OPA!
Now Playing: Elena Paparizou - MY NUMBER ONE
It's a sad thing that I missed the Eurovision this year. For anyone reading this who doesn't know what the Eurovision is, a) shame on you, and b) it's a now 50 year old song competition staged every year.

Ireland are the undisputed champions of Eurovision, having won it more than anyone else (including a stint in the 90s where we won it 4 times in 5 years...) The way it works is that the country who wins one year hosts the contest the following year. It's all very exciting, particularly the voting, which takes place after a (usually locally-flavoured) interval act that follows the performances of all the songs. Interval acts that stand out include the original Riverdance (yes! Eurovision spawned Riverdance!!) and Israeli transsexual Dana International performing the Hebrew Sabbath Prayer as a techno dance number....

Ireland's entry this year was awful, by the sound of it, and so we were booted out in the preliminaries (there are now so many countries in Europe that they have to have preliminaries to avoid an endless contest). Greece have been gearing up to win it for years, and this year, THEY DID IT. Elena Paparizou is just fabulous, and I'm so happy she won. Opa!

In a hilarious aside, the official cd includes a bonus track - the Australian entry. Australia were disqualified from the competition, on the grounds that they are not a European country....

:D
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: Madonna - Now I'm Following You.
To my stalker...
Catch me if you can!

Steel Magnolias
Mood:  lyrical
Now Playing: Madonna's American Life Album - Keeps Getting Better
Intervention

I got to save my baby
Because he makes me cry
I got to make him happy
I got to teach him how to fly

I want to take him higher
Way up like a bird in the sky
I got to calm him down now
I want to save his life

Sometimes it's such a pleasure
Sometimes I wanna tear it all down
It's easy to be lazy
And hard to go away from the crowd

I know the road looks lonely
But that's just Satan's game
And either way my baby
We'll never be the same

In the blink of an eye everything could change
Say hello to your life, now you're living
This is it from now on
It's a brand new day
It was time to wake up from this dream

Ups and Downs...
Now Playing: Stoned - Dido
Isn't it funny how people move on up and down cycles?

At rehearsal tonight for Steel Magnolias, I was reduced to tears. It's so sad, and there's a lot of drama underpinning the performances in this show. It's going to be excellent, and (I hope) quite cathartic for the ladies involved.

I've been very anxious for the past fortnight or so, up to High Do, but I'm calming down a tiny bit now. Going to go out dancing on Saturday night with friends.

Last Saturday was Ninagawa's Medea. It was absolutely fascinating, but extremely disappointing. I liked very little about it, but I have tons of things I can say and write about it. So that's good - something to keep me busy.

On the recommendation of a friend, I have been listening to Dido and Coldplay recently. Dido is just wonderful. Coldplay are a little too sad, but I like "Clocks".

I want to go to the cinema again. There's really late shows on in Tokyo, perfect for busy people like me - maybe I'll see another one soon, I hope!

I'll be waaaaaaaaaaaaaiting for youuuuu.....
Mood:  cool
Now Playing: Celine Dion - To Love You More...
I didn't know this, but apparently Celine's lovely song "To Love You More" was a Number 1 hit in Japan because it was used as the theme to a TV romantic drama here. Go figure...

I'll be waiting for you,
Here inside my heart
I'm the one who wants to love you more...
(Beats chest violently...)

It's really embarrassing, but I used to love this song so much... All the drama! She was wonderful at it...

And now I know why she's always accompanied by a Japanese violinist when she sings it...!

Mood:  sharp
Now Playing: Crazy for You
Swaying room as the music starts
Strangers making the most of the dark
Two by two their bodies become one

I see you through the smoky air
Can't you feel the weight of my stare
You're so close but still a world away
What I'm dying to say, is that

I'm crazy for you
Touch me once and you'll know it's true
I never wanted anyone like this
It's all brand new, you'll feel it in my kiss
I'm crazy for you, crazy for you

Trying hard to control my heart
I walk over to where you are
Eye to eye we need no words at all

Slowly now we begin to move
Every breath I'm deeper into you
Soon we two are standing still in time
If you read my mind, you'll see

I'm crazy for you
Touch me once and you'll know it's true
I never wanted anyone like this
It's all brand new, you'll feel it in my kiss
I'm crazy for you, crazy for you

It's all brand new, I'm crazy for you
And you know it's true
I'm crazy, crazy for you

English Grammar
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: Hairspray - the Musical
Paco is hilarious.

Bootylicious...
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: I've Got a Feelin' I'm Fallin'....
Sorry I've been out of touch...

I went to see "Shall We Dance" last Saturday with the lovely T, and I am embarrassed to say that I just loved that film. J-Lo is awesome in it!! Maybe it helped that the company was SO good, but even so. It was a very, very nice evening.

I had also forgotten how good french toast can be - a very pleasant surprise for Sunday brunch!

Monday, I was back in class, and then started writing a novel in the afternoon. (Perhaps I will post the first 500 words here...) I was interrupted by a crazy psychopath who wanted to talk to me about girls and Hitler. Ugh.

It's Golden Week here, with a series of national holidays, so on Wednesday Jim and I made the mistake of going to Kamakura/Enoshima, both of which were obscenely crowded. Nightmare!! Then I had rehearsal for Steel Magnolias, which is shaping up to be just wonderful.

Thursday I was in Azamino to have chats with Paco, which was hilarious, and then Friday I went to see a Noh-opera version of the Amaterasu myth in Ueno. I was invited by Kan and Akio, the producers of the Noh-Opera version of Macbeth I'm kinda involved in, and we had a very good time. Wandering in the rain through the enormous cemetery in Ueno was quite a surreal experience...

And TOMORROW, I'm going to see Ninagawa's Medea! I am so excited, I could lay an egg. Full report shall follow, obviously...

Ciao!

Desperately Fabulous
Now Playing: Britney - Do Somethin'


This show gets better and better and better and better.

It's awesome!!

The silliest photo in the world? Probably
Now Playing: AMAZING Remix of Mariah's new song. Who knew?!


How vain am I? Who cares?

HELLO to Tanya, who actually reads this...

:)