Alv's Álfheimr

The day did not exactly started off smoothly. Considering waking up 15 min later than usual and running after the bus isn’t my idea of a ‘beautiful morning’.

The day, though didn’t really started off without a hitch, did however ended on a much better note than the morning. Reason being, I will be watching my first theatre performance at the DBS Arts Center and to finally own a piece of musical which I have been looking for 2 years.

Coming from a choral background, most of the performances that I watched were Choral based. But a play? ‘That should be interesting’, was the first reaction that came to me when Clarice asked if I was interested in ‘Death and The Maiden’. Since the synopsis was pretty invigorating, I agreed.

‘When a stranger comes to the home of a wealthy couple to seek help, the wife immediately believes him to be the man who tortured her many years before. Recognizing him only by the sound of his voice, she begins a disturbing sequence of events that will enable her to take revenge.

However, things are not all they seem and we begin to question both the wife’s sanity and the stranger’s supposed guilt.’

‘To forgive and forget, to make a decision to continue with your life having no regrets, is to reach closure. But can anyone really forget? What does ‘closure’ mean to someone who’s wound are deeper than the eyes can see?’ Extracted from the director’s message.

Earlier in the day, I spent 20min on the phone with the Translink people, figuring out a way to get there from Boon Lay. Verdict was to take train to Red Hill and transfer to 64, which will stop in front of UE Square before taking a 10min walk to the theatre. But we ended up at Tiong Baru Plaza for dinner, where dreams are fulfilled and pockets are burned.

THAT CD SHOP. It was located at a strategic position, luring its patrons in with its jazzy, contemporary new age mix classics, which was blasting off the store’s speakers. Out of curiosity, we walked in.

Earlier on the train, we were going through the RENT musical and its songs. Without a doubt, it’s a spectacular extravaganza. Its songs are simply addictive, though the content of the show may turn you off.

I took a quick tour of the shop before asking the sales reps if they had the soundtrack for Aspects of Love. After a few mouse clicks and keys punched, they had. She led me to the soundtrack shelf and begun running through the titles. As I was waiting, a bright red colored CD caught my attention. ‘Familiar design,’ I thought. ‘Wait. It’s RENT! R-E-N-T, RENT!’ Clarice was flabbergasted when I handled her the CD. It seems like she is not going to leave the store without it. Right beside the RENT CD, was Aspects! I took it off the shelf and asked if I can take a look at the booklet. Apparently it’s the London Cast Recording. According to the sales reps, the Aspect soundtrack had only a copy or two the most in each outlet as they hardly import them due to its ‘unsellability’. Right then, I knew I had to make up my mind. Its either I get it now, or I get it some other day, running the risk that the few copies may be gone. (Yes, I know it can also be the sales rep’s trick, bluffing me about the low supply)

But since I have been hunting for it for the past 2 years and I will be watching it at Drama Center Theater on the 6th, other than burning a big hole in my pocket, there is nothing else that is going to stop me from bringing it home. Likewise for Clarice, she was told that the RENT soundtrack had been selling well recently (most probably due to its movie release last month) and she is sorta crazy over it as well.

Yup, you’ve guessed it. In less than 15min, we are the new proud owners of RENT, and Aspects of Love soundtracks. (Much to the delight of the sales reps)

I shall now OFFICIALLY declare a state of bankruptcy and can only afford to eat nothing but bread for the next couple of weeks or even months. Why? Hmmmmm, that is because I have been spending like an extravagant brat since my exams ended, and if my mum finds out, I will not only be brutally murdered but also be buried without an intact corpse.

Yea well, on the whole, a lovely 26th April.