Yup, back.

So, December was of course hectic, as usual. And this time, I did not have any one to help me with the company annual lunch. Except for Mala, and Sam, to help me in the occasional desperate situation to complete the task for the day. 2006's annual lunch was, for one, a lunch, we usually have dinner. And secondly, it was kept simple and fuss free, without a Lucky Draw, but instead a wish list for the staff, where everyone gets what they wished for. The have to tell me and I shall try to be Santarina. Of couse, with a budget tagged to it la. I got my long awaited digital camera, finally! A Kodak. Hope it proves its worth.

Then there was the pleasant surprise of a last minute drop out situation, where Llew needed singers for his place, The Attic. Janet, Vivian and I performed there, with another guy called Ben Chew, on Dec 17th. It was part of the Open Mic Series Llew has on certain Wednesday nights at Attic. It was my first pure solo showcase la, with me singing songs THAT I WANTED TO SING, not what other people thought I should, or wanted me to, sing. Sang Summertime, Big Spender, Santa Baby (to keep up with the season; LOVE this song!) and You Learn (Alanis). All in all, I think it was not thaaat bad la. I hope I did not screw up the classics so much. I was just myself. And people responded, positively, so good. Recorded the show on my digital camera... hehehe... and also on my new MP3 player (my attempt at moving up in the techno department). Janet and Vivian did well too. Janet had the balls to go on first, Vivian was 3rd after Ben, and I had the balls to go on last. So I guess we both have balls la Janet. Go read

her blog

on the concert. We rounded up the night with Viv and me doing Bugle Boy with Llew standing in as the third 'Sister Andrew' on piano and harmonies. It was a fun and refreshing change from our acappella version.

Then of course, in all the flurry, Fancy Poultry were in the midst of rehearsals for our Christmas eve show at Bangkok Jazz. Yes. We did 2 45 minute sets. The crowd got boisterous as the night wore on, and by the time we had to count Christmas down, we were battling between the crowd shouting, Vivian shouting, the band playing, the stupid party blowers they were blowing, and that gadget that makes a cricket-like sound when you turn it round. And B'kok Jazz is a small place. So... it was a challenge, but they listened to us, and responded, positively too. Especially after Vivian did her "Who can shout louder? Me or you?" contest between herself and the audience... I think we managed good banter between them and us. I reminded all to try and keep it as informal as possible. No need to be so rigid and kayu. Be relaxed so that people will relax with us, and enjoy. Of course at the same time mantain focus la. So I think it worked, my little 'talk' before we went on.

The show was a good learning experience, for some more than others. The band, Gruvavenue, consisting of Jason on piano, Vincent on bass and Martin on drums, was good. Thank God. So we had good support. We sang mostly Christmas songs, like It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, Little Drummer Boy (our beatbox acappella version), Frosty The Snowman with a 'minor' twist, among others, with some Fancy Poultry standards like our Bugle Boy and Chattanooga Choo Choo. Only four of us did this show. James (his comeback gig), Wei Na, Viv and me. Sun Sun, the one who got us the gig, gave us all a gift after. Maybe she will collaborate with us again in the future... just maybe. Now if only I can get some feedback from her... Will post up pics and maybe a recording of the show on the

Fancy Poultry blog

soon. Ya I know, already January ya ya...

Only then could I begin to relax... a little. The rest of December was me rescuing cats and dogs, and fostering two of them. Simone the little kitty is still with me. Then there is Crusty. Will update on

The Animal Ark

on this one.

Now it's back to concentrating on Ensemble, Ensemble and more Ensemble. Throwing ourselves into it with all our energy. In the midst of sourcing and discussing the plan for the year, what productions, plays to choose, etc. So have to do a lot of reading. A LOT. Watch our space at

www.klensemble.com

for our programmes for the year. Also, we will be opening up our Saturday Theatrical Biomechanics sessions to the public. Theatre practitioners, students, or anyone interested in challenging your body, mind, focus, and pushing your boundaries of awareness, can come and pay for a drop-in class. The class lasts 4 hours, 2pm to 6pm every Saturday. Tomorrow, our Commedia Dell Arte workshop begins. 3 days of training by this guy Marco Luly from Luigi Dell Arte in Italy, one of the few specialists around. We are lucky to have him drop by KL to conduct this workshop. This kind of theatre is closely related to what we train in terms of physical theatre, mime, usage of masks and so on. Details on the website too. Now to do more reading...

Later now.