Thank Goodness For Hungry Ghosts :)


After months of hell in the ER, and an average of almost 600 patients daily over the past week, we finally have some respite from the constant deluge, thanks to the annual Hungry Ghost Festival.

The difference is remarkable.

Attendances have fallen below 400 since the Festival began a few days ago. In fact, the absence of patients has resulted in the entire ER turning into a freezer, since there aren't that many people present to generate body heat.

If only we could celebrate this all year round. Haha.

Am counting down the remaining week as I continue to prep for the trip ahead. Going to hop on the public bus in a foreign country, alone, for the first time. Supposed to be quite safe, but you never know who you might meet, depending on your luck, so I intend to look as inconspicuous as possible.



True Blood season 2 began its run on local cable last night. The gore factor has increased significantly - e.g. one victim is shown with a huge bloody cavity in her chest, where her heart used to be - but I love the characters and this sort of edgy stuff, so it ain't a problem for me. :)

Alexander Sarsgaard is quite a find. This muscular European blondie is perfectly cast as the powerful vampire leader figure, Eric. There's a scene where he rips off a man's arm during an attack, but shot from a shadow-on-the-wall angle. I know it's all fake, but it's still pretty unnerving.



Anyone watching The Late Show With Conan O'Brien? I stopped after the initial few episodes, but started tuning in again last night, mostly so I could catch people like Peter Sarsgaard ( great actor in the current film release, Orphan, but whom I loved in Shattered Glass and Jarhead ), Stephen Moyer ( vampire Bill Compton from True Blood ), and Sacha Baron Cohen, who did the interview as Bruno. The last segment was a riot! SBC did an erotic dance at the end, and really tapped into his host's homophobic fears, as evidenced by a look of absolute terror on O'Brien's face when SBC tried to ram his nose into his crotch. I kid you not. :)

O'Brien also visited a science fair, where he poked fun at some of the exhibits. I laughed pretty hard, heh heh.



Another thing that made me laugh - watching Singapore Idol for half an hour last night. The lack of talent made me cringe, as did the atrocious English spoken by the judges, the host, and practically all the contestants. But Ken Lim's comment to a group of sunglass-wearing girls was hilarious: "Why, you all got sore eyes is it?" Good one, Ken!



Check this out: caught a performance by this troupe on O'Brien, and it blew me into outer space. Can't watch them in Vegas, but will they come to Singapore? One can always hope. Maybe when the Marina Bay casino resort opens? Adrian Monk can investigate if a murder occurs. Just need to find a good reason for him to be in Singapore in the first place. :)

Tip: go to YouTube to see the O'Brien clip. It's got a female pole dancer who defies gravity. Unbelievable.



The Broadway craving continues. Am currently blasting a CD I bought way back in 1996 when I caught Sarah Brightman and Anthony Warlow in concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Don't know why I never got round to buying more of his albums from Amazon, but I will definitely do so now that my interest in his music has been revived. This Australian stage star has one of the most exquisite voices I've ever heard. The CD I'm playing contains beautiful renditions of Music Of The Night ( Phantom of the Opera ), Bring Him Home ( Les Miserables ), This Is The Moment ( Jekyll & Hyde ), Being Alive ( Company ), among others.

His other albums, however, feature other gems like If Ever I Should Leave You ( Kismet ), Somewhere ( West Side Story ), Hello Dolly, and If I Loved You. All are songs that make me swoon - if done the right way, that is. :)

Am undecided about Lee Mead though. He's a terrific singer and performer, but if the arrangements don't suit him, then there really isn't a point in torturing myself. Need to sample his tracks first.

Also on my to-buy list: the original cast recording of Starlight Express, which I used to own in cassette form when I was in secondary school, before it disintegrated from too many spins. It is a fantastic musical, with lots of memorable and catchy numbers. Never came to Singapore, argh!

That's all for now. May post another entry before I fly off.