I Went To Prison

Today I went to prison.

Kaki Bukit Centre (Prison School), that is.

As part of their enrichment programme, and part of community service, and as part of the Yellow Ribbon project, Temasek Polytechnic Concert Band (TPCB) performed at Kaki Bukit Centre (KBC).

Led by resident conducter Mr Tan Beng Wee, together with Cynthia, the person in charge of TPCB, the band played an interesting array of pieces, with the aim to encourage, enrich and enlighten KBC's students about band music.

Playing to a 300-strong crowd made up of males ranging from 18 years old to 30 years old, the band's performance was warmly accepted by the students with heartfelt cheers and supportive applause.

Sparking off the performance with a fast-paced piece, Elvis: The Legend Lives On, a compilation of Elvis Presley's songs that includes Hound Dog, Love Me Tender and (ironically) Jailhouse Rock, the band moved on to play pieces of different genres for example, My Way that was originally sang by Frank Sinatra and Pirates of The Caribbean: The Black Pearl , the movie's soundtrack.

A highlight of the event was the introduction of the various instruments that form a band, after which, the students heard popular tunes and rhythms played by each instrument.

The event ended with a quick Question & Answer session where the band was asked several engaging questions such as "Which aspect of band do you think benefits all of you?"

Judging by the loud applause and cheers generated by the students, it can be safely concluded that the performance was a success in terms of entertainment though one wonders if the students remember the facts they learn about the various instruments.

Girls Girls Girls

Imagine being a guy in a room full of girls.
[pauses for a few seconds to let you imagine]
Now imagine the room is but one floor in a theatre hall, and the girls are lower secondary students {think footballs fans cheering and raise up the pitch], and you're there to work and not to socialise.

Today, I worked.
Little did I know, as I slowly made my way to work, how girl-ful my day would be.

It started off fine, me reaching my workplace on time and in full uniform. Then, the news came. 'Your circle is fully sold' 'Your area will be full of students' 'Randy, note that there are four buses of students headed your way'.

[cue: animation clip of man jumping off the roof]

I have NEVER dealt with so many students before. Sure, I did baggage check for students, which was an eye-opening experience, but to tend to so many students...

[cue: blood drains from face, tongue is hanging out of mouth in horror]

I'm beginning to suspect that as long as I interact with students in the course of my work, I will NEVER have a boring day.

[cue: slight reverb on 'never']

Two groups of students, one from SAC, the other from TKGS [Thank God TKGS students were in their home clothes, I did not have to see a sea of green!]. Around 200 plus in total.

So I stood there, as they trudged towards me, four girls huddled here, three girls laughing away over there, and their male teacher behind them. God bless his Soul. How he handles them, I have no idea.

Interestingly enough, the students either feared or respected him, because his orders were swiftly executed. The students stood two by two, their incessant chattering down to a minimum, and they started to gape at their surroundings.

'waaa..' 'oOOo..' 'so nice..'

Then, just as me and my fellow usher were bringing the SAC girls in, the TKGS girls show up! So I had to leave my fellow usher to the SAC while I 'took care' of the TKGS girls.

I think I was more of a directional signboard then a usher. See, the school bought for its staff and students a few rows of seats, and each student was issued a ticket by their teacher, and the seats were mostly in the same row, so all I did was stand in front of the row, say 'this way' and angle my two hands towards the row, kind of like how the Traffic Police directs traffic.

[cue: Traffic Police to knock door to offer employment]

And the girls made good door openers!
See, two of us were in charge of five doors, but for convenience purposes, we only opened three. The girls, however, were so, shall I say pro, that they went in through the two doors that were not opened, and came up behind me. And the best part is, their seats were in the same row as the line of students I was channelling to!

Yet the show must go on!

And it did, despite the 'hushed' whispering amidst the students and the occasional 'sneak' peak at their handphone.

It was a trifle amusing to hear half of them gasp in horror/shock/disbelief while the other half went 'oh my..' when the production was at a scene where the main actor is brought to a brothel. In the scene, the actor is brought airborne by four other men and he is raised and then lowered onto three girls lying prostate before him, in different positions, summarising the three types: vaginal, anal and oral.

I must say though, one thing about students is that their loud cheering at the end of the show raises the excitement level of the ambience. Despite having watched the show numerous times, I felt compelled to clap at the end of the performance [my sociology teacher would probably tell you it's due to conformity].

So I guess that would be a challenge for theatre managers, whether to encourage schools to send their students to watch their plays and musicals. Presence of students means lesser satisfaction for the other patrons, but it would mean a boost of morale for the cast and crew because students clap/cheer/yell with all their might and [vocal] strength.

Well, till next time, this is R.D., signing off!

Two Shows, One Day, Pure Bliss.

Today was a tiring day. Oh well, earning 72 bucks for being on my toes for 9 hours ain't that bad. And the girls too, of course.
I did two events today, matinee in the afternoon and a more relaxed and happier one in the night. Had to wolf down a sandwich for dinner because I didn't have enough time to have a proper meal. It wasn't that bad a sandwich, though it costs me four bucks. But it's rather huge. So big I took twenty minutes to kiss down half of it lor. It's kindof like a kiss ya know, cause the meat is one big piece, and you wanna let go cause you needa breathe, you need air, you need oxygen! but you cant! Cause you're in a kiss! Well, sortof la huh. Depends on what point of view you look at it from, after all, nobody purses their lips to eat sandwiches. [I didn't hor!]
Anyway, on the whole, the day was rather enjoyable. Just that I ended up doing baggage check for the matinee! And there were like students of all shapes and sizes, from primary to JC if i'm not wrong. I know ACS was there. And quite a few others. AND THE LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL KIDS WERE IRRITATING! Honestly!
Cause there were like two to four baggage checkers, and for some strange reason, the students go in as a school, [not as a class, mind you] thus at one shot, you could have like fifty plus plus plus students coming. So well, it would be so not unlikely that it will go smoothly ma right, then these few people give me some sia lan face. As if i not stressed enough lor. And, hehe, there were a few guys trying to play some joke or something, kept saying they got b**b in their bag and stuff, lol for security reasons i dont wanna type that word out, anyway, back to the story, they were saying it often and the security guard nearby heard. and his body is like a bouncer. So,he turns around, folds his arms, and gives them The look. My goodness, you should have seen the guy's face. He suddenly just diam lor. Hah. That certainly helped to destress me a lot man.
And now, with the experience of checking a hundred plus bags, I only have one thing to say, WHAT ARE KIDS BRINGING TO SCHOOL NOWADAYS!
Due to the nature of my position, I had a 'first-class view' of everything in a bag and will wonders never cease! One guy's bag got five articles of clothing I wondered whether he came to watch the performance or heading for a wayang! Then, there were some utterly cramped with books, one wonders what tools [bulldozer, drill, lorries...] the student uses to retrieve something from the bottom of the bag. And of course, there were the bags who looked so heavy. So heavy with air actually. Because when they opened it for me, inside was empty save for a pencil case or a ultra-thin book or a pencil case. One even had an empty paper bag inside!
Oh well, enough of the students and their bags la, oh got some try to smuggle food in la! hee I just cant stop typing about them. lol. They hide their mac and BK in their bags then when we ask them to open their bags for bag check, they open all the pockets except the one and only [and usually the main] pocket that has the food. Directly drawing attention to the pocket that has the food. No brainer man. seriously.
Okay la, I'll stop talking about them. Let me talk about my night show instead. heex. It wasn't that bad leh. Surprisingly, or maybe you could call it unsurprisingly, I was more heartfelt in my greetings and 'May I show you to your seat' towards the patrons for my night show, as compared to the day show's 'Please open your bags for bag check {said through clenched teeth}'
Add the fact that my night people are of a higher and more mature class than my afternoon kids. And of course, the sight of two babes. [super ultra extra wide grin] The first one came with her mum, I think she's around my age, probably -2 to + 5 la. Her vital stats probably 32-30-32ish. Unfortunately, she got bf le lor. Well, there wasn't any ring visible but I overheard [they were seated right in front of me] her saying that He carries her bags for her, and I seriously don't think she's talking about her father.
The second one was nicer. Granted that she wasn't that elegantly dressed as the first; long-sleeve shirt + jeans as compared to dress, but hey, her ticket was worth a hundred and forty bucks! And she was with her sister/friend and her mother/grandmother/aunty/guardian which would mean a whooping sum of four hundred and twenty dollars! Add the fact that she's more of my age too. -2 to + 2.
I almost felt like asking her for her number, but! Not my league. Though she has or appears to have more interest in the arts, as compared to her mother/guardian who was yawning repeatedly. Definitely my type! Now, if she just came from a lower standard of living, it would be [smacks lips] irrrrrestible!
Oh, and speaking of numbers, there's this girl that I've been hoping to 'bump' into during work so I can ask her for her number. We've made friends yea, and technically linked through friends and friends of friends, but well, can't seem to see her at all leh. Always like that one, looking for somebody cannot find them, not looking for them always see them hanging around.
K la, enough nonsensical incessant rumbling and endless mutterings.
I've been thinking of getting a pink or purple shirt seh. lol. oh yah, one of my colleagues say I look like Ben Yeo. Look like meh?
hMm and she says I don't like 18 lor. wah, I didn't know I age that much that people think I'm older, or maybe she thinks I'm younger. hMMMmm. [in deep though] Then again, she's like part of the minor minor minority so that's that.
Oh, and on a final and brighter side, yeehah! I'm friends with someone who I was friends with le. Well, obviously in order to be friend that someone cant be a friend first right otherwise how I can be friends with a friend? [grins] Gotcha!

life.

tears will fall, hurts will surface, wounds will reopen
The heart will ache, the mind will break
Shattering into pieces unrepairable

Yet we do not know the length we live
How long or how short
What then can we measure it with

The joys will accompany you
The friends but make time pass by
Like a breeze, Like a second
Though it is but an hour

By days or minutes?
By seasons?
Or memories.

The sadness. the grief.
The tears flow.

The happiness. the bliss.
The tears flow.

Short or long
Sweet or bitter
Peaceful or violent
Delirious or grief?
The tears flow.

shadow lurk

Can you see the shadow in the night
It is where I lurk
Blink and you'll miss me
You think you see me
You think you know me
But you see the dark and not the moving shadow
You see the light and not the glowing seed

How do you tell an ant apart from another?
In species or size?
By gender or grain?

Take a look at me
Do you see what you see?
Or is it a mirror?

Take a look at me
What do you see?
A shadow or a speaker?
A teacher or a preacher?
A socialiser or loner?
Or all of the above?

Look carefully and be warned
For what you see may not be what you get.

The Dream

Last night, while in a deep sleep, I had a perplexing dream.
Surrounded by four walls, I'm in a room, seated. Then, I sense an evil presence within the room. With me. And fear grips me, the presence taunts me and mocks me. I feel helpless and start praying in tongues. My strength is drained. I stumble to the door and find a pathway before me. With as much strength as I can muster, I walk along the path. The evil presence taunts me from behind, laughing and scoffing. I see a road ahead and reach it before falling to the ground, my mouth still moving, tongues still outpouring.
I confess this dream has me puzzled. And I am confused.

today.

Today was a harrowing experience. Not simply because I called a guy ma'am while at work, or that I nearly panicked when I forgot my locker combination but because I had a nerve-wrecking experience around 1pm.

The ball's in my court but what will I do. Dare I whack the ball back or will I cowardly let the ball fall, no attempt to grasp the ball. Funny how when one wishes for the ball, it doesnt come, yet when it is but forgotten and assumed lost, it comes with such great velocity.

Oh, and did I mention I met my tutor while at work. Mr Kenny Yong. He went to watch Forbidden City with his mum, and for once in my life, I was more black than him. If you dont catch the joke, its simply because he ALWAYS wear black or dark colored clothes to school and my work attire is fully black. so there.

Lost in Singapore

I GOT LOST! TWICE! IN SINGAPORE

yupz, you heard me right. See, I was supposed to go to Upper Circular Road for a job interview. Well, not the road la. It's an office in a building called the RiverWalk. The thing was, I heard, o'er the phone of the address as Circular Road, I missed out the Upper.

Well, I betcha went 'huh?' when ya read that road name right. It's okay, me no hear of it till today. Anyway, so I did my 'research', checking online map website of Circular Road and trudged out of my house, full of confidence.

Only to have my bubble burst when I reached Raffles Place. See, I looked at the Locality Map, then sorta figured out I had to take Exit G. But, upon exiting Exit G (pun intended) I found myself lost. Totally. Surrounded by buildings, with no sign at all of the Singapore River, which was to be my landmark guide.

So I trotted back again, to Raffles Place mrt startion to look at the Locality Map. And then proceeded to make my way to Circular Road. With no sight of the office. At all.

Bo pian, had to call the person. Kinda embarrassing seh, to call your prospective employer and ask for directions.

Anyway, after a few minutes of determining where I was, and the direction of the River that I was facing, I managed to find the building. And the office.

And I got lost again! Well, not immediately la. We had the interview, discussion of job scope blah blah blah, and then we said our farewells, and I walked out of the office and I got lost!

Okay la, I admit I was a little courageous. I decided to walk to City Hall Mrt. With no way of knowing which direction. Well, I kinda hypothesized that City Hall wld be the opposite direction of the direction heading towards Raffles Place.

How very wrong I was. I decided to walk straight all the way. After all, Singapore so small, if you continue walking straight, sooner or later, you will meet some recognisable landmark ma right.

Wrong.

I walked straight. Ended up on Carpenter Street. No Carpenter shops that I noticed though. Continued walking. Ended up on HongKong Street. Betcha didnt know we have such a street. And, no it doesnt have any similarity to streets of Hong Kong. Continued walking ahead. Ended up on One George Street. Ended up havihng lunch at Hans. [Walking increases one's hunger] Ended up on Cecil Street. Finally a street I recognised. Which leads to Raffles Place Mrt!

I had actually be walking in a circle! Or maybe not la. Because Raffles Place has so many Exits.

So, if you ever get lost in Singapore, don't worry! You aren't alone!

It's nice rekindling the friendship fire of an old flame. Primary Six crush to be exact. Well, to be even more specific, it was a two to three months crush that started when I was in primary six and ended when I was in secondary one. If I recall correctly, I liked her for her looks.

But then, time came, life went on, and we lost contact. She went on to RGS, me SHSS. Two different leagues. Miles apart, in terms of educational status.

Yet, the feelings of rekindling of a friendly relationship. There are things yet unchanged. Her face, for starters. Radiance, for seconds. Yet, the light gloweth in her is not the true light. But she's like super duper chio.

Would there be a gap between two very different people? One who went to well-branded schools and would be the kind of people that the government loves and would definitely increase the technological value of Singapore. Theoretically. The other, a neighbourhood school, and then polytechnic, the kind that makes the life of others better. Practically.

I think so. Different ways of life. Sure, we can sit back, and laugh about the old days; the time spent together in primary school, but at the end of the day, will we still see eye to eye? Are we still wired on the same frequency?

Two ends of the educational circle. It's just like mass comm students are snobbish and elevated.

"Who say one?"
"Donno [shrugs] just hear from a friend who heard from a friend who heard from friend one.. "

But what created such a gap? That we feel inferior. That we feel superior. Aren't we all still flesh and blood, born with a heart? We may not laugh at the same jokes, but we still laugh. [Check out http://blog.vjc.sg/2006/09/01/the-teachers-day-videos/] We may not experience the same life experiences but we still experience the same type of life experience for eg relationships.

We created the gap. We reared our needs, wants and desires for power, for status, to be a prefect in primary school or to be a doctor, a highly revered position. We crave the position of power, to feed our ego, ensure our self-esteem is always high.

"Why?"
"Because I'm better than you. "
"How so?"
"Don't know? I just am."

Can this gap be bridged? Perhaps. Gandhi studied law, a position of power, yet he was loved by all people.

So, as I end this post, I wonder. How close can two people be, when both go through different roads of education? At the end of the day, what matters? Papers? Looks? Character? Level of education? Boobs? Length of waist? Finance? Interests? Love??

Singapore Dreaming

On Wednesday, 30th August 2006, the day before my the latter of my two papers, I, Randy Blah Blah Blah, attended the Gala Premiere of Singapore Dreaming. And this is my review.

Rating: 4/5
Length of Film: 105 Minutes

Directed by Singaporeans, 'Singapore Dream' revolves around a family and how it deals with issues that every Singaporean can identify with: the need to live in a condo or to be a member of a prestigious country club, mainly the 5Cs - Cash, Condo, Credit Card, Car and Country Club.

A first feature film collaboration between Singapore and New York filmmakers, the movie boasts of local stars, among others, Richard Low, Dick Soo and Lim Yu Beng. Highlighting the need of every individual of something more than money, something more than a roof, something more than status, the movie subtly hints of the existence of something beyond materialistic value.

Mr Loh Poh Huat (Richard Low), father, is heavily in debt and frustrated at the lack of success he has in pursuing his dreams. When he strikes lottery and wins two million dollars, life seems to change for the better for the Lohs family. Yet, a sudden tragedy occurs, leaving the family struggling to pick up the pieces.

The movie dialogue is in a mixture of Hokkien, English and Mandarin, coupled with English and Chinese subtitles, which can be rather irritating at times, as the eyes see two languages while the ear hears three.

While clarity of the images seem to be unfocused at times, the movie's soulful soundtrack would definitely bring back old memories for those from the older generation, while leaving a deep impression on the younger generation.

Besides being Lim Yu Beng's first mandarin-speaking role, the movie's Director and Producer Colin Goh, and 1st Assistant Director Stephen Chin, had to resort to staging a mock gangster fight in order to distract onlookers while shooting a scene in Orchard Road.

Serious messages with occasional nuggets of humour, this movie should not be taken lightly. A must-see for every individual regardless of race, language or religion, the movie will leave you pondering insightful questions!

P.S. The movie's theme song is the current audio file being played.