Reliving the Phantom of the Opera

*loud organ music*

"In sleep he sang to me...."

Who would have thought they'd make a movie version of the Phantom after all these years? I had the privilege of watching it on Boxing Day. For a movie, it was actually quite good. Overall, it was a very aesthetically pleasing and cinematically substantial movie experience.
First impression: the music was so overpowering! Probably because it's been in our pop culture for so long. It overshadowed almost everything in the movie, but only at first. It soon got better.
Later: newfound respect for the actors when I discovered that all of them except Minnie Driver sang their own parts in the movie. Nice.

Actors: Emmy Rossum, with her dark melancholy eyes and innocent face, was a very fresh portrayal of Christine. Patrick Wilson fulfilled his role as Prince-Charming-Raoul nicely. And Gerard Butler played a most human and un-horrific Phantom to date.

At first, I felt like these characters were pawns on a chess board who were dictated solely by ALW's haunting music. However, I later realized that they gave very good understated performances and should be acknowledged properly. People who want an exact replica of the musical are missing the point, because the purpose of making this movie is not to create a blownup version of the musical, but to make something beautifully different. All in all for me, I was glad to relive this long-forgotten dream of the Phantom's music and story. Of course, you should watch it only if you don't mind having Phantom music floating in your head until it is slowly weaned off!

A very Happy New Year to all of you.

Sweet sweet candy cane

During Christmas time, many people go crazy over candy. It is almost an excuse to gorge oneself. This philosophy also surfaces during Thanksgiving, which we've just had. Why do people like turkey so much? It is beyond me. Anyway, I was surprised to know that the candy cane was originally a Christian symbol. Before you visit the link, think about the candy cane's shape, color and texture. These will probably clue you in. Acknowledging another blogger for this piece of info. And early Christmas greetings to you all.

G-Sea's 1st Anniversary! Presentation of Flowers

In honor of this blog's first anniversary since its launch on November 1, 2003, I've created new lyrics for one of GC's recent tunes. It's called Like the Flowers and the Grass. Actually, it's been sitting in my computer for some time now, and finally it is here!

I chose this particular theme from Isaiah 40:8 because I've encountered it so many times in choir from different pieces. Though poetic sounding, it's a tough reminder that nothing lives or lasts forever here on earth. However, if you look at it another way, this is hardly depressing. This just calls for our total surrender to God. At exactly the right time, He places us at a place where we can grow the most. The rest of the message is quite obviously in the lyrics themselves. Sincere thanks to dad who suggested the more descriptive "Risen Lamb" instead of "Holy Lamb".