KARMA, FISH SPA & DUCK TOUNGES

The monsoons have wreaked their havoc on all of our day off plans. It is a bitter pill to swallow when, after a week of physical and mental boot camp, one has to accept that the simple act of sitting outside for the day is no longer an option. To be fair, I fully understand that those who may be wading through hip-deep snow to take the garbage out might be less than sympathetic with my plight (yes Kathi, I know it's blizzarding in Calgary). Still, after days of being locked in a dark, air-conditioned space, wrapped in layers of costuming from head to toe, sweating, stretching, leaping, crawling, trying, failing and repeating, all the while chasing the dangling carrot of just being still in the sunlight...rain seems a cruel, karmic jest.

Lyall and I decided that, for a change of scenery, we might re-visit our old stomping ground and spend the day at the Marina Bay Sands Skypark. We had not walked half a block from the Pan Pacific when the rain began to come down. We thought that if we had a coffee, we could wait it out, but the longer we waited, the more minuscule our optimism looked against the titanic, ever greying sky. The slower we sipped our latte's, the heavier the rain fell. It wasn't long before we were trying to catch a glimpse of the other side of the street through a solid wall of falling water. So....enough. We surrendered.

So as not to have the day be completely without hedonism, I headed to the Kenko on the elevated walkway connected to our hotel. These insta-massage places are all over Singapore. You can walk in, get a 10, 20, 30 or 60 minute massage or reflexology treatment without an appointment. Some days, a ten minute shoulder massage is exactly what I need. And for $10 SGD, you can't beat it. Today, I opted for a twenty minute shoulder pounding, followed by fifteen minutes in the fish spa. Think about those words for a moment. Fish spa. Not words you often hear used together in English. When I first saw these words, I assumed that it must be a place where aquarium owners took their depressed goldfish and pond coy for some r 'n' r and a little communal time with the other city fish. No, no. A fish spa is a place you dangle your feet into a warm aquarium full of something called 'Doctor Fish', and they nibble the dead skin cells, callouses, blisters and what-not from your feet.

At this particular Kenko, they have the regular, minnow-sized fish. But they also have one tank of larger, almost sardine-sized fish. I figured that my crusty, battered old dogs should have the big guns for the first time out. Save the minnows for a maintenance treatment later.
When my feet first went into the tank, it felt like sinking into a vat of writhing eels, particularly because I was the only person in the place so EVERY fish in the tank was on MY feet. I admit, there was a little 'ick' factor that I had to get over. Once I got past the feeling of being swarmed, I had to try to control my giggling because it really, REALLY tickles. Especially these big guys because you can feel their little teeth. Eventually, it felt like dozens of tiny, vibrating massagers running all over my feet and was, in the end, quite soothing. When it's over, your feet are silky smooth and tingly all over.

For my dinner tonight, I once again went out on a culinary limb and order the appetizer of deep fried duck tongues. The texture: an odd mix of soft and sinewy. The taste: virtually non-existent. They tasted mostly like the garlic and chilies that they were dressed with. I only ate a few and then ordered a green Thai curry that was beautiful. While I ate, I was serenaded by the most eclectic music trio I've ever seen. A pianist (who looked like a cross between Che Guevara and Mozart), a percussionist playing something like an Indian tabla (and he looked like a Hindu rapper), and a guy playing something like a Thai Xylophone ( I don't know what they are actually called). These three played a bizarre mix of classical, jazz, Thai, Indonesian, pan-Asian music (often simultaneously) that defies description.

And finally, my favourite topic .... a rant......about alcohol...
I know I've mentioned this already, but I just wanted to use a visual aid to put it into perspective. The photograph, below, shows $79 SGD of booze. With today's exchange rate, that equals $61.56 CDN. Please note that the vodka bottle is only 375 mls.
Cocaine would be cheaper.

ENTER: MADAM SONG

When Julie Taymor's creative cauldron was bubbling with the ingredients for Lion King, 15-ish years ago, she was trying to imagine how an animated movie could become a live stage musical, without it looking like a large serving of cheeze panto. She found much of her inspiration in classical Javanese mask and puppetry. Our director, John, decided that, since we are in Asia, and just a stone's throw from Indonesia, we are virtually obligated to take advantage of some of the great teachers that might not otherwise be available to us.

Enter, Madam Song and her company. Collectively, they represent the various aspects of traditional dance, puppetry, mask and movement that live at the heart of Malay culture. They join our Lion King family for three, half-day workshops, hoping to give us a crash course in the basics.

Madam Song, foreground
John, our director, background

Madam Song's multi-talented company

It is clear, from the beginning, that Madam Song runs a tight ship but with great humour and respect. The mentor-student relationship is very much in evidence when she deals with her proteges. She rarely demonstrates things herself, but is constantly on the periphery, calling directions, offering clarifications and keeping a keen, yet gently critical eye on all of us. At one point, she was talking about something, I don't know what, because I couldn't take my eyes off of her hand which was moving like a blade of grass or a willow branch blowing in the breeze.

One of the most entertaining exercises involved various cast members who improvised a short story, in their native language, using traditional shadow puppets. You might have one person speaking Zulu to someone answering in Chinese. Or a monologue in Tagalog. My stomach hurt from laughing almost as much as my thighs hurt from learning the basic martial arts stances.

The Young Simbas & Young Nalas do a
shadow puppet version of
"Can You Feel The Love Tonight"

As if discovering our inner Javanese-iness weren't enough, we had a full afternoon of other discoveries, triggered by one event. John was working with Andrew, who plays Simba, on his soul-searching solo in Act II. John wasn't quite feeling the sense of a lost, lonely soul singing to his dead father, so he cleared the stage, put a blindfold on Andrew and stayed just close enough to Andrew that he might be able to sense John's proximity. The rest of us were chit-chatting and adjusting our puppets in the wings. Gradually, all sound in the room ceased as the most achingly beautiful rendition of the song began to flow out of Andrew. We stood, absolutely still, drawn into a voice filled with anguish and loneliness. By the end of the number, most of us were in tears. The real bonus of this exercise, however, was that Andrew's bravery and willingness to allow himself to be totally emotionally vulnerable raised the bar by several notches for our stumble-thru of Act II....and we soared.

Bird kites for the top of Act II

Some more introductions...

Bafikile (Buffy), ensemble
Nasrine, who covers 7 or 8 different ensemble parts

Puleng, who plays Nala
Clem (Clement) our musical director

Puleng is Sotho and speaks, not only her language, but several others as well including Xhosa (the 'X' is pronouced as a tongue click). She's promised to teach me how to 'click'.


Lu, who does my makeup

We are very happy with the results of my most recent makeup test

And, finally, a word about dinner...
Food in the many food courts and hawker centres is usually pretty top notch but, like anywhere, you're bound to get a less than memorable meal sooner or later. So I decide to try my first Fried Char Kway Teow, a Hokkien noodle dish featuring slices of fish, greens and cockles. At least according to the picture. What I am served looks identical to a plate of dog food. Gravy Train, to be exact. The actual dish and the photograph were as different from each other as chalk and cheese. The taste was, well, .....ok, but I had to search through the pile of brown muck to find the two, lonely pieces of unidentifiable greens. It only cost me $4 SGD, so no great loss. But really. I mean....yeeech.

ABSORBING SINGAPORE

A glorious day off and a chance to do a little more exploring. Some new discoveries and a return some familiar places. Now that I'm starting to understand the layout of the city a bit more, things are closer than I had realized.

I start my day with a Singapore tradition, "Kaya Kopi". ('Kopi', as a word has long, multi-national history, but has been embraced as a Singlish word for 'coffee'.) The 'Kopi Set' is a light, fast breakfast and is perfect for people on-the-go, or for me since I can't face much food early in the day. For SD4.20, you get a cup of thick, sweet coffee, two VERY soft-boiled eggs, and two slices of toast (crust removed) smeared with kaya, a sweet coconut spread. Your eggs come with a spare, small bowl. The proper etiquette is to crack your egg, (one at a time please) pour into the spare bowl, add a few drops of soy sauce, stir it into a rich, yolk-y, yummy mess and sip it from the bowl. The more demure may use the tiny spoon that comes with. It is also permissible to dip your toast or mop up the last bits of eggy goodness. Mmmmmm.

I have heard a lot about Sim Lim Square, the giant technology mall, and wanted to check it out since I will eventually be shopping for a lap top. This place is mind boggling. Six floors of private vendors selling every techno-gadget you can dream of, and a few you haven't. Stall after stall of computers, cell phones, cameras, T.V.'s, closed circuit systems, stereos, gaming systems, MP3's and every possible do-dad, whatsit and extendo-thing you'd ever need. It really makes you realize how disposable technology has become. It is important to remember that most things don't have a price on them for a reason - haggling is expected here. But be warned: Know what you're buying and how much you should be paying. Even the taxi driver warned me not to go unless I know how to bargain! Also, you have to make sure that everything you need is included in the final price. What looks like a good deal can sometimes end up costing much more when you start adding things that would usually be included, like a battery or power cord.

After frying my brain on techno-input, I wander down the Albert Street Mall. It is a Sunday afternoon, and Singaporean families are out in full force. The mall is a retail circus. You can walk from Sim Lim to the OG department store where the sale items are dragged out into the street and advertised by shouting sales-people (usually in Mandarin), then on toward the Fu Lu Shou complex which seems to be Chinese New Year central, through the Bugis Street covered market and into Bugis Junction, another huge mall. AND, the whole walk is lined with street stalls. Singaporeans loooove to shop. In fact, I've been told that they are a triple-threat: They eat, drink and shop like champions. Anyone who considers themselves a pro-shopper at home is in for a rude awakening as Singaporeans will show you how it's done!

Bugis market is a trip. Packed with people, it is two stories of tiny vendor stalls selling clothes, wallets, sunglasses, clothes, shoes, clothes, jewelery, clothes, hats & bags, clothes, baby clothes and clothes and everything in between. You can't be in a hurry in the market, or anywhere in a crowded place for that matter. Bugis is particularly crowed because the aisles are so narrow and you have to adopt the Asian attitude toward 'flow'. Think of the crowd as a river and find a current that's going in your direction, then just let it carry you.

As a side note, I have to say that Singapore is only just taking it's first baby steps into being 'green'. Pretty much everything in a food court is still served on Styrofoam plates with plastic utensils, drinks in plastic cups. There are places that use cutlery and actual dishes, but I've found that they are the exception. Hotel laundry gets returned with everything hermetically sealed in plastic, wrapped in plastic and then wrapped in plastic again for good measure. Some places offer re-usable shopping bags, but generally everything is put into at least one, if not two or three, plastic shopping bags. There are plenty of garbage cans on the street and a prominent "Let's Bin It" campaign, but this is more about eradicating street litter than reducing waste. Still, unlike many places in Asia, Singapore is at least trying to make people more aware.

At the Bugis fruit market, I decide to put my culinary big-boy pants on and try my first durian.


















The smell: not unlike your full kitchen compost bucket after it sits on the back deck in the heat for a few days.
The texture: very soft and creamy, slightly slimy, a bit like un-set jell-o or over-firm rice pudding.
The taste: who can say? Can't get past the smell.
I will say that it wasn't as unpleasant as I expected it to be, but I can see where it is definitely an acquired taste.

This is one of my favourite buildings in Singapore, near Bugis. At night, the white snow-flake-globe-things ripple, undulate and flash with patterns creating a pretty amazing light show. I've been to lots of places that feature cutting-edge architecture, but here, everywhere you turn you see another amazing, gravity-defying, perception-changing structure.


After a busy morning of navigating the crowds, (think 'flow'), I retreat for a refreshing dip and relax at poolside, followed by a glass of wine.
And speaking of wine...!
Have I mentioned how expen$ive liquor is here?!?!?! A bottle of Chilean plonk that I pay CDN$9.00 for at home, sells for around CDN$20 here. A bottle of Absolut, CDN$24 at home, sells here for between CDN$50 and CDN$65. And if you're drinking at an up-scale, tourist-driven hotel, it gets even crazier. The other day, I paid SD$40 (CDN$30-ish)for two glasses of forgettable Chilean Chardonnay. A glass of bubbly and two glasses of wine in the lounge, ...SD$90! I have heard that prices are a bit lower on the outskirts of the city, away from the tourist area at city centre. Still, I can't see myself taking the MRT or a taxi to the suburbs to stock up on liquor.

*sigh* Drinking shouldn't be this hard.

HOME (ish) AT LAST

We have finally made our last (hopefully) hotel move. For now (we hope). We all checked out of Studio M first thing yesterday morning, loaded our bags, our many, many bags, onto buses, dropped our bags at The Pan Pacific and headed off to rehearsal. Later in the afternoon, toward the end of rehearsal, our room keys were delivered to us by company management. Personally, I really liked the neighborhood around Studio M, but the studio-style, euro-chic rooms were just tooooo tiny to consider living in for very long. Though the area around the Pan Pacific is a little more touristy, the hotel is beautiful, the rooms are very comfortable (I HAVE A BATHTUB! YAAAAA!!!) and the staff is very gracious (including the desk clerk I spoke to, Haruka, who went to Simon Fraser University). And we're just a short walk across the bridge from the theatre. I think we'll be happy here for the next 8-or-so-weeks.

Here's a photo, looking up into the the atrium-style lobby from the lounge on the main floor. My room is hovering hovering up there somewhere, twenty-seven floors above the Chinese New Year decorations.

We're definitely steaming ahead with the play. We've staged and stumbled through Act 1 and are almost finished staging ACT 2. In between staging sessions, I'm still getting private mask coaching sessions, private mirror work time as well as various other wardrobe, make-up, choreography calls. I had my first make-up test earlier this week. I'll let this picture speak it's thousand words. It's funny, when I look at this picture, all I can think of is all the roles I've had where I have either adopted a sneer, or had one painted on my face. The above photo was taken a few days ago, but when I was cleaning my ears after a shower this morning, the cotton swab came out brown. I thought my brain was bleeding. I can see that post-show clean up is going to have to be quite detailed. I'm scheduled for another make-up test tomorrow. Two hours in the chair.

And speaking of Chinese New Year, Singapore is definitely gearing up for the big festival. There have been more and more official functions popping up as we near the big event, Feb 3/4. This will be the Year of The Rabbit, so you can't go anywhere in Singapore without seeing rabbit iconography or reference. I found these perky creatures, made out of fresh flowers, outside of a shopping centre in the high-fashion district of Orchard Road. Before we get to Chinese New Year, however, we get to witness the Hindu festival of Thaipusam. This is celebrated primarily by the relatively large Tamil community here. I went to the Little India neighborhood tonight to watch the procession of the devout Hindus that carry their kavadi (burdens) along a set route to prove their devotion. These burdens, in their simplest form, are a pot of milk, but can also involve elaborate cages which are carried on barbed poles which pierce the skin of the wearer. The greater the pain, the more devout the participant and the more merit gained. My photos are not the best, taken on my phone, but I include them nonetheless. The whole route is lined with people, mostly families, all the ladies dressed in the best, most beautiful saris. It was quite a thing to behold.

On my way back to the hotel, I couldn't help but notice, again, the image used on the doors of the MRT, begging people to let people off the train before getting on themselves. I've stared at this image before and finally figured out why it grabs my attention.Does anyone else find it odd that there's three drag queens being used as the poster girls for this campaign? Enlarge the photo and see if you agree with me.

JAVANESE JIVE

Up to now, I have had some time to work with my mask in the mirrors, on my own, learning to balance the weight on my head and learning to use the mechanical aspects of it.
Yesterday, I had my first session learning about the specific style of mask-work and the techniques involved. Scar, Mufasa, Simba and Nala all wear their masks on top of their heads so that the actors faces can be seen. Theses specific characters (as well as the pride of lionesses) are based on traditional Javanese mask which uses a very stylized type of movement.

The early part of our session was spent learning how to find a new centre of gravity so that the mask, which has now added about one-and-a-half feet of height to the body, is included in the movement. Then, we learned a few of the traditional, angular poses that are typical to this kind of mask work. Not that the show is ever that stylized, but your movements as a human/animal on stage flow in and out of this kind of "posing". Scar, specifically, uses these angular poses the most since he is meant to be the antithesis of the elegant, graceful, flowing lion, being instead kind of spiny, serpentine and a bit of a poseur.

We then did a few exercises where the goal was to have a silent conversation, using head movements to keep the mask 'alive' while still conveying a clear kind of meaning/emotion. Scar has the added bonus/burden of carrying a large walking stick which adds another line to any of his angles and can be used for visual punctuation.

It was all sweaty, challenging work and it couldn't have been more fun. There will be more mask work in our session today, but we will actually be staging Scar's first scene with Young Simba. So far, they've been very kind to me, adding small elements to my costume one at a time so as not to overwhelm me. Still, my learning curve is about as steep as it can get. Maybe I'll try adding my tail this afternoon.

PRESS CONFERENCE "CIRCLE OF LIFE"

Michael sent me the video of our company singing "Circle of Life" for the press conference we had recently. I had heard that it was out there on the internet, but hadn't gotten around to looking for it. (Too many other things going on).

Enjoy. (I'm in the back row with the handful of us that aren't in this number)

GETTING ON WITH IT

So, we have survived our first crisis as a family. For reasons that are, at this point, immaterial, and also too complex to go into here, we found ourselves moving hotels rather suddenly on Friday. For as much of a minor inconvenience as it might have been, two terrifically positive things came out of it: 1) We had our first real, family bonding experience. 2) We are now in an actual neighborhood, surrounded by shops, restaurants and locals. Lovely and luxurious as Marina Bay was (how about that Skypark!!), it was a bit off on it's own. As a vacation destination, it has everything you could want in terms of daily entertainment, but since we are actually living here, long-term, we feel a bit more woven into the fabric of every day Singapore life now.

And speaking of everyday life, ... we have fallen into the rehearsal schedule in a big way. My days at the moment are complex, non-stop, and rich. The interesting thing about this show is all of the different elements that, eventually, have to come together. At the moment, all the elements are still being worked on separately. For instance, in the course of a day, I might spend a little time doing table-work on a scene, a little time working on music, a little time in fittings or hair & make-up consultations, and a little time working with the puppet technicians. Though our days are long, they are broken up enough that they seem to fly by, at least for the moment.

Here's my day tomorrow:
10:00 a.m. Company warm up, physical/vocal
10:30 a.m. Media interview
11:30 a.m. Mirror work (one-on-one time learning to use my mask with a puppet technician)
1:30 p.m. Lunch
2:30 p.m. Table work/staging - Scar confronts Simba
4:30 p.m. Principles on stage with masks/puppets for scene work
6:00 p.m. End of day

I've had a few Mirror Work sessions with German Mike, the puppet technician
who has been working on the Hamburg production for 9 years. It's a challenging and sometimes frustrating process learning to use the finger controls that articulate the mask that floats over my head. A mask that, ultimately, I will never be able to see. But Mike has infinite patience, plenty of quiet guidance and he leaves me on my own in front of the mirrors for long stretches to play and discover.

More introductions.

This is GugwanaGugwana plays Rafiki, the baboon, the spiritual leader and traditional healer of the community. Rafiki is the through-line of the show. She tells us the story. Not only has Gugwana done the show in The West End, and U.S. Tour, but she was also one of the singers on the soundtrack for the original, animated Disney movie. As well, she sang on Lebo M's album, "Rhythm of the Pride Lands", which inspired much of the music for the stage show.

This is Simon

Simon plays Banzai, the third of Scar's trio of wicked, hyena henchmen. Simon is Zulu and, during table work today, eagerly gave a demonstration of the way in which the Zulu people stamp the earth in a dance-like way to prove their power & strength. The stamping also serves to wake up the ancestors along with the dust that is raised. Though you can't really see them in the photo, Simon has a series of small, vertical scars on his cheeks. I asked him about them today and he explained that it is ritual scarification, a tribal marking that he received when he was 2 or 3 years old. An identification of his clan, a link to family history, and a mark of pride.

For dinner tonight, North Indian Mutton Vindaloo. Yummy!

MAIL CALL

Should anyone care to send me some snail mail, you know, post card, LUSH products, birthday card...."How are you? I am fine." And please, remember that the Singapore government is not even the tiniest bit entertained by nudity, pornography or drugs.

Patrick Brown
c/o The Lion King - Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018956

EPIC DAY FOR AN EPIC PLAY

OH MY GOD what a day. I mean, really, ... OH EM GEE! Or, as they say in Singapore, WAH LAU! Today I have been terrified, humbled, thrilled, transported, elated and moved to tears. Sometimes simultaneously.

The day began with a press event for the Singapore media. High profile (and slightly high pressure) event. We were introduced to several of the prominent people at the top of the production food chain, people who have been, up to now, just names on paper. One of those people was Anne from Disney Theatricals. She took the stage and spoke not to the press, but to us. Her aim, clearly, was to invigorate and excite us about the production by letting us know, in no uncertain terms, that we have all been carefully hand-picked to represent the best of each of our countries and the best of all previous productions. In her words, "the best of the best". (Epic memorable moment #1)

Our Director John Stefaniuk then requested that a microphone be passed up and down the rows of the theatre so that each person could introduce themselves, say where they're from, what they're role is and what productions of Lion King they've done before. It finally hit home to me, and I think to all of us, what a truly international cast and crew we are. Together, we are comprised of people from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, U.S.A., Canada, Philippines, Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, India, Malaysia, Brazil, Switzerland and Singapore. With each introduction and as each new country was announced, the energy in the room grew to a palpable buzz. (Epic memorable moment #2) That energy was ultimately released with the climax (no pun intended) of the event, the company gathering on stage to sing "Circle Of Life". There are a few of us that do not sing in the number, including me. To be standing there, surrounded by those incredible, powerful, passionate voices as they sing the African savannah into existence is quite simply, electrifying.(Epic memorable moment #3) Here, I admit to shedding a tear.

The man who plays King Mufasa, my brother (from another mother, since I am the white lion) is a very tall, very well-built, very beautiful man named Jee-L. He has this incredible, calm, Shaman-like energy that surrounds him. Seeing my emotion and my nervousness, he threw his considerable arms around me and gave me the biggest, warmest, sincerest of hugs. (Epic memorable moment #4)

After a lunch break, a clothing change, and a few deep breaths, it was time to do the official first read/sing through! It became evident very quickly that every single person in the room is a talent power-house. When Mufasa sang, with a voice like honey, I forgot to breathe. When Rafiki mourned, I shivered. When Nala sang, my jaw dropped open. When the ensemble narrated the story in the languages of Africa, I felt a whole galaxy spinning at the centre of my being. (Epic memorable moments #5 thru 8,200) Even the six kids who will divide the roles of young Nala and young Simba were amazing. (And they were no slouches at working the media at the press conference either!)

Even though I rode the rodeo pony of emotions throughout the day, there was one clear thru-line from beginning to end: The generosity, openness and 'welcoming-in' from every single person I've met so far. Without exception. And I STILL haven't met them all! That will take some time. But you, at least, can start meeting a few of them.

Jee-L, Scar's brother the King Mufasa, France

Laveena, Shenzi, the bad-ass hyena, New Zealand
Michael, Ed, the laughing hyena, South Africa
Two of the 3 hyenas who are Scar's Majors Domo

Jamie, Timon the meerkat, New Zealand
Pierre, Pumbaa the warthog, South Africa
The comedy team

Lyall, Zazu the hornbill, South Africa

Mufasa's Major Domo

Until the next...

BEING HEADED

It's been a busy week that has flown by. Here we are at a day off already. I've spent most of the week being man-handled by the puppet technicians. These are the guys from various productions around the world who build, mold and refine the various devices needed for my mask work. Because I've spent every morning in the puppet workshop, I feel like I am now BFF with German Mike, British Will and Australian Tim.

Again, I don't want to ruin the magic by giving away too much about the technical aspects of the show. However, I think it's safe to tell you that my mask requires a head mount. In order for that head mount to fit me properly and comfortably, a cast of my head needs to be made.

If you've ever had a body wrap at a spa, the process is similar, but just for your head. Without the massage. Or the candles. Or the soothing music. The process starts with a sheet of the same plastic-like material used for splinting broken bones (instead of plaster bandages). The sheet is warmed, draped over my head, and pressed into place by as many hands as possible. Then it has to cool to harden into shape. For a few minutes, it's quite Darth Vader-esque.This process is repeated to make another, thinner layer on top of the original. Then, the entire process is repeated four times in order to have several head mounts available for use at any time. The hard shell then has soft rubber sides & chin strap added to it which makes one look a bit like Amelia Earhart in a crash helmet. And then.....well, I shouldn't really tell you anymore. Let's just say that the end result ends up looking something like this...
I've been in and out of the theatre for almost a week now, and I still haven't met all the cast, though the ones I have met have all been warm, generous and welcoming. It's easy to feel a little overwhelmed and trepidatious because the vast majority of the cast have done the show before. They come from West End and American productions, Australian, French, and South African productions, as well as productions that toured to Shanghai and Taiwan. Out of the 50-odd cast members, there are only 5 or 6 of us that are Lion King virgins. (Does that make us lion cubs?) I will be posting pictures and profiles of people eventually.

I have also been kept busy this week by trying shop for a few necessities. Even an excursion for the simplest thing can be an adventure because nothing is familiar and usually isn't sold where you think it would be, or stocked on the shelf like you think it might be. And the labels don't help unless you can read Mandarin or Malay, so you end up resorting to pictures to tell you the story. Is this soap? If so, is it for clothes or the dishwasher? Why does this store sell dish-washing sponges but not dish-washing soap? And why doesn't anyone sell Q-tips?

Then, there are the labels that you CAN read, which doesn't really help when you're food shopping. Just what are "Kindly Eggs"? Do I really want to try "Mango Pudding"? How would I serve "Want Want Mixed Biscuits"? What beverage goes with "Salted Plums"?

I have been enjoying the fruit vendors a lot. The array of fresh, tropical fruits is mouth watering. Rose apples (my favourite), jackfruit, dragonfruit, honey Thai pineapple, grapes, oranges, grapefruits, loquats, cherries, melons, papayas, and a truckload of things I've never seen before. And any or all of these can be juiced for you on the spot, usually for around SD$1. Delicious. Oh yes, and then there's the durian. If you are walking around and you suddenly think, "Eew! Who opened a sewer grate? Where did that rancid garbage smell come from?". That means that someone, fairly close by, is cutting durian fruit. The stench that this love-it-or-hate-it fruit emits is the reason why many places have huge signs: "NO DURIAN EATING"! (Is that a durian in your pocket or did you just rot and putrefy from the inside out?) Being the culinary adventurist that I am, I'm going to try it. If I live, I'll blog about it.

My Massive Home Away From Home

I've been getting some requests for a view of my current accommodation.
So here's a brief walking tour of the mega-complex I'm calling home for the next little while.

Foreground: The complex housing the convention centre, shops, casino & theatres
Background: Hotel towers and Skypark
Left Rear: The Singapore Flyer - Gigantic Ferris wheel

My room, my floor, tower 3

This is one of my favourite features. When you enter the room, you deposit your key card into the receptacle and, automatically, the curtains open and the lights come on. And no more pesky "Do Not..." cards to hang on your doorknob. Just push the button.

First thing you see inside the room
is the party shower, big enough for 4 or 5. 6?

Phone by the toilet which means that instead of cutting short my conversation with Michael the other night, I should have just put him on hold and switched offices.

The main room. Unseen closets and small coffee area off to the left.

View of the lagoon from my window. Note Lion King and Elvis Costello on side by side billboards at street level.

Construction on, in and around the property continues on a massive scale. Below is what will be the art museum.

This is just a small piece of what will be a huge nature & recreation park on the ocean side of the hotel. Photo taken from my only visit to the Skypark so far.

I haven't included any photos of the Skypark because I haven't taken any and there are plenty of good ones out there already. Just do a Google image search or visit the Marina Bay Sands website.

As difficult as it is to wrap your head around the size of this place, it's twice as difficult to try to imagine the number of people it takes to run it. Think about it. Casino staff, convention centre staff, assorted front and back of house staff for the dozens of food an beverage outlets, room service waiters, bellboys, concierge staff, front desk staff, house keeping, laundry, security, cleaning staff, gardeners. Literally, thousands and thousands of people.

Because my security pass allows me to pass through portals that the normals are not allowed to enter, I have been to the staff areas in the bowels of the hotel. Row upon row upon row of lockers, a huge staff dining room, even a staff-only 7-11 store. The laundry is massive and they have the coolest system for staff to retrieve their dry cleaned or laundered uniforms. There is a long wall of narrow doors, each door with a push button code panel beside it. You punch in a number, presumably your staff I.D. or similar, or swipe your security pass and the overhead track behind the door rolls around to present your uniform at the little door which then unlocks for you. Fantastic.

We are allowed to use the staff laundry service for free, but it takes a good 3 or 4 days to get your clothes back. Perhaps I'll be washing my smalls in the sink.

I WOKE UP IN SINGAPORE

The strangest thing happened. I was very, very sleepy, so I went to bed. And when I woke up, I was in this sparkling megacity on the southern most point of a beautiful tropical island in the South China Sea.

But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Before I fell asleep, there was miles and miles to go. Among the simple tasks that needed to be completed...

Get my 2010 taxes as "done" as possible before leaving the country. Thankfully, I had supervision from Ivy.

And then the packing. Oy, the packing. What would you pack if you were going somewhere for a minimum of 1 year? How about:
12 button-down shirts
3 sweat shirts
19 t-shirts
6 pairs of shoes
22 pairs of underwear
4 pairs of shorts
8 pieces of various lounge wear
6 pieces of various work-out wear
4 pairs of dress pants
25 pairs of socks
1 pair of jeans
laptop & external hard drive
video camera & all cables/attachments
several months supply of contact lenses
various and sundry toiletries including, but not limited to, a stock of favorite shaving cream, facial potions from LUSH, favourite shampoo from BodyShop...
files with medical/dental records, employment pass applications, visa documents etc
yoga dvd's, meditation cd's
Oh, .... and the parka you forgot to leave in the car at the Toronto airport.

Then, just how would you pack all of that? Or, to put it another way, would you be willing to try to turn this

into this?

The trip itself, though 22 hours long, was mostly uneventful, but I did manage to jot down a few observations as I chased the sun over the top of the world...

11 p.m., Terminal 3, Pearson Airport, Toronto
Crazy. Tons of people. Full flight. Looooong line to drop drop luggage if you've already checked in via internet. Why is the line for people who haven't checked in moving faster than the line for people who have? Could it be the people with the vast collection of large moving-type boxes who look like they're immigrating back to Hong Kong? Finally reach the counter and make friends with the over-worked woman behind it. I mention Lion King. We become friendly. We work out a cheap deal for me to upgrade to Business Class. Suddenly, the long wait seems unimportant.

12:30 p.m. Departure Gate
There are twelve, yes 12 wheelchairs lined up for pre-boarding at the gate. Each chair is occupied by a tiny, withered, aged, Asian person. Looking at them, I can't shake the feeling that someone will fire a pistol and they will race down the gangway in a death match for the best seats.

1:30 a.m.
Depart Toronto. Dark outside. Spend 14 hours in my little biziness-class-lie-flat-coffin-bed/seat. I actually manage to sleep on a plane for the first time in years.

5:30 a.m.
It is not 4 hours later, it is 14 hours later. We have proven Einstein correct by flying into tomorrow. Still dark outside. Go to business class lounge. Eat. Again.Stare out into the fog as the sun makes a half-hearted attempt to rise.

What's with all the Asians wearing surgical masks? At times it's like being in a B-Horror Movie.

The muzak in Hong Kong airport is playing Mozart. ON THE ACCORDION !!!!

11:35 a.m.
The flight to Singapore departs on time even though it too is packed. Sadly, I am back in Economy seating, listening to the ancient, deaf Chinese guy yell at his wife. If I could understand him, it might actually be interesting. I spend most of the trip with my headphones on fighting oblivious twenty-something beside me for the armrest.

3:45 p.m.
Singapore Immigration doesn't even bat an eyelash. I present them with my passport and my approval letter from the Ministry of Manpower (yes that abbreviates as MOM) and they wave me through without even a cursory glance at my luggage.

4:30 p.m.
Arrive at Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
The front desk clerk seems pleased with herself that my room is ready. All I can think is, "I've been traveling for nearly 24 hours, we're waaaaaay past cocktail hour and there's far too much blood in my alcohol system, and you want to throw a little happy-party because my room is ready just before dinner time?" I still have enough editing power to realize that I might be tired and the teensiest bit cranky. The room is,....well.....what can I say. It's a hotel room. It's a nice hotel room, on the 18th floor of a stunning hotel, with a lovely view of the lagoon and downtown and the gigantic Lion King sign down at street level. But, at the end of the day, it's still a hotel room. I guess I'll just enjoy the perk of having someone make my bed for me.

I've received my schedule from the production office and someone must have really enjoyed typing my name because it appears all over the place for the rest of the coming week. *sigh* Two-hour session with the puppet people tomorrow morning to deal with the giant mask atop my head. In other words, I'll be getting my head screwed on right all morning.