tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59703140858818151452024-03-05T20:53:07.627+00:00Mind The GapRamblings of a LondonerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-14974491274380797492014-01-01T13:26:00.000+00:002014-01-02T13:32:26.700+00:00New Beginnings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's the start of the new year once again. For most of us, this is the time of the year where we think about how we can make ourselves better, making a long list of resolutions and planning how to make the next 12 months more memorable than ever.</div>
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As for me, my wish list for 2014 is just a short one--retain my job, learn how to drive, have a car, be financially stable, travel more, do charity work and stay health and happy [and in love]. This year will be a time for re-focusing for me. </div>
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The past two years has been spent with much enjoyment, living as if there is no tomorrow. However, tomorrow always comes and the future will not wait for me any longer. There are aspects of myself which I want to improve and for this year I will try my very best to save more, travel economically, eat properly, drink moderately and yes, exercise harder. 2013 has been somehow frustrating for me with the longstanding shoulder injury and treatment which seem not to work. Thankfully, the shoulder has been better though not fully okay towards the end of the year. The prolonged sick leave may have helped with the partial recovery together with the night shift work which entailed less moving and handling at work. I am hoping that I could play more tennis this year with the improvement of my shoulder strength.</div>
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I guess I have enjoyed much of my salary already being able to buy most of my [techie] needs and wants. I have to learn to manage my finances well and maybe try to do bank shifts in the ward which I haven't really done unlike most friends I know. I couldn't dismiss the fact that I love to dine out with friends and I do not want to completely stop this 'habit' of ours...maybe we could just lessen the restaurant visits and just cook more at home. We recently felt that it's more fun to actually dine at home especially that it's more cost effective.</div>
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This year as well will be literally a new start for me and my flatmates as we move to our new home in Putney. We had to move because of circumstances that we did not foresee. Nevertheless, because the new house is way bigger than the current, we reckon that this if for the best after all, things do happen for a reason. Though we will feel the crunch of paying a lot more, notwithstanding the fact that we still have to pay for the current flat till February, I believe that we'll be able to get through this. This is just a bump in the road as they say. </div>
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Travel should still be in the list of to-dos this year. I have booked my annual leaves already and I'm hoping that me and my friends will be able see more of the places we've put in our bucket list. Definitely, I want to see the northern lights and yes, the Pyramids of Giza, well that is if Egypt finds peace very soon. Germany, Switzerland and Amsterdam are on the list as well. I would want to go back to Paris again very soon but not in the summer where the temperatures soar above the normal body temperature. Hopefully, if I do get a car and a driving license very soon, I can get to places without the fuss of booking a coach or a train at the last minute.</div>
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Learning a new language, reading more books and [re-]learning a hobby are some minor stuff that I wish to do as well this year.</div>
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<strong><em>And for the wish concerning love life...let's wait and see what happens.</em></strong> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0London SW19 6LR, UK51.4432924 -0.209621599999991351.442055399999994 -0.21214309999999131 51.4445294 -0.20710009999999129tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-90400976667228026862013-04-09T23:57:00.000+01:002013-04-10T00:05:25.196+01:00Multiplicity: Forms of Silence and Emptiness<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc3jgTOQ37AagO3TKGdAl126bZDrHHqiyuR0LyE-cJGHb7sSV-4Yoj6wufxfOl8JGIAVOA19KaFty_ySHELUpmBflAiGYHdlMazQvS-4LY5eE-17wdu4VnAY1O5kJn3mSm2drQ0hzUvfM/s1600/ballet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc3jgTOQ37AagO3TKGdAl126bZDrHHqiyuR0LyE-cJGHb7sSV-4Yoj6wufxfOl8JGIAVOA19KaFty_ySHELUpmBflAiGYHdlMazQvS-4LY5eE-17wdu4VnAY1O5kJn3mSm2drQ0hzUvfM/s640/ballet.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">The Mikhailovsky Ballet company performing at the London Colliseum. </span></b><br />
Images courtesy of Groupon, The Times, The Guardian and BalletandOpera.com</td></tr>
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I have always wanted to watch a ballet performance to compensate for my two left feet. Dancing has always been my weakness but I can and do appreciate wonderfully choreographed performances. I am in awe of ballerinas particularly because of their grace and poise and their unbelievable flexibility, contorting their bodies in positions beyond what the normal human being can do.</div>
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On April 6th, Sherill and I watched our first ballet show here in London. Russians have always been known not just for their brilliant gymnasts but also of their ballet companies. The Mikahilovsky ballet company of St. Petersburg had their season performance for 2 weeks at the London Colliseum. We were lucky enough to get discounted tickets from Groupon (yes, I am a patron) and boy, we had a good view of the stage even if we were seated near the far right side of the dress circle.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our view from the dress circle row H. Not bad for £20, isn't it?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvn3rfQbIv36GfLhiyGI2QziPtKBLga1PP3zpGOCsAwhBbrVfvBuqGycQB5E_JCAG4bdlj4FRVzDB1hASUEcNkPOp_-7o8Mto76mNutav3l6RF8aUiG4E4VCSy14ynbVWipj0fnD4GF7lD/s1600/SAM_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvn3rfQbIv36GfLhiyGI2QziPtKBLga1PP3zpGOCsAwhBbrVfvBuqGycQB5E_JCAG4bdlj4FRVzDB1hASUEcNkPOp_-7o8Mto76mNutav3l6RF8aUiG4E4VCSy14ynbVWipj0fnD4GF7lD/s640/SAM_0115.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English National Opera House. Very different from the Royal Opera House where we first thought the show was. Funny thing is, the gentleman at the ROH box office gave us a pre-printed map with directions to ENO which meant that a lot of people do get confused like us with the two venues.</td></tr>
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The performance was entitled Multiplicity, a two-act ballet featuring J.S. Bach's pieces (I love Bach!!!). It was about Bach's (played by Marat Shemiunov) passion for music which was personified by the company wearing simple black costumes dancing as if they were the musical notes in his compositions and acting like musical instruments which the musical maestro "played" with gusto. There was even one scene where he was depicted playing a cello--a human cello at that (played by Sabina Yapparova) which had a somehow erotic choreography with a tinge of humour which amused most of the audience. </div>
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For a first-timer like us, the show was different as it did not have the usual ballerinas in tutus or extravagant dresses like what they had in The Nutcraker or Sleeping Beauty. Much like the title, the stage was simple likewise were the costumes but the storyline was deep with some tinge of darkness in the end as Bach was conquered by death (played by Polina Seminova) while still clinging on his passion for music. The over-all choreography was excellent and the musical scoring will capture the hearts of many especially those who love classical music. There would be times that you will just freeze in awe while the company dance their hearts out on the stage. </div>
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They had two curtain calls at the end of the show which they definitely deserved. It may not be at par with musicals like Miss Saigon or Les Miserables in terms of curtain calls but Mikhailovsky's performance really deserves 5 out of 5 stars. Well, why so? When you can't get over what you just have seen and get carried away by the music and the story until post-show dinner and when you rush to the nearest cash machine to get a £10 note and go back to the theatre to buy the souvenir program (as they did not accept credit/debit cards) would you not be convinced that it deserves the highest marks?<br />
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This will definitely not be the last but just the first of many ballet acts that I will add to my to-watch list.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiru8WvziTpCp5w5dbfsCmk4_bog_QrTFk8lViPT8XpIztefnH3XKkdzZ3JCYGbiLRLd9oppuhMV-94hJEreAcUQ0rbjKnOtu87vik171kG9dchPuCxdfS_UloFfi4ApMv20w92xMK-lJPT/s1600/collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiru8WvziTpCp5w5dbfsCmk4_bog_QrTFk8lViPT8XpIztefnH3XKkdzZ3JCYGbiLRLd9oppuhMV-94hJEreAcUQ0rbjKnOtu87vik171kG9dchPuCxdfS_UloFfi4ApMv20w92xMK-lJPT/s640/collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictures taken with a point-and-shoot camera. Our first time as well without a DSLR. Had some boo-boos with the low-end gadget but still had wonderful shots and yes, we think it has built-in photoshop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Souvenir programme. Cash payments only. Worth the rush to the nearest cash point machine.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com3London Coliseum, 38 Saint Martin's Lane, London, Greater London WC2N 4ES, UK51.5101497 -0.1268416999999999531.0517047 -41.4354357 71.9685947 41.1817523tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-61011941641064608682013-03-29T00:42:00.000+00:002013-03-29T00:47:38.280+00:00G.I. JOE: Retaliation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Joes are back again to save the world from Cobra Commander. The trailer of the movie seemed promising, but after watching it, I felt like the story was a bit shallow and predictable--suffering turns to revenge, lies breed hatred, truth brings redemption and deception leads to chaos type of storyline. Though the effects were stunning, the weapons jaw dropping and the action scenes breath-taking, it did not really give that punch that I was expecting simply because you can predict that our heroes will save the day in the nick of time. Nevertheless, my attention was taken by Byung Hun Lee and all the Korean bits in the movie which made it a bit interesting for me. </div>
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The zip-line action scene was my favourite part of the move as it was my first time to have seen such ingenuity in a fight scene. Read: sword-fighting mid air while traversing a zip line between mountains carrying your drugged captive contained in a body bag. Amazing indeed!<br />
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Least favourite part? Alas! London being the first test target of the nuclear weapon of Cobra Commander, sinking the Houses of Parliament together with all the landmarks in the City of Westminster! Quite unfair huh?! Since there were other countries involved the the "nuclear summit" in the movie like North Korea, India, Russia, China, Pakistan and Israel, my friends and I were wondering if the nuclear test scene of the movie will be country-specific, like would it be the Eiffel Tower if shown in France or the Taj Majal if in India. Well, they said it would not be the Great Wall in China since the director was of Chinese descent. But to nuke London first, that is quite unfair! Haha.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVN6WeDwLkDkfCdBHkNIZc_qYk2KpP6O0OIeNRtvUfPRuZvTKw89GygbSytD8ItuBK-xsjA3SKSlK4oDSpeWc2jnSq7zRsqFGzDjJMmEBbJpqxSE77RS0wCuibXLDh2NIpkE06DLD85YcW/s1600/GI-Joe-Retaliation-London.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVN6WeDwLkDkfCdBHkNIZc_qYk2KpP6O0OIeNRtvUfPRuZvTKw89GygbSytD8ItuBK-xsjA3SKSlK4oDSpeWc2jnSq7zRsqFGzDjJMmEBbJpqxSE77RS0wCuibXLDh2NIpkE06DLD85YcW/s640/GI-Joe-Retaliation-London.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Bruce Willis was kinda cooler here than in Looper and yes, he worked those muscles well.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As for Dwayne Johnson, you're acting is getting close to your level in wrestling. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Byung Hun Lee oppa, I really like your get up! Nomu joayo!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Oh, by the way, expect another sequel since Cobra Commander has lived to see another day.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-15653894522072259792013-03-29T00:10:00.000+00:002013-03-29T00:10:16.256+00:00Hillsong: Hope of the World (cover)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/YPmSnKW92rQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Credits to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/CCPC120/videos" target="_blank">CCPC</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">[Verse 1]:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">For the love poured
out</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">For the price of
freedom</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Let the whole earth
sing</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The praises rising</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">We stand in awe of
what you've done</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">For us, at the
cross</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #474747; font-size: 15px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><b style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">[Chorus]:</b><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></b></div>
<b style="color: #474747; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 107%;">
</b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The hope of the
world<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lifted on high<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Calling us home
with arms out wide<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To know you
forever, to love you forever<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You are our
everything<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b>[Verse 2]:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our sin erased,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We're forgiven<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You made a way<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You are our ransom<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And we owe this
life for all you've done<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For us, at the
cross<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b>[Chorus]:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The hope of the
world<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lifted on high<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Calling us home
with arms out wide<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To know you
forever, to love you forever<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You are our
everything<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b>[Bridge]:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
All we need is You<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b>[Chorus]:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The hope of the
world<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lifted on high<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Calling us home
with arms out wide<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To know you
forever, to love you forever<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You are our
everything</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-53817447783333092522013-03-29T00:03:00.000+00:002013-03-29T00:03:27.603+00:00Hillsong London: Christ is Enough for Me<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qss1CEDVBsg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
Credits to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-47oxNA43bHdTXtQIBIoKA?feature=watch" target="_blank">Pantetsky Noriega</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
Christ is my reward<o:p></o:p></div>
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And all of my devotion<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now there’s nothing in this world<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
That could ever satisfy<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Through every trial<o:p></o:p></div>
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My soul will sing<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
No turning back<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve been set free<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Chorus<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
Christ is enough for me<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christ is enough for me<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
Everything I need is in You<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
Everything I need<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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Christ my all in all<o:p></o:p></div>
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The joy of my salvation<o:p></o:p></div>
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And this hope will never fail<o:p></o:p></div>
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Heaven is our home<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
Through every storm<o:p></o:p></div>
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My soul will sing<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jesus is here<o:p></o:p></div>
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To God be the glory<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Repeat Chorus<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Coda:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
I have decided to follow Jesus<o:p></o:p></div>
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No turning back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
No turning back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
I have decided to follow Jesus<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
No turning back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
No turning back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
The cross before me<o:p></o:p></div>
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The world behind me<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
No turning back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
No turning back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
The cross before me<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
The world behind me<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
No turning back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
No turning back<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Repeat Chorus 2x<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Repeat Coda till fade<o:p></o:p></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-84780648033335343092013-03-28T23:51:00.000+00:002013-03-28T23:51:34.160+00:00Hillsong London: Unshakable <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/wkD8ns_Tvb0/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/wkD8ns_Tvb0&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/wkD8ns_Tvb0&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Credits to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/erahjola?feature=watch" target="_blank">Uyi Eghobamien</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have this hope </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As an anchor for my soul </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Through every storm </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will hold to You </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
With endless love </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
All my fear is swept away </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In everything </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will trust in You </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Chorus: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There is hope in the promise of the cross </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You gave everything to save the world you love </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And this hope is an anchor to my soul </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our God will stand </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Unshakable </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Unchanging One<b> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You who was and is to come </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Your promise sure </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You will not let go </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Repeat Chorus </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Coda:</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Your Name is higher </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Your Name is greater </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
All my hope is in you </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Your word unfailing </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Your promise unshaken </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
All my hope is in you </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Repeat Coda till fade</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-48876664607613710642013-02-25T23:09:00.000+00:002013-05-06T02:04:31.087+01:00Hillsong London: Glorious Ruins<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Such a moving song! I just can help but play it over and over and over and over again...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/7RFU4JpU31s?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Let The Ruins Come To Life</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
When the mountains fall<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
And the tempest roars<o:p></o:p></div>
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You are with me<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
When creation folds<o:p></o:p></div>
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Still my soul will sour<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
On you mercy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
I’ll walk through the fire<o:p></o:p></div>
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With my head lifted high<o:p></o:p></div>
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And my spirit revived in your story<o:p></o:p></div>
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And I’ll look to the cross<o:p></o:p></div>
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As my failure is lost<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the light of your glorious grace<o:p></o:p></div>
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When the world caves in<o:p></o:p></div>
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Still my hope will sing to your promise<o:p></o:p></div>
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When my courage ends<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let my heart find strength in your presence<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll walk through the fire<o:p></o:p></div>
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With my head lifted high<o:p></o:p></div>
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And my spirit revived in your story<o:p></o:p></div>
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And I’ll look to the cross<o:p></o:p></div>
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As my failure is lost<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the light of your glorious grace<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Chorus:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Let the ruins come to life<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the beauty of your name<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rising up from the ashes<o:p></o:p></div>
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God forever you reign<o:p></o:p></div>
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And my soul will find refuge<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the shadow of your wings<o:p></o:p></div>
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I will love you forever<o:p></o:p></div>
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And forever I’ll sing<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll walk through the fire<o:p></o:p></div>
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With my head lifted high<o:p></o:p></div>
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And my spirit revived in your story<o:p></o:p></div>
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And I’ll look to the cross<o:p></o:p></div>
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As my failure is lost<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the light of your glorious grace<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let the ruins come to life<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the beauty of your name<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
Rising up from the ashes<o:p></o:p></div>
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God forever you reign<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
And my soul will find refuge<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the shadow of your wings<o:p></o:p></div>
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I will love you forever<o:p></o:p></div>
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And forever I’ll sing</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-3371656796568402492013-02-14T22:00:00.000+00:002013-02-15T02:39:15.361+00:00Not So Beautiful Creatures<div style="text-align: justify;">
As you may have observed of late, a number of books and movies about supernatural creatures have lingered in the bookshop shelves side by side with those with highly sexual themes. Amongst those works which emerged on the top is the Twilight Trilogy and the adult-themed 50 Shades of Grey et al. Now, another of a similar genre is made into a movie, <b>Beautiful Creatures.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfSOssH0qYTsCKM6mqRMSiTCRnDaLZZfSB_M6l5byVVp5_J7pqmYGY4eey1zFx69GAgtePPScH1FmMjmg-2gz7_1-C9KJxWUT8YYBh8F3vGvFTYxze45ahv48_EIAa0dvAFbPdW8lvsrD/s1600/bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfSOssH0qYTsCKM6mqRMSiTCRnDaLZZfSB_M6l5byVVp5_J7pqmYGY4eey1zFx69GAgtePPScH1FmMjmg-2gz7_1-C9KJxWUT8YYBh8F3vGvFTYxze45ahv48_EIAa0dvAFbPdW8lvsrD/s640/bc.jpg" width="432" /></a></div>
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Quite an interesting trailer there but like with all not-so-mainstream-movies, the trailer always shows the best scenes and sometimes gives away most of the story. Beautiful Creatures' trailer reminds me of the first Twilight serving.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/c8C-wk5XfpE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Story-wise it was a bit predictable though I am not really sure whether the book version have the same flow. As we all know, most book-to-movie productions have some form of adulteration somewhere in the movie. It does not really have a unique storyline as it was like a female version of Twilight, where the female (Lena the Caster) had powers and the male (Ethan) runs after her and vows to love and protect her no matter what. It had the magic of Harry Potter where wall installations move and the accent of the Wild Wild West. I am not even that familiar with the actors and actresses so I really had no expectations about their performance. But I'll give their scriptwriter an A+ for pushing the right buttons. One particular scene I like is when Lena was ranting about her being stressed [about her "claiming" day] and all and Ethan being magically rained on on a sunny day:</div>
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<b>Lena:</b> <i>What are you yelling at me for?</i></div>
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<b style="font-weight: bold;">Ethan:</b> <i>You want to be a normal human? What do you think that is? We don't have powers to just change things whenever we like. Being human is feeling bad. It's feeling pissed off. It's feeling scared and not being able to do anything about it until you don't feel that way anymore, until you can just see your way out of it. And I yelled at you because I care about you. That's what normal people do when they love each other when one of them is acting like a brat. <b>Now would you please stop raining on me.</b></i></div>
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Weehaw! That's the part I like best and the other scenes are just blah blah.</div>
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Nothing really that interesting and unique about it and if it was not Valentine's day I would have opted for A Good Day to Die Hard.<br />
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My friend gave it 3 stars out of 5. Probably it is best to wait for it to be available on Netflix or Lovefilm. I would like to see how Stephenie Meyer's The Host will do on the big screen when it shows at the end of the month.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwpU4TfCuXfBjfmShjvisnhv3IyAE0Z6GDrdBfYfqhFiS-19jN8vgqifufTC_c42U69VQSEgUS2mTuCdCVFmJ57JzFYBJMJkpHCVPpixcOtuDPyHHGoDZUHutcAy4q-WjxPvWw1o98qgk/s1600/the-host-wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwpU4TfCuXfBjfmShjvisnhv3IyAE0Z6GDrdBfYfqhFiS-19jN8vgqifufTC_c42U69VQSEgUS2mTuCdCVFmJ57JzFYBJMJkpHCVPpixcOtuDPyHHGoDZUHutcAy4q-WjxPvWw1o98qgk/s400/the-host-wide.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com1Westfield, London, UK51.5067202 -0.2217865999999730851.496837199999995 -0.24195659999997307 51.5166032 -0.20161659999997308tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-72897009234801441112013-02-14T02:03:00.000+00:002013-02-14T02:15:04.337+00:00Europe's Tallest<br />
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I have always been fascinated with architecture. Brave as I was when I was in high school, I applied to study architecture at UP Diliman which was a big flop. I was good at sketching at drawing but to combine that with elements of mathematics will confuse my synapses. Well, it does not really matter because when I got into the College of Nursing, they said that the best spouses for nurses would either be an architect/engineer or a lawyer. So, I decided that snatching an architect would do then.</div>
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London architecture ranges from the very old to well, the not so very old. Photographers would love London for its cityscapes which can be appreciated best from the River Thames. Though professional photography may be difficult to do especially in the City of London (a separate borough) due to private landowners' requirement for photography permits (i.e. tripod use, videography), it is still fulfilling even for the amateur lens to capture how the old and new synergise to create a curious landscape.</div>
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I have just been to The Shard early this month. It is the highest skyscraper not just in UK but in the entire Europe. It is very difficult to have tall structures here in London because of aviation laws since major airports like Heathrow and Gatwick serve hundreds of aeroplanes per day that utilise London airspace. High-rise buildings would pose a big safety issue especially that weather here is never lucid which can greatly affect visibility. Recently, because of a very nasty cloud of fog that covered the city, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21040410" target="_blank">a helicopter crashed into a crane</a> of a building in Vauxhall early morning which killed the pilot and a pedestrian doing his usual walk in the area. Miraculously, the crane operator ran late that morning as his sons failed to wake him up on time for work. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj163zN4Ch57Ny88s8oayQ6tIdBvOvk5xqe2UkfFH7Hu3srs0B2Fx0ENjOBPusI-vcqMEwPlVqzQDxVeW55I3Ej8bTIfTQoC9IUqFm0vsOXTg2cnjW3D0zWLXKD7xmYxF0RRZCetNhgiwr2/s1600/The+Shard+infographic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj163zN4Ch57Ny88s8oayQ6tIdBvOvk5xqe2UkfFH7Hu3srs0B2Fx0ENjOBPusI-vcqMEwPlVqzQDxVeW55I3Ej8bTIfTQoC9IUqFm0vsOXTg2cnjW3D0zWLXKD7xmYxF0RRZCetNhgiwr2/s640/The+Shard+infographic.jpg" width="394" /></a></div>
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The Shard is a magnificent piece of modern architecture. It is not that high compared to other skyscrapers in the world but it does make a good London icon apart from Big Ben (recently re-named to Elizabeth Tower to commemorate the Queen's diamond jubilee) and the London Eye (which really wasn't suppose to be a permanent structure). Compared to the Burj Khalifa, The Shard is just a dwarf, a beautiful dwarf that is.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PZOMp9b7EDziViFtLVNIi0QxErOSctbjX_J6v06gRY_9Ox2GtS7McVrZAlG4ciieyyE8wJZTKtXqhGrLb7qY9AKyyPsogBr7xfJk_mbBekfI0_HklZplP52U2D4vznZMxFQHXAAtP1NC/s1600/600x435_0507-worlds-tallest-buildings-compare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PZOMp9b7EDziViFtLVNIi0QxErOSctbjX_J6v06gRY_9Ox2GtS7McVrZAlG4ciieyyE8wJZTKtXqhGrLb7qY9AKyyPsogBr7xfJk_mbBekfI0_HklZplP52U2D4vznZMxFQHXAAtP1NC/s1600/600x435_0507-worlds-tallest-buildings-compare.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World towers compared. (Credits to Euronews)</td></tr>
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For £24.95, The Shard will give you a bird's eye-view of London which you can enjoy till late. You just have to book online in advance to choose your entry time but there is no limit up to how long you can stay. Just a reminder, tripods and food/drinks are not allowed in the viewing decks so you may find yourself leaving them instead on their ground floor reception. If one fancies, you can try the restaurants in the lower floors and experience dining with a view.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkJUQ4f8GmWRPJ8ZTm9ybteaIinyoQIQ5b5lBU7GW7tELadRmvZiMsB_CfEHj263zhyphenhypheng50nicW3mZ9PT7U3oApdKCyiRQ33nUia7GA618us_-RaKWUKgTE_BFgvxClWtHYuioQ3iRV7ey/s1600/IMG_8286-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkJUQ4f8GmWRPJ8ZTm9ybteaIinyoQIQ5b5lBU7GW7tELadRmvZiMsB_CfEHj263zhyphenhypheng50nicW3mZ9PT7U3oApdKCyiRQ33nUia7GA618us_-RaKWUKgTE_BFgvxClWtHYuioQ3iRV7ey/s640/IMG_8286-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The modern "digiscope" located in the viewing decks.</td></tr>
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As with all viewing decks, having a telescope is a must. I was surprised with the modern version that The Shard had to offer as it is not just free and digital, it also offers the patrons information about the different structures that are visible from the shard and also has the option to either view it live or in three other modes--dawn, dusk and evening.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQ8L-zs_cNsrj_JNlYLTJGbXXnZUAzFv226LWD3KE-UnjL38oFLsfTwFfOww_bmimakPQweuFXzotR066WSS0u1Re24F5ETmggug_3dkYN_eckystZz0uBaObgVUaeWAgiHW1kfcgQnwX/s1600/IMG_8275-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQ8L-zs_cNsrj_JNlYLTJGbXXnZUAzFv226LWD3KE-UnjL38oFLsfTwFfOww_bmimakPQweuFXzotR066WSS0u1Re24F5ETmggug_3dkYN_eckystZz0uBaObgVUaeWAgiHW1kfcgQnwX/s640/IMG_8275-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting photography at an early age.</td></tr>
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The lower deck is enclosed and yes, keeps you away from the cold wind of the upper deck on the 72nd floor which is open aired. Both decks are nice and quiet and you will definitely enjoy the view more with the instrumental background music played continuously.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMiEJTlnVkq8qk6-B_mpd7dLJPt_sLADE-lPwWEu1dLerBmpMKP7EuBVsVMazdJuvyg5MgkkRFx8VTWYHOFR_w5dKuZKUBY__FcBAMhPvKN6o-_BlNoiF3Lhnw6gJXZ9uXVLbepmnwYsr/s1600/IMG_8198-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMiEJTlnVkq8qk6-B_mpd7dLJPt_sLADE-lPwWEu1dLerBmpMKP7EuBVsVMazdJuvyg5MgkkRFx8VTWYHOFR_w5dKuZKUBY__FcBAMhPvKN6o-_BlNoiF3Lhnw6gJXZ9uXVLbepmnwYsr/s640/IMG_8198-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top deck at the 72nd floor.</td></tr>
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It would be better to visit during spring or summer time as the sky would probably be clearer and winds a bit calmer. But what can you expect from British weather? One day it is sunny, the next day you will find yourself pulling out those hoodies and putting on your warm boots.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sP0kcCrZU6gyCfI_D66fikzXBEYc8MF24j1dLcbnK-pBWr1aQkFodX6qATLmkjiK8F8p12NRcmsDjjSDpYX9iYZXSvCCSoQD__pFppuJVuoP72rYxvvzfDPQs-oRHqklcQlth9X09I2v/s1600/IMG_8171-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sP0kcCrZU6gyCfI_D66fikzXBEYc8MF24j1dLcbnK-pBWr1aQkFodX6qATLmkjiK8F8p12NRcmsDjjSDpYX9iYZXSvCCSoQD__pFppuJVuoP72rYxvvzfDPQs-oRHqklcQlth9X09I2v/s640/IMG_8171-1.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Dear, do you remember how the old London looked like?"</td></tr>
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Since the attraction is still quite new. There is a bit of difficulty booking the time slot you want. Online booking is always the best way to go but for those who have spontaneity issues, walk-in ticket purchases can also be done but you won't have that much of option in terms of your time slot.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW6H73jKwYy0WVaDPPWuiyy2qefopPpfTViXE8f-eridL4PYX4vnLylaS1IYdI5NUQe2KZ5JDcbw1dXj0Jnyj_fnniufqs3uiRpSuwfD6jrBpFUuDjchAa6HmrUABIvJX5aPNr-09_IHW/s1600/IMG_8133-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW6H73jKwYy0WVaDPPWuiyy2qefopPpfTViXE8f-eridL4PYX4vnLylaS1IYdI5NUQe2KZ5JDcbw1dXj0Jnyj_fnniufqs3uiRpSuwfD6jrBpFUuDjchAa6HmrUABIvJX5aPNr-09_IHW/s640/IMG_8133-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West view with the Houses of Parliament, Waterloo Station and the London Eye.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93apiR_SqYeyaeZ07TIxRQyG8n1KMuiIqIfFvS-No0EsXgAcqi15c8T18Oci7RqS3nkxSLun1wm4G43kQjr-qc539od_HYONpX1uTp95DETDvClMLiSt_yZOM5CHwJUfUsjIUiAPcsE17/s1600/IMG_8215-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93apiR_SqYeyaeZ07TIxRQyG8n1KMuiIqIfFvS-No0EsXgAcqi15c8T18Oci7RqS3nkxSLun1wm4G43kQjr-qc539od_HYONpX1uTp95DETDvClMLiSt_yZOM5CHwJUfUsjIUiAPcsE17/s640/IMG_8215-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East view with the Tower Bridge and London City hall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79xWmglVwrV8iSWlBfE-R7vtfVCV2nXWLl1MBU_OKb5ZNYweyG0Td65mowL_18SAAtLorfdkrSxZ7ZKHVbunVG8eDi37hkI0m0xLrI9Q4ZI3AjUhubBW8jthI0sLzgwYD7UfnwkBxNwBj/s1600/IMG_8177-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79xWmglVwrV8iSWlBfE-R7vtfVCV2nXWLl1MBU_OKb5ZNYweyG0Td65mowL_18SAAtLorfdkrSxZ7ZKHVbunVG8eDi37hkI0m0xLrI9Q4ZI3AjUhubBW8jthI0sLzgwYD7UfnwkBxNwBj/s640/IMG_8177-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shooting the shooter, discreetly at that.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5PtJ1XJXpX2UR44YMxX2xcABwl3cA9nLxlLWrqoH7Z7658JAUBmFMFaMvdh87fM9aYJsJ1haPQvVKACd8gUEa7CdYCrIMnMObVHE_O1tbpgdpCZpO7S1RxI4twYLLBsCYQikV_MkYVOK/s1600/IMG_8382-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5PtJ1XJXpX2UR44YMxX2xcABwl3cA9nLxlLWrqoH7Z7658JAUBmFMFaMvdh87fM9aYJsJ1haPQvVKACd8gUEa7CdYCrIMnMObVHE_O1tbpgdpCZpO7S1RxI4twYLLBsCYQikV_MkYVOK/s640/IMG_8382-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing beyond the 72nd floor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I stayed from 3:30 pm until almost 7 at night just to enjoy both day and night views of the city. It felt the same way as when we were up the Namsan Tower in Seoul, Korea. I definitely did not forget to drop by the souvenir shop and got myself a magnet (another one to the growing collection) and a print of the London cityscape. It was a worthwhile visit especially for the photography enthusiast.</div>
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I also took a brief video of my visit which you can watch here:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/7wHCe0TYhtI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Visit <a href="http://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/" target="_blank">The View from The Shard</a> website for booking and more information.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0The View from The Shard, Joiner Street, London SE1, United Kingdom51.5054202 -0.08800859999996646451.5041917 -0.09053009999996646 51.506648700000007 -0.085487099999966468tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-33560029099089670822013-01-25T19:54:00.001+00:002013-01-25T22:14:10.696+00:00Navigated Navigator<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was on my way to Westfield this afternoon when two French people approached me and asked for directions. It was a lady and a man (who were friends with each other) who were about to view a flat somewhere in SW19. Well, I was quite confident to give them directions since I have my handy dandy mobile phone with all its navigation apps that we all knoware not perfect but leads you to the right path most of the time. They gave me the postcode which I immediately entered into my smartphone. As the GPS navigation was working its magic I chatted up these lost souls and found out that they just migrated here in the UK about 6 months ago. I told them that the area is posh and quiet though areas around the local primaries may be noisy at times due to the school children. Well, after one century I finally got directions. The place was just half a mile from where we stood (which was just ouside the hospital I work at. I am no good at French nor can they speak good English so I offered to take them myself since I have this magic GPS. But lo and behold, my phone started playing up--both 3G and GPS. Such a shame! I had to rely on Google maps which is not really that accurate based on my previous experiences to get them to that place just in time for viewing.</div>
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We made a mistake turning one block earlier but good thing another kind-hearted soul helped us with the directions. I was so apologetic to the couple because it would be actually very easy to find the place had my phone behaved well. We got to the place eventually. Had I known where Victoria drive was before, navigation would have been as easy as ABC. There is a nearby Catholic school there where we usually take our residents for the annual Christmas carol presentation of the pupils there and I do not know why I did not know where it was.</div>
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Why did I help these people in the first place without any hesitation? </div>
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During our trip to Seoul last year, I remember being in a similar situation only that we were the lost ones. One very kind Korean helped us find the Trick Eye Museum which is a popular tourist destination but as to why it is located in a very obscure place with little directions still baffles me. Since I forgot to activate my mobile roaming, my phone was not really of good use unless there is a nearby WIFI hotspot (which well, Seoul has lots of). Going back, this Korean lady walked us to the museum and though her English and my Korean was anjoayo (not good) we managed to understand each other jugum manyo (a little). It feels terrible to be lost especially in a country where very little English is used both in the written and spoken form.</div>
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It was a sigh of relief when I was able to bring them to their destination. A pat on the shoulders for me today for one simple act of kindness. Hopefully, they too will pass on the same kindness to people who will need them in the future just like this advert about <a href="http://youtu.be/XtIsiKu_JUg" target="_blank">'paying it forward'.</a><br />
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/XtIsiKu_JUg/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XtIsiKu_JUg&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XtIsiKu_JUg&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0Westfield, London51.50672 -0.2217866tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-90090875272352690922013-01-19T11:30:00.000+00:002013-01-19T12:24:52.800+00:00Tennis Masterclass: Gorgeous in Pink<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0WV8WGEba3ngyTJd9d8Q-1NX3_wOJ1Ou17lfq8Drjmfnmp8FDaQY1ElHLH2uENXdCLKCP1X0XQtkbF-nv7R7ZZMqxRK28yBysIUWNu3zZdarnf97uovDk79cBtFwZhxsfwOmy8MdgKAt/s1600/New+Picture+%25284%2529.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0WV8WGEba3ngyTJd9d8Q-1NX3_wOJ1Ou17lfq8Drjmfnmp8FDaQY1ElHLH2uENXdCLKCP1X0XQtkbF-nv7R7ZZMqxRK28yBysIUWNu3zZdarnf97uovDk79cBtFwZhxsfwOmy8MdgKAt/s320/New+Picture+%25284%2529.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
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Federer's match with Tomic kept me sleepless and almost to the point of having a heart attack with their well-played high-level game. I wondered about Roger losing at several points of the match. But my higher-self actually reminded me that I was committing a grave offense by doing so. However, with the way Tomic played today, there was really a chance that he can win over Roger and my love will be out of the tournament. But I am very much aware of Roger's capability to come back [with a vengeance] after losing points or games even. I have faith in his magic.</div>
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Well, while I was kinda pretending to brew some sort of heart ailment while watching the match, I came up with my 2013-Aussie-Open-in-a-nutshell-in-the-eye-of-the-die-hard-fan. Long title isn't it? I cannot manage to conjure a proper description for this thingamajig I doodled on my tablet but here they are:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXtzLkz8xPDeN89po5p4r2HOOCxtihHN5HTHMLTS_bfQ6_2lUEgi4fG-z5DcsMYIvw3NwCY8GwHxIQDMOJvyGH9Ocs4IHm4Cd5HJTh5-tlQ5eWGbc6SRMQr9THKnMVLr9MpszRKQoFuK2/s1600/0006dd99-642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXtzLkz8xPDeN89po5p4r2HOOCxtihHN5HTHMLTS_bfQ6_2lUEgi4fG-z5DcsMYIvw3NwCY8GwHxIQDMOJvyGH9Ocs4IHm4Cd5HJTh5-tlQ5eWGbc6SRMQr9THKnMVLr9MpszRKQoFuK2/s400/0006dd99-642.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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1. Yellow is not the lucky color for this tourney. It is actually pink [and anything not yellow]. Look at how Roger and Serena fared in their matches because they are not wearing yellow. Read: the ball is already yellow!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6r1SpGxKugEt1oy2w7dphY9cMOjFXQuuAHCeXboRd10mmtS8hOZiw3NEpzarHRs0ImfM-mDgI3-gx1ZqA8-FjBGcksm1IvYNhZ6qI0eCeSZUDpnlO0WXv-8UvjMvJvuA_FH3lI8ACimEx/s1600/18aa-tennis-ivanovic-20130118143142370353-620x349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6r1SpGxKugEt1oy2w7dphY9cMOjFXQuuAHCeXboRd10mmtS8hOZiw3NEpzarHRs0ImfM-mDgI3-gx1ZqA8-FjBGcksm1IvYNhZ6qI0eCeSZUDpnlO0WXv-8UvjMvJvuA_FH3lI8ACimEx/s400/18aa-tennis-ivanovic-20130118143142370353-620x349.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wear yellow to counter the blistering heat down under?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwqPYwtpSeeWmz41OhYiOwGsZzcRRNqOzxdFAN2eTheyD-nGGj03WkYypzM_fALamd2JWQqYx03atnXRcDvJ2CxKK8rN8Nbg9Usndfn4oeSlfRwclRgJtV8H59ZquCzq-key4JKXoqFHe/s1600/8192956_600x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwqPYwtpSeeWmz41OhYiOwGsZzcRRNqOzxdFAN2eTheyD-nGGj03WkYypzM_fALamd2JWQqYx03atnXRcDvJ2CxKK8rN8Nbg9Usndfn4oeSlfRwclRgJtV8H59ZquCzq-key4JKXoqFHe/s400/8192956_600x400.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real men wear pink!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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2. Do not waste your challenges, you will miss them when they are gone. Do not misuse them as breathers between points. I cannot imagine how frustrated Tomic was when he was left without any challenges. He had no choice no matter what the lines people or the umpire say about a ball being in or out because he used up all his challenges. Lucky him, all calls made afterwards were undoubtedly good. On the contrary, do not waste the opportunity to challenge especially if you are pretty sure that you hit the line even if it is just barely kissing its edge.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiDT59lFoBnKa7hgf-MDdEY-WzGwZewyEbuwQY6k3J-7uabFtHCOC366JzV7KvDvbIKtNX1FTYYBZu-VSL2Z7n6XORHeemPAbNw4yG7AkD4p87ayN9fLTbp6bKNezLHvK8D1xHvtHmE-c/s1600/The_decision_of_In_or_Out_with_the_help_of_Technology_at_Wimbledon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiDT59lFoBnKa7hgf-MDdEY-WzGwZewyEbuwQY6k3J-7uabFtHCOC366JzV7KvDvbIKtNX1FTYYBZu-VSL2Z7n6XORHeemPAbNw4yG7AkD4p87ayN9fLTbp6bKNezLHvK8D1xHvtHmE-c/s400/The_decision_of_In_or_Out_with_the_help_of_Technology_at_Wimbledon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Technology that could change a player's fate.</td></tr>
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3. Youth is foolish when it underestimates age. Roger is 11 years older than Tomic but he moves as if he was in the same age group. Amazing how he can stride from one side of the court to the other effortlessly and make a stunning point. At his age, he is still very fit and I would not be surprised if he would still be playing until 35.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVolgOi1IFQaL4O4kFJIx-R8Yq1gYEUUJGwBfch4CWA45tQey39qz015-Uo4eMTAnCGUckfEbnljYxKYD6C0vJPocxSoiXas5THd0xxhxEQjABlmWnZTkwye7ethTo5ETQYoeAW5nrY4G/s1600/428293_490587234320959_1413861304_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVolgOi1IFQaL4O4kFJIx-R8Yq1gYEUUJGwBfch4CWA45tQey39qz015-Uo4eMTAnCGUckfEbnljYxKYD6C0vJPocxSoiXas5THd0xxhxEQjABlmWnZTkwye7ethTo5ETQYoeAW5nrY4G/s400/428293_490587234320959_1413861304_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ageless Roger.</td></tr>
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4. The umpire teaches accountability for every challenge made. Even if the shot was clearly out, they do not insist and tell the player that it is out despite being sure 100%. As the cliche goes, it is your choice anyway. Also, raise your hand [or racket] courteously if you want to challenge.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0Wnv-k9ry4PNEFBqnTiijkBYXNmI6PZEU_jk81RQTz-dCYSt9e7NGWxNTNrmRAVlDktmG6G8EtJDpX5FQfeV8uXgtfoKXGoco7phUNtnmdTp6T9fYVaKTy_LCoGVVRtKWJ3Ki97Erb95/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0Wnv-k9ry4PNEFBqnTiijkBYXNmI6PZEU_jk81RQTz-dCYSt9e7NGWxNTNrmRAVlDktmG6G8EtJDpX5FQfeV8uXgtfoKXGoco7phUNtnmdTp6T9fYVaKTy_LCoGVVRtKWJ3Ki97Erb95/s320/image.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take it on the umpire.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
5. Faith is believing that your single backhand return will go in even without really looking towards the path of the ball. Roger is very well known for his killer backhands and a fan would be very much aware that he does strike without even looking where the ball is going.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWDi3tJXhw8U2VKTIKLa4HW9bTTYZDV5pzrWKd3ppFC_wUuBhv87NNEjEtBuP5MoTzVh8EwPRjUhkpRGWQ5BbSn1GCbv0avjJquT89TohGh4eHNn9_M0YKJi80btdxRGpkwyGQTNO0AW3/s1600/76812106_tennis_69247c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWDi3tJXhw8U2VKTIKLa4HW9bTTYZDV5pzrWKd3ppFC_wUuBhv87NNEjEtBuP5MoTzVh8EwPRjUhkpRGWQ5BbSn1GCbv0avjJquT89TohGh4eHNn9_M0YKJi80btdxRGpkwyGQTNO0AW3/s400/76812106_tennis_69247c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wonder if I will make an epic point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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6. Slide gracefully if you can but do not overreach nor overstretch to save that single point cause that one point can cause you your ankle and even your career.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPXL0UN0YuLwmeeJyybIptAkGXAd-5Lt4Qk72M9MoRQVz6REC-Xx1j88Yfe7cA6-8Wdg9SxoMi0HsfMpZthlFt8onyGl96DsoCRF283Qf8VQsxP9zKKaeGicpeTGwOMPReLYDoroKRiyT/s1600/roger-federer-011513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPXL0UN0YuLwmeeJyybIptAkGXAd-5Lt4Qk72M9MoRQVz6REC-Xx1j88Yfe7cA6-8Wdg9SxoMi0HsfMpZthlFt8onyGl96DsoCRF283Qf8VQsxP9zKKaeGicpeTGwOMPReLYDoroKRiyT/s400/roger-federer-011513.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't run after a wandering ball. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
7. You are only as good as your last serve or return. If you lose the point, snap out of it and start anew. Sounds difficult but this is the mindset of all great sportspeople. In the same line, you are only as good as your last match or last tournament. Always think of doing your best as if it was your last game.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
8. Some things are better quick and short. Roger keeps his rallies short. Less fuss, more points. Also, learn to take your aim. Tennis players use their free hand to point towards where they want the ball to go. It is much like goal-setting really.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEH-x-1lZds7RyejFwZQqhKHZ-A58aU2LYTk2Fpg4uCUxFK6gW5rYKcxwderMZT7ySckBzf0ryAe-HegAvO-1QXMiGFSSF1MM9akhhdKmDmXKUcLfjhtpYnhmPKdvJSxTIUqgwil-jM99d/s1600/ten_g_federer1_sy_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEH-x-1lZds7RyejFwZQqhKHZ-A58aU2LYTk2Fpg4uCUxFK6gW5rYKcxwderMZT7ySckBzf0ryAe-HegAvO-1QXMiGFSSF1MM9akhhdKmDmXKUcLfjhtpYnhmPKdvJSxTIUqgwil-jM99d/s400/ten_g_federer1_sy_400.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aim for the stars.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
9. Keep calm, just carry on. Losing, like winning, is an experience. You would not be able to appreciate what it is to win without losing. When you lose, it does not mean that you are not good, it just goes to show that there are better players than you.</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
10. It is okay to scream. It does not matter how loud, lewd or weird it may sound, but for athletes especially tennis players, shouting or screaming is like venting out the pressure which helps boost the strength or your shots. Azarenka and Sharapova playing against each other may sound like a total nightmare but boy, they surely will give you one heck of a display of their tennis prowess. Well, also it is okay to cry. Remember Murray's epic speech and tears after he lost to Federer in Wimby last year? It goes to show that these deities of tennis are human after all. Like what the popular Superman song says, even heroes have the right to bleed.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GBVg-T3i3O-ZiGKPcKkWFIKGbRBqxOFKhGUTQT2pt6OXx22lH8izwzCCplt3e2gpxxZ05KeAca2Mej74o51JV92_gC0qHgSG-ERRgvY-7udx7yWCEc_565dSF4LhNr37G-QJTfRg7BJi/s1600/title_2270995b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GBVg-T3i3O-ZiGKPcKkWFIKGbRBqxOFKhGUTQT2pt6OXx22lH8izwzCCplt3e2gpxxZ05KeAca2Mej74o51JV92_gC0qHgSG-ERRgvY-7udx7yWCEc_565dSF4LhNr37G-QJTfRg7BJi/s400/title_2270995b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roger Federer wining Wimbledon 2012 with Andy Murray in tears.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That's it folks. I'd better get some shut eye now. Heroes need to sleep as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><b><i><span style="color: red;">Do not irritate Roger with a drop shot. Who are you anyway?</span></i></b></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-42763528197539361032013-01-16T20:30:00.000+00:002013-01-17T03:58:33.746+00:00I Saw The Sign<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43-6_JvvVgnit338reqmw6ZOwrQg3YZo1Fdf2ZCH6A8aBCCTUh4mfqjleaQIeQSXmelZWKwRwcJ9ot9qVp2DJCCm0ZAFrWzXvPyjX2TEimFw7ItsmnEfpM0phQGdova3Vtj5-6QyN7bcv/s1600/pitch-perfect-poster06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43-6_JvvVgnit338reqmw6ZOwrQg3YZo1Fdf2ZCH6A8aBCCTUh4mfqjleaQIeQSXmelZWKwRwcJ9ot9qVp2DJCCm0ZAFrWzXvPyjX2TEimFw7ItsmnEfpM0phQGdova3Vtj5-6QyN7bcv/s640/pitch-perfect-poster06.jpg" width="446" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Acabitches</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Because it was too cold to go out lately with the below freezing temperature, my annual leave was instantly converted to a staycation. I have a list of things I must/can do (aside from my laundry and cooking) but the weather just forced me to stay in bed longer and tuck under the sheets. Since I haven't watched a lot of movies lately, I had to review my backlog today. First on the list was <b>Pitch Perfect.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Pitch Perfect is literally a perfect feel-good movie. It doesn't have a unique plot and very much has a predictable flow. Watching the trailer sends the moviegoer the idea that it is just another Glee-ish production. Well, unfortunately it is especially in terms of the members of the Barden Bellas which seems like a mirror-image of Glee (multiculture, multi-sized and multi-personalities) less the boys and the wheelchair. What is interesting about the movie is how the mash-ups of the songs were done. From love songs, sexually explicit to pop and rap, the movie will impress anyone with a penchant for music especially acapella.</div>
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The simple plot does not really require one to make a very complicated evaluation of this movie. It is not the type of thing that I would watch in cinemas and is probably just good to watch when you are bored or need some unwinding AT home.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>NB: I watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower afterwards--deeper and more stimulating.</i></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-86135224697847015332013-01-15T03:30:00.000+00:002013-01-17T04:25:19.218+00:00The Injured Deity<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj43oe-QEhFE15B79-LDKITyFmvTyk8RPKXrwAnfzAifW6tkfJvPfPi5jDdRpnayyGLRZ_Dg0i-mQjv9PHjqM-iJUyQu5cWz2_ukZrXR8pu5M0OgVm83zGRRAQ8PEGUOE9S91QISnUmlN/s1600/Pictures13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj43oe-QEhFE15B79-LDKITyFmvTyk8RPKXrwAnfzAifW6tkfJvPfPi5jDdRpnayyGLRZ_Dg0i-mQjv9PHjqM-iJUyQu5cWz2_ukZrXR8pu5M0OgVm83zGRRAQ8PEGUOE9S91QISnUmlN/s640/Pictures13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deja vu. Serena had the same injury on the opposite ankle a year prior.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Serena probably had the scare of her 2013 career when she rolled her ankle in today's match. I was surprised how her ankles were tightly taped when her personal physiotherapist cut the almost cast-like bandage to assess the "damage". I thought that I should have known how to wrap my ankles the same way as I already had numerous strains and sprains since I started playing tennis again in 2011. Similarly, Andy Murray have those strappy thingies as well which prevents the ankles from twisting. I thought my new tennis shoes would do the trick as I felt more stable playing with them on but now I feel that I need to strap-up as well.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anxiety was painted all over Serena's face after the medical time-out but she sure did win even on just one good ankle. I wonder how she will fair in the next rounds.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Before I get ahead of myself and imagine frolicking in the courts again, I need to sort out my shoulder with my physio. It has been about five months now since I last played because of this aching shoulder and I am still in treatment for the fourth month running. With the pace of the treatment I am having, I am hoping to be okay come mid-spring or early summer. If I had my physio in Manila, I would probably have been discharged after 2 months of continuous treatment. But because of the very conservative methods here in UK and the difficulty of getting a treatment slot, the progress has been very slow and I have had flare-ups between session. What can I do? It is free. I do not want to be spending a lot for private physiotherapy. I am not Maria Sharapova anyway, haha.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKfX-9mUQ0z-C53h5OLsKM1ZdecDBAfZGb8nZp4Wuoyo7eX0MfOIWg5I0cArVaoEemKTa4jILYFEk3rxwToKjpTORXWJcsFN-NHE1tBRVQaPD5Exu9b_TshU3ehS21h70LgVfBAZHjOkC/s1600/735656_588809767803290_1816681767_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKfX-9mUQ0z-C53h5OLsKM1ZdecDBAfZGb8nZp4Wuoyo7eX0MfOIWg5I0cArVaoEemKTa4jILYFEk3rxwToKjpTORXWJcsFN-NHE1tBRVQaPD5Exu9b_TshU3ehS21h70LgVfBAZHjOkC/s640/735656_588809767803290_1816681767_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharapova bright in yellow screaming those oohs and aahs!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Speaking of Maria, she had a previous shoulder injury as well and has recently had a collar bone problem. Serena had her share of injuries too and well, Rafa is still recuperating from his knee surgery too. I have not a thread of Maria's skills nor Serena's muscles but if they can re-emerge from a setback, who am I to lose hope that I would never hold that racket again if they, the deities of tennis can do it?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>Again, I remind myself that I am no Sharapova.</i></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-86876153524831638392013-01-14T00:14:00.001+00:002013-01-14T00:29:19.069+00:00For Good (From Wicked The Musical)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdtcIEhZEKDin-9gifCc87noOQNVxYu_8xDlUQgi4ZUNaMirUjMB_2kl2NY5dOgUXTfwnXZbHQ1Fwa8F5c0jrAFdyNoUa3FSaTxwYb62mir5UJicuOblJLITsbV56VWnOnbbX0TzP4Yl4/s1600/natalie_daradich_and_anne_brummel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdtcIEhZEKDin-9gifCc87noOQNVxYu_8xDlUQgi4ZUNaMirUjMB_2kl2NY5dOgUXTfwnXZbHQ1Fwa8F5c0jrAFdyNoUa3FSaTxwYb62mir5UJicuOblJLITsbV56VWnOnbbX0TzP4Yl4/s640/natalie_daradich_and_anne_brummel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Elphaba):</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm limited</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Just look at me - I'm limited</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And just look at you</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda</div>
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So now it's up to you</div>
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For both of us - now it's up to you...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Glinda):</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've heard it said</div>
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That people come into our lives for a reason</div>
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Bringing something we must learn</div>
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And we are led</div>
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To those who help us most to grow</div>
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If we let them</div>
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And we help them in return</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true</div>
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But I know I'm who I am today</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Because I knew you...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Like a comet pulled from orbit</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As it passes a sun</div>
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Like a stream that meets a boulder</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Halfway through the wood</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But because I knew you</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have been changed for good</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Elphaba):</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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It well may be</div>
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That we will never meet again</div>
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In this lifetime</div>
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So let me say before we part</div>
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So much of me</div>
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Is made from what I learned from you</div>
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You'll be with me</div>
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Like a handprint on my heart</div>
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And now whatever way our stories end</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I know you have re-written mine</div>
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By being my friend...</div>
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Like a ship blown from its mooring</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By a wind off the sea</div>
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Like a seed dropped by a skybird</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In a distant wood</div>
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Who can say if I've been changed for the better?But because I knew you</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Glinda):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Because I knew you</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Both):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have been changed for good</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Elphaba):</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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And just to clear the air</div>
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I ask forgiveness</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For the things I've done you blame me for</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Glinda):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But then, I guess we know</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There's blame to share</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Both):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And none of it seems to matter anymore</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Glinda):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Like a comet pulled from orbit</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As it passes a sun</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Like a stream that meets a boulder</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Halfway through the wood</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Elphaba):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Like a ship blown from its mooring</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By a wind off the sea</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Both):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I do believe I have been changed for the better</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Glinda):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And because I knew you...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Elphaba):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Because I knew you...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(Both):</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Because I knew you...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have been changed for good...</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-67984284802117054002013-01-12T01:36:00.000+00:002013-01-14T00:32:45.925+00:00A Heart Full of Love and Dreams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyV1hgarB3yLwX5wKxItUs3UyikydQRp47ua1tD4wOAH6Du8ZzpwCPPmXcDSqPWAcjBFzWupZlHpK9IPwo9s3_UsWgQjM9vm1PMsGvsapowD3bIuIjdooacgaSVUV05yawZc27FQAzKHC/s1600/lesmis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyV1hgarB3yLwX5wKxItUs3UyikydQRp47ua1tD4wOAH6Du8ZzpwCPPmXcDSqPWAcjBFzWupZlHpK9IPwo9s3_UsWgQjM9vm1PMsGvsapowD3bIuIjdooacgaSVUV05yawZc27FQAzKHC/s640/lesmis.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have always been fascinated by musicals--from Miss Saigon, Wicked, Once on this Island, Beauty and the Beast, Cats...and yes Les Miserables. When I watched Miss Saigon when it returned to Manila, I was enthralled once again by the world of theatre and I even forced my mom to buy me the 2-CD Original Broadway Cast performance of the musical. Well, that was the time when Spotify or Deezer or even YouTube was unknown and the only way to get them cheaply is to either download from Napster or Limewire or buy it from some obscure alleyway of Manila. I was not really the kid who fancied watching concerts nor movies but if you invite me to watch a stage play or musical I would definitely never resist. I watched all the time with my mom a.k.a the banker and ticket financer. We watched all kinds of theatres--from the one with the big names like Cats and Cinderella down to those performed by budding actors and actresses from Trumpets or Repertory Philippines. I love everything about the theatre--the acting and singing, the stage production, the musical scoring, the script and story line of course! A good line will always capture my heart and a wonderful tune will always move me. I love the comical stints inserted in stage plays which halts brewing boredom of the audience. I am not that good when it comes to the latest music in town but if you ask me about theatrical tunes I bet you will find me a bit geeky.</div>
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Coming here to London, my brain went haywire with the idea of being so close to the West End and all the fantastic shows it offers. Well, it took a long while for us to get a chance to watch one as evidenced by my previous post. When I heard about the new Les Miz movie, my neurons were firing even faster than the speed of light. The old movie was a bit bland and focused more on Fantine and Cosette. Eponine was nearly nonexistent. Nevertheless, I was not disappointed with the new movie not just because of the great singing and musical scoring but because it was able to communicate the heart of Les Miz which is about reformation, both personal and societal and love for God and mankind. I love it to bits that I feel I can watch it over and over again and still shed tears towards the end. It is just quite unfortunate that it premiered in the UK later than the other parts of the world. While Singapore was crying, Londoners like me do not even have the slightest idea how really moving it is.</div>
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When we watched last night, I was amazed at how the audience behaved. Not a single phone rang and illuminations from phone screens turning on were close to nil. No food bags rustling, no noisy sipping of drinks. Not one stood from from their seats for a quick bladder relief. Amazing indeed what the movie did to the patrons. There were even times when people clapped after each scene as if we were watching a live musical. Well, I will have to admit that I did silently clap several times. I have read FB posts about the do's and don'ts when watching Les Miz which included something about restraining oneself from singing along with the actors. I thought it was common sense, but did I succeed? No, I was humming in my head for a moment, lip singing the next then silently singing to myself especially during Fantine's I Dream a Dream, Eponine's On My Own, and Do You Hear The People Sing. Guilty as charged. The last 30-40 minutes of the film were absolute tear jerkers. People were crying, the teenagers behind us were literally wailing. The Met Office would have raised and amber warning for severe overflow of tears. I cried and sniffled in silence. My guy friend who watched with me was also weeping. Total puffiness!</div>
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What's the rating then?</div>
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Cinematography is perfect. (Though not nominated in the Oscars)</div>
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Musical Scoring is perfect.</div>
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Casting is sublime.</div>
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Acting and Singing...I'm speechless.</div>
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The over-all sound needs a bit of boosting but I'm not so sure if it was just a problem with the cinema's volume controls. (?)</div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">5 out of 5 stars.</span></b></div>
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Hugh Jackman deserves the best actor award. Imagine Wolverine turned Valjean! The acting and singing was way beyond my expectation. Likewise with Anne Hathaway, Les Miz elevated her to the ranks of premiere actresses, able to handle more mature roles, so far from where she started as Mia Thermopolis in Princess Diaries. She too should win the best female supporting actress. Anne's love for Les Mis as a kid finally came to fruition when she got casted in this film. Moreover, it is also amusing to note that Helena Carter who played Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter played an almost similar character as Madame Thenardier in Les Mis, only proving her suitability for these kinds of roles. Russell Crowe sang. Yes, the <i>Gladiator</i> with <i>A Beautiful Mind </i>can sing.</div>
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<b>Fantastic. Absolutely Fantastic.</b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red;">Who said Skyfall was the best British film of the year?</span></i></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-18317346628736582212013-01-10T11:00:00.000+00:002013-01-13T00:04:08.605+00:00Defying Gravity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTlPiE7WUKvytsLsHBQsm_bSgDfh_84_uqyT3mpfPKphIPAEhmmRZzuSWad7J1qqDMacZnrtS55AsKVJ_46nej-b2GcckH01wkHMkO-houzs_TkXs5DHhJu5qKhs4weP7OUGTJwHKGXhl/s1600/wicked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTlPiE7WUKvytsLsHBQsm_bSgDfh_84_uqyT3mpfPKphIPAEhmmRZzuSWad7J1qqDMacZnrtS55AsKVJ_46nej-b2GcckH01wkHMkO-houzs_TkXs5DHhJu5qKhs4weP7OUGTJwHKGXhl/s400/wicked.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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After more than a year in London, we finally got to see Wicked! It is one of the books by Gregory Maguire who made a big hit in the West End and Broadway alike. Well, I wasn't really into the novel since it bored me a lot but the musical was way beyond words. Since I am already quite familiar with its story as I have watched the Aussie version of it, my expectations for the London version were set very high. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnDecsHsmGIHSy09p9RDEdJNwPWDm1JWLXmTqFFYXjPpf-zY7M8r_CZYynINVmVnpBMlhBIYtfFufTZ_Yat8bu6xAY7hmh3GeM5BeiHGuPxuAXDGYrmiyVzRHjYpwN3KscJaLAB5fh3tL/s1600/wicked_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnDecsHsmGIHSy09p9RDEdJNwPWDm1JWLXmTqFFYXjPpf-zY7M8r_CZYynINVmVnpBMlhBIYtfFufTZ_Yat8bu6xAY7hmh3GeM5BeiHGuPxuAXDGYrmiyVzRHjYpwN3KscJaLAB5fh3tL/s640/wicked_04.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T'was 2 degrees outside at around 6:30 at night.</td></tr>
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Our booking was decided like it was an impromptu speech, something ad-lib, something spontaneous. Well, experience will teach many of us that spontaneity is somehow better than a very detailed plan. So we decided the last minute to get a £30 worth ticket on the stalls' fifth and sixth rows only that we are on the leftmost side. Well, it was worth all the leaning sideways and the almost stiff necks as it was one heck of a production. Paying the premium seats at around £70-90 is a bit much. Why pay a 2-weeks worth of groceries when you can have the same pleasure near the stage with them just with a limited view--meaning you do not get to see some characters well on certain scenes because of their blocking on the stage. Also, we found it better than paying for the same amount for balcony seats. You get to see the details of their costumes and also count the numerous times that the lead actresses splatter saliva while singing or delivering their lines...and well of course some bragging rights that you have 'front seat' tickets to a west end show.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08CBEHEQJRByfJaTNjGHepCtf4jm6eXeZCbIUGI957KUWyqS2EDSKBZddE3juIdg121SyWxocnD6HQRshYe-WWqjPQ0oqtC6_QcxKGO5q5veFnLy0OrsVN3JHpwLG1xO2aWqA_PZ2Ur1X/s1600/wicked_15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08CBEHEQJRByfJaTNjGHepCtf4jm6eXeZCbIUGI957KUWyqS2EDSKBZddE3juIdg121SyWxocnD6HQRshYe-WWqjPQ0oqtC6_QcxKGO5q5veFnLy0OrsVN3JHpwLG1xO2aWqA_PZ2Ur1X/s640/wicked_15.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We occupied rows E and F. Note that the seats beside Borly and Astrid are £15 more expensive than ours!</td></tr>
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Wicked is like a prequel to the Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of the witches of oz, Elphaba and Glinda (pronounced as Ga-linda then Glinda on the latter part of the musical) and how their friendship was forged despite their differences both in career goals and love life. It reveals the story prior to Dorothy and somehow the origins of Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. In a nutshell, it is about finding your place in society, standing for your beliefs and finding your true love. The show was a total spectacular. It stimulates your senses through the wonderful lighting, crisp music and sound effects, excellent choreography and costume design and on top of everything else, the vocal prowess that the members of cast exhibited. Every song number will make your jaw drop in amazement and if you are a Wicked fan you will have to restrain yourself from singing along while 'Defying Gravity' and 'I'm not that Girl' is being sung by the lead actresses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsM0lRe8KAcygUv5HGaQ5tlmURLJJLajV1aI5dKoyhcnunMjueGPDZhSZzZhjGzEquP-dEAJ7VioMBTHAni8iHCAat-84ZdrT0Hln2APifthE90M8UUpLKDsI-1YvzeZaJjtKYObWUviGl/s1600/New+Picture+(2).bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsM0lRe8KAcygUv5HGaQ5tlmURLJJLajV1aI5dKoyhcnunMjueGPDZhSZzZhjGzEquP-dEAJ7VioMBTHAni8iHCAat-84ZdrT0Hln2APifthE90M8UUpLKDsI-1YvzeZaJjtKYObWUviGl/s640/New+Picture+(2).bmp" width="537" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The London Cast (wickedthemusical.co.uk)</td></tr>
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We learned some fantastic language while watching Wicked and I plan on using them as a pun next time we see each other again for an impromptu musical (Lion King and Les Mis are next in line). </div>
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<i><span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Glinda: </b>Scandalacious, Moodified, Disrespectation<br /><b>Elphaba: </b>De-greenify<br /><b>Fiero: </b>Galinda-fied<br /><b>Nessa:</b> Encouragerised<br /><b>Madame Morrible:</b> Linguification, Thrillifying, Decipherate, Braverism</span></i></blockquote>
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Will I pass the IELTS if I tried using these? Hehe.<br />
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and tada, the favourite lines:<br />
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<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Elphaba:</b> Okay let's get this over with, no I'm not seasick, yes I've always been green, No I didn't eat grass as a child.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><b>Glinda: </b>Dearest Momsie and Popsicle</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><b>Glinda:</b> Something is wrong. I didn't get my way. I think I have to lie down.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><b>Glinda:</b> Elphie... can I call you Elphie?</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Elphaba:</b> It's a little perky</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Glinda:</b> And you can call me... Galinda</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Glinda: </b>Fiyero and i are getting married!!</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Elphaba:</b> He asked you already?</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Glinda:</b> No, he doesn’t know yet. Now your turn.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Elphaba:</b> I don’t have anything.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Glinda:</b> Oh come on, and i told you a really good one!!!<br /> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Elphaba:</b> I'm the other daughter, Elphaba. I'm beautifully tragic.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Madame Morrible: </b>I'm sure you're very bright.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Glinda:</b> Bright? She's phosphorescent!</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Glinda:</b> He's distant and moodified, and he's been thinking, which really worries me.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Fiyero:</b> I’ve been thinking</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Elphaba:</b> Yes (pause) I’ve heard.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Glinda:</b> You're still riding that old thing?</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Elphaba:</b> Yeah, well, we can't all come and go by bubble!</span></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken by Borly while in the queue to claim our tickets.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkwp3YIaPxx-cW0ZJikC9frkZPNyZaGD9oVpwmEFq3qZL8vnfhWznlG_PT-NfQtkWwNpeUUOYqDoSVqxXmQ9goU8Wnu9HlVZT9RTv9-U8Y3vH6nbtIIzyXFKCFyU23iItRvN3YzyKkVDJ/s1600/wicked_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkwp3YIaPxx-cW0ZJikC9frkZPNyZaGD9oVpwmEFq3qZL8vnfhWznlG_PT-NfQtkWwNpeUUOYqDoSVqxXmQ9goU8Wnu9HlVZT9RTv9-U8Y3vH6nbtIIzyXFKCFyU23iItRvN3YzyKkVDJ/s640/wicked_10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just fantastic. Feels good to have watched another musical.</td></tr>
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Wicked is highly recommended to all musical/stage play fans and I will give it 10/10 stars! Bravissimo! Oops, was I just Galinda-fied?!<br />
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For bookings you can go to <a href="http://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0Westminster, City of Westminster, London SW1V 1LG, UK51.4957746 -0.1426793000000543551.4945391 -0.14520080000005436 51.4970101 -0.14015780000005434tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-24572300153399716902013-01-09T21:35:00.001+00:002013-01-11T06:55:37.081+00:00The Perks of Being Asthmatic<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being asthmatic means that I have to be very fussy with smoke, dust, and other allergens which nurtures ones obsessive-compulsive side. I got used to pills, inhalers, waking up in the middle of the night with continuous coughing and yes, the all-year-round sniffles and frequent chest infections. Rather than seeing them as restrictions, I see them as something usual to my everyday life. I even have auras about any impeding exacerbation or infections much like someone who has a migraine. Just like now, I have to work through another exacerbation and yes, another course of treatment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is winter time again and bugs of sorts start to spread their love to the most vulnerable people. Norovirus and influenza viruses are notorious during this season and people in other countries are now even reporting cases of H1N1 again. Year 2009 witnessed the worst influenza pandemic yet and yeah, I can tell you it was so terrible (second to the leptospirosis outbreak that same year) that even members of staff in the previous hospital I worked at became very ill. Everyone was so paranoid about catching the bug that if Sterilium can be used as bath water we would have gladly used it so.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My kind of cocktail</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Contrary to popular belief, having a chronic health condition has it</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">s perks too. You get to know a lot of medicines (generic plus trade name) and you often get "checked-out" by doctors. You learn which medications work and which do not, which are cheap and expensive. </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">You have met most of the celebrities in the antibiotic world like Augmentin, Zinnat, Klaricid, Levox and Zithromax and probably had a chance to have a longstanding love affair with the last one. Prednisone seems romantic but it is actually one name asthmatics hate together with all the other pills that sound like it (i.e. prednisolone and methylprednisolone). </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You learn to love purple and blue not just because of their tint but because of the relief they bring. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know what a peak flow meter is and why being in the red zone raises a red flag. You know that an O2 sat above 95% is okay and anything below that pushes you on the grey side. The words bronchospasm, DOB, SOB, wheezing and chesty are written at the back of your hand together with the numerous asthma triggers that you have. You learn to appreciate the symptom-free periods and make the best out of them. You also learn to plan your activities depending on the weather and the pollen levels. Being experienced and all, you become an expert patient who knows the ins and outs of the condition which makes you an excellent resource person for other asthmatic patients and their families. </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Asthma keeps you away from smoking and snorting drugs (though some sufferers try their luck on these).</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> You can easily disprove claims of complete healing or instant cure from hoax adverts and quack doctors. Why? Because you are the most competent person in this "field" and you are sure that there has no cure for asthma yet. <b>It is manageable but not yet curable</b>. Your doctors may know more medical/techie stuff about your lungs and how they work but at the end of a consultation, they will always gear towards the treatment which suits you best with your consent of course.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Asthmatic. Meteorologist. Pharmacist. Diagnostician. Manager. Expert Patient. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you one of us?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5970314085881815145.post-42653367877641349442013-01-01T23:46:00.000+00:002013-01-11T06:56:22.185+00:00Metamorphosis<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ODSBjqkJW9-2CK7afLTcZxyO8unyemehRV90uCDqZAEQO_wJz8olNesaoFuj0NGUC-BG7KXp0_PRqRwWUrxYocJBWBoKrNFAOgfOkYtKOLAwe1v4uzkCWQsx9BFMtL2Fblz1QCKKSFA3/s1600/IMG_6652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ODSBjqkJW9-2CK7afLTcZxyO8unyemehRV90uCDqZAEQO_wJz8olNesaoFuj0NGUC-BG7KXp0_PRqRwWUrxYocJBWBoKrNFAOgfOkYtKOLAwe1v4uzkCWQsx9BFMtL2Fblz1QCKKSFA3/s640/IMG_6652.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20 minutes to 2013</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every year, many of us struggle with resolutions that we end up not fulfilling most of the time. This year, I vow not to make any because it will just frustrate me in the end. Rather, I chose to look back at the blessing I have received during the past year and teach my heart to be happy and content with what I have. I will teach myself to laugh more, cry sometimes then laugh a bit more. I also want to make a bucket list of things that I want to do or be. It is a bit different from resolutions as they are more of a promise to one-self that we so often break. At least, having a list of goals sounds more positive.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UIoLhCM-QQ_sfqzRjKmZ0cZPgcNIfLqF-yYjc5oCOez_khzpyj8RYs_CjrNwbruPsqjHFmcdG0Uvb1T_72fYDMnLUP_PGUas0pb-EiHX5dMtDmGe4aw-xEnM1egChC48XAGRh8xYJioO/s1600/IMG_6762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UIoLhCM-QQ_sfqzRjKmZ0cZPgcNIfLqF-yYjc5oCOez_khzpyj8RYs_CjrNwbruPsqjHFmcdG0Uvb1T_72fYDMnLUP_PGUas0pb-EiHX5dMtDmGe4aw-xEnM1egChC48XAGRh8xYJioO/s640/IMG_6762.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheers to the New Year!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, I want to start saving (pun intended), take more pictures, travel more and read more. As side dish, I will try to practice playing the piano more, work on my Sound Cloud and yes, try to maintain this blog regularly. Dieting? Hmm, let me think about that first.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuGB7wh78w-cbJEcf3fVxd3IPRkLZvfHWS51OS9SuFurICUxPWu1YhBkimDyIePSGj5C0lHrKkFL0quXxe2zLOUymxHT-KOF939bHGjB2T3erzC6WkwQGcxzBGtLxpqPCiDUmoWxpuL3d/s1600/IMG_2335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuGB7wh78w-cbJEcf3fVxd3IPRkLZvfHWS51OS9SuFurICUxPWu1YhBkimDyIePSGj5C0lHrKkFL0quXxe2zLOUymxHT-KOF939bHGjB2T3erzC6WkwQGcxzBGtLxpqPCiDUmoWxpuL3d/s640/IMG_2335.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would like to travel more this year. After being around a bit of UK, seeing Seoul and well almost being in Moscow, I want to see more of the world. Among the places that I want to visit include Ireland and Scotland, Paris, Barcelona, Greece, Rome, Moscow (for real), The Swiss Alps and Germany. This would be against my first plan to save up since obviously, being a traveler incurs £££. I find joy in travelling especially the fact that there is always that opportunity to take great photos and yes, collect magnets and key rings.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6cF8VHL-BmBesrN6gZJukfUvAUAHPmOveubBJ0MEMmlPjPukgaqAw96X0N4onzdCttxSic8_QbFK0AfOsC2xb5hDhpd60SM5IvZkd7ccNjp_d2YQnCl2J0rkjb01ONv6ijowU1JY6Dqa/s1600/IMG_6021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6cF8VHL-BmBesrN6gZJukfUvAUAHPmOveubBJ0MEMmlPjPukgaqAw96X0N4onzdCttxSic8_QbFK0AfOsC2xb5hDhpd60SM5IvZkd7ccNjp_d2YQnCl2J0rkjb01ONv6ijowU1JY6Dqa/s640/IMG_6021.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have always loved the sunrise from my window.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Capturing great shots gives me a natural high way more potent than any drug you can think of. Photography for me is like painting, which I loved to do when I was younger, only now in digital and editable format. ^_^ I remember attended painting classes during summer breaks with my clothes smeared with colours and my room reeking of turpentine and oils of different sorts. Now, I do my art composition on a digital palette which will not stain my clothes nor cause havoc to my nostrils. Photography started out as my parents' hobby when I was little. All events are chronicled through family albums and framed photographs. It was just about a couple of years ago when my mom shifted from the old film camera to a DSLR which she adored like a new member of the family. As I was busy with hospital work in Manila, I did not really have the time for photo shoots. But when I started my new slate here in London, I did realise that my eye for painting can be transposed to photography. Well, I am not yet as good as my mum in terms of photo editing but I will get there soon. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFn0JFeiFDN1-RuI_286S1WrioSOX7GIfar-U-qmv_z6rDD4D91JGwA_4ACOQlpZQv-P71jq4TBiqdGQ1KwAMnSzTAU1am0yPcDh3s0umbsDRURu3L1ggK8FFzusSEle5ncRVxUeUA75b/s640/IMG_7888.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Showered in Columbia Road Flower Market</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still have a long list of books to read. My tablet's library is getting crammed up with e-books that I have barely touched. Well, if I could only have more time to spend for leisure I would have probably finished most of them. However, there are words like cleaning, grocery, laundry and shopping that makes a bookworm's life a bit more complicated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There will always be that desire to get better every year. Career-wise I am currently content with where I am now but it would be nice to move forward too. There have been some tipping points in relationships last year but I am not promising anything about changing myself or trying to be different. What I told my higher-self this year is to be bolder about expressing my feelings but at the same time cautioning my tongue to make amends with my neurons. Like what one of the girls said during our NYE's party, I would like to grow further in the spirit and be a better and Godly person. </span></div>
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<b><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TRAVEL. SHOOT. SMILE. LOVE. SAVE. BE SAVED. BE THANKFUL. BE CONTENT.</span></b></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is how my 2013 should be like.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13427792005954078696noreply@blogger.com0Linstead Way, London Borough of Wandsworth, London SW18, UK51.4502615 -0.2135789999999815351.4502615 -0.21357899999998153 51.4502615 -0.21357899999998153