Twenty-five

A quarter of a century has passed. It hasn't been a spectacular life journey, but I'm thankful for the experiences I've gone through.

I'm contented with the rather peaceful birthday I had, and I sincerely thank all of you for the warm greetings. :)

I don't need any celebrations on my birthdays. Peace and happiness in simplicity throughout the year would be more worthy than that. :)

Again, thank you, my friends.

Pasko na!

With the release of ABS-CBN's Christmas station ID, the Christmas spirit is starting to get festive.

Very heartwarming to watch the video, to see my favourite stars coming together. :) Because I'm a true Kapamilya. Haha.

But I still prefer last year's station ID 'Bro, ikaw ang star ng Pasko'. It was more catchy, and more meaningful because of the unity the Filipinos have shown after Typhoon Ondoy has wreaked the islands.

Sadly, I can't be there this Christmas. I miss spending Christmas with my friends in the Philippines. And now, I wish I could have a 'parol' hanging in my room.

Another busy week has passed

It has been a busy week, with my time packed with work, the shifting of the office, and being the tour guide and host to Tricia and Joseph.

This was the 2nd time Tricia has been in Singapore, and the 1st time for Joseph. They were here for a conference, and definitely to meet up with many of their friends here, starting from the legendary BHBH1, to BHBH5 and some other groups. I hope they have had a good time here in Singapore, just like how I would always enjoyed my time in Bago City.

It's funny when I was kept being asked if I am close to the people in Bago, and if I've been going back there often. I don't want to make it sound like it's something to boost about, I just want to cherish my close relationships with them, and keep it private.

There is nothing to boost about anyway, the things I've done for Bago, is nothing compared to the large-scale projects carried out by the various groups. It is a good thing that there have been groups going to Bago to do community service, and I'm glad that the group leaders have been making a continuous effort to keep it going.

I'll just continue with my small little ways to help Bago. I'll just keep on going back to Bago.

:)

Former Supreme Court

Went to the City Hall and former Supreme Court Open House last weekend. It was indeed an eye-opener, nobody would want to step into either of the buildings for no good reason. Haha. Actually, I have been there twice, 10 years ago, to listen to a court trial on a murder case. To clarify, I have nothing to do with that case. It was just out of pure curiosity. :D

I always think that the colonial architecture is one defining characteristic of the buildings, clearly reminding us of our history, their presence and significance further creating an iconic landscape in Singapore. It is a pity that the buildings have to give way to the new National Art Gallery, but I hope that they will keep to the existing interiors and retain many of the furniture.

The guided tour was very educational, the guide was humorous too. It has been a long time since I followed a Mandarin guided tour, I'm glad my language competency is still of standard. :)

Photography would have been more enjoyable, if not for the crowd. But I guess, I did come up with a photo I'm statisfied with. :)

The door outside the holding cells beneath the Supreme Court.

A very early morning

I was stirred awake early this morning, 15 minutes before 6. The house was quiet, and I couldn't get back to bed. I know there were things that were keeping me up, but my mind was blank. I was just staring at the ceiling the whole while. I was waiting for the alarm clock to go off, and I was frustrated because I could have slept for 2 more hours.

I was thinking to myself, should I just get ready for work, but probably that would be kinda freaky, turning up in office before the sun comes up. There are tons of work to clear for sure, but still, work doesn't dominate my life, or so I don't let it to be.

It has been a long while since the last time I got to read the newspaper the first thing I woke up. I miss the days when I have the luxury of lazing around in the morning.

Perhaps this was what I would have wanted, to sit down somewhere and do nothing. But I wish it wasn't in this manner. Insomnia would just make the rest of my day restless.

The months ahead don't look good. I wish.. for a holiday again.

Nothing

I'm exhausted.

The weeks have been hectic, work, kids and whatever else. I would very much love to have peace and more quiet time for myself, if not with close friends.

I just want to sit down somewhere and do nothing, think about nothing.

My beautiful home of Bago City

Many of you would have known that I'm very attached to my 2nd home in the Philippines, Bago City. A youth expedition trip 6 years ago has changed my life, I fell in love with the place and the people there. I can never have enough of Bago City, because there's so much more love, friendship and peace it can give me. :)

6 years on, I'm still in love with Bago City. I just came back from my 10th trip, and I definitely look forward to my 20th, or more.

This, is my beautiful home of Bago City. :)

Back from Bago City, for the 10th time :)

I'm back from Bago City, for the 10th time. :)

It was absolutely fun, and many firsts again. I am so glad to have my dear friend princess Sarah with me this trip, it was wonderful to reminisce the times we spent in Bago City 6 years ago (that's damn long ago). For once I could push away all the attention and avoid answering questions. Haha.

We went exploring 3 caves in Mabinay, walking through the caves up and down the stones and on muddy grounds wasn't exactly that marvellous, it was still a one-of-a-kind experience after all. We had photos taken inside the caves, and we ended up talking about the 'faces' that appeared on the photos and ghostly talks after that.

We were also lucky to be part of the action of releasing a giant green sea turtle out to sea. It happened that the fishermen in Puntaplaya accidentally caught the turtle in the nets, and the environmentalists were called in and the sea turtle had to be released. Our dear princess Sarah appeared on the local newspaper the next day. :)



We were also invited to be a judge of a poem recital by students in the Bago City College, which was actually the students' mid-term grading. I hope our comments didn't kill the students or ruin their grades. Haha.

And the Jollybee party! We managed to get the mascot to Bago City, and had a party for both children and adults! Haha. And I still don't quite understand why some kids (like my godson) are scared of the bee. It's so cute! I hope everybody have had a great time during the party. :)



This trip has been filled with lots of laughter, over the lansones VS chiku, the Jollybee party, and the SMSes between Sarah and her mum.

And one of the things I've learnt from this trip, or rather, trying to convince myself to believe in, is that 'everything happens for a reason'. If Tricia is reading this, I bet she must be laughing at it. Haha.



Thank you to everybody whom I've got to meet up, it was simply heartwarming to see you guys. :) Thank you for spending your time with us, for the treats, for the fun, for everything. And thank you Sarah. :)

I've fulfilled my wish to celebrate my 10th trip with a bang (Jollybee party!), what would my next trip turn out to be? :)

Hello Bago City!

Hello! Magandang umaga po sa iyong lahat! :)

Yes, I'm now in the Manila airport, waiting for my transit flight to Bago City. :) This will be my 10th time in my second home, and I'll celebrate it with a big bang (I don't mean it literally). Haha.

My blog has been dormant for quite some time, work has been hectic for the past few weeks, and will continue to be so. There's only 2 words to describe, 'mad rush'. I've been lunching-in for a couple of days, and even turning up for work at 8am yesterday just to make sure I could finish the important tasks before going on a week's break.

I hope this trip would be able to resuscitate my soul. Haha. Time to relax, sort of. I can't wait to see everyone again. And this time round, princess Sarah is coming with me! :D

And yes, I'm already becoming 3/4 Filipino, I have my own Philippines' HP number and mobile internet connection. How cool is that? :)

And till then, mabuhay!

Manila's bus-hijack

The tragedy of the bus-hijack in the Philippines has been making headlines for the past few days. There's no need for me to list out the details of what took place, and the so-called blunder the Philippines National Police had made.

In fact, I'm not surprised that the event turned out this way. I do not mean that the Hong Kong tourists on the bus deserve to die. I'm not taken aback by the incapability of the Philippines' police. The security system of the country is not without flaws. At times, I find it ridiculous.

I shall not comment on the actions by the police in this incident, but my experiences in the country would pretty much sum up my sentiments on the issue.

Take the airport for example. All travellers have to go through at least 2 rounds of security checks from the point of entering the airport premises to the boarding gates. Of all the countries I've been to (not that I've been travelling that much), the Philippines' airport the the most troublesome. So much so that I always make it a point to reduce my carry-on baggage and dress light, i.e. slip-on shoes or slippers, no belts, no jackets.

Security guards are probably one of the most employed jobs throughout the country. You see them everywhere. Every shop in a shopping mall would have at least one security guard on duty. But just look at them. They open the doors for customers, greet the customers, thank the customers for shopping. Don't that make them like any other shopkeeper or salesman?

The society has to play a part. Crime rates are high because the people are not educated, corruption is prevalent, the police are not doing their jobs. It is a vicious cycle that the country needs to break itself out of.

I once watched a Filipino news documentary, on the '10 lessons Philippines should learn from Singapore'. In one of the interviews with an urban planner, he pointed out that there should be a central control or system managing the country, or at least the Metro Manila. The Metro Manila is probably less than the size of Singapore, but there are 17 cities in the Metro Manila and they are run individually by their own local governments. Just imagine, if Singapore is divided into 17 areas and each area has its own management systems in security, traffic, economy etc. It would just turn chaotic. Which is exactly what is happening in the Philippines.

Perhaps I should cite an example. Airports should be built on areas where there are rooms for expansion, given the fact that the aviation industry is constantly growing. The Manila's airport is right smacked in the middle of Pasay City with skyscrapers surrounding it. There have been debates of relocating the airport, but the Pasay City government is not receptive of the idea for fear that it would affect its own economy and tourism. See the problems now?

I agree with my boss, it was just too unlucky of the tourists to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Such incidents could have happened elsewhere, anywhere. The matter was just made worse by the mishandling of the event.

Having said all these, it doesn't stop me from travelling to the Philippines. You would still go back to your home country even if such incident happens in your own country, am I right? Haa. My relationship with my Filipino friends is very strong, reaching out to the children is still what motivates me to continue with my voluntary work. I would just take extra caution when travelling alone.

The Philippines should realise that there are a lot more they need to buck up on, and may the 8 victims rest in peace.

December Rains

I have been soaking myself in December Rains since last night. No, I don't mean the rain literally, and December is still far away. I'm referring to the Mandarin musical 'December Rains' awesomely staged up by Toy Factory Productions, featuring the amazing Kit Chan, George Chan and Jeffrey Low.



《雨季》是本地经典的华语音乐剧，1996年首次登场，2010年再次呈献在观众面前。TOY 肥料厂以这部音乐剧庆祝成立二十周年，是献给所有支持TOY 肥料厂及本地创作的朋友们最恰当不过的礼物。

《雨季》的编剧是本地华语音乐流行歌曲教父梁文福，他除了动笔写出扣人心弦的歌词，也和创作歌手叶良俊一起创造《雨季》的幽美旋律。《雨季》的另一大卖点，就是把陈洁仪、田伟鸿和刘俊葳，连同梁文福的作品撮合在一起。



故事，简单地说，是个三角恋。这个爱情故事，充满着无穷的欢乐和持久的痛苦。设在五十至八十年代的故事，总离不开政治的变化，社会的动乱，年轻人的感情逃脱不了家人的干涉及反对。没什么特别，反正牵动人心的是剧里的歌曲。

我爱上了那首《请你告诉他》，歌词带出三角恋的凄美，主角对爱情的期盼与挣扎。果然是梁文福的创作。其实所有的歌词都很有意思，很佩服梁文福的创作天赋。当然也欣赏陈洁仪、田伟鸿和刘俊葳难以抗拒的歌声。

《雨季》从开场主角们对未来，理想和爱情抱着希望，到落幕感叹过去的幼稚，委屈和无奈，是不是在提醒我们，人都会犯错，都得牺牲，要学习走出那场雨季，才能看到雨后的彩虹。

欣赏一部好的作品，不只是体验它完美地呈现在观众面前，也应该了解制作背后的努力。







恭喜TOY 肥料厂及所有演员们《雨季》演出成功，就让我暂时沉浸在这场美丽的雨季里吧。:)

Song for Singapore

National Day is coming, once again the whole country will come together and feel the spirit of patriotism soar. I'm not 100% patriotic (you could tell from my declarations of love for the Philippines and the Filipinos), National Day is nothing but a holiday to stay home and rest, and watch the National Day Parade on TV.

The military parade, the aircraft flypast, the show segments, and of course, the fireworks, are a staple of the NDP. But the theme songs are the ones that connect the people to the parade, to the entire National Day celebration.

The theme songs started with the familiar tunes of "Count On Me Singapore", "Stand Up For Singapore", "One People, One Nation, One Singapore", and a few more. It was then in 1998 when a different theme song was composed for every NDP, featuring our very own talents. I find that most of the Chinese lyrics are much more meaningful, and some songs, forgettable. Ha. Of all the singers, Kit Chan is still the best. :)

Listing out the various theme songs here, and my favourites. If you want to feel patriotic, you can click on all the links. Haha.

1998: Home



家



1999: Together

心连心



2000: Shine On Me, 星月

2001: Where I Belong

属于



2002: We Will Get There

一起走到



2003: One United People, 全心全意

2004: Home



2005: Reach Out For the Skies, 勇敢向前飞

2006: My Island Home, 辛福的图形

2007: There's No Place I'd Rather Be, Will You



2008: Shine For Singapore, 晴空万里

2009: What Do You See, 就在这里

2010: Song For Singapore



Happy 45th birthday, Singapore!

Go go power rangers!

Does that rings a bell? :D

I'm sure children of our age (note that I used the word 'children', because we are still young!) would definitely know the show. It was the most popular and coolest kids' show on TV during our primary school days! Haha..

It was over our usual catch-up session and we were reminiscing our childhood days. Power Rangers came to our minds, and surprisingly, we could name out the colours and the names of the rangers! And their power morphers!

I would sit right in front of the TV every Saturday morning (it was on TV12 then), and watched the rangers fight against the evil witch Rita and the monsters. I can't remember for how many years I was glued to the show, but I could recall that from the inital 5 rangers (red, blue, yellow, black and pink), the green ranger joined the group, and who in turn became the white ranger. There were replacements to the initial cast as well, and then I had no idea what happened next.

Every kid would talk about Power Rangers. My class even had a 'Rangers group'. Ha. Yes, I was part of it. I shall not say which ranger I was.

I think there used to be some ranger toys around in the house, I supposed they were either being passed down to my younger cousins, or they are now somewhere in Bago City. Haha.

Children shows nowadays are overly matured, kids should have some fantasy and imagination! Despite how violent the show was, Power Rangers is still a classic. Just look at their animations! Haha! But hey, that was in the 90s!

Go go Power Rangers! It's morphin' time!

I built a camera

My blog has once again became a dead town. Haha. Was rather 'diasppointed' with what work has turned out to be, and not so inspired to write anything.

But thankfully, my Nikon baby has been resuscitated (expensive attempt, but still.. yeah!) and I'm back to photography. :) Has been taking photos on different occasions, e.g. weddings, performances, festivals. And I'm loving it. :)

And yesterday, I built my own 35mm reflex lens camera! Yeah! It took me almost 2 hours, trying to figure out the set-up manual which was in Japanese, and I almost freaked out when I thought I've stuck the mirror the wrong way.

I love the look of the camera, so old-school. Haha. Can't wait to play with it!

A very bad week.

I hate coming to work this entire week. And I think it would be the same for the coming weeks. Period.

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

Everytime when I hear this song, somehow it would make me happy. Very nostalgic. Haha. I hope it's not because I feel connected to it. It doesn't belong to my era, I was only a toddler when it became a hit. ;)



Then I chanced upon another rendition by one of my favourite Filipino acoustic bands (yes, I have mentioned it quite a number of times), which sounds nice too!



And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now~~

Stffy and Lionel's ROM

She was one of my confidantes during my high school days. Both of us were 'weird', we don't fit into the main clique. That's why we clicked. Haha.

It has been a good 11 years, for the both of us. :)

I'm happy for her, for finding her true love, and now beginning the next phase of their lives together as one.

Congratulations to Stffy and Lionel, Mr and Mrs Lim. :)



And thank you, I hope I've captured the beautiful moments of your special day. :)

Voyage de la Vie

Voyage de la Vie is a circus theatre production created in Singapore with an international cast. I was glad I was able to catch the show (thanks to the complimentary tickets) at the Resorts World Sentosa Festive Grand theatre, fulfilling one of my childhood dreams of watching a circus show.

Erm, I am not that old, by the way. Haha.



Sitting in the second row was a BIG plus, enhancing the thrills of watching the circus acts live. :)

Of all the acts, I enjoyed the contortions, the jugglings, the magic and the cloud swing acts the most.

I love the contortionist. He is a 16-year old Russian boy, but yet very charismatic. Haha. Love his hairstyle. I could be half as flexible as him, if I hadn't stop dancing 18 years ago, and still religiously do my Yoga. HAHA.

The juggler is just as amazing. Especially to a person with butter-fingers and no ball-sense. Like me.

The magicians fulfilled another of my childhood dreams to watch magic shows right before my eyes. I was, and still am, trying to figure out the magic tricks on stage. How did he cut his partner into half, and the partner could still play the piano with his legs on the other end of the stage??

Love how the white rabbit popped out of his magician hat. Classic.

The cloud swing act was exhilarating. She was like on a giant swing, reaching a full 180-degree swing up high near the stage lights. I dare to do the same thing, WITH the safety harness attached. :D

There was a moment when the arrow shooter swung his way into the audience, right in between my guests who were just a seat away from me. I think my jaws dropped at that instant. After the show, I asked my guests jokingly, if they had purchased insurance for their trip here to Singapore. Haha.

I had a good time watching the show, and I am glad my guests enjoyed it as well. Most importantly, I could cross out something off my list of childhood dreams. :D

Another one is leaving

One by one, people are leaving. For the greener pastures.

I wished that one day, I could be like Kuya Kim, and shout out, 'I love this job'.

Suddenly, I want to fly away again.

Dreaming of the TRY camp again

For the 4th time in a month, I dreamt of the TRY Summer Youth Camp.



I'm not sure if there's anything wrong with me, but I do feel a little distressed after every dream. I would be struggling, on one hand, trying to figure what was going on, and on the other, trying to fight the 'homesickness' that would strike as the day went by.

I find it unbelievable to have dreamt of the same event in such frequent manner. I told a friend about it, and she said, I should just find a job in the Philippines to ease the 'homesickness'. Then another friend said this (on a separate matter), 'This world is full of opportunities for the bravehearted'.

Perhaps I'm not brave enough to step out, just yet. Perhaps I'm just waiting for the right opportunity. Hmm.. right.