the lion and the lamb

On Monday my dear wife is going for an interview at HSA. Anyone who knows her well enough would know that a post at HSA is like her dream job.She had applied a number of times previously but was not accepted. But I have a feeling that this time the outcome will be a bit different. Hope she gets the job then I will have a 'super duplex happy' wife. No hubby ever wants to have to face a 'superly duplexly unhappy' wife.

Got the awaited quotation from Mona. Seems all good, but we will probably still go look around for other interior designers.

Yesterday we headed down to Orchard for some shopping (for Agnes's interview on Monday). We shopped around a bit at Taka before going over to Iora at Wisma. There my dear bought 3 items, 2 tops and a skirt, coming up to over $100. Money well spent if she uses the clothes she bought in future when she starts to work. But I dun really know what HSA's dresscode policy is like.

Gonna check out the different rates and plans available for broadband, phone and cable tv by Singtel,Starhub,M1 and PacNet. Find one that fits our budget and needs. Be cool to have a wireless network at home so we can do our work. As far as TV goes Agnes is fine with free-to-air, but I lean more towards cable for my sports fix. And in all probability we will get a phone line fixed, although I do know of some people who manage to get by with just their mobile phones....

Movies I wanna watch:

RATTOUILLE (in cinema's now)
about a lovable rat - Remy - who constantly risks his life in an expensive French restaurant because of his love for good food, as well as a burning desire to become a gourmet chef. Obviously, this is rather far-fetched for a rat but opportunity knocks when a young boy, who desperately needs to keep his job at the restaurant despite not being able to cook to save his life, makes Remy a partner. The two of them learn to avoid the insane head chef, bring the rest of Remy's family up to his culinary standards, win the boy a girlfriend, and of course, produce the finest ratatouille in all of France!
should be a visual feast, and the smart humour does not hurt.

Hairspray (out now)
Set in Baltimore during the 1960s dance TV craze, a zaftig high school hair hopper, Tracy Turnblad, graduates from outsider to celebrity trendsetter and along the way she stars on "The Corny Collins Show," wins the heart of resident hunk Link Larkin and kicks down the barriers for black and white integration on local television.
A fun and positive movie based on the stage show which was based on the movie. Should be a fun one to catch. But John Travolta in a fat suit and in drag? Save us please...

Evan Almighty (out now)
Newly-elected to Congress, Evan leaves the city of Buffalo and herds his family to suburban northern Virginia. Once there, his life turns upside-down when God appears and commands him to build an ark. However, his befuddled family just cannot decide whether Evan is having an extraordinary mid-life crisis or is truly onto something of Biblical proportions.
Bruce Almighty this is not. But with animals and Morgan Freeman in it, it should be survivable.

Arctic Tale (opens 13th Sep)
National Geographic Films brings us a tale that unfolds in the North Pole. This documentary is a story about life, love, survival and all the natural action that happens in the Great North. The key animals are Nanu, a polar bear, and Seela, a walrus. Watch their mothers teach and protect them, and witness how they grow into strong adults, adapting to the vast changes that are happening to their environment
From the same people who brought us The March of the Penguin, so it should look great. Narrated by..eeks.. Queen Latifah, so you kind of know who this movie is gonna appeal to. Nowhere in the league of Penguins in terms of documentary value, but sure gonna be more fuzzy and cutesey moments to follow.

Think I may have ruffled a few feathers with my revelations in my post about Ant. I struggled abit with what to put in and what to leave out. To be sure Noel seemed none too pleased. The worst part about all of this is, as usual, the person responsible has put up a different face in front of me and in front of the lovey-dovey couple. Sometimes I wonder what she thinks of me and Agnes honestly, when I see how she goes about two-facing about the other 2 couples in the family. I do not respect people who say one thing in front of you and then do something different when you are not looking. And that is all I have to say about it for now...

Gonna have to clear the cages of the rabbits and hamsters. The rabbits one has been long overdue. I been unable to do so for various reasons and circumstances the last week or so. Hope to get down to it by tomorrow. And since I live in close quarters with the hammies, you kinda scent..I mean..sense...when they need their change.

Oh...lest I forget, Agnes and I are gonna have to go scout for lamps and fans for the home. So that when the contractors move in, they can do the needful. Although there is no real urgency to do it, we should at least look around and get some kind of consensus sooner rather than later.

Chinese Garden is having their annual Mid-Autumn lantern Festival again. Not sure if we will have the time to go, but will try.
Chinese Garden will once again spring to life with the annual Lantern Festival celebration. This year's theme is Lantern Fun-tasy 2004 where East meets West. It is centered on "Magical Disney Stories" and the "Legend of Journey to the West".
3rd September to 3rd October 2004
NON-PEAK Adult S$9.00
PEAK (Fridays to Sundays) Adult S$13.00

Luciano Pavarotti passed away at age 71 after a yearlong battle with cancer.
Amongst the luminaries in attendance were Italian Premier Romano Prodi, U2 lead singer Bono, U2 guitarist The Edge, movie director Franco Zeffirelli and former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.A testament to the broad appeal of the man and his music.
A celebrated Italian tenor and one of the most popular vocal performers in the world of opera and across multiple musical genres. Known for his televised concerts, media appearances, and as one of The Three Tenors, Pavarotti was also noted for his award-winning charity work, raising money on behalf of refugees, the Red Cross and other worthy causes.He sang opera in obscurity throughout Europe, but broke out after a performance with soprano Joan Sutherland.

The first of the famed The Three Tenors concerts was held on the eve of the final match of the tournament in which Pavarotti performed together with fellow star tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras. Through these performances, Pavarotti brought hits previously confined to the opera world to a much wider audience; Pavarotti further spread his influence with appearances in advertisements and concerts with pop stars. Unlike many crossover artists, Pavarotti always maintained his identity as an opera star.

Pavarotti annually hosted the "Pavarotti and Friends" charity concerts in his home town of Modena in Italy, joining with singers from all parts of the music industry to raise money for several UN causes. Concerts were held for War Child, and victims of war and civil unrest in Bosnia, Guatemala, Kosovo and Iraq. After the war in Bosnia, he financed and established the Pavarotti Music Center in the southern city of Mostar to offer Bosnia's artists the opportunity to develop their skills. For these contributions, the city of Sarajevo named him an honorary citizen in 2006.[18]

He performed at benefit concerts to raise money for victims of tragedies such as an earthquake in December 1988 that killed 25,000 people in northern Armenia.[19]

He was a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales. They raised money for the elimination of land mines worldwide. He was invited to sing at her funeral service, but declined, as he felt he could not sing well "with his grief in his throat". He nonetheless attended the service.

In 1998, he was appointed the United Nation's Messenger of Peace, using his fame to raise awareness of UN issues, including the Millennium Development Goals, HIV/AIDS, child rights, urban slums and poverty.[20]

In 2001, Pavarotti received the Nansen Medal from the UN High Commission for Refugees for his efforts raising money on behalf of refugees worldwide. Through benefit concerts and volunteer work, he has raised more than US$1.5 million, more than any other individual.[21]

Other awards he received for charity work include the Freedom of London Award and The Red Cross Award for Services to Humanity, for his work in raising money for that organization, and the 1998 MusiCares Person Of The Year, given to humanitarian heroes by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.[22][23]

all star tribute: