cowell's declaration that she'll "outsell all the past AI winners" sounds rather lofty. I'm betting Clay Aiken's record will stand firm. :)

Seeing Constantine on-stage again was a real pleasure. Belting Aerosmith's Walk This Way and tossing his mane around was a great highlight!

Kenny G's appearance on I Believe I Can Fly with Anthony and Anwar was another wonderful surprise. And Bo - whom I maintain is much better than Carrie - absolutely dazzled on Sweet Home Alabama.

Guess the odd one out was Babyface, who ( don't ask me why ) got saddled with Lindsey and Mikalah, and looked a bit sour-faced. Must've been quite a big paycheck eh?

CD Reviews

Soundtrack to Beyond The Sea - Kevin Spacey

One of the reasons I love this guy so much is because he has such an exquisite voice - for both speaking and singing. Previously, I'd heard him hum on Swimming With Sharks, then perform a whole Beatles song during a concert tribute. On this album, though, you get EIGHTEEN full-length pieces, with big band accompaniment, and Spacey's gorgeous, flawless vocals.

I can't do a track-by-track for obvious reasons, so here's a list of the better ones:

Once Upon A Time - soulful and gentle. It's hard to imagine that the guy singing this played a psychotic serial killer in Se7en. :)

By Myself / When Your Lover Has Gone - another treasure. Spacey's vibrato during the key change gives me goosebumps every single time.

Artificial Flowers - a very chirpy piece that belies the rather morbid content ( like that other classic, Clementine ), but Spacey pulls it off effortlessly.

The Curtain Falls - breath-taking. Enough said.

Definitely will always remain one of my all-time favourite albums.


Follow Your Heart - Mario Frangoulis

This CD kinda grew on me slowly. I loved his first album, Sometimes I Dream, so the more pop-ish feel of his second effort initially didn't sit too well with me. However, I'm glad to report that after stuffing it into my car stereo and playing it at least 10 times, I've decided that this one's actually much better than its predecessor.

Check out:

Here's To The Heroes - borrows the John Dunbar theme from "Dances With Wolves" ( a soundtrack I once listened to so much the cassette tape broke, haha ). Beautiful.

Va' Pensiero ( Another World ) - Russell Watson did this on his 2nd CD, but Mario's version far surpasses it. Love the arrangement, and the vocals are just plain fantastic.

Bridge Of Dreams, Paper Sun ( Enas Hartinos Ilios ) - two lovely pieces with haunting, Greek-flavoured melodies.

Hay Mas ( a duet with Alejandro Fernandez ) - definitely the best of the lot. Exquisite song, terrific voices, and poignant lyrics ( partly translated into "And beyond appearances / What is life?" ).

So Much For Hiding

I tried embedding some personal stuff in the tail end of my last entry, but judging from readers' comments, that's the only thing people seem to remember. :)

Current status: ISQ, which is fine with me. Really. Really! :D

Interestingly, another chap recently resurfaced. Some may recall a certain doctor who turned pilot a couple of years back. He disappeared from the radar for 18 months before we resumed contact, and suffice to say, he's started co-piloting on commercial flights. Congratulations!

Still as cheeky as ever, I see, heh heh. Thanks for the compliments, and hey, hope to see you in your uniform sometime. :)

My Latest Tome

After the disappointing Da Vinci Code, I'm back at The Tanglin Club library.

Will probably do a review of Dr. Richard Gordon's Great Medical Disasters for our local medical publication at some point, but get a load of these cool quotes:

Doctors pour drugs of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, into human beings of whom they know nothing. - Voltaire

The medical profession has not a high character; it has an infamous character. - Bernard Shaw

Medicine is an art founded on conjecture and improved by murder. - Sir Anthony Carlisle

Doctors are professional and graduated homicides. - Sydney Smith

He that sinneth before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the physician. - Ecclesiasticus, 38:15

OUCH. :D

The Countdown Has Begun

One more month to go - well, 4 weeks to be exact - and I'll be en route to Italy for a 3-week retreat. Hope I survive that long...

And with the possibility of a 1-week trip to New York City in October for an ultrasound course in the pipeline, I'm over the moon. :)

Have a good week ahead. I most definitely won't.