Thank you Mom

"Thank you Mom for being such a good role model of what a supportive wife should be'. This brought tears to my eyes when an ex-colleague gave her impromptu speech at her wedding a week ago.

Tonight, everyone stared and watched as a man suffering from hemiplegia, no doubt having suffered from stroke, tried his best to navigate between the hawker centre tables, inching his way forward, cane in hand, body almost at a right angle, able side dragging his body along, looking for a seat wide enough for him to slide onto. I turned to my mother wanting to ask her if we should go over and help, but she was gone, already making her way to him.

"Uncle, you sit. Would you like me to help you order your food?"
"Mmmmuurgh.."

He had lost his ability to speak.
He had to gesticulate

He points to the Chwee Kwey stall.
"Chwee Kwey? Ok. How many you want?"
He holds up 3 fingers
"3 Chwee Kwey? You want chilli?"
He sticks out his thumb. Good.

"Thank you Mom, you have been my role model from whom I have learnt what having compassion truly means."

My Mus(e)ic

What I would give to go here.

If only just to see the premier of Heima.

Then again, anywhere's better than here right now.
How was your weekend?
Mine was too bloody short.

Bedtime Stories

Very often, it's the simple things

WATCH THIS!

Dear Miss South Carolina, for the love of God, its not 'THE' Iraq... among many other things.

Heima...and yet again I ask, when will I go to Iceland?

From EMI Records on You Tube: Sigur Rós break their two-year silence to release their first-ever film and a companion album later this autumn. Filmed over two weeks last summer when the band undertook a free tour of Iceland, 'Heima' stands as a colossal labour of love - not to say grand folly - typical of this most exacting of bands. While most people set up a few cameras at, say, a festival, and call it a DVD, Sigur Rós decided they would push the boat (bus and plane) out for their debut venture into live film, hauling 40-plus people round 15 locations to the furthest flung corners of their homeland to create something, well, inspirational. On their way they went to ghost towns, outsider art shrines, national parks, small community halls and the absolute middle-of-nowhere-ness of the highland wilderness, as well as playing the largest gig of their career (and in Icelandic history) at their triumphant homecoming Reykjavik show. 'Heima' (Icelandic for "at home" or "homeland"), truly, shows Sigur Rós as never before.

'Heima' receives its worldwide premiere on September 27th at the Icelandic Film Festival and a run of national premieres at film festivals all around the world follows including a UK premiere (full details soon to be announced). The film will then receive a nationwide UK release in selected cinemas across the UK.

On November 5th 'Heima' will be released as a Special Edition double DVD package with a 104-page book containing stunning photos from the tour. It will also be released as a standard 2-DVD set. The first disc of both packages features the 'Heima' film, with a choice of a 5.1 surround sound or pcm stereo mix, whilst the second DVD will contain the full performances of each song in the movie amongst many other extras.

Watch the Heima Trailer. I promise, in under 4 minutes, you'd want to go to Iceland too.

What if?

The one priceless thing has resulted from joining facebook (apart from getting to build my own zombie army), is having the opportunity to get in touch with some of the St. Leonard's Alumni. Girls with whom I attended boarding school with, an old palace with narrow corridors, a chapel and a lake, a place where we were schooled in the finer points of poise, manners, drugs, alcohol and the british accent. The 2 years where I found freedom from the shackles of the Singaporean education system and the shackles of growing up in a protective asian home. I remember the bright eyed wonder when I went for my very first Medical School interview at King's College, how I snuck into the medical library and relished the smell of old books as I stood in awe of the magnificence of the place. 10 years on, I still remember that very day.

(Some pictures from the facebook alumni group)
Prize Day 1999: Where I got my name put on the brass music cup for being deputy head of music. It was by default really, because only 2 of us were pursuing a performer's cert in piano. Obviously I never finished it, hence DEPUTY head. The only achievement I had to show for extracurricular activity in my 2 years there.

Sister Jean our headmistress

Photo from a reunion a year ago. Mr Bennet (2nd from left), came to teach at St. Leonard's when we were nearing the end of lower 6th. I think he taught lit. He used to be hot. I do not know what happened.

I have always wondered what it would have been like had I chose to stay on in England to pursue a tertiary education.
I am sure I would have turned out differently.
I wonder, how different.