A little slice of pleasure

On a day when work was boring, the weather was dismal and my mood was low, there was this.

Served with a smile, some friendly banter and a beautiful message at the West Coast Park MacDonald's.

A simple Oreo Cheescake at a fast food joint can add so much happiness to my day. Am I just easy to please, or would it have done it for you too?

Pre-Interview for India Trip

On Sunday, the TV crew came to my house to do a pre-trip interview for the show, Mudhal Payanam, which I have blogged about before.

For the occasion, we gave the house a super thorough cleaning, even getting areas we haven't thought about before, like curtains and behind wardrobes (like anyone is going to film there!) But it was partly the excitement of a TV crew coming to my humble HDB flat to film me, which made us overprepare.

They were supposed to be there at 4:30 initially, but because of the freaky rain we been having, the previous shoot went longer. So they decided upon 5:30.

Then 6:00.

Then 6:30. Dust was beginning to gather. I was starting to panic.

Then 7:00. Dad and Hanan were getting antsy, so I started dinner, make-up melting and all.

Finally at 7:15, there is activity outside the house, the four man crew with a huge box of equipment turned up.

In a flash, they are set up and ready to go. I tell you man, 3 lights and a camera tripod sure take up a lot of space! There was hardly any room to move, what with 12 tripod legs, wires everywhere and about 7 people squeezing into a space meant for one or two!

In my excitement, I totally forgot to take pictures *slaps head*, but of course, you will see it all when it comes out on TV lah.

My dad had a lot of nice stuff to say about me - that I was not shy, friendly with everyone. Thanks Dad! That's why I love you. He also had a lot of interesting facts and trivia on the place I am supposed to go to. And his Tamil!! The beauty of the language really comes through when Dad speaks it.

Hanan said I was a wonderful mom because I bought him alot of Xbox games. Ugh. Hope they edit out the stuff after "wonderful". Otherwise, he was kinda shy and did't say much, but that's ok.

Otrie, of course had to really think hard for something nice to say, and in the end came up with how I get really excited about stuff, but lose the fire for it quickly as well. True lah, but don't have to say it on national television right?

Walau.

On the whole, I think the interview went well. We couldn't do any outdoor shots because we had "lost daylight" as the producer put it, so that's gonna have to wait till after the trip. Hopefully, by then I will be so used to being filmed that I will be a lot more relaxed and vocal!

More updates soon!

Oral examinations

For those of you who thought this post was about something else, shame on you.

This is, in fact, about that componenent of all exams in Singapore, which test your language skills by making you, read, converse and describe a picture. Students in Singapore do this in both English and their Mother tongue.

You see where I am going with this.

Hanan is taking his first oral exam this semester. In Primary One, they got away with a "Show and Tell" type deal, where parents had a chance to coach and train and practise with the kid. But in Primary Two, it's the real thing - sight unseen passage for reading, and a picture of some kiddie scene, like a playground or a zoo, to describe and talk about.

The English one should be a breeze. The Tamil one has us all nervous. I am kicking myself for totally wasting the last 5 months by not doing ANY reading with him. He is wondering why his parents are making him undergo this torture.

The oral segment of the exam is 20% of the final grade. I hope he at least clears 10%. Will keep you posted.

Peekaboo!

You know those clear bra straps that you insist on wearing with your tube, off shoulder, halter neck or tank top?

We see them.

You aren't fooling anyone. Except yourself.

Theatre Review - Blithe Spirit

For a play that was written in 1941, the themes of noveau riche eccentricity, petty jealousy and marriage are very current in the black comedy by Noel Coward, especially when translated into the local context as well as Wild Rice’s production was.

Harnessing the talents of some of the best known names in the local theatre scene, Blithe Spirit was as entertaining for the wit of the original script as it was for the localization of names, places, media and culture.

Blithe Spirit is about a writer, Charles Koh (Lim Kay Siu) who, seeking material for his new book, invites a medium, Mdm Arcati (Selena Tan) into his house to conduct a séance. The séance summons his ex-wife Elvira (Tan Kheng Hua) from the other side and the mayhem that issues between her and his current wife Ruth (Neo Swee Lin) is what makes up the bulk of the play.

A lot of the reason why this play worked is because of the stellar cast. Few people would have been able to give the difficult words and phrases in the script a natural flow like Lim Kay Siu and Neo Swee Lin. They brought upper class elegance to the performance, while still maintaining their Singaporean-ness, without the need to break into a ridiculous pseudo-British accent.

And little Pam Oei, as the Filipino maid Edith, invoked laughter every time she was on stage, regardless of whether she said anything or not, although her rendition of “Unporgetable” was priceless.

Mdm Arcati’s partiality to cucumber sandwiches and strange use of idioms helped identify her as working class with aspirations to “atas-ness” and won the empathy of the Singaporean heartlanders (i.e. me)

The local references not only served to bring home this play, which was written during WWII to cheer up the British. It also took loving jibes at issues close to our hearts like the quality of the local press and our ongoing love-hate relationship with maids. My favourite line was this

Charles: Ah, reading the Straits Times, I see. Anything interesting?
Ruth: (snaps) Don’t be ridiculous, Charles!

In the same scene, Charles is seen being friendly to Edith, enquiring if she has had breakfast and Ruth quips,” Don’t be over familiar with the servants, Charles. It confuses them.”

There were a couple of gaffes too. The follow spot guy just couldn’t keep up with Tan Kheng Hua and there were times when the light trailed behind her like a ghostly train. Swee Lin sometimes forgot that she was not supposed to see the apparition and stared dead into Kheng Hua’s eyes before she remembered who she was. And the most obvious one was poor Lim Kay Siu, tripping on a piece of debris and falling (rather gracefully) when coming up for his curtain call. The audience audibly sucked their breath in and slowly released it as he waved and assured us of his wholesomeness.

Blithe Spirit was a black comedy which would have left a local audience high and dry with its extreme British verbosity and dry wit, if not for the wonderful adaptation, clever pacing and occasional physical humour thrown in by the cast and the Wild Rice team of writers. Glen Goei drew out his cast all that they were able to give, and that is to his credit.

Watch Blithe Spirit with the heart of an English educated Singaporean, and you will enjoy it. Go expecting Noel Coward’s original masterpiece and you may be disappointed.

I do not like them, Sam I Am

I do not like numbers. I don’t mind random numbers that have meaning like money, or time or the number of drinks I have had the night before.

I mean rows and rows of numbers that need verification, checking against the source, and then given over to the scrutiny of someone else who can probably make a lot more sense of them than I can.

That seems to be all I am doing at work these days. Checking pricing against the original, checking it against other versions and determining if the number I am inputting is the correct one!

I don’t like numbers. If I enjoyed them, I would be a statistician, accountant or working in some bank somewhere. I have a Bachelor of ARTS for a real good reason. I am a creative, left brained individual, who can do the odd spreadsheet if required to. But looking at dozens of them on a monthly basis is just NOT MY THING!


Thanks for listening!

Tutoring Epiphany

I tutor 2 Seconday One boys - twins, who having accidentally found themselves relegated to the Normal Technical Stream,(which is the same as saying "Welcome to trade school"), are now trying to get back into an academic stream.

These boys are not dumb. I found that out in the first lesson. They have great lateral thinking skills, they are able to communicate ideas clearly, and have deciphering skills superior to some adults I know.

So I set about to find out why they were not doing well in school. A learning disorder, perhaps. Or maybe a weak foundation. It turns out the answer simpler than that.

They were suffering from the Running the Mouth Off Disorder. Ok, this is probably not the right term for it, but I have observed this in my twin cousins, and now again in these boys. These boys love each other so much, that they cannot bear the thought of one of them doing better and leaving the other, that they perpetually "dumb" each other down.

It can be something as innocuous as a snide remark when one makes a mistake. Or a sarcastic, "Wah, you so smart, ah you" when one gets an answer the other one doesn't. When one scores higher than the other for a test, almost immediately, I can see the higher scorer start slacking off or day dreaming, giving the other a chance to catch up, and to play down the poison darts being hurled by the other's tongue.

And all these, totally unconciously.

So finally I decided to call it to their attention. Mainly because that day particularly, it was going on for too long, and eating into our precious 11/2 hours. I explained to them that by constantly tearing each other down, they were contributing to their failure in their short term goals, and totally annihiliating their long term ones. I told about the "crab mentality" and how the power of life and death is in your tongue.

Finally I said I didn't want to have to hear it anymore. If you have postive, congratulatory things to say, go ahead and talk yourself blue. But ribbing, snide remarks and sarcasm will be punished by lines or something equally mundane.

And so it stopped. One thing about these boys, they really try hard. Once in a while I see one or the other have some smart remark on the tip of his tongue, which he swallows and looks at me beseechingly. I usually nod my encouragement. Acknowledging the effort is so much easier than having to constant check the wrong doing.

I don't know if they do it outside of tuition, or if are subject to it in school or at home, but every week for about 5 hours, they refrain and I hope that restraint teaches them something.

So often we tear people down by what we say. Parents, teachers, friends, no one is exempt. And we try and brush it off with a "Joking lah!" or "Why you so sensitive?", but truly, what you say can make or break a person.

A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue - Proverbs 11:12
It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. --Samuel Clemmens (Mark Twain)

Pictures from International Friendship Day

Hanan and Otrie, waiting for their turn to go on

Adjusting the mic

"Oh man, do I have to take pictures with (ewwww) girls??"

Hanging with the International set

Playing the crowd

An international cutie

And finally, the teachers that made it happen.

International Friendship Day

Today is International Friendship Day, celebrated by schoolchildren all over Singapore. Hanan’s school is celebrating it by inviting students of unusual ethnicity and nationality, and their parents, to share a little bit about their culture and customs. Hanan and Otrie are going to represent their African- American cultural roots by playing a jazz song, one of Otrie’s compositions. What’s unique about this song is that it also includes elements of Indian music like the tablas. To hear it, click here.

The celebration of such a day is indeed unique and a little forward looking. Unlike the interestingly named Racial Harmony Day, International Friendship Day actually recognizes and celebrates the differences. I suppose in tandem they are acceptable, but I wonder how much is actually being done to help students understand and live in a multi-ethnical society.

Actually, I think my main beef is with the term racial harmony. The concept of race is one that has grated on my nerves for a long time now, mainly because it boils down to “what colour is your skin?”, tossing aside all other influences of culture, heritage and tradition.

Case in point: When I tell people my husband is American, they immediately assume he is white. It never crosses their minds that “American” is a nationality, not a race. At the same time, the term African American is not very descriptive either. My husband has never been to any country in the African continent, neither does he have any known relatives there. (Note: He doesn't have a problem with the handle. I do.)

Similarly, when I tell my friends overseas that I am Singaporean, they assume I am of Chinese descent, until they meet me. They get even more confused when they see my name. But I can’t tell them I am Indian either, because, well, I am not. Indian is a nationality, not a race.

What is this obsession we have in Singapore with wanting to classify people into races? The idea of race, which stemmed from the deplorable concept of Eugenics should have died in the mid-20th Century, not followed us into the 21st! After the fall of Nazism, is there still a reason to say, he is different from me, so I have to protect who I am, but removing his ability to succeed or prosper?

Here is an interesting nugget from a website about a little known group of people, the Melungeons:
“Several years ago, the American Association of Anthropologists discounted the concept of “race,” feeling that it was an artificial concept devised to hold one groups superior to others in order to justify land theft and even genocide. The AAA prefers to discuss “ethnicity,” a broader measurement that includes not only genetics, but also culture, religion, language, etc.” – Wayne Winkler, 2004

I wonder when Singapore will reach the level of maturity and cultural acceptance as a nation to say, we are not interested in your race, but how you can contribute with your particular cultural heritage to our community.

Until then, people like Hanan Jimrai Barrett will have to try and fit himself into one of these 5 – Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian or Others.

He is in good company though. I bet if Tiger Woods, Dewayne Johnson (The Rock), Ben Kingsley and Keanu Reeves lived in Singapore, they would be “Others” too.

References:
MixedFolks.com
Melungeon.org (thanks to Betty Warner, my source on all things wierd and wonderful from West Virginia!)
The ubiquitious Wikipedia
Ministry of Education website

All the what ifs

It's quite interesting, preparing for the kind of trip I am going to take.
Not so much in terms of what I am going to bring to wear etc, but what to expect, and how far will be expectations exceed reality or vice versa.

I think about my one contact who is the only link to family (if that). How does he feel about this so called relative who is going to impose upon his time, his home and his family, to do something as innocuous as search for things he has known all his life?

I think about my friend, Hameed, who is producing this show, and the huge chance he has taken on my one link. If the link leads to a dead end, will we just make stuff up along the way? Will the "magic" of television be enough to fill in the gaps in my travel story?

My dad told me that my great grandfather gave up his comforts, his land and all that he knew to stow away on one of the merchant ships heading towards the Malayan Peninsula. This must have been circa 1880. A few questions have been in my head since then:-

1) Why did he leave? A sense of adventure? Some kind of trouble? Did he get some shy young temple dancer pregnant and had to run away from her father and his large machete? Or was it something more noble, like new business opportunities?

2) Indian merchant ships were going everywhere from England to South Africa back then. Why did he pick one headed to Malaya? I could have been a British or South African citizen now if he had picked a different boat.

3) What if, once landing, he decided to pick a local Malay girl as a bride? Indian girls must have been few and far between back then. I might have been Indian Muslim if he had made THAT choice.

4) What if he made his fortune and decided to move back to Sirkazhi instead of stay in Malaya? Would I have been a MSc from IIT instead of a BA from QUT? Or would I have given up education to marry a gentle Indian agricultural officer (farmer) and live out my days in quiet oblivion?

More questions than answers as this point. But it's humbling to think about how different my life would have been if not for my pioneering, adventurous great-grandfather.

He was, so I won't be.

At the cross,

He was made poor, stripped of all his clothing,
So that I will never be naked.

He was hungry and thirsty, with nothing but sour wine to drink,
So that I wil never know lack for food or drink.

He was beaten, lashed, lacerated beyond endurance,
so that my body will always be whole and healthy.

He was humiliated, mocked and scorned,
so that I can hold my head up high.

He wore a crown of thorns,
so my head will be free of worry.

His hands and legs were nailed into wood,
so that mine will be free to do His bidding.

He was cut off from His Father who turned His back on His Son,
so that my connection to God will never be lost.

He endured the fullness of God's wrath, like a fire from heaven,
so that God will never ever be angry with me again.

His side and heart were peirced,
so my heart will never be in pain.

Is this a Lamb, who made such a sacrifice?
Is this a man, who went beyond life to love someone?
Or is this God, who, desperate for his child, gave His all,
and shed His blood.

His name is Yeshua, Hebrew for "He saves"
And he is my Lord, my God and my All.

Resurrection Sunday Blessings to all!



About the picture: It is from a very cool site of Christian Art called The Light and Dark Series. Check it out here.

Random Things

I don't have alot of steady things to write about today, so I will just ramble on randomly and hopefully, it will be worth reading.

1) Happy Birthday Sangeeta!!
A big shout out to Sangeeta, who recently proved she is not only stunningly beautiful, but also uber smart, by getting a scholarship to do her masters in the Uni of Sweden!

Good on ya, girl! Go make us proud!

2) Congrats to Shalini!!
Yes, my little cousin (as in short) has kept the theatrical flame burning by bagging the role of Assistant Director in the production of Play, put up by the prestigiou Raffles Players. Ok, I dunno about prestigious, but she is excited much.

I will let you guys know when it opens, you ALL have to go watch it.

3) On a totally random note, Holland Village rocks man. I happen to be in the vicinity yesterday and was amazed by how much it has changed. Just the total wealth of new restaurants that have opened up is so spectacular. I decided to stick with an old favourite and had chimichangas at Cha Cha Cha, but man, the choices are mind boggling.

I was at Holland V, because I went to the Verite Production Studios for a photo shoot. They are doing this ultra cool opening sequence for Mudhal Payanangal (First Journeys), the show I will be in. It was fun pretending to be a model for a while. I tell you, it helps to have no shame whatsoever when you are doing these things. I cannot imagine how actors and celebs can say they are shy. Hello!! Don't bluff, can?

4) It's the day before Good Friday! Most people have no idea what the significance of this is, but Good Friday coincides with the Jewish Feast of Passover. Passover marks the day that God brought the Hebrew people out of Egypt (watch the Ten Commandments for details). On the night of the Passover, Hebrews were told to kill a lamb without blemish, and smear its blood on their doorpost. Whereever the blood is seen, Death would pass over that house.

And Jesus dying on the Feast of Passover signifies how he is the ultimate Passover Lamb. Christians beleive that once His blood is smeared on our doorposts (hearts), no evil will befall us.

Cool huh?


Ok, end of random post. Please resume regular life activities.

He is

He is

In Genesis, He’s the breath of life
In Exodus, the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He’s our High Priest
Numbers, The fire by night
Deuteronomy, He’s Moses’ voice
In Joshua, He is salvation’s choice

Judges, law giver
In Ruth, the kinsmen-redeemer
First and second Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles, He’s sovereign
Ezra, true and faithful scribe
Nehemiah, he’s the rebuilder of broken walls and lives

In Esther, He’s Mordecai’s courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms, He is our morning song
In Proverbs, wisdom’s cry
Ecclesiastes, the time and season
In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover’s dream
He is, He is, He is

In Isaiah, He’s the Prince of Peace
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
In Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, He’s the call from sin
In Daniel the stranger in the fire
In Hosea, He is forever faithful

In Joel, He’s the spirit’s power
In Amos, the arms that carry us
In Obadiah, He’s the Lord our Savior
In Jonah, He’s the great missionary
In Micah, the promise of peace
In Nahum, he is our strength and our shield

In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He’s pleading for revival
In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage
In Zachariah, our fountain
In Malachi, he is the sun of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

He is, He is, He is

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is God,
Man, Messiah
In the Book of Acts, He is fire from heaven
In Romans, He’s the grace of God
In Corinthians, the power of love
In Galatians, He is freedom from the curse of sin

Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant’s heart
In Colossians, He’s the Godhead Trinity
Thessalonians, our coming King
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon, He’s our mediator and our faithful pastor

In Hebrews, the everlasting covenant
In James, the one who heals the sick
In First and Second Peter, He is our shepherd
In John and in Jude, He’s the lover coming for His bride
In the Revelation, He is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords

He is, He is, He is

The Prince of Peace
The Son of Man
The Lamb of God
The Great I am
He’s the Alpha and Omega
Our God and our Savior
He is Jesus Christ the Lord
And when time is no more

He is
He is

Author Unknown

***
My sister Betty Warner sent me this yesterday and it literally blew my socks off. I hope you enjoy it as much. And if anyone knows who the author is, please let me know.

Mega Sunday

Yesterday was one of those Sundays where you cannot believe you squeeze so many things into one day.

After a long, long time, too long than I care to admit, we made it for Sunday Service yesterday. It felt a little strange making that familiar, yet long-lost trek down to Suntec and mingling with the ever-present crowds.

And of course no trip to Suntec is complete without a mind blowing lunch in one of the gazillion restaurants they have there. Our pick this week was Swensen’s, purveyor of fine ice creams and barely passable food. But this time, they really did a good job. Note Exhibit 1, the Mega Burger.


For a measly $12.90, you get a large tasty meat patty, bacon, ham, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, grilled veggies, all topped of with a fried egg! Otrie with his relatively large chompers could hardly get his lips around it. It was an amazing burger and super value for money, man!

Something weird about wait staff in this Swensen’s, though. Or maybe it’s just the insufficient training they received. The guy came over and asked us how our food was. Which was all well and good. So, we told him the burger was great, but the fries were stale, recooked and nasty. At which he SMILED and said “OK, THANK YOU!” and WALKED AWAY!!!

*looks outraged and incredulous*

If you were sincere about the question, why didn’t you do something about the fries?
If you didn’t care, why bother to ask?
If you didn’t understand what we were saying, why didn’t you ask again?

Please people, if the customer complains about something, try to fix it. Do the right thing! Be a man! (Ok, channeling a little Russell Peters there.) It’s customer service 101. It’s also common sense 101.

Fortunately my chicken salad was perfect, as was Hanan’s mini burger, so we left more satisfied then unhappy. By the way, check out the mega fork they gave me to eat my salad with.


After an amazing sermon by Pastor Lian, we went to pick Hanan up from Sunday School. He always looks as if he had been a participating in a triathlon after Sunday school. It must be the influx of the spiritual feeding. And the adrenalin rush of all those like minded 7 year olds tearing around. So while we are waiting for the bus the child is jumping all over the place. But the minute we get on the bus, and he finds a warm body to curl up to, the boy is out like a light.


It’s a good 45 min journey up north to where we live, so that’s a pretty good nap. Of course this also means that Otrie and I get home tired and Hanan is ready to start new, involved activities.


Last night, it was Monopoly. We just bought Monopoly- Star Wars Edition, and he was excited about playing it.

Ok lah, we all were.

And it was really fun too, because it somehow became a Star Wars Trivia cum role play session. And Hanan beat us both, man! He was collecting rent on starships (utilities), building hotels and what not. He played with the reckless abandon of a child and totally owned us.

And so ended Mega-Sunday. I hope we have another one next week. Have to break the finding-excuses-to-skip-church cycle.