Excuses

Just like that, the season for mid-term exams are here.

Some subjects appeal to me more than others, naturally. So the drive to prepare for a subject like Geology is somewhat an uphill task. Each time I tried to get past a few pages of notes about rocks and minerals, my Heart comforted me, "You totally deserve a small nap for trying."

Even my Brain agreed.

As a team, we didn't get too far today and the anxiety levels continued to rise... until, a classmate clarified that I was mistaken with the dates and there was no exam tomorrow.

We learned a lesson: luck sometimes favours procrastinators.

~ ~ ~

My latest classical music crush is Karthik Iyer.

The genius of this guy can be seen around t = 6:20.

He's incredibly talented. His music takes me to other worlds and has the same effect on other fans too (judging by Youtube comments). His Youtube videos also take up a significant portion of data allowance from my monthly broadband connection. He makes me believe (falsely) that I can play like that because it looks so effortless when he does it. He makes me want to pick up my violin again.

I am hopeful that someday I'll have a stroke and wake up being able to play like this, similar to reports of the foreign accent syndrome where people develop new accents after a stroke.

The Departures Terminal

And just like that, February creeped up upon us.

Shu was quite occupied the last few weeks in a string of social commitments, from playing host/ tour guide to a young traveller to bidding farewell to three friends who left the country to catching up with her closest pals. Meanwhile, she's also had a life-changing shift in her daily routine...

For someone who has voiced out the challenges of associating with extroverted friends, I ought to be more grateful for the bountiful opportunities that come while being in their association. One day while taking the bus with my colleague, I was introduced to a staff from the Human Resources department. Left to my own, I would have looked in the opposite direction of fellow passengers, plugged my earphones and gazed out of the window dreamily at the trees and clouds and people passing by. But on this day, I was forced to make an effort to socialise with the new acquaintance, during which time I learnt there was a company sponsored bus meant for expats working on special projects, about 7 bus stops away from my house. Soon after, I inquired further and got an exception to take it. This arrangement has given me not only financial savings and convenience, but also an extra 1.5 hours in the day equaling to an additional 9 hours in my week, which is pretty awesome! Now my routine looks like this:

5:00am - Wake up, have tea, make breakfast and get ready for work
5:55am - Leave the house and walk 2.5km to bus pick-up point while investigating celestial objects in the pre-dawn sky with Google Sky Map (or just take a quick 10-minute public bus ride if I don't feel like walking 3900 footsteps for exercise)
6:30am - Get into the company sponsored transport bus
7:00am - Arrive at work
5:00pm - Leave work
6:00pm - Arrive at home (on days without social commitments)
10:30pm - Go to bed (on days without social commitments)

The bearings of my office transport in relation to my apartment are (it's cooler to think of it this way):
Follow Venus until I pass 3 gas stations, then with Venus on my left, follow the Crux constellation until I arrive at a small white bus filled with sleepy zombies dressed in white coveralls.

 

Early morning notes: Venus and Saturn are in view these days, but Saturn's too far away to distinguish from other stars without a telescope. Venus, on the other hand, is hard to miss.

Hurrah!! Now my evenings are enriched with reading books, watching TV, playing games on the xbox, blogging and having home-cooked dinner. I even took out my dusty violin yesterday, tuned it using a phone app and attempted to play a few familiar tunes! My violin playing skills have degraded with time but it felt good to be reunited with the instrument.

~ ~ ~

Going to the same school for the first 15 years of my schooling life had its perks. I grew up with friends and teachers who were part of my life for extended periods of time, giving rise to several fulfilling friendships that I maintain to this day. Not only that, I've been lucky to have several mentors who took a special interest in teaching me, guiding me to better places and unknowingly shaping me to what I've become (apparently, a caterpillar who blogs when she is not working!).

I had a Mathematics teacher who taught me from Grade 6 all the way up to A/Ls. Her classes were very entertaining. When she was around, the boys in class got extra cheeky and brought out their comical sides. She was a short-haired, smart, upbeat, loud, eccentric, fun-loving, kind-hearted being with the gift of reaching out to children with various personalities, most notably, the ones with special needs like bullies, lost sheep, the troubled ones and the weird ones. She tutored many kids at her home for no cost just to help them pass exams and I benefited a lot from this kindness and generosity. I figure that her super power of reforming kids was that she gave them a chance to be heard before attempting to throw in any elderly advice. In return, these kids grew to trust her, respect her and allow themselves to be guided by her good advice. I still try to make time to visit her whenever I go home and it seems she hasn't aged a day! I suppose being with youngsters all the time keeps you young at heart.

I think being a teacher is a sort of investment. Apart from being able to change many lives for better and basking in the satisfaction of having done so, the "seeds" (which are the students, in this case) that germinate disperse far and wide, often creating waves of positive change themselves. The exceptional teachers will always be dearly remembered and have an army of grown up ex-students around the globe.

The young traveller I had to host was the daughter of this teacher. She was on a university semester break and was sent to Singapore by her mother who assumed that Shu could be trusted with the job of keeping an eye on her precious 23-year old. It was her first ever overseas trip. I prepared in advance for her arrival making lists of instructions for her to follow and stocking up on food supplies, taking her multitude of allergies into consideration. The only thing we could not get rid of completely was Ginger.

Thankfully, the girl was smart and independent and managed well on her own during the day. Every evening after work, for 5 days, I met her and took her around like it was my second job being a tour guide. One evening, I caught her high as a kite and awfully chatty (a lot chattier than her usual self). On inquiring further, I learnt that she had an eventful day where she met a roadside guitarist who had serenaded her with a beautiful song, met another traveller with whom she had a nice chat and then gone on to take a relaxing boat ride along the Singapore River to see the city's splendour by night. It brought back warm memories of my solo travels in Paris. Tiring as it was, this streak of touring around the prettier places of Singapore during Chinese New Year was a welcome change for me.

 Traditional Chinese music to depict the onset of a New Year

The famous Clark Quay of Singapore with its happening night life and traditional river boat rides

The young traveller had a memorable trip, overwhelmed by the contrast between the two countries and their cultures. She was mostly blown away by the skyscrapers, apartment buildings housing a large population, the variety of food, the mix of races, the sense of law, order and cleanliness of Singapore.

~ ~ ~ 

Earlier this week, I bid farewell to one of my housemates who moved on from Singapore to fulfil her long-term ambitions. We've had a very coincidental timeline of life events where, with no prior planning or discussion, we have found ourselves in the same location time and time again. I have come to think of her as my non-biological twin. 

Our coincidental timeline of life events

We met in pre-school and went on to be best friends in Grade 2. As far as I can remember in pre-school, she had the cutest short hair with lots and lots of tiny curls. We exchanged stickers and went swimming together and got picked up and dropped in school by our elder sisters (who coincidentally, were also classmates). I recall she was among the smartest and the most talented in class. She was also the fastest runner among all the girls and most of the boys! Then she had to leave the country with her family to Oman and unfortunately, we couldn't keep in touch. I also happened to leave to a new school for a year and a half, until I could take it no longer and begged my parents to let me go back to my old school. When I returned to my old school in Grade 4, 'lo and behold, there she arrived in the same class a few days later! Though we were separated into different classes, went on to have different friends and grew distinctly different personalities, we always acknowledged each other with much fondness.

There's another amusing conversation I recall in Grade 6 when girls in the class used to disappear for extended periods of time, one by one. In our country, they make a HUGE fuss over a girl's "coming of age". While the specific traditions for each race differs, the general theme for most races is that once she hits puberty, she will be immediately confined in a room in the most hush-hush tones (in some cases up to a month!), away from the eyes of males relatives and friends. During this time, she is fed with very specific food. Female friends would take turns to keep company to this poor, confused soul quarantined in a room, who constantly wonders what all this fuss is about. Meanwhile, the parents consult astrologers for auspicious times, get tailored suits, whitewash the house and prepare for a grand party to announce to everyone that she is now sexually mature (it's quite a disturbing thought if you asked me). When it is finally time for her to make a public appearance, she is presented very extravagantly to all her relatives and close friends of the family, who arrive with gifts like gold jewellery, cash for the savings account, material to sew dresses, kitchen utensils, etc (all being utterly useless gifts for a 12-year old girl). When I spoke to other friends about the experience, some say for them it was a quiet affair without any public announcements but I've also met others who had parties in the epic proportions of a mini-wedding.

Got a bit carried away there, explaining a peculiar tradition!

So yes, I vaguely recall the two of us having a conversation that went something to this effect (though I don't know if she remembers it in the same way or if we were not talking about the same thing!):

She may have noticed me handing over the letter of absence to my teacher...
Chuti: Were you absent?
Shu: Yes, for about 2 weeks.
Chuti: Hey, me too! I just got back.
Shu: Er... did you also?
Chuti: Yes! haha
Shu: Haha
Awkwardness engulfs us...

She left to another school shortly after the O/Ls, but we were delighted to meet again in university doing the same course. After graduation, she went to Dubai for work and when she returned to Singapore a few years later, I left to Dubai for work. A few years later when I returned to Singapore, unemployed, she welcomed me to her house and looked after me until I got on my own feet and we remained housemates until she left Singapore earlier this week.

She maintains a deep fascination for Egyptian history, dinosaurs, Garfield and fashion design

We saw eye-to-eye when it came to the special needs of introverts, being considerate for the benefit of those around us, being sensible and fair. I'll certainly miss having her around, but I'm inspired to see her actively pursuing her ambitions with much patience and determination! And who knows, we may even bump into each other again.

Good luck, Chuti! xx

My Hero

I found Jeff Corwin on Facebook - the fan page, that is!! Now I can stalk his whereabouts and read his updates on what he does. Muahahaha. OMG. I LOVE HIM, his shows and everything wild he stands for. Yesterday, I was reading up on his impressive bio and also found out that he was born on July 11th, just like me. How randomly cool is that?! But fan-girl madness aside, just like Steve Irwin, he's so awesome at what he does and the places he goes to, the animals he encounters and the awareness he spreads about them and conservation is totally awesome and inspirational. He's my hero.

Another one of Shu's celebrity crushes

This weekend, I start my 8-week training to be a Docent at the Singapore Zoo. It's going to be one whole weekend of getting familiar with the operations at Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park and then seven weeks of training to be a Docent or volunteer ranger based at a Discovery Station at one of the parks. If all goes well during those 8 weeks, I'll volunteer every once a month or more if I can manage it, educating and engaging the public at the station using a variety of interactive methods, which I'll be trained on. I'm very nervous about the bit on public interaction and although there won't be any animal interaction as I would have liked, I'm very psyched!

I found me...well, not just me...on YouTube. In this concert performance from 2007, the university's Indian classical orchestra plays a piece with a touch of Western influence

Also found online were two other pieces from the same concert:

"Purity" - composed by the very multi-talented violin tutor, Mr C. N. Thyagaraju. It is characteristic of his compositions in showcasing the strengths of different combinations of instruments with percussion at the beginning, followed by a slower paced centre and finally bringing out a dramatic ending to the piece.
"Laughter" - this piece was directed by the veena/vocals tutor, who was also very talented in her field. I do not know what the lyrics mean, but this piece takes me back in time to the visual of a rural Indian village revolving around rice farming and somehow, involving bullock carts and earthenware too.

Listening to old concerts during my university years always gives me a bittersweet feeling. The melodies of all the pieces I have been part of have been etched in me, thanks to many months of long hours of group practices before the actual concerts. Those moments at practices - pushing the limits of my abilities in playing the violin, losing myself in profound combinations of musical notes and finding it meaningful was the only therapeutic escape I had from life at the time.

With great power comes ...

Sitting on the Royal throne of the evolutionary chain, having the freedom and power to think and make our 
own choices, should be enough reason to make us feel both privileged and obligated to consequences.

The sheer potential for both good and bad that we humans are capable of achieving is quite humbling sometimes.  On one side, we can be a force for evil by killing, hurting, stealing, raping, deceiving and driving mass destruction. On the other hand, we can just as much be a positive force for compassion, empowering, creating art, inventing and driving change in beneficial ways.  

An orchestra is a beautiful analogy of how various personalities (being the different musical instruments and elements) at their best and under good direction can be combined to create something far greater and powerful than any one individual can achieve alone. The performance itself and the natural reactions of the people in this clip are priceless.

Disclaimer: this philosophical post may be the result of the video above combined with too much thinking, too much time at hand and too long being unemployed.

Classics are CLASSICS!

I might have been about 13-14 years old when I got my first desktop computer. Although I wasn't the first kid in the class to own one, it was a great deal back in the day to own a computer! It was a very entertaining addition, one which my mother had to control with strict timings as we children tend to get carried away and forget homework and chores. My dad was thoughtful enough to send an array of useful CDs and movies from abroad to be enjoyed. Two Encarta CDs, Disney's Tarzan and Hercules game CDs, Roald Dahl's Matilda the movie and Lion King the movie were the ones which were used and overused! Tarzan was the first game I finished completely (with a little help) and it was no easy feat, so the feeling of achievement still lingers. The Encarta encyclopedia CDs were perfect for curious children, wanting to find information quickly and with little effort (and with enhanced mom-free privacy features too!).

I distinctly remember a day I was checking out classical music instruments in one of the encyclopedia CDs. It even included small sound clips to complement the write ups. So I found the piece below tied to the sound of a French Horn and fell in love with it. Madly too, and managed to learn to play about 20 seconds of something which sounded like it in my violin. Today, I was listening to my super-mashed-up playlist on  iTunes, when I came across this same piece (that was very kindly ripped for me by a classical-music-loving-heavymetal-headbanger), which I was obsessive about a decade back so it has been a very emotional day. I can feel the obsession setting in once again and the urge to bring down the dusty violin from up the cupboard!



Also, I have the Tin Tin movie to look forward to in November. It looks F-RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME in the trailer!!! The best part of 2011 is just starting!

WORK, I'm ready for ya! Bring it on.

Glass Houses

Really, why do choices of certain people, make you stop in your tracks and leave you dumbfounded? Sure, it is easier to throw stones when living in a glass house myself, but let me do it anyway.

Example 1. The nephew has made incredible progress in the last 3 months, after being put in a pre-school. He talks more, he is more imaginative (plays pretend to different scenarios), more creative (mashing up songs, making up stories, etc) and is better able to understand and reason out than he used to. It would have been a shame to not send him to school till he was 5 years old (currently he is 3.5 years old), as his father wanted to. Schooling is not just about academic content, which will be forgotten soon, it is more about gaining the softer skills like creativity, reasoning and interpersonal skills, which goes a longer way in shaping what he will become. Why does he not realise that the development made in a pre-school setting cannot be duplicated at home? Why does he not understand that exposure to society, outside the confines of home/family are important for character development? Why does he not want his son to be equipped with as many skills necessary to survive in this world? Is it because he does not reason out the way I just did? Or does he not believe in the current education system?

Example 2. A colleague at work talks to me about her 11-year old daughter very much, even though to be honest, I'm not too interested in the details all the time. But I am happy to lend a listening ear. This colleague of mine is a single mother, who recently got a promotion to the post of Account Manager and raises her only daughter. She tells me her daughter is very intelligent, evident from the extremely good marks on her report card. However, she also tells me the daughter is not so much interested in spending too much time studying because she is over-confident in her abilities. Fair enough. The mother however, has different plans for the daughter; to marry her off to a man when she reaches her 20th year. Therefore she says, it does not matter if the daughter does or does not do well in school. I find it ironic that this is the decision of a mother, whose education helped her rise to where she is and made it possible to provide well for her daughter without the dependency on her ex-husband, who is entirely out of the picture. Imagine the fate of a woman in today's society, without a proper education/career/finances (I don't wish it apon anyone) if her huband left her with a child. I do hope that this is not something about taking out the dissatisfaction of her unfulfilled dreams of a happy marriage on her only daughter. Like my parents, I would have dealt with this in a different perspective. In identifying and knowing the child's strengths, I would have encouraged her to do well and dream big, in hopes she will stand a fair chance of leading a self-sufficient and comfortable life in society.

Once, many years ago, a rendition of this piece was performed by our campus orchestra and it has stuck with me since. Here's the original, a truly wonderful piece of Indian classical music, sung by a equally talented musician. Stepping for a moment out of cultural differences, this piece carries plenty of deeper meanings and timely reminders for most of us who spend our time aimlesslessly and selfishly.