Arts...Travels...Writing

Today is Mother’s Day. I don’t normally think about this day as anything special because I always think everyday is a mother’s day anyway, but having seen all the greetings on Facebook made me stop and reflect further on what motherhood means. Mother is more than a noun or an adjective. It is a verb. But unlike most verbs, which are words denoting a single act, mother is a series of ongoing action. More conventionally, motherhood starts from conception of, giving birth to, raising a child and guiding the child across life stages. Some moms may not go through it in this sequence – there are those who embody the real essence of motherhood without having physically given birth to a child – the aunts who look after the children of the overseas workers, the adoptive moms (regardless of gender) who adore the adopted much more than any real mom ever could, the elder sisters who take on the role with so much devotion. Motherhood means joy and happiness – that kind of bliss emanating ...

Someday I am going to do a really nice book spine poetry. But for now, I've set my horizons more realistically and settled on DVD spine poetry - which I thought would be easier to manage as I have far fewer DVDs than books. So here we go... The virgin suicides at muriel's wedding resulted to the lovely bones at grey gardens...scary movie genre! Period Film: This is a love story about the duchess and the other boleyn girl at the downton abbey Summer comedy: She's having a baby - it happened one night at the circus on an enchanted April Classic: The taming of the shrew at the last station resulted to war and peace and letters to juliet Senseless comedy mash up: Citizen Kane, Sweeney Todd and the Young Girls of Rochefort were all at the big store Eclectic adventure: There is some kind of wonderful in dreams and motorcycle diaries and Paris Sarcastic Comedy: Gentlemen prefer blondes and room service to an education or a night at the opera ...

It's literary time - here's a poem I wrote after my friends' visit earlier this year. THE OTHER SIDE We went From proving theorems To proving life As we explored The modern edifices We forget about the scruffy past But What remains is Our fondness for each other It doesn’t matter if XX years had passed  Whenever we meet again It is still the same She still teases him of his nose Or his scary laughter And he teases her of her mumps Or her unruly hair We still eat with much gusto Albeit now it’s done in a more decent restaurant Rather than the shabby university cafeteria We still jump too high Even if at the back of our minds We now worry about our High cholesterol High blood sugar High risk of cardio attack We had fun for three days or so And now in the aftermath There is quietness That wants to be filled With The most energetic of laughters Let’s not wait for another thousand years Because th...

“In the absolute stillness of the depths of the ocean, where there is perpetual night, the Titanic must remain…” a Singapore newspaper in reaction to Titanic sinking in 1912. Titanic "boarding pass" In 1912, nobody believed that Titanic could be discovered, having sunk to the lowest and darkest depth of the ocean a century ago. But 75 years after its sinking, a group of explorers were able to locate Titanic again. Indeed, at this depth, it was perpetual night, without any light streaming through - based on the film clips taken by a robot camera. And the force from water pressure was such that anything was expected to crush into pieces. Then, it was impossible to believe that man could rediscover and retrieve some of the remains of Titanic. But a testament to man’s greatness is the fact that some of these remains were even brought back from the depth of the ocean to right above it - and now on display thousands of miles away at Singapore's ArtScience Museum in Mar...

Maldives is one of the most beautiful places I've been to. The few days I'd spent there were some of the best days of my life. I will let the photos speak for themselves:) Sunset at Anchorage Bar, while waiting for the shark feeding What an inviting sight Well-combed road to the village huts This must be sunrise The sharks know exactly when to come for their feeding, without a watch or a bell to remind them Dinner site on Fridays We were too sleepy to see these torches lit up Sundown at the boardwalk Hibiscus abound, in all colors Some variety of coconut trees Too early for the "Occupy Loungers" brigade And here's the leader of them all What refreshing drinks --- not ours... #FullMoonResort #Maldives #Sheraton

Committing some of Taatu’s point-of-views to cyber-memory, before I entirely forget about them. I wish I started recording her comments earlier, but as they say better late than never: On Sleep: Baba: Taatu go to sleep Taatu: I am sleepin’ Baba: Then why are you still talking? Taatu: I am sleep talking *** On Choice of School: Taatu: Mama, when I grow up which college will I go to? Mama: You’ll go to Harvard anak (Hopefully the one in Boston, not the one in Laguna) Taatu: Does Harvard have a playground? Mama: Good question, that’s a very important criterion! *** On Work-Life Balance After a tiring day, Mama: I am stressed out from running around all day Taatu: Then don’t run. Just walk, walk, walk *** Taatu: What’s the point of you coming home early if you anyway talk to your office Baba? *** Malls and Window Shopping Taatu: Mama I want to go to Tanglin Mall Mama: Give me 5 reasons why you want to go to Tanglin Mall Taatu: 1.  ...

I  don't agree that Steve Jobs was as great as Michelangelo, as some people tend to compare. There are similarities for sure, but there are also some differences. Both were said to be very dedicated, both were meticulous, both were very focused. Both produced great art.  But Steve Jobs was also more than just a great artist (not your traditional definition of artist anyway). While Michelangelo changed the Sistine Chapel (which of course was also a great achievement in itself), Steve Jobs changed far more than that, he changed the world and our worldview. He touched many lives and generations with his great products and innovations. His impact is far bigger and wider with the iPhone alone selling more than 90 million units to date, his iPad being a big game-changer, creating a category all its own. He changed the way we consume music, and so much more. He was the world's No.1 CEO, growing Apple by so many folds since he returned to the company, after an 11-year absence du...