Rabbit Hole

Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize, RABBIT HOLE is a moving, honest and surprisingly humorous portrait of a family searching for what remains possible in the most impossible of situations.

Becca (Janice Koh) and Howie (Adrian Pang) are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking accident. Caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, recrimination, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage, Howie lashes out and desperately attempts to find solace in a counseling group; while Becca opens up to her opinionated mother (Lok Meng Chue) and brash sister (Seong Hui Xuan). She also secretly reaches out to the teenager (Eden Ang) responsible for the accident that changed everything.

Yet, as lost as they are, the couple keeps trying to find their way back to a life that still holds the potential for hope, laughter and happiness. Their journey is an intimate exploration of the search for comfort in the darkest of places, and for a path that will lead them back into the light of day. Directed by Tracie Pang, Pangdemonium’s RABBIT HOLE is a beautiful and bittersweet story of loss, survival and the life-affirming power of family.

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Disclaimer: As an amateur theatre-goer, my review will be put across in the simplest form of words and of course, with all honesty.

My best friend and I just caught this production by Pangdemonium, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good and non-preachy it was. We've been trying to be more supportive of the local Arts scene so we each chose a play to watch this month. I chose The Importance of Being Earnest while she chose Rabbit Hole. Honestly, I was skeptical about her choice because after reading the synopsis, it seemed like it was going to be something dark and depressing which I most certainly do not need anymore of because of the daily existence of it in my life already. Thankfully, I was proven wrong.

I should've added in the disclaimer my bias towards certain actors i.e. Janice Koh and Adrian Pang. Watched and loved The Pupil (Channel 5 series) solely because of them. The amount of chemistry they have is so apparent and that definitely played a part in how well they portrayed their characters onstage. I most certainly did not expect the intense emotions that would be expressed in a way that touched my heart. (Do note that I'm pretty much a hardass when it comes to stuff like that. It takes a hell lot for me to feel that much for anyone or anything in any situation.)

After raving about the immensely good acting, I shall move on to the plot. I believe everyone will find something to relate to, especially since the story is based on the power of family. The ongoing theme of loss and grief aside, expect witty and humorous moments that you will most definitely identify with from your personal life. It is precisely because I could identify with certain aspects of this play, that made the whole production feel closer to my heart. Also, I hate it when shows try to preach the importance of insert any form of life people preach to you about so a thunderous applause to Rabbit Hole that had a way of putting the message out there but not choking people with it.

Movies or plays rarely affect the way I feel or basically the way I am but there was a take-home lesson for me after watching this. I'm not going to say precisely what it is as I wouldn't want to affect your opinion and after all, everyone's feelings would be subject to our own experiences. For me, it was pretty personal so I hope it would be the same for you too.

Overall, it was a great night spent with the cast of Rabbit Hole. Would not hesitate if asked to watch it again.

Get your tickets here quick before they sell out!

P.S.- It is not okay to clap between every single act. There was this one person who kept initiating applause between acts which is disruptive to the play and so rude! And others just followed suit... There were phones going off too. Please educate yourselves on basic theatre etiquette before going for one and inconveniencing others with your lack of knowledge. Show some basic respect please.

♥ Fox-Out ♥

Whenever I encounter something too good, I've a love/hate relationship with it. I hate that I love it so much and in this case, I'm referring to Fox-Out.

Here's a list explaining the love, just because everyone loves lists.

1. After payment of my first order, I found out they were launching some cute sling bags the coming weekend. I've been searching for the perfect (and affordable) sling bag for the longest time and asked if they could hold my order till the launch of the bags, so I could merge the two orders together. Yixin, only the best Customer Relationship Executive ever, helped me with that. On top of that, she threw in an upgrade to express shipping because I'd already paid for registered postage. Pretty sure I was the happiest squirrel that weekend.

2. My combined orders arrived the very next day. Compared to other stores which take 3 working days just to mail items out, this is indeed very much appreciated. And also, let's not go into how efficient Singpost is.

3. One of my sling bags was unfortunately defected, so I immediately contacted Yixin with photographic evidence to ask what could be done. She promptly replied and offered an exchange. I sent the defected item back to them via registered postage and was reimbursed for it. Correct me if I'm wrong but most online stores don't usually offer reimbursement for exchanges. It's at your own expense and time plus they take the longest time to answer your queries such that in the end, the best option is to give up and deal with the defected item yourself, like it's your fault for buying it in the first place. I sent Yixin a big virtual hug to Fox-Out for being so efficient like an established online store should! They really live up to their mission.

4. Here's evidence of the level of efficiency Fox-Out has showed:

We are happy to inform you that the order with Order ID - **** which you ordered on 17 Apr 2013 has been shipped out. It was shipped out on 17 Apr 2013 

It is estimated that your order will reach you on the 17 Apr 2013 

Here're the items I've bought so far and believe me, I want all more.

Spring Fling Dress in Green
A bright pop of color to add to your Spring/Summer wardrobe!

Orient Express Top in Peach
Classy and subtly sexy basic blouse, I want it in all colors!

Vintage Crossbody Sling Bag in Oxblood
Perfect.

Vintage Crossbody Sling Bag in Black
Perfect.

Cat Eye Sunglasses in Black
Love the cat-eye that makes this pair of shades so unique!

Go Low Bandage Maxi Dress
I love EVERYTHING about this. Fox-Out please have this in more colors!

Floral Embroidery Romper in Mint
Mint AND embroidered flowers? I am sold.

Spellbinder Knitted Throwover
Brings out the bohemian in me. Major love here.

Has anyone noticed how hilarious these quotes on their tags are? Usually after reading them I just smile to myself like a looney. Wish I'd kept all of them!

Tag #fox_out on Instagram to get your reward points!

No pretty make-up on to match the romper due to too much excitement

Just received it in the mail and was so happy (look at that grin?!) so I snapped a shot and sent it to Darren immediately while raving. Evidence that Fox-Out can make anyone feel good.

When this was launched, I was still out getting a massage with Darren and I started hyperventilating because there was only one piece left for this and the Navy one. Have never rushed home so fast in my life. Whipped my laptop and card out the minute I got home and placed an order for this. This was the only time Darren was supportive in my decision to buy more clothes. He said I could buy all 3 colors if I wanted to but my closet is kinda bursting at its seams. I'm never one who only buys clothes based on a boyfriend's opinion but if he says it's nice, it means it's really nice.

Actually come to think of it, every time I browse Fox-Out, he seems to approve of my selections which is very very rare. As rare as a flying pink unicorn. Sidetrack: I always thought unicorns were real till about three years ago when someone told me they aren't.

So there you have it. My thoughts on where your next online shopping destination should be.

Shopping with Fox-Out is like shopping with a trustworthy best friend. The Fox-Out team is always there when you need them and it feels like they're available the full 24 hours a day ready to answer any questions or pack orders. For a period of time, I was ready to swear off online shopping locally because of the kind of service I was getting. Established stores were taking days to reply enquiries, mail out parcels, and generally just being too busy for their customers. Shouldn't customers be the priority of these businesses?

Anyway, shopping at Fox-Out was the best decision I've ever made. The team makes me feel important and appreciated as a customer and let's make that customer for life.

Dempsey Weekends

I used to dislike Dempsey Road sooo much because my parents loved going there to buy various pieces of furniture during the weekends. To my sister and me, that meant a boring afternoon spent looking at wooden furniture and trying not to get bitten by mosquitoes. Only in recent years did I realize that there's so much more to Dempsey than furniture and seafood.

There has been so much raving about brunch/high-tea places at Dempsey that I got so sick of the thought of going there. I'm not one for crowds or opinions of the masses.

However, I'm so glad that I decided to go for a massage at Spa Esprit and have dinner with Mel at House. It was such a lovely and quiet day spent.

The room was very clean and simple. The best part for me was the light smell of essential oils wafting through the air. I love essential oils and scented candles with a burning passion. Which explains the 6 Bath and Body Works candles I have sitting in storage right now, waiting to be burned. And mommy's plus my collection of essential oils. Ah love ♥

I asked the front desk for a recommendation of their best and was introduced to the House Proud Massage which's a combination of a classic massage and Tui Na, if I remember correctly. But in the end I chose the Back To Balance which consisted of 8 essential oils.

During the 90-min massage, I went to heaven and forgot to come back. The masseuse was really nice and polite, asking for my preference of which areas I'd like to concentrate more on. I know for a fact my neck and shoulders have a ton of knots which ache so much especially when I'm hunched over a table doing work. When she started working on those, I died for a moment on the table. She apologized for the pain but I told her to carry on anyway which was the best idea ever because right now, the knots feel non-existent! Also, the smell of the oils definitely helped in relaxing me further.

A point to take note of is if you're heading out after the massage, it's best to have the oils cleaned off you or at least exposed areas like your neck and limbs. When the lady asked if I wanted it cleaned off or left on, I made the mistake of choosing to leave it on which meant feeling oily for the rest of the day during dinner and shopping afterwards.

Came out to a nice surprise of hot ginger tea and pastries. Totally relaxed at the sitting area till Mel said she was on the way. Plus points for after-treatment service!

Another thing I noticed was how the front desk doesn't hard sell their products or service packages. I was observing how they treated all other clients besides myself and it was the same. For this customer who had a package that was already used up, she was just politely asked if she wanted to add on more services or leave it at that for the time being. There wasn't the whole "it's so much cheaper if you sign up now, it's a limited time offer only and it's really cheap so do it now now NOW!" I hate hard selling tactics so much because I'm currently experiencing it at other salons which I'm going to with every.single.visit. It definitely spoils the entire experience and leaves me feeling hella annoyed.

So anyway, the front desk very politely informed me of this introductory package which they had going on at the moment. I would so totally have signed up if not for how much I've already spent elsewhere.

Hanger steak, apple cider by the bottle, truffle fries

If you love red meats medium rare, do try the Hanger Steak. It looked like such a small portion at first but made me so full I couldn't even finish the croquette. Apple cider was so awesome at washing down the food. Love!

I love relaxing weekends.

Things I'd rather be doing

Partying my ass off

Look who was waiting up

You're so cute

I am SO gorgeous when carved in wood

That's what a pile of new clothes is meant for

Sending scruffiness off to the spa

I think we've found the perfect groomer for her. It's a freaking spa experience. Dental works, basic grooming, dead sea salt soak... I want it too.

Him cheating on me openly again

Look who got a pretty cute man purse!

Sister coming back from Aussie so happy to see the furry one

You're the perfect distraction

White collared sleeveless: H&M
Navy sweater: Forever21.com
Pants: FirstDay awhile back
Bag: Forever New
Watch: Fossil
Anchor studs: Forever 21
Necklace: Tiffany & Co.
Heeled oxfords: Soeurs at Cineleisure

New jewelry armoire which I love so so so so so much

Was so excited when this arrived! Immediately started fixing it up myself and luckily Darren popped by and did the later part of the heavy lifting so it got done faster. Extremely happy organizing everything which's my favorite pastime. The awesome thing is how this closes up to be a sleek full length mirror that I can take OOTD shots in. You would never imagine the amount of jewelry that's actually stored inside.

No longer do I have tarnished jewelry hanging on various hooks around my room and on my tiny dressing table waiting to fall off. I can now see everything at one glance and easily decide which accessory to finish off my outfit with. YAY!

Honestly cannot wait to have an actual walk-in closet of my own.

NEAT LIKE HOW I LUVVIT

My friend sent me this because I was cursing and swearing things about school ♥

Just another day in paradise

It's like I died or something. Half a semester into school and I've yet to finish yakking about my vacation.

Top: Taiwan
Shorts: Forever 21
Bag: Taiwan
Sandals: Cotton On

Went downtown to shop and had Korean/Japanese for lunch. This place is called Poppo and it's really really good. Thoroughly enjoyed my spicy chicken set!

After shopping, which meant buying every single dress in my size at Ally, we met Daddy for dinner at Chi-town. New Moon didn't disappoint.

This was the weekend we went to Fremantle. Gosh I love that place so so much.

Twist potato with garlic seasoning

FOOD FAIR I'M IN LUCK

What usually happens when parents ask me to pose for a photo

Feel free to use this as your desktop wallpaper T_T

What I'd do to be there right now

Jamabalaya crayfish pie fillet gumbo / sonofagun we'll have big fun on the bayou

Overexposed glutton

Main focus was the dog actually...

Not a good idea to re-visit vacay photos when you're right smack in the middle of a semester and dying because of so many different reasons.