June & The Holidays

June may be a nice lady's name but as a month smack right in the middle of the year where it is completely devoid of any public holidays plus a higher average temperature one tends to have nothing to look forward to as the next public holidays is some time away in August. Only the school going children are having their school break but if you ask them they too have to go back to school despite the holidays. You feel like stuck in no man's land.

We need to look at other things and areas as milestones like your crossover to a certain age marking another series of ten years or the number of years that you have worked. People would sometimes say how many "ten years do we have?" June is the month that I started work innocently and after 30 innocent years of hardship and strive there are no more tears left and I'll be 37 since I was aged 7 in Primary 1 and they told me to work hard in order I do not do the job of carrying night soil (shit) and ride in a 36-door MPV. June indeed is a good month to ponder but I am not sure whether to laugh or to cry, to be happy or sad.

I am in pensive mood. We always need to reflect on what is the purpose of life, where are we headed and what is our calling? You may feel like an immortal when younger but being mere mortal helps you prioritize better I suppose. When I first started work and came onto Shenton Way it was like bright lights big city. Tall buildings and a smart looking crowd makes me feel like a village boy from the mountains and like a fish out of water. Now, I only knew that dinosaurs once roamed Shenton Way.

As I have told you before, we will always need new insights and inspiration, we need our breaks. Not that I need a holiday every year but I feel it is good to go to a place you have never been before or do something that you have never done every now and then to break routine, to throw away the watch and to live for a few days purely on instinct and that perhaps is the way we were built for. Well, let's call it a holiday and in June since it coincide with the school term break many of you are going on a holiday. Years ago this popular young man sung it well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbNP5yqg7hc (Cliff Richard - Summer Holiday)

Or would you let Madonna tell you about it:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qJaq3jv2P0 (Madonna - Holiday)

If some of you like me is a rocker then let German rockers Scorpions show you how awesome they really are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rwuRGXQ5-g (Scorpions - Holiday)

Or have it the Bee Gees's way in the voice of Robin Gibb:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJmRdE3WBgE (Bee Gees - Holiday)

At your own time and target - fire. No itinerary. We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow. That's my motto. Please do not go overseas and chase the folks there to do things faster like in Singapore, otherwise please stay home.

I want you to listen to the Beach Boys with Kokomo - Aruba, Jamaica OOO..I wanna take you..... that's where you wanna go to get away from it all. Afternoon delights, cocktails and moonlit nights, that dreamy look in your eyes. We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow. If I stay on an island, I can live forever. Hey but Singapore is an island! I love the island life!

Here's Kitaro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5rrfSjI5Ig (Island Of Life)

The Kokomo described in this song is fictional. There is a Kokomo in Hawaii and in Indiana but not "off the Florida Keys". The rest of the places named in the song are real places in or around the Caribbeans - Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, Bahamas, Key Largo, Montego, Martinique, Montserrat, Port-Au-Prince. I do not mind shopping once in some time but being at a place like Kokomo is my cup of tea, the ultimate. How we must have wished to go to such places but ah to find the time.

I am not heading for the Caribbeans. Not yet. Perhaps someday I will. To get there fast it can't be. To get there fast means within two hours in the air. So while I am away for some days, please take care of Singapore for me. I need to find myself. Back to save the world soon! I am leaving on a jet plane. Here's John Denver:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLBKOcUbHR0

P.S. Someone from Egypt has came on my blog. Welcome to the 71st country. I will learn to walk like an Egyptian - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5N7RNQUKts (The Bangles).

I have two things that is closest to Egypt. The "Bak Chang" (meat dumpling) I eat which is shaped like the pyramids and this art piece made from papyrus given by friends from Egypt. Papyrus is a thick paper-like material extracted from the pith of the papyrus plant found n the Nile Delta of Egypt is commonly used in ancient Egypt as writing material, as mats and mattresses, as baskets, ropes, sandals and even for boats. Luckily they have the Internet and Blog, otherwise my place is full of papyrus!



















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Kallang Roar! (Part Three)

Image
Back in the good old days, we have four other national teams. Besides the National Team (The Lions), we also have a B team (The Cubs). Then we also competed in the Sultan's Gold Cup fielding a team called Singapore Malays. We have the Singapore Indians playing in the Bardhan Cup and the other being the Singapore Chinese team also competing aga inst Malaysian state teams in the same format and also the Ho Ho Cup triangular among Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. In 1976, Englishman Trevor Hartley became responsible for the Singapore team at age 28. I can't remember which year Singapore beat Malacca 6-2 and Lee Bee Seng was sent off for punching an opponent who must have trampled on him. Here is Bee Seng with Brian Rozario. In the same match Quah Kim Song was sent off too for fighting. And I said wow! Malaysia Cup is like that? I like! (Pix - Lee Bee Seng with Brian Rozario). And can you believe this? Before all these we have Mike Walker who played Kim Song a...
Read more

The Hainanese

The Hainanese are people from Hainan who originated from Hainan Island - the smallest province of China at the Southern most tip. They were originally fishermen from Fujian and Guandong and later settled over there. The Hainanese, part of the Chinese dispora migrated to different South East Asian countries including late comers to Singapore worked in ships as sailors, opened their own coffee shops or restaurants, bakeries or bars and worked as cooks and chefs and others at local hotels.  Hainanese in Singapore made up 7% of the Chinese population. The Hainanese came to Singapore much later than the Hokkiens and Teochews who are already well entrenched in trade and commerce. Originally they also have problems communicating with other dialect groups as their language seems unintelligible to the others but they began to carve out a name for themselves working for wealthy Europeans including as canteen operators for military bases.  Hainanese are especially with food and ...
Read more

Singapore Soccer Legends

Image
Legends What are legends? A legend is a traditional story or myth, traditional literature or inscription. Lee Kuan Yew is a legend. So was Bruce Lee. You can find legends in business, politics, leaders, music, movies and sports. Legends are heroes of the time, at that time, a moment in history and usually you will find it hard to replicate or reproduce like Jack Nicklaus in golf, England's 1966 World Cup soccer winning team, Brazil's World Cup team of 1970 and 1982. Maradona and Messi are soccer legends of Argentina, Platini and Zidane are legends of France, Beckanbauer and Muller from Germany and Cruyff, Neeskens, Marco van Basten of Holland.  Eventhough Holland did not win the World Cup, the whole team in 1974 were legends. So was Denmark when they won the European Nations Championship. Legends defy logic. They inspire. They make you want to be like them. They start a revolution. They can transform a nation. They can bring joy ...
Read more