3 May 2010 – New Outlet

Sun: again thanks to MeiPin for introducing me to this second outlet (the first outlet is on North Bridge Rd, posting 20 Sep 2009). The new outlet does not have my favourite smoked duck pizza, but MeiPin wanted pancakes for breakfast and there are pancakes here. In a couple of days, she will be leaving SIN for her extended adventure and it was nice to have a chat before she flies off. Good luck, safe journeys and take care of yourself, MeiPin. Met with AmyR for the SE Asian Films at the new extension of SAM, The Moving Image Gallery, SAM at 8Q by the new Food For Thought.

The Big Durian/Malaysia**a soldier ran amok with an M16 rifle in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown district 18Oct 1987. His outburst triggered fears of racial riots. Nine days later, there was a clampdown of the Internal Security Act. Did the Malaysian public’s view of the police, media, judiciary, royalty and political process subsequently undergo a radical shift after this incident? The narrator of The Big Durian speaks to some real Malaysians about the circumstances surrounding their reactions. Was not in this part of the world at that time to follow the news, nor too interested in the politics; thus did not get too much into this movie.

Kubrador/The Bet Collector/Philippines****this realist melodrama chronicles 3 days in the life of bet collector Amelita who runs the illegal gambling game of jueteng. Jueteng is so popular that even politicians and the police are believed to have a share in its illicit revenues. Shot on HD video, the camera captures the desperate living conditions of the film’s characters. Excellent acting and filming. Stayed on for the talk-session with the director to learn that over 80% of the people in the Philippines live in poverty… so sad when one can remember that Imelda Marcos had over 3,000 paris of shoes! Surely one pair will be enough to feed a family for a year!!

How rich art is; if one can only remember what one has seen, one is never without food for thought or truly lonely, never alone – Vincent van Gogh

1 May 2010 – May- born in Sep, Happy May Day!

1st May/May Day is synonymous with Labour Day International Workers’ Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organised by the unions, anarchists, and socialist groups; also it is a public holiday for the countries celebrating this day. The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian, with the festival of Flora, Roman Goddess of flowers. It is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane. Many pagan celebrations were abandoned or christianized during the process of conversion in Europe. A more secular version of May Day continues to be observed in Europe and America. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the Maypole, to welcome spring in pagan cultures.

SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal  · · · — — — · · · This distress signal was first adopted by the German government in radio regulations in 1905. With the development of audio radio transmitters, there was a need for a spoken distress phrase. Mayday was adopted by 1927 International Radio Convention as an emergency code word used internationally as a distress signal in radio communications. It derives from the French venez m’aider=come and help me, a signal for life-threatening emergency. The call is always given three times in a row ‘mayday-mayday-mayday’ to prevent mistaking it for some similar-sounding phrase under noisy conditions.

May Special Dates:

1 May – Happy May Day

5 May – Happy Cinco De Mayo

6 May – Happy Bdays WONG Wai Kit & Jan SOSA

10 May – Happy Bday Andrew LAM

13 May – Happy Bday Susannah LAM

17 May – Happy Bday LAM Poh Chee & hurra for 17 mai

18 May – Happy Bday Helen VICKERY-YEO

23 May – Happy Bday Yasmine AMEEN

27 May – Happy Bdays LAM Sui Chang & Karen LIM

28 May – Happy Bday Vanessa LAM

30 May– Happy Bday Hans Kristian HUSTAD

Sweet April showers do spring May flowers – Thomas Tusser