Z Jil

War On Wheels

2010-06-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

November 2009. Click on the article to read it!

A little overdue perhaps but I was, and still am, proud to be part of this. The whole team was amazing. This live event was carried out over weekends of November 2009. Juliana Mattar of Motion apparently gave up APEC to make this meaningful tour happen. She, along with her dedicated team including Hajar, were like Charlie's Angels. Managing everything from start to finish. Now they really don't need a Charlie, do they? :-)

My fellow guides and actors, Hemang Yadav and Adi Jamaludin, were engaging and deservingly received rave reviews! Our director, Tzang Merwyn Tong, put his heart and soul in it as much as he does in his films. How fortunate I was to work with them all.

All this was part of the National Heritage Board's "I Love Museums" campaign, so my gratitude goes out to them as well.

Last but not least, the participants, the travellers who joined us on the journey to explore historical sites of World War Two in modern Singapore. Young, old, local, tourist, man, woman, doesn't matter. We couldn't say we were there during those three and a half years (1942-1945) but we all shared in the human experience of love, loss, sacrifice and hope.

Acoustic Originals - Stand Up & Sing

2010-05-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

One night only! Acoustic Original Music Showcase
- Sebastian Ho & Gillian Tan
This Sunday, May 23rd, 7:30pm, FREE, Earshot Cafe, Arts House.

Ok I wasn't gonna make a flyer but I ended up making one. So please click on it for an enlarged view of my work as a pseudo-designer using microsoft paint.

Save the picture, save the link, send it to your friends! And most importantly, save the date and time; RSVP on facebook, come if you can! It's free this Sunday and only an hour. I promise not to tell too many bad jokes!

Thank you and see you there. But first, come to "All the Crazy People"!

I am so sincerely proud to say...

2010-05-19T23:47:00.001-07:00

Having had a magical run so far, everyone in "All the Crazy People" from the director to the musicians, from our stage manager to our stage hands, from our cast to our venue sponsors, (phew, deep breath now...) feel we should do another show in addition to our schedule of 9 shows, so.... We have a new 4pm show! Please come! Click on the flyer below for an enlarged view of the information. :-)

Tickets selling fast, so reserve now with Hemang at (65) 8179 6221. Come for the 4pm show on Saturday May 22nd at Post Museum (Rowell Rd, map) and we can have a pizza or beer with you next door at Food #03. These are the kindest places with the loveliest folks, with the tastiest healthiest vegetarian food. You will have Noh regrets. :-)

By the way, our 8pm show on Friday 21st May is at an exciting new venue: Eurasian Association's Community House (Ceylon Rd, map). Lots of seats still available in the multi-purpose hall on level 2.

Check us out on facebook: facebook.com/event.php?eid=112347298796271

"Stand Up and Sing" is on again but this time, with the amazingly talented Sebastian Ho on guitar (he plays with me every Wed at Quarubar) so it's going to be very different. Acoustic and heartfelt. I am very proud of it too but haven't had time to design a flyer. I have a flu now so I seriously am not going to bother. :-p I'll just say it will be an awesome 1 hour show!! Just come!
It's 23rd May Sunday 7:30pm at Earshot cafe in the Arts House (near City Hall MRT, map).

Many thanks to all of you and our kind sponsors. :-)

Stand Up And Sing!

2010-05-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

So I had a long hiatus away from my blog. Life happens outside of it I guess. I have some time to myself today and wanted to just laze around and try (try is the word) to pack up my hurricane of a room.

But I am going to record some of my originals in a while. The raw versions of them. I need to warm up my voice now.

I have learnt a lot through my time at Holiday Inn. Oh that, that is over. 4 months and I was too tired. I was already doing that and because the atmosphere was somewhat stifling and the salary was insanely low, I couldn't just commit to that. I was, after all, a freelancer. A performer, a Jill of all trades, a vagabond at heart, a gypsy in my soul. So I did so many other gigs in the day from teaching as early as 7:30am, filming as an actor for various projects, working on my original songs, and rehearsing for a dear friend's play. Click on the e-flyer below!

The play is called "All The Crazy People". Is this e-flyer too small? Click on it to see it in its entirety.

Please come see it! We had a swell opening weekend but we have more shows over the next 2 weekends. Extra shows on 16th and 22nd but under a different name. Call or email to find out more. We are all very proud of the show and the dates listed in this poster are the best dates to come in my humble opinion. :-)

May 14th -8pm at Post Museum,
May 15th - 4pm & 8pm at Post Museum,
and May 21st - 8pm at Eurasian Community House

Book through Hemang Yadav (65) 8179 6221 or email him at wisdomofmonkeys@gmail.com now.

Tickets at $22 each.
But if you buy 2, each will cost you $15.
And if you buy 3 or more, you pay only $12 for each.
Could this get even better? Hell yeah!
$10 for students!

Ok, that's all for now. Will talk about my music in my next entry. See you at the shows! :-)

Night 41 - Yesterday

2010-02-20T23:59:00.000-08:00

My illness and pace from yesterday was noticed in a feedback form. How sad. But we did fresh songs: "All I Have To Do Is Dream", "Yesterday" and Ben E. King's "Stand By Me".

The songs worked out beautifully although I had never sung them before, even on my own. I guess being careful in new territory helps. :-)

I don't have time to blog after this. I am sooo tired, drained and stretched out. Will try... but no promises. Thanks for reading!

Night 40 - I Wish You Love

2010-02-19T23:59:00.000-08:00

I was sick when I arrived. Part of that was due to a lunch I had with a friend. Because of me, we performed the songs too slow for the first set.

But after a lot of throwing up and a bit of dinner, I felt better. Then sweetly, I was ambushed by a visit from my brothers. I managed to get them the happy hour deal. Besides them, some close friends joined in too.

My brothers gave me their honest opinions that I rattled on a bit too much for their liking. And that my Mandarin and Japanese needed much more work as they heard "Sukiyaki" (you know what it really means...) and Teresa Teng's "Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin". We shared fun moments in "Condo Condo Condo" and "Fallen". Before the night ended with "I Wish You Love", a song that Siok loved a lot of at one point. :-)

After that, we all had supper. How fun!

Night 39 - Time After Time

2010-02-18T23:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight was strange.

I somehow had a smooth, confident, controlled voice. As if it had a life of its own. I guess I should be grateful, and confident! We did a fresh song: "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper.

Amongst our guests tonight was the most adorable little 2 year old boy who was dancing to the music. I spoke to his parents and learnt that they were from Singapore. If I had known I would have done some local parody songs. Haha... He shook my hand a few times, clasped his little hands into a fist and wished me gong xi gong xi. Then as I left, he waved goodbye and blew me a kiss. :-)

Awww how sweet and adorab... Hey, why is he staying out longer than I? Wow maybe I am due for another party. Anyway, I shall leave you patient readers who don't mind my WOT with a new original song of mine (I mentioned it once but here is a video with lyrics, like a cheap karaoke, hehe) about learning to see the truth from the wishfulness. Accepting, growing up and moving on. This song will be part of my production in May 2010 "Stand Up And Sing!". More on that later.

Special thanks to Kevin Foo and Nigel Tan of Loft Studios. To EZ for helping me print the lyrics! :-)

Thanks also to the ones who have broken my heart for this song now has a voice.

Also available on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zXo67aEMe4

This song will debut on 9.38 Live FM, Singapore on March 12th 2010, Friday, after Bharati's short radio interview with Gillian Tan under "Passion People". That should be around 2:10pm.

website: http://jilly.co.nr
© Gillian Tan, 2009

Night 38 - Out On The Weekend

2010-02-17T23:59:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful night after a a long break for Chinese New Year!

For me. I was "Out On The Weekend", but unlike the Neil Young song, I was not a lonely boy. I was busy with the family, as the season should be. I even found time to go out to a club!

I had Adi's wife and my friend sing in place of me on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday nights over CNY. Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Tonight, Adi and I opened our first set with "The Nearness Of You". Then we performed "Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin" (moon represents my heart) which I think improves each time I do it. Everyone seemed to enjoy "Fly Me To The Moon" as well.

My voice seemed more confident and brighter. Perhaps it was the rest I so badly needed. Tonight our regulars were there and one of them gave me a hongbao, or a red packet with money inside, mostly for good luck and prosperity. How sweet!

I had nice hair and makeup on since I came from a long day of filming as Helen. Not the longest I have experienced though. Today was to begin at 9:30am but the office was only opened at 10am. I claimed I didn't receive the script in my email so learnt my dialogue all on the spot (I later found out the script was indeed sent to me, a little after 2am that very day). I was to end about 4pm but due to so many prop (un) preparations, my last scene wrapped at 6pm. That left me just enough time to get to HIA.So many outfit changes for all the scenes from episode 2 and 3. Ok, one outfit here is from ep 1, can you guess which? Click on the picture above to enlarge it. :-)

Night 37 - Rose Rose I Love You

2010-02-12T23:59:00.000-08:00

Sooooooo excited! My last day of work!

And then I return to work on Wednesday. The Chinese Lunar New Year is upon us, with its first day being February 14th 2010. That happens to also be Valentine's Day. So I sang the Chinese version of "Rose Rose I Love You" which is "Mei Gui Mei Gui Wo Ai Ni". I put it in a blender with my pitifully pronounced Mandarin. But you gotta laugh when there was enthusiastic applause from obviously non-Mandarin speaking guests.

In addition to that, Adi and I did more Chinese songs for Chinese new year such as Teresa Teng's 1977 trademark song "Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin" (which means the moon represents my heart) and the lovely "Ye Lai Xiang" (which means... uh...) and they worked out a bit better than "Mei Gui".

For fun, we did "Sway" which in Chinese meant bad luck. But hey, I told everyone how we were not superstitious so we wanted everyone to have a good time and enjoy this inviting dance tune. Yes I am so not talking about techno here.

A couple of friends popped by with some relatives and I told a few jokes and did my "Condo Condo Condo" song. To celebrate the season and my last day of work before my long weekend, I wore a cheongsam inspired dress in black with a cute hairband my cousin got for me as a Christmas gift. I got this dress years ago for $8 and never wore it till now. How lovely.

Yay, now that I'm home, I can relax until Wednesday! Not updating until then. Enjoy your holiday everyone! How bizarre... that now I, the perpetual freelancer, should finally know the feeling of a long weekend. Not bothering with full sentences. Much needed REST coming up. Happy. Bubbling with excitement. Sleepy. Done. Ok. Out.

Night 36 - Route 66

2010-02-11T23:59:00.000-08:00

Thursdays for me usually mean 3 hours of teaching in two schools spread out from 8:30am till 2pm.

Today I had a shoot as Helen right after teaching ended for the day. My calltime was 3:30pm at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) building. So I arrived on time as the producer had requested, but a previous scene required more time than they had catered for, so I entertained myself by chatting with fish and strolling about. I also sent some random text messages to friends after browsing through the books in their tourism library. Here is what I found out about Holiday Inn.

In 1994, Holiday Inn had the highest number of rooms in the world with over 390,000 rooms across the globe. At that time, it was the 5th largest hotel chain with 171 hotels. Yet it failed to make the top 20 list in terms of room sales that year. I guess it makes sense. If I had a hotel with just one room, It would probably be sold out everyday (perhaps to myself, haha).

We finally began on my tiny scene at 6pm in the driveway where there's a happy little Merlion (so don't forget to include this one when you count them), and I left at 6:20pm for the train. Yes I had just enough time to walk to the train, hop on, grab a seat on the bus, and make it in time.

I arrived quite relaxed and it didn't feel like a high pressure journey. More like a swinging "Route 66". Nothing much to report at HIA tonight. But I still don't recognise myself in the mirror right away. But I do after 1 or 2 seconds. Haha. It's not a big deal. Just a new hairstyle.

Night 35 - I'm Gonna Wash That Girl Right Outta My Hair

2010-02-10T23:59:00.000-08:00

Goodbye to hair from four inches below my shoulder!

Yes I had my first day of shoot as Helen, a series regular and supporting character, in the Suria drama "First Impressions". And before the cameras rolled for my scene, the makeup artist and hair stylist, a girl who loves her job, ran back and forth between me and the other actors on set for two hours... Till my hair was cut the way they all wanted it. Well, kinda. She felt she was rushed and would've done a better job if she had more time.

Now it turned out to be very much shorter than what they had promised me (bra line). Since hair grows back and I rarely bother with the mirror, I don't really care. Or else I'd have thrown a hissy fit and sued them. At the time, my soul pal seemed more concerned about it than I. While filming, the fringe got trimmed a little more. As you can see in this before, after, and after picture. Hehehe...

I drove and arrived at their office at 2:30pm after teaching. My hair was ready by 4:30 and after makeup and wardrobe, the cameras rolled for two scenes with my character from 5 and I left at 6:30pm. Cutting it soooo close though I had told them I had to leave by 6 in order to keep the car at home, and still get to HIA to start my first set at 7:45pm. Everything worked out just in time. Phew!

Now this new hair surprised a few people at HIA. Some liked it, saying I look better with it. I suppose it does sport a more youthful bounce now.

Now for the title of this post... I didn't sing "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" but I was thinking of a past relationship since people say it is common for people to cut their hair when a relationship has recently ended. It is funny too since this person just got a haircut, and had also always wanted me to cut my hair a certain dictated way, but never the way I wanted it myself. At that time, I said that if I were to get a hair cut, my new hair would end just below my shoulders and I would have a fringe. Which didn't sit well with my fussy ex. But I've washed you right outta my life, and hair... And what a surprise... This is it!

Night 34 - Cry Me A River

2010-02-09T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today I taught at two different schools as I do every Tuesday, before a rehearsal for my dear friend's production called Noh Now.

The rehearsal venue was changed suddenly after we had set our dates down for the rehearsal ages ago at a place in Serangoon. I hope the kind folks at the venue in Serangoon didn't make plans just for us that day, only to cancel them.

I was very emotional during one scene in the rehearsal but it didn't spill over into my real life. I had always insisted (for and to myself only) I never want to use much of my personal life in my work, because I felt I would be exploiting it, the experiences and the people around me. Especially intense and private moments. However, this scene seemed to call for it. And so, I allowed it, but I knew it wouldn't go out of control. My tears stopped the moment the scene was over. I tried to clear my blocked nose in time for singing as I ran to the train station.

At the HIA, someone asked for "Businessman in New York" by Sting (now I think he meant Englishman but no matter) so we did fresh song for him, also by Sting. "Fields Of Gold". So fresh that some chords didn't match. Still it sounded snazzy and deliberate. And I led confidently with my vocals and it turned out as a song, though I suppose it is a little strange. Fields of Copper-haps.

We had a few lovely numbers for the rest of the night, like 7, 8 and 9... kidding. Yes I believe we did "Cry Me A River" which might've been perfect for my Noh rehearsal this afternoon. But I ain't gonna cry for my hair which is to be cut tomorrow!

Night 33 - They Can't Take That Away From Me

2010-02-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

The memory of my hair that is...

I had a shoot with an old friend in the afternoon simply because my hair is about to be chopped off by Ochre Pictures for a Suria Malay drama called "First Impressions". I do trust them to be professionals of course, but I just hope they don't butcher my hair entirely.

But hair grows back so I'm not biting my nails, or hair, over it. My first day of shoot as Helen, an magazine editor (series regular), will be Wednesday which is also when they will do the snippity snip.

The photoshoot went well, I think. Benjamin, the photographer is very much an old friend and it was wonderful to catch up. He said it has been many years and I still look good, which I am sure is only kindness on his part. Still I can't wait to see the pictures! Should I post them up here? It isn't related to music...

Tonight our fresh songs were "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Isn't She Lovely", and "They Can't Take That Away From Me". I always like singing these songs so I was all smiles!

Night 32 - Beyond The Sea

2010-02-06T23:59:00.000-08:00

Now Adi and I didn't do this song though we should've!

It would have been perfect for all the sea faring guests. Many had stepped off a cruise ship and a few more were going on one. I guess the hotel is nicely nestled between nightlife and the harbour.

Nothing much else to report today. I had a shoot before that because my hair was about to go for a TV shoot. It needs a cut anyway. :-) After that I had a jam session with What The, a band of lovely friends, before heading to HIA (Holiday Inn Atrium).

We had fun entertaining a joyful little crowd from Scotland, who I must admit, entertained us just as much. They bought me a drink and told me about their cruise as well. I love that they were singing along to "I Will Survive", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". Football was going on so I tried not to be too rude and intrude audibly. I did change a few words in the songs to 'football' to show them I support their love for the game. A few noticed and smiled, but of course they could be thinking, 'She won't leave us alone, will she?'

Because of the many locals tonight, I did Teresa Teng's "Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin" (The Moon Represents My Heart) since Chinese New Year is well on its way. And someone from China sang along! So many sing-alongs tonight, how lovely!

Night 31 - You Don't Know Me

2010-02-05T23:59:00.000-08:00

Moey, the pianist for tonight, didn't know me before 7:45pm today.

Adi couldn't make it so he had Moey play with me tonight. I liked that I was being thrown together with someone else which will keep me on my toes and be a fun, challenging training session. And I loved the fact that though he wasn't the most experienced (as Adi had mentioned, but no matter!), he was so willing to try and do whichever songs I gratefully suggested. And he seemed to know more songs too, or perhaps a different set of tunes. So we performed:

"Call Me Irresponsible" - Simply because I can be if I choose to...

"Time After Time" - The Cyndi Lauper one, though I am dreaming of the Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne one.

"Like Someone In Love" - What a fun little ditty.

"You Don't Know Me" - I last sang this as a wedding march-in at the couple's request. How strange. But what a lovely song.

"Both Sides Now" - Finally performed this for the first time and I love it. Love Joni Mitchell.

"For Once In My Life" - Always wanted to do it and now I have!

"Walking My Baby Back Home" - One of my absolute favourites!

"You Light Up My Life" - I recall burping in the middle of this song at a wedding. I just had to do it again, this time without the burp.

"You Belong to Me" - Sang this last a capella at a gig or tour, called War on Wheels, since this song was often dedicated to soldiers going away during World War Two.

Night 30 - House Of The Rising Sun

2010-02-04T23:59:00.000-08:00

Or shall I say the singing moon?

Tonight I had a lovely tip after a happy chat. From a couple from Lebanon who now live in Australia. They were part of a cruise. How lovely. They liked a lot of our music, which was wonderful to know, and they asked for "Strangers in the Night". I said "I know it but not the words so is it okay if I make them up?"

They said yes. And I did, a little, along with scatting. Scatterbrain I am.

Another request which we tried to fulfill without the right words were "House of the Rising Sun" where I told the story of how I landed on earth. This came from a table where some were regulars and a few were friends.

Haha, now I know a few more songs to add to my repertoire. :-) Just gotta get the words.

Night 29 - Under The Boardwalk

2010-02-03T23:59:00.000-08:00

We got another tip!

For the song, you guessed it, "Under The Boardwalk"! From an affable couple from Adelaide. It's even more interesting that they were staying at another hotel but dropped in here, AND will be coming back again tomorrow! I do not suppose I am very calculative, especially monetarily, but I am glad to report that this is our third tip! It's all about the appreciation. :-)

I promised 2 songs for tomorrow night when requests came in. One was "That's What Friends Are For" which I didn't have the lyrics for and ended up performing "You've Got A Friend" instead. Another song was "The Rose" which I could have done but time had just run out and I always like to end the final set with a closing song that I know Adi and I will do well with, and tonight it was "Imagine".

The guests who requested those songs will be back tomorrow so I will be armed and ready to give their ears a treat! I sure hope they will like that. :-)

A friend popped by (again) which was a nice surprise, and went so far (literally) as to send me home! A couple of people came by regarding work, since I wasn't able to come to them, for an audition. Haha, how kind and accommodating, and I must say thanks to them as well.

I will sleep well now for another long day awaits me tomorrow. I must admit I wasn't my best tonight since I was rather tired. Tomorrow will be lovely, I just know it... Wow, as of now, 5 'tomorrow's in this post. I shoulda called this post "Tomorrow", as in the song from Annie. I'll save that title for another day, perhaps tomorrow. 8 now. Haha...

Vadei Hell am I so positive suddenly? (more on yummy Vadei next time, maybe tomo--)

Night 28 - Little Girl Blue

2010-02-02T23:59:00.000-08:00

Tired night but did two fresh songs, completely new to Adi.

Since the day I borrowed two books of music sheet collections, I had wanted to do these songs so I gave them to Adi, who it seems has been very busy. But today I put my foot down and kindly asserted my desires, mostly because I had to retrieve the books from him and return them to the library tonight (which I did on the way home).

I love "Hey There" and heard Rosemary Clooney's rendition so I sing the advice 'like a mother' instead of 'like a brother'. This is the first time I'm reviving this song since my first singing gig in a piano bar named Monaco in Clarke Quay about 6 years ago (but I can get dates mixed up). That was actually a place where some unpleasant things were born. But nonetheless. All part of life. Which led to...

"Little Girl Blue" and blue I was. That song was always a favourite of mine and I know it by heart after listening to Linda Ronstadt's rendition at least a thousand times. Adi had never heard of it and said he couldn't see the music sheet clearly so it turned out quite butchered. Old girl you're through... Quite a few reasons to be blue actually.

Now the books have been returned with no time to photocopy at this hour, and I was thinking: what a waste... someone else might've needed and really used the books this whole time. Sigh.

Night 27 - Rainy Days And Mondays

2010-02-01T23:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight was quite a relaxed and lovely one.

Yes it drizzled a little in the afternoon. So we performed "Rainy Days And Mondays". How apt. :-) I wrote a poem when I was 16 called January Rain. Well, goodbye January.

We had a table with 3 Japanese guest so we also performed "Ue o muite arukō", aka Sukiyaki. I think I need to learn another Japanese song...

For some folks from Kuala Lumpur who were staying in the hotel as part of their business trip, we answered their two requests for "Don't Know Why" & "Leaving On Jet Plane". They liked what we did and it was great that they caught us because on Saturday, we regretfully ended just as they came in for a drink.

Now, the only hiccups tonight were actually burps. I have no idea why but something I ate might have triggered a machine gun's magazine of burps! So I was glad we survived through to the closing song "I've Got You Under My Skin", which I affectionately call the Splinter song.

Night 26 - Smile

2010-01-30T23:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight was lovely cos a few friends popped by.

I started with a sore dry throat. As if my larynx was coated with sandpaper. That made me bluesify my songs as if I were a drunk and lazy heartbroken lounge singer who just got dumped by a long time lover for whom she provided. Haha!

Well, I had a drink of warm water which helped and then dinner was good too. I smuggled home some duck skin. I shall have some in a minute. :-)

We had requests for a few songs tonight. "End of the World" requested by my friends, which was the first time I sang it since a Primary 4 talentime with 2 friends... how nostalgic. "Cry Me A River" was another request in the 3rd set, which we ended up doing twice since we did it once in the first set. And "Killing Me Softly". Hmm, all sad songs eh?

On the sunny side of the street, we performed the evergreen number, "Smile". Although we intended to end the final set with the message of "Imagine", a request came in at the very last second for "Unforgettable" and since we knew it, how could we not do it?

I sent some time in the afternoon making this for "A Little Prayer For Me", my newest original recording for easier access: http://www.youtube.com/gillianmegan#p/u/6/6zXo67aEMe4 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zXo67aEMe4

Night 25 - Fly Me To The Moon

2010-01-29T23:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight was a far far cry from last night's exhausted performance.

That I could fly to the moon! We did a lovely night and perhaps Adi recording the performance with his video camera tonight helped. He played in full chords and regalia and I sang with a... fuller and rounder voice? Whatever it was, it felt like a good night and I even wore my most expensive dress. Everyone was appreciative and applauded encouragingly.

It was cute that I did "Ue o muite arukō", aka Sukiyaki. And the lone Japanese guest in the crowd said to me in a clear American accent that my Japanese was better than his!

I slept well and much more last night. In the afternoon, I certainly had my warm up with a jam session. Great people with open minds, genuine interest in my music and such admirable dedication. So lucky for me. And so exciting!

Had a friend pop by who was kind enough to drive me home. Made friends as well with some people from Norway, though one of them was actually Spanish, and he plays in his own indie bands. We had a good chat about original songs and his mom who was defeated by cancer. So sad.

Night 24 - Crazy

2010-01-28T23:59:00.000-08:00

First class started at 8:30am, and last set ended at 11pm.

But I survived the crazy day. I had such a busy day with teaching, squeezing in a radio interview between schools. I was fortunate and grateful that my mom let me borrow her car today! I can't wait to find out what the interview will be like because we recorded 30 minutes of my ramblings and the interview will be edited to just 10 minutes in the show segment "Passion People". After that, Bharati, who is also a friend, will play "A Little Prayer For Me" on air after the interview next Friday, February 5th 2010!

I also talked about Terence Tan's festival "A Seed", a series of underground works including Hemang Yadav's "Noh Now" (I mentioned I was rehearsing for it) featuring the play "The Mall". Hemang has trusted me to be the music director for this and I will be staging a show of my own called (thanks to Hemang's great ideas) "Stand Up & Sing" where I will tell stories about incidents, especially those funny and/or sad, in my life and follow up with a song about each. It's like stand-up comedy and music. Also kinda the opposite of AWARE's "shut up and sit down". Hahahaha! Well stay tuned for more info about these shows. Most likely late May to late June.

The evening was fine and not much to report in comparison to my day. Tried Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" for the first time tonight. Didn't work out too well in my opinion. I will come back with it again soon. Patsy Cline's "Crazy" was lovely. I was so tired and exhausted. Am so!

Night 23 - April Showers

2010-01-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

Had my first real SHOWER in days!

Eeyew, I know. But what a feeling, being's believing... No we didn't do any songs from Flashdance. :-) I was singing to myself "April Showers" but have yet to perform that. Love that sweet positive song.

Today was not just positive but very productive in the day! I taught from 8:30 to 9:30, took a bus to Adi's for a recording of "Blue Moon". That was followed by a quick school canteen lunch and another class from 1 to 2pm, before I took a cab to the Loft Studios with my soul-pal who helped print my original lyrics.

At the Loft Studios, Kevin, who is also a talented photographer, had the instrumental backing track arranged and ready from a half hour recording session he had this morning with Nigel, a musician and teacher. The song was "A Little Prayer For Me", about learning to see the truth and moving on. I went into the recording room (as you can see I am not so experienced in studios) 3 times, emerging with 2 takes of the song right through and 1 take of harmony and any extras. That was all the highly efficient Kevin needed to create the final track! The entire process including his half hour took about 2 hours and I played the track on a CD Kevin made for me between my 2nd and 3rd set at the Holiday Inn Atrium.

At the end of the day I had a new cover (hmm, new old song) and a new original (also new and a little old, written last year). Please tell me what you think after you check them out here! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gillian-Tan/186223697045?v=app_16393714252

I am completely and utterly grateful to Adi, my soul-pal, Loft, Kevin, Nigel, and everyone involved in one way or another. :-)

Night 22 - Daydream Believer

2010-01-26T23:59:00.000-08:00

Cheer up sleepy Jill. Oh what can it mean?

Taught in the morning. Very tired by mid day. I was supposed to go to Adi's for a recording of a cover, but he had a job come up at the very last minute. So that didn't happen and I cheered up because it very thankfully allowed me to get home to take a short nap. Having a little dream in the day helped but I was still sleepy at work.

Now nothing to report except that I really want to perform this blog entry's title song with Adi next week! Our new song for tonight was "You Needed Me". Smooth little ditty. :-)

Night 21 - Save The Last Dance For Me

2010-01-25T23:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, one of the songs we did tonight. :-)

But dance music isn't really in my CD collection or in my repertoire but I wanted to help a friend with a school project and was happy to contribute lyrics and sing. So after tango class, I was in NTU recording till past 2am on last night, or this morning (Sunday night, or Monday morning), so I got home after 3am and did I have time for a shower? Tsk, no.

Good thing I had no classes to teach this morning but had meetings this early afternoon. After which I went back to the far-away-from-everything-else-I-gotta-do NTU for some bits I couldn't muster up the strength for when my eye lids grew too heavy and my legs weakened too much to even stand. The studio was stuffy on Sunday because on weekends, there was no air conditioning or ventilation for that matter. This time it was better and I was much more productive. I also had a chair! I wonder if that's what I need for singing... Hmm...

I often sit during my Holiday Inn Atrium gigs. The sets tonight went very nice and smoothly. So happy! Maybe from warming up and yelling with vengeance at the recording and all. :-)

Night 20 - Fever

2010-01-23T23:59:00.000-08:00

Football fever actually. What a party tonight!

From the first song, "Blue Moon", we already had attentive appreciative audience, even amongst those watching football on the Lobby Lounge's big screen. A very responsive guest in the bright cyan blue shirt was moving to the beat and even singing along. I remember telling this interactive gentleman, "lovely blue moon, lovely blue shirt!"

While I sang "Cheek to Cheek", he also had a fantastic looking burger which was supposedly a deal during happy hour, just like the drinks: 1 for 1 before 9pm. I should consider trying that sometime!

Everyone seemed so receptive and alive tonight, applauding every song and beating or singing along, we did upbeat numbers for a Saturday night such as "I Will Survive", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and "Killing Me Softly" (where I told them about Norman Gimbel who wrote English lyrics for a lot of foreign songs, turning them into classic hits in the English speaking world).

I must say the new sound is great and the clarity and sharpness in my voice is heard all throughout the Lobby Lounge. I suspect it is also brought up the volume a little and has beckoned a few people at the buffet on the 4th floor to come down to listen ('everybody's got the fever'), or perhaps to stone me. Good thing stones in the hotel are not so easily accessible.

Speaking of the buffet, I had predominantly tempura last night and tonight was almost the same. But I had ice-cream too which I brought down with cake. Finally! (I also finally saw the pool but that's off tangent here.) Of course, only with the manager's permission. Thank you! Everyone up there is so hospitable and sincere. I must say the word 'hospitable' or 'hospitality' could also give rise to new vocabulary partners like 'hotelable' or 'hotelity'. You know, erase the potential image of bloody gauzes and imaginary whiffs of surgical spirits... Gee... now that's living up to one's potential.

One of our favourite regulars requested "Besame Mucho", which meant 'kiss me much' and I was reminded of a cute little toddler I played with on the train by simply making silly faces. I waved goodbye to him and he returned the wave. I blew him a kiss and he blew me one too!

Night 19 - What A Difference A Day Made

2010-01-22T23:59:00.000-08:00

What happened to the sound?

Something... has... changed. I was not used to it at first. Everything suddenly sounded clearer or sharper, which I didn't really notice until Adi pointed it out with a question. I wasn't bothered with it by the second set, and actually liked it by the third set.

It was a quiet night which was a far cry from the night before so I couldn't help but think "What A Difference A Day Made". Not just in the crowd, but also the sound. There were 2 or 3 tables taken and one even had a group of maybe 6 or 7 gathered with notebooks (both electronic and paper, each), occasionally typing and writing in them. A friend suggested they were taking notes of what I sang or said about songs or trivia. Haha! What an adorable thought. :-)

Since we never really rehearse or jam outside of our performances, a few fresh renditions were born tonight when we felt it was safe to try. One from the library book I borrowed was "I'll Be Seeing You" but the key was obviously not written for me so I actually changed octaves every few bars. Haha, what fun, but what disrespect. Didn't mean to, and certainly not with malice in my heart or mind. Adi has yet to be acquainted with the Sammy Fain melody, and I almost know by heart the literary poetry of this song by Irving Kahal. I have faith that we can deliver a gorgeous rendition soon!

As a special treat, Adi even sang "To Love Somebody" by the Bee Gees! It was great fun and I felt fancy free just dancing (badly) and doing little bits of harmony on the fly. He has a whole book of just lyrics which I didn't know about. Since my printer is kaput, if he lets me, I shall look through it soon to add more gems to our repertoire!

I told myself I will have ice-cream tonight but missed it and, quite frankly, didn't feel like it very much. I shall do that tomorrow. I will rest up now for a film by David Lynch tomorrow, called "Inland Empire". How exciting!

Night 18 - Condo Condo Condo

2010-01-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

I had a fun pleasant surprise tonight.

Some friends came to visit! And one of them was my tango partner. So when I attempted to groove on stage, which was a comic sight, he gestured that we could be doing tango. Haha! Come Sunday, we will again. :-)

A few of them were avid bookworms and I suspected one of them knew every jazz standard before I finished introducing each of them. They were all So Nice! With so many friends who live in Singapore, I had no choice but to sing my Condo song (a "Quando" parody) for them! Read my lyrics at http://zjil.blogspot.com/2010/01/night-8-lets-fall-in-love.html , or better yet, sing along!

These lovely friends popped by without warning which was a wonderful surprise. So I was happy to end the set with "What a Wonderful World" where my favourite line 'what they're really saying is I love you' really got Under My Skin. I am only sorry, and honestly kicking my a**, that I did not take any pictures! Would have been lovely moments captured. Perhaps the moments stored in one's heart and mind are more precious.

Also, I am blogging now for the past few days from Monday because I have no work (meaning fun high energy classes of adorable kids to teach) tomorrow morning. I will, however, be teaching Primary 3's at 1pm. So I shall head to bed soon, and catch up on some sleep debt.

Night 17 - The Way I Am

2010-01-20T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today was a long and exciting one.

Before my 8:30am class with a school in Aljunied, I had a hearty breakfast of nasi lemak with vegetables since I was early and knew I needed the nutrition. For just S$1.20, it's a good tasty meal. How cute is this?

At 9:30, I ended class and headed off to meet a friend who was able to help me with recording my original songs. That was interesting and productive. Can't wait to update! The journey there and the bus driver was memorably adorable. I had told this attentive captain I wanted to get off at Serangoon MRT, and when I tapped out too early, he called out to me and explained the sign I saw was for an non-operational station. He didn't ask for extra payment, and was trying to describe the bus services and the way Serangoon was built. He helpfully directed me to the entrance of the MRT station. So sweet! And I also saw this in his bus and just had to snap a shot.

I headed off to my next school after the music studio. Lessons were fun and the kids were good. After that I had a short nap and then headed to a audition with some friends with a sorta parody I wrote. It was well received. The Universe, God, everyone and everything is kind to me so I am utterly grateful.

At the gig, all went well but I wonder if I smelled. I wore the same outfit all day (little red riding hood comes to mind, though it was a red tube top) and for the evening, subtracted the black cardigan. Lots of people liked it. It was also the first time I wore pants to the Lobby Lounge's stage.

I had some American guests who have been visiting every night and one even came on stage with a country song done a capella. He was great in his delivery of Merle Haggard's "The Way I Am"! So much so I am naming this blog after this song. :-)

I brought out most of our country, folk and pop numbers from Patsy Cline's "Crazy" to Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight", to have these guys sing along. It was such a festive moment!

Night 16 - All The Way

2010-01-19T23:59:00.000-08:00

The first of many LONG days from now till end of March.

I woke at perhaps 7am to get to work. I was teaching for an hour this morning. And then for an hour in the afternoon. I was to be at the Holiday Inn Atrium by 7:30 to sing... So I had to find a way to kill time since the hassle, cost and travelling time didn't warrant my going home.

I had a happy primary school canteen meal of chicken rice for S$1. Yummy and lasted me till my evening gig. I also ended up tempted by a $10 sign and bought 2 dresses from the rack (pretty good deal and just in time for Chinese New Year), toyed with the idea of new glasses since mine had been with me for about 4 years. Still S$90 seemed too extravagant. But I hadn't been shopping or window shopping for glasses for 4 years so am completely out of touch with what people pay for such things now.

The evening was quiet but peppered with happy little moments. I made sure I ate desserts tonight too, which had always slipped my mind. Take a look and drool! (I didn't have the feta cheese though.)

One lovely surprise was a tip! Simple and sweet, from Japanese Airlines stewardesses after we performed "Ue o muite arukō" aka sukiyaki. Tonight we tried "All The Way" which was the first time I ever performed it. Other fresh additions to our repertoire tonight were these 3 songs which I've always known by heart: "When You Wish Upon A Star" , "What A Difference A Day Made" and "Love Is Here To Stay". I was ecstatic when I finally got the chance to sing them!

Night 15 - Leaving On A Jet Plane

2010-01-18T23:59:00.000-08:00

The internet has been crazy. I wonder why.

Could be its Monday blues. Virtually. So coupled with my worry about not being able to wake in time for school tomorrow (I teach drama and acting related courses), I did not blog on Monday. Or Tuesday, or... This however will be listed as a Monday entry. Muahahaha, how can one believe anyone online anymore? Or has that stopped ages ago and I am only catching on now? *scratches chin* Oh, no matter.

Well, on the way to work I was appalled that at rush hour on a very crowded train, around 7pm, there was this big unoccupied space in front of me. It lasted so long, I just had to take a picture to mark its permanence. Imagine this: a tight squeeze of a lot of tired office goers and shoppers all around this dreadful circle of dead air. I was honestly quite irked. What can we do about this??

Once the gig began, the night was lovely. My soul-pal had sweetly helped me print lyrics to about 15 songs which I cleverly and anally squeezed onto 3 sheets of A4 sized paper. Thank you! Adi and I performed some new songs like "Perfidia" (one of my absolute favourites) and it was wonderful to have a happy and grateful audience. Sadly it was the last night for a lot of our guests. So "Leaving On A Jet Plane" was apt.

There is a certain transience in this scene and it seems significant. I can't say I like or hate it. But I appreciate it.

Night 14 - Round Midnight

2010-01-16T23:59:00.000-08:00

Sleepy night. But happy and relaxed!

I just wrote so much for Friday night, or last night. So I will keep this short. (yeah right.)

Soul-pal came by, as she did yesterday right after the final set, but this time caught a lot more. :-) I did "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" especially for her. I hope she liked it more than I did. Hehe.

Someone asked for "Vincent" but he wasn't working tonight. Kidding. I sang a little bit with my own made up lyrics, meaning no disrespect to the song, and also promising to learn it for the next time the requester visits. I shall have it ready by Tuesday.

We tried "Round Midnight" tonight. Interesting. I was so sleepy that I was in limbo while performing some songs. Then I slept like a baby on the train home. Ah... and woke up in another town, not too far from mine but still a distance away. And the last trains had all gone home by then. I wasn't upset at all though. Very calmly, I wandered through the bus interchange hoping I will find a bus to bring me home. Just as I was about to resign myself to a cab, I found a bus that was going to leave in 5 minutes for my home! I chatted with my soul-pal on the bus, who tried to wake me while I was on the train. Thanks dear but sorry I am such a sleepy snail. After the little chat, I fell asleep and woke up perfectly at my stop!

I must admit I am a little worried about next week when I will virtually not have any time to rest. More on that later. I will be at Noh rehearsal, tango and maybe, just maybe, a jam session tomorrow.

Night 13 - Unforgettable

2010-01-15T23:59:00.000-08:00

Now I was soooo tired I couldn't blog tonight so this is written, or typed, over 24 hours later. And now we travel baaack in time to Friday night.

It was a lovely evening, except I felt a wee bit nervous about my mom coming to watch with her friends. Would I screw up?

Thankfully, no! And there were a few imperfect starts which were great for challenging improvisations and twists to the songs. I even sang an original song a capella, and it is called... I haven't figured out a title yet. This is how it goes, an old very simple poem written sometime over the course of my childhood:

The nightingale sings her lonesome song,
Her tunes are never wrong.
The moonlight dances across the lake.
Here's my hand for you to take.
The watch on your wrist tells us you must go.
My heart is breaking oh so slow.
And just one last time, please hold me tight,
And darling, kiss me goodnight.

(Copyright, by Gillian Tan, can you hear the melody too?)

I can never remember lyrics to my songs but this one was easy for me. I wonder why. Maybe cos it was so simple and short? Well, people seemed to like it. My mom's friends from Australia were there. One of them was a professional performer and came up on stage to duet with me on "Unforgettable" and "Let There Be Love". He also delivered "L.O.V.E." as a solo. Amazing quality and command in his voice!

Now I think the cutest thing about my mom visiting was that most of the guests, who were either friendly regulars or travellers who have been coming by consecutively for the last few nights, were very excited to meet her! She joked with them and they loved her. :-)

I had a wonderful photo shoot in the afternoon at the Furama Riverfront (I sang at a wedding there once) right across the street from the Holiday Inn Atrium. The photographer was such a sweetheart to not just offer me the keys for the room that night (which would otherwise go to waste, which I also gave to my mom), but also take care of me by calling me a cab for my next meeting and getting me lunch. Then he came by for an overpriced cola (I shoulda taken care of that but he beat me to it!!) even though he was so tired from a day of shoot and was going to work at 6am the next morning. The sad part is that when he walked in, I had just finished my set with "Blue Bayou" done in a key higher than my usual which I could only describe as strained butchering. Sigh!!

No point kicking myself, you schizo. I shall return with a vengeance when I next perform that song and it will be stellar! Ok Jill whatever you say. I say? Just you wait and see. Or hear.

Night 12 - Do That To Me One More Time

2010-01-14T23:59:00.000-08:00

Night of wine and gobbles, laugh and run away...

Well, this was my dinner. I realise I am terrible at uploading pictures. So here. :-)

I always segment my food to protect the integrity and flavour of each dish.

Don't the fried worms look good?

Kidding, it's mee tai bak (of course it can be spelled and pronounced a few hundred other ways). A Chinese (ethnically, not nationally) hawker flour noodle dish literally translated as mouse tails.

Speaking of Chinese, I was asked to sing a Mandarin song. I had cleaned up my file and not included any Mandarin songs but I searched and found Teresa Teng's "yue liang dai biao wo de xin" (The Moon Represents My Heart) and did a heartfelt rendition of it with Adi. It was heartfelt because I couldn't allow the focus to fall on my less-than-perfect enunciation of the words. Haha!

The requesters were happy with it and asked for more Mandarin ones for their next visit. They were locals, applauding every song. They even offered me some red wine which I believe is healthy. I also had tea which created a good balance I think. :-)

I was a little absent-minded today and forgot my contact lenses. So I sang without my glasses, challenging myself with my own private game of Don't Forget the Lyrics. I must say I did pretty well. Not that absent-minded after all. Well, some single words were a little far off but I recalled in time when I had to repeat those verses or choruses. I got through "Do That To Me One More Time" with the tiny lyrics in front of me and squinted only a few times. Phew! Now I hope to do it one more time without the lyrics in front of me.

I spoke a lot tonight between songs relating facts and personal stories. A trio of Scottish travellers, who came by last night as well, told me tonight that they enjoyed watching us and said that we made the atmosphere very cheery, happy and inviting. That has to be one of the kindest and sweetest things I have heard since starting my gig here. Thank you...

Night 11 - Islands In The Stream

2010-01-13T23:59:00.000-08:00

We had a duet!

It wasn't planned but it worked out quite alright. One of our guests wanted to sing acapella and after his valiant southern-drawled performance, we did a little duet with classic "Islands in the Stream". He and his friends were quite the country fans. So Adi and I delivered "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" and "Leaving On A Jet Plane" to audibly appreciative guests tonight.

I had a good dinner at work including dessert which for some reason always slipped my mind before. Each set went well. It was casual and fun tonight with guests interacting with me and asking for requests by hollering from the floor. I like that! How lively. :-)

Someone asked for "Even Now" by Barry Manilow. I've heard it and can learn it. Soooo emo. *sob*

On a personal note, I went to the gym with my soul-pal these last 2 days. And for more than just a shower! She is great at motivating me, even patiently teaching me dance moves. We also went to the library to borrow some books with more jazz standards to sing, reaffirm and learn. I also picked up a book of plays by Arthur Miller. For my happy train rides.

Well I had a sleepy train ride home, so I am off to bed. The coming week is going to be quite insane when teaching begins. Yet I'm looking forward to it!

Night 10 - Days of Wine and Roses

2010-01-12T23:59:00.000-08:00

It was busy before we even started tonight!

Our first set started slow but was very pleasant. We did a song I had never sung yet, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". I had once heard Adi play it as an instrumental, and thought to myself, why don't I learn the song? It was honestly an experiment that yielded audibly positive results.

The second set was more upbeat and the third set showcased some groovy tunes where I stood up to move and dance (hardly) at the request of some guests. The crowd was made up of mostly travellers, peppered with a few of the regulars. I was very glad that the guests were attentive and seemed to enjoy every song.

A lot of people had the club sandwich for dinner which I haven't tried. Instead, I had my dinner of laksa and little tasty nibbles from the delectable spread at the restaurant buffet on the 4th floor. On the way down in the lift, I told a pilot as he was leaving the hotel, "Have a safe trip!"

Hmm, was that silly?

Night 9 - You've Got A Friend

2010-01-11T23:59:00.000-08:00

Friendly night to begin the week.

I had fun tonight because of everyone else. A few friends and a member from my facebook public page popped by. What a lovely surprise! One of our regulars named me my original songs! What an even lovelier surprise! Made me a bit shy la.

The bartenders and waitresses were great as always. Not only did I get a gorgeous hot chocolate from the bar, I also had a fun chat with the guests. When I went up for dinner, a chef spied on me as I picked skin off some duck slices. He asked if I would like some fresh duck and I said "Yes! But only the skin. I really love skin."

And he appeared a few minutes later with a plate filled with skin! Glorious skin... It was a such a heavenly sight. I was sooo ecstatic, I asked to bring it downstairs to the lobby. Usually this is a no-no but skin can be seen as harmless discards. So they allowed it. The skin was so good I shared it with the guests in the Lobby Lounge. Some enjoyed it. A few said no. Only one person winced at the thought of oily fatty duck skin.

I paid for that later in oil and phlegm felt at the edge of my throat. While I was singing. Haha. Terribly rude to clear my throat on stage but UNembarrassable Jilly did it anyway, coughing and laughing it off. I told some bar jokes since hey, we were all getting drinks from the bar!

Once again, I performed my Condo song to the delight of the locals. Yay! We delivered a request for "Over The Rainbow". And Adi and I did some fresh songs like "You've Got A Friend", Maurice William's "Stay" and "Hold Me, Thril Me, Kiss Me". Happy! I actually had a dream we did some Joni Mitchell. We just might this week. :-)

Night 8 - Let's Fall In Love

2010-01-09T23:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight was magical!

Special thanks to the guests. Everyone was tapping along, listening, having a fun time and we also fed off their energy and did some happy up-tempo numbers. Like 7. Kidding.

I even had someone come on stage an try to duet with me and I hope Adi wasn't too shocked by that. I hope we can work something out for my volunteer duet partner on Monday.

Our first set was smooth with relaxed numbers like "Sunny Side of The Street" and "Something Stupid". A regular came by for the first set and gave me some lozenges because I was coughing yesterday. Now I kinda remember that. How sweet! Literally too. :-) A young Burmese waitress told him that she had never heard most of the songs we performed but I think she sang along to the classic "Moon River". That set served as a good precursor to our next set.

My friends Joe and Li stopped by for my second set and very encouragingly applauded "For Sentimental Reasons", "I Wish You Love", "Blue Bayou" and every other song in that set. Aren't they lovely?

I also performed "Quando" with a longer version of my Singapore property version and my original parody goes like this:

Tell me where do you reside? Is it condo condo condo?
Not a HDB like me, or a landed property.

Is it near the MRT, from your condo condo condo?
Can you walk there easily? Or do you have to take taxi?

Every floor has a lift. Every lift has a mirror.
Can you show me the way, to the sauna and the pool?

I can't wait a moment more, for a condo condo condo.
Get me keys to my own door. And then agent, tell me where.

(Parody Lyrics Copyright by Gillian Tan)

The Singaporeans loved it (the few who were there). Then "La Bamba" was met with dancing and sing-alongs! I did my Japanese number "Ue o muite arukō" ("I look up when I walk" aka "Sukiyaki") again tonight in my last set which went well and the crowd showed their appreciation. At one of the tables sat this lovely couple!
Affable Bob and his lovely wife Nui (I must clarify the spelling of her name) were here with their two adorable daughters who had, by the end of my last set, gone to bed. I guess they enjoyed the show so much they bought me a Piña colada. My delightful soul-pal EZ joined us and we had such fun talking about Thailand, Singapore, the US and more!

One of our guests was leaving for the airport to catch a flight at midnight (!!) since he was only here for a day, yet it was good that he managed to catch Adi and me in action. We delivered 3 requests: "Girl from Ipanema", "Paper Moon" and "Autumn Leaves". One requester was so sweet, he gave me a tip. :-) I was going to split it with Adi but he left right after the final set, but the usually forgetful Jill shall remember this on Monday.

Night 7 - Dream A Little Dream

2010-01-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

I was terribly tired tonight.

In fact, I was so tired I plonked into bed right after the gig. So I am typing this on night 8. Haha, so honestly I do not remember much.

All I have in my head today was Noh theatre. I was rehearsing for a Noh performance with some friends from about 8 to maybe 11am. We also had a healthy organic vegetarian lunch. Ok! I confess. I didn't sleep after my gig from night 6 until right after this lunch which ended about 2pm. So I trained home and slept till 6, after which I headed to Holiday Inn Atrium still feeling a little tired.

It wasn't busy tonight, so I was very relaxed and I even closed my eyes to rest during songs. It seemed to fit well with the songs though. :-)

Night 6 - Imagine

2010-01-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

Quiet Night of Quiet Stars. Yes it was.

But we didn't do that song. We started late tonight on account of me. Rushing from Jurong Camp 2, not 1, but 2. It has to be very clear or one will get lost. The sad and simple, even funny and annoying, reason why I and a whole lot of others got lost was that we were sent an email with the map for Jurong Camp 1. Grrrr....

Thanks to an efficient cab driver who also made great conversation, I made it to the Holiday Inn Atrium by 8:06pm. And our first set went on without a hitch. Very quiet but intimate and friendly. Some regulars were there, a few tourists were chatting at the bar, and a business meeting was going on just behind us right outside the lounge area. We had a request for "Fly Me To The Moon", one of my favourites.

I am happy that we did some fresh songs together. I last sang these at weddings in the last few months but never at the Lobby Lounge: "La Bamba" & "Over The Rainbow". I butchered "Misty" so will master that soon. Sigh. For the very first time, I crooned "Ue o muite arukō" (meaning "I look up when I walk" aka "Sukiyaki") and explained it was a sad song despite its hopeful melody. That worked out quite spectacularly so am raring to do it again especially if we have Japanese guests!

I told everyone how Billy Joel's drummer would sing along on stage just in case Joel forgot his own lyrics. As a songwriter myself (I'm so not a big deal though), I know how common that is. "Just The Way You Are" was written for his first wife so after the divorce, his drummer would sing "I could not love her any longer. She took the house, she took the car..." (it varies a little) and sometimes Joel would sing that by mistake. So I put that in too!

Instead of chatting with the guests since I only walked around to say hi to the few who weren't engaged in serious business, I chatted with the staff and daydreamed. So it was apt to deliver "Imagine" and "What a Wonderful World". It used to make me cry at the line "they're really saying I love you".

There isn't much else to say but personally, dinner tonight was very satisfying. Yes I had time for a small one. Grilled potato cubes in sambal with squid. And loose bales of chicken skin! Nic the bartender made me a special drink since I couldn't decide on what I wanted. He made an orange-yellow mocktail with fruit pieces in it. Pineapple or mango, maybe both. It tasted like something I knew but I didn't know what it was. Nonetheless it was a delightful thirst quencher! Got me thinking: If I could only taste that familiar sunrise through sleepy eyes, how happy I'd be.

Night 5 - Cheek to Cheek

2010-01-06T23:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight was lighthearted and intimate.

I had some locals who were regulars to the lounge. One of the tables requested "Close to You" which was a lovely song to describe the evening. Another song which not only gives one a sense of warmth and joy, but was also dedicated to my dear friend, Nanda, was "Cheek to Cheek". He mentioned recently that this song was on repeat on his mental jukebox so I just had to do it. This talented actor & playwright came as early as 7 to wait for what he called my grand entrance. So cute la... We are now working together on some Noh plays that he has written so beautifully. More on that in my upcoming posts!

I am very sleepy now because I spent the afternoon checking out a friend's recording studio which is lovely and has a positive friendly vibe. I'm excited to say the least. :-) Therefore I will keep this short.

A few other friends came by too and livened up the mood, which also made it more relaxed for everyone. I even had time for a spot of stand-up comedy. I'll be the first to say that it wasn't impressive but seemed to entertain. It was a true story about how a little girl went "reindeer" whenever I asked her to fill in the blanks for the song "Rudolph" during a Christmas gig. Keeping that mischievous mood, I sang "Quando Quando Quando" with a snippet of a parody I couldn't help but think up:

Tell me where do you reside? Is it condo condo condo?
Not a HDB like me, or a landed property...

My friends enjoyed it and it somewhat reflected Singapore's preoccupation with property. There were more locals than tourists at the Lobby Lounge tonight. For those outside our little island, HDB stands for Housing Development Board, or what I like to call shelved living. At the end of the night, I took pictures and asked for my friends' permission to post them on my blog. There is one more who took the picture. Haha! Aren't they sweet?

Night 4 - I Will Survive

2010-01-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night.

And I was right. Confidence pays off. When I am confident, I trust myself and others, and relax! I always said that when you enjoy the moment sincerely, others will too. Tonight was a lovely night with fantastic guests. Adi and I did songs we never even mentioned before. That was part of the fun. :-)

Our first request of the night came from a couple who visited us last night. By us, I mean the entire Lobby Lounge. We work together but our origins are in Vietnam, China, Philippines, Burma... and Singapore! The elegant waitresses tell me this couple visits very regularly. They enjoyed our delivery of "Smile" so they wanted to hear it again tonight. Your wish is our command, gladly!

Our first set was positive. I suggested a song which I butchered last night, because I know it had been spectacular before. Also, I had to make peace with it. It worked out perfectly this time! Then we did "I Will Survive" which had me slightly nervous for a split second because the last time I performed it was almost a year ago (though I have sung it in jest, not for work). It was met with toe-tapping, dance-walking, sing-alongs and smiles. Just as they were leaving, our regular couple told us, "Smile and I Will Survive!"

For the next 2 sets, we also had fun with "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and "I'm Beginning To See The Light". A lot of upbeat melodies tonight. We also partied "Under The Boardwalk" which starts almost the same way as "Save The Last Dance For Me". So much so I couldn't help myself but deliberately mingle the two at the start of the latter. Both songs were hits for the Drifters in the 60's. Speaking of drifting, we delivered "Route 66" to inspire our travellers to get their kicks on the legendary highway.

Of course we did a few numbers for the romantics: "Close to You" and "The Nearness of You", which now I realise sound so alike in title. Isn't that what really matters? Being with, near, next to, your loved one? Another song we never did together was "Leaving On A Jet Plane", dedicated to those flying off tomorrow, especially the Australian couple with whom I've had insightful chats with. John Denver gave me the blues with it. Adi and I made it bluesy for the lounge. Pity I didn't take pictures with them. I shall miss them.

We had a satisfying dinner too at the buffet on the 4th floor. One reason why I love working for hotels: food and drinks are always provided! But I am hungry again. Ok, off to supper. I feel like I sang for it. :-)

Night 3 - Where do I begin?

2010-01-04T23:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped. But it was fine.

Well, I fluffed up a little. GASP! But covered it each time, by improvising or scatting, and for some songs, it sounded really nice. Heh. The guests were so supportive, most of them hearing every note (some which I felt were waaaay off) and applauding every song. One of them who visited before was dancing again which always makes me glow inside. So I hope I see him tomorrow too. :-)

Had a request for "Blue Bayou" which went very well and the requester said he loved it. But he mentioned that I sounded like Linda Ronstadt though he preferred Roy Orbison's rendition. Note to self: ask if there is a version the requester prefers.

Sad to say, I was a total scatterbrain tonight (and not just from scatting). There are some songs I know so well and do not need lyrics in front of me. But for the rest, I have what I call insurance, or my lyric book, also affectionately known as my messy black file. So scatterbrain Jil couldn't find her lyrics when she needed them. Which forced me to sing a few songs without my safety net (totally psychological I realise), and I must say... I surprised myself. I knew them by heart after all. I supposed I knew that I knew them all along.

It was only when I doubted myself that the fluffs happened. Why oh why? And I even missed my stop because I was so engrossed with sorting out my lyrics on the bus on my way home, which made me think I still hadn't reached my stop. And the next thing I knew I was miles away from home! (so the time of this post publication isn't the actual time)

I felt so angry, I refused to take a cab since it was my own darn fault and I sure as hell did not deserve a cushy extravagant cab ride home. Frustration got the better of me as I walked. Fortunately, it dissipated as quickly as it exploded and by the time my senses beckoned me to flag a cab, there was none to be found. Feeling terribly irresponsible and not very smart, I called my dear mom who picked me up from the street like a hungry stray. I normally wouldn't call her for anything, so I felt guilty and found it slightly awkward but also very sweet. The last time she drove to my rescue was Chinese New Year last year when she thought I was dying from sepsis, which was almost true. Long story. In her car, amidst her gentle reprimanding, I was saying "sorry" a lot, then I turned it into "thank you".

Perhaps tonight was a lesson of sorts. Mostly that I gotta be more confident. The show is on. Tomorrow is going to be unmistakably awesome!

Night 2 at Holiday Inn - Grateful

2010-01-02T23:57:00.000-08:00

2nd of January.

It was a nice day for me and I slept quite well the night, ok morning, before. I still have positive vibes and thoughts from the Blue Moon night and my wish was still clear in my mind and heart. Not taking it too seriously actually but happy to be given the opportunity to make a magical wish!

So I put on my Blue-moon-charged silver locket and off I went, armed with new handwritten lyrics of songs which I had promised to some guests tonight.

I decided on a tube top with a festive sheen to go with a long black skirt, a pretty hand-me-down from someone from last year. I would normally be wise enough to bring my performance outfit in my bag and change just before my gig, but decided today to wear it right after my shower. That's right, I showered! Alas, when I got to the mouth of the station, I saw that the train travelling in my desired direction was arriving in 1 minute and the next would only appear 6 minutes later.

So?

I ran.

And of course people do not stand on one side on the escalator steps. Instead they stand rooted side by side each other, without realising that some other people are trying to get through. A dozen excuse-me's later and a vain race up the escalators, I discovered that my tube top was kinda sticky from my workout. Eeyew.

For the next 5 minutes, I waited along the platform, wishing I hadn't bothered to shower.

At the hotel, I had a lovely night with Adi and the guests. My marvellous friends from What The, a band of talented, creative and passionate musicians, came for the 2nd and 3rd set. How sweet and encouraging of them! I was thrilled also when the same Australian couple from last night returned. They wanted to hear Rod Stewart and so I belted out my proudly scribbled "Have I Told You Lately" originally by Van Morrison for his 1989 album Avalon Sunset, which became a hit for Stewart in 1993. The Japanese guests from Friday asked for a Japanese song so I prepared "Ue o muite arukō" (meaning "I look up when I walk" but more popularly known as "Sukiyaki"). However they hadn't return, yet. So I will save that for another time which means I can perfect it on my own.

Just before the last set ended, a request for "Besame Mucho" came in along with a few other songs but time wasn't on our side. Closing the set with the 1940 Mexican classic, I reminded everyone that they can find Adi and me at the Lobby Lounge on Mondays to Saturdays. Someone commented (not rudely) that I talked a lot so I asked back with a smile (definitely not a challenge) after I was off the microphone, if he preferred my singing or talking. His reply was adorable: "Can you sing Hokkien song?" And I said "if you return I shall prepare one for you!" He was pleasant and yes, I may do one for him soon. :-)

Before I went home, I went around chatting with the Australian couple, my friends and the family who requested "Besame Mucho". The Australian couple offered another drink but I still had my once-hot chocolate. The family were very generous with their compliments and we talked a little about spirituality. They liked my description of religion as a tool so much they had me write it down. Then they gave me a little book entitled "Heart Of A Buddha" filled with wisdom & kindness.

I was too late but wish I had taken care of the bill for What The, who patiently and kindly listened to and applauded each song. I will find a way to take care of that, perhaps at our jam session later on (it's past 6am on Sunday morning).

Someone who came by towards the end of our last set was a dear to send me all the way home in the bus. :-) I definitely had fun on my second night and am grateful for everything from the book, the hot chocolate, the music and most importantly, I am immensely grateful for everyone who was there.

Adi was very kind to lend me his camcorder on this night so I shall find a way to put videos up. So watch this space!

Jan 1st at Hol Inn

2010-01-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hi 2010! So it is a new year now. January 1st.

Did my first night at Holiday Inn. It went ok but really coulda been better. Sequencing files hadn't been sent yet and many songs were not familiar to all. Quite disappointing, mostly because we have done so well together. So comparatively, I have to say I wasn't very happy about tonight. But it was still worthy and entertaining overall. My soul pal was there for my first night, so thanks for the support. :-)

Had a fun chat with the staff and the guests. The staff were friendly and warmed up quickly. Quite a few were from Burma, Vietnam, China and perhaps a few more neighbouring countries. So nice and sweet of them to make ME, the local, feel welcome without trying at all. :-)

The guests were few but very appreciative. A few were rowdy and they would dance along and request for Metallica. But I always prefer a rowdier crowd to one that's asleep or dying of boredom. I managed to speak to some. I met one during my sound check before a family lunch, so was very glad he came back for a set before he set off to check out some clubs since he was flying the next day. A couple who had been singing along and even apologised for talking over my singing (oh come on, it's absolutely fine!!), chatted with me about politics and even generously bought me a drink. Thank you!

That chat about governments and politics has led me to deduce that there is no right view or wrong view, and no one can ever know everything for sure. And even when you do think you have all the facts, something new can happen, or something from the past can be unearthed and all of a sudden, everything changes again. So I guess I deduce... eh... Hahaha!

Anyway... I will now prepare a few Rod Stewart songs for this couple and a few other songs for the folks working at the bar and a request for a Japanese song. Then it will be time for bed sweet bed. :-)

Last Day of 2009 - Blue Moon

2009-12-31T23:00:00.000-08:00

Haha! I have started Z Jil!!!

Ok now, unlike my other blogs which are secret only because I never tell anyone about them, I will be using this for work and other stuff.

I am also going to be sooooo casual and honest with it and blog even when I am drunk, not that I like to drink at all. I don't like the flavour and potency of alcohol wasted on me.

OK. Almost 2010. I will tell you, whoever you are, about how my first day of 2010 goes. And will try to find ways to update music and other related material up here. :-)

It's a Blue Moon new year's eve. Happy New Year!