To Speak Charity Screening

Attended the charity screening of the movie 'To Speak' in United World College last Saturday. Tian Hong has written a rather concise excerpt and review of the movie. We were honoured to have Janne Ritskes, founder of Tabitha, to grace the event.

Thank you Uncle Freddie for the kind invitation to the screening. It took me quite a while to muster enough courage to introduce myself to Uncle Freddie for I am just too shy. :P If not for the need to collect the drink vouchers (intention was actually to ask for the ticket but there was actually none to issue in the first place), I would have remained anonymous.

At first look, uncle seemed to have been coping well, but I just felt that uncle was still trying to cope with Reuben's departure. As the saying goes:"Still water runs deep." When he was asked to the stage to say a few words, it was rather obvious that the emotions were oozing out of him, but uncle was strong enough to keep them at bay.

Love leaves a memory no one can steal,
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal.

How true. It must have been real hard on him, Aunt Patsy and Shimona - I think. Wish them well.

Didn't have the opportunity to speak with Aunt Patsy, Shimona and Tian Hong; I managed to remain anonymous to them. Apologies, especially to Tian Hong. But I do wonder whether Tian Hong realise that we did see each other in the eye. :P

Even though it was my second time watching the movie, I was still as touched by the story and Reuben's magnificent compositions as my first time watching.

The plight of Ratana and her fellow villagers aside, I think the one other thing one can pick up from the movie would be the need to seek other means to convey one's message. Craig (one of the Executive Producers) ingenuously illustrated this by having Ratana leading the other children, who all are tasked to fetch water from another village, to their parents' workplace, staging a little "demonstration", in the form of massaging their "tired" arms.

Would definitely get the DVD once it is available.

I must say that Reuben has not left us in vain for his works has in some way, helped the less fortunates. And to many others like myself, he is very much an inspiration. God has been very kind to us by sending this angel to us all. Thank you Reuben.

Ah well, contemplating making volunteering a career.

Goodness Gracious

The MRT train was more packed than usual due to the heavy rain in the morning rush hour. One gentleman, in his mid 40s, I think, boarded the train at Bishan MRT Station. Poor guy was he for he was being pushed from behind and was left with not much standing space. So, he politely asked this young lady, in her mid 20s, I guess, to move slightly into the carriage. This lady, who was busy with her mobile phone, looked up and without even making an effort to see if there was space for her to move in, replied immediately and quite rudely, "Uncle, there is no more space already!"

I suppose another lady beside this lady heard the commotion, and so moved in slightly into the carriage. Just one step, and viola, this gentlemen got a decent space to stand through the journey, that of course, is when this lady moved in subsequently.

See, it is never difficult to make a difference, never difficult to be gracious. All is needed, is to jump out of our own little world, be aware of the on-goings around us and take the little steps to make the day for others; it is a snowballing effect.

There is nothing so big to achieve to be gracious. Graciousness comes in little forms; so small yet so GREAT. And that is why I could not get myself to agree with one SM, then PM, quite vaguely in my memory, if I did not remember wrongly, that we need to bring in Arts to make Singapore more gracious. I can and will never equate graciousness with the inclination to Arts, just as academic achievements does not (necessary) bring about virtue and/or graciousness.

Graciousness lies within everyone awaiting to be released. Many a time, it is those men and women in the lower rung of the society displaying graciousness. Shame on us well-educated-so-called-Executives-and-Professionals.

I appeal for some self-reflection.

To Speak

Watched "To Speak" a few hours ago at Sinema OldSchool - one of the screenings for this year's SIFF.

The music composed by Reuben is really awesome. Even though I have heard all the pieces he composed for this movie prior to watching it, I still find it so different, so mesmerising is the dynamics of the fusion of story and music. I was quite surprised and delighted that they actually showed a tribute to Reuben before the movie which I thought I could only catch it during the Charity Screening on 26 April.

The story is good and it sure made me ponder quite a bit on humans - the thoughts, mentality and behaviour.

Saw Kai Hong, Allen Poon, Yi He, Leonard, Darren and a few others whom I do not know their names, yup, Reuben's fellow Dragon Boaters, at the screening. And my did I have the most awkward first face-up-meet-up with Kai Hong. I was struggling to find something to converse with him and my body language was at its worst forms - I think. And I thought I noticed some uneasiness in Kai Hong. The whole thing lasted no more than a couple of minutes. Duh! I should have remained anonymous. Then again, I think it was nice that we met; a new "friend" is always better than a new enemy.

Hahaha......not really a FRIEND yet I think.

Oh, Shad-up!!!

Please, don't put the blame on the adorable child.

Yes, he may be a little noisy at times with his own fascinations but shouldn't the mother realise she is making more din than her child?

Just SHUT-UP and the decibels will tumble down, dramatically.

Charity

Had wanted to blog about this thing which happened on Friday but haven't got the time. After having read Mr Miyagi's entry on "Enterprise" a while ago, the more I thought I should say something about this.

See, this teenage girl approached me at Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange, explaining to me the charity ticket she was trying to sell and the situation was very much what Benjamin has mentioned in his blog, that "something something ex-convict, something something....", which I could barely make out. I requested to take a further look at the so-called authorising memo she was holding on to and couldn't helped but find it not substantial enough to indicate that she was authorised by the relevant authority(ies) (so said to be a member of NCSS) to sell the tickets to the public. That memo was merely one prepared and undersigned by the so-mentioned social service organisation. I did a brief comment that I was expecting to see a police permit instead even though I wasn't too sure it is the right document for her to have; well at least I recall we needed a police permit to sell movie tickets to the public for our fund raising movie screening back in my polytechnic days. I was quite doubtful but something just brushed this doubt aside making me decide to get one from her. My, she actually wanted to sell me 2 tickets which I turned down, indicating I'll just get one.

When I finally boarded the bus, this girl also boarded the same bus with her group of friends, who apparently were also selling those tickets. Surprise, surprise.....I actually saw one of them filling up a time sheet and the time sheet was letter-headed as D****** Marketing or something like that. I also overheard that they actually needed to meet some sales quota!!! So they were PAID to sell the charity tickets!

Quite some time back, there were people questioning such pay-to-sell-charity-tickets activity, questioning the actual amount of money going to the intended charity / social service organisations when it made news. The authenticity of such activity was also discussed.

Yup, it did occur to me for a split-second-moment then that it could be a scam, or as what Benjamin has put it - a con in action, but finally brushed it aside. I was probably in a good mood to not turn it down, just probably.

Oh MiGosh!!!

Gosh! Now that I have the bandage removed, I can see how badly injured my right knee is.

The sinseh first did some acupuncture then inflicted some small wounds with a needle......well, at least I think she was cos I was lying down and could not see what she was doing to my knee. She then did cupping on my knee with the help of a suction pump which normal consumer cupping instruments can't manage.

And anyone who has done cupping before would know what it means to see "bruises" after cupping. Holy-Gracious, my whole knee is covered with those "bruises".

Never expected a 7km jog could have done this to me...well, that's after 10 over years after my last such long distance run to speak of.

No matter. Once the right is done, then the left, and I should be up and running again.