24 Feb 2010 – Not what you think!

An American idiom for Wednesday is hump day, a reference to making it through to the middle of the work week, especially after this CNY celebrations, it is really getting over the hump!!

Sun- met with AmyR at the ACM. Somehow one can never get enough of these treasures from the Mughal empire. We have decided to meet monthly to discover more treasures. Mon- great to see cousin ChengEn who will be heading back to Shanghai. Tue- at the Tanglin Club with old family friends from another life time ago! Richard LEE emigrated to Sydney/Australia in 1966 and I left before him. Met Richard and his wife Judy at HongSze’s daughter’s wedding a year ago (23 Feb 2009/Weekend). But did not get the chance to chat. Appreciations to HongSze, we had such a blast reminiscing about our early adolescence. Gossips are now up to date! Safe journeys to all who will be heading back to their homes after the CNY celebrations.

Have stopped buying books for a long time and usually borrow from the library. MPH bookstore at Raffles City was having a 90% renovation sale, the selection was very limited but could not resist these two. The Return of the Prophet (2008) by Hajjar Gibran, a descendant of Kahid Gibran who wrote The Prophet (1923), one of my favourites. Curious to see if Hajjar writes as well as Kahid. The Devil in Me (2005) by David Kraal, a local writer ex journalist who I have enjoyed reading. Here is a collection from 1997-2002 in the local newspaper The Straits Times where he revisits the SIN I remember so well.

Up the Yangtze*** screened by SIN Film Society, this dramatic documentary film features a luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze navigating the mythic waterway which is about to be transformed by the biggest hydroelectric dam in history. The Three Gorges Dam contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle  provides the epic backdrop for this award-winning film about a family displaced by radical environmental and economic change.

A Serious Man** is a black comedy which tells the story of an ordinary man who is exploring questions of faith, familial responsibility, delinquent behavior, dental phenomena, academia, mortality and Judaism. Struggling for equilibrium, Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis to find balance and understanding of the world. Can anyone help him cope with his afflictions and become a righteous person?

Some CNY random shots instead of a quote!