Fluke Fairies
In a week by which uncanny coincidences were superceded only by unending heaps of fun, visions of carousels and merry-go-rounds in my head have been spinning to the annoyingly happy tune of It’s A Small World (in increasingly higher pitches); and given that these crazy coincidences don’t seem to be relinquishing themselves any time soon, it seems neither will this song.
The aforementioned carousels weren’t conjured out of nowhere; I went to the Sydney Royal Easter Show on Thursday, and there were – among many other things – amusement rides there. I’m particularly enamoured by the flying carousel, pictured above, because its so magical and whimsical and pretty. But how’s this for whimsical: going to the Show with your church friends, and finding out another church friend was there at the exact same time because – wait for it – his friend, who was there with him, happened to snap a photo with all of you inside it by chance!
And how’s this for a cherry topping: your church friend’s friend, who was supposed to come to the Show as well but couldn’t make it in the end, turns out to be your friend whom you’ve known from judo for about 5 years now (except you didn’t know he was in Sydney until a few days later)!
After this, the small fact that that very same church friend’s other church friend in Singapore is your school course-mate in NTU doesn’t even turn an eyelid. Or was that a hair, either one.
But, as if the song was trying to justify the its lyrics not simply being It’s A Small Singapore instead, my browsing of a random classmate’s ‘progress blog’ for a Web Media module – and the first one I clicked, at that – led me to see this, which, quite literally made my jaw drop. Or at least my mouth open to an abnormally large size. Short version: the big happenstance hoo-ha is that the font he used for his header is my freaking font! Mind-blowing version: some guy in Sydney, who happens to be in my class, downloads the typeface that I designed, uses it for his assignment for this particular class, and I, happening to pick his blog to browse first, chance upon it. Hysteria, ensue.
So, I think we can all agree that if there’s one lesson we’ve learnt from all this, its that its not only a small world, but a small World Wide Web after all.
Three (an Easter eulogy)
Three men they hung up there;
Three men, with crosses to bear
Three dying, their pain for their wrongs,
One man, who didn’t belong
Three and thirty years all for this day
Three wise men, now a distance away
Three women weeping, in the crowds below
All of them the reason that I must go
Three nails they pierce in;
Three whips they crack;
Three throw the dice
And take the clothes off my back
Three days, the difference;
Three days, the plan;
Three days and the world
Will never be the same again
&
Three, the number of Easter eggs you will eat
Three is how many little bunnies you’ll meet
Three is really nothing much in this verse;
It means everything if you start from the first
The Trap
It is unlikely – and to a certain extent embarassing even, given Lindsay Lohan’s recent antics – for anyone to say that The Parent Trap is their all-time favourite movie, and even more unlikely that they could quote you any line in the film to a 83.44% degree of accuracy. But as it turns out, I happen to be one of those unlikely people.
The Parent Trap to me is like Linus’ blankie is to him; although not quite as tangible, Hallie and Annie Parker are always there when I need to watch something comforting, when I feel like quoting lines for a whole 1 and a 1/2 hours, and when I just need some known happy ending (its a Disney movie, they tend to do that).
Natasha Richardson, I never knew you, but I knew Elizabeth James. Wedding dress designer, impeccably British, chic, and smart, with a smile that made Dennis Quaid fall (into a pool) for you. I never thought about the actress behind the character until now – you were always just Elizabeth James, mother of Hallie and Annie. I never wondered what you’d been up to all these years (God knows Lindsay’s taken up enough tabloid space for the whole cast), I don’t think I’ve watched any of your other films. But I also don’t think I’ve ever teared at the passing of an actor in my life – yes, not even Heath Ledger.
So for me, Elizabeth James died yesterday, and though it may seem inconsequential, watching my favourite movie will never be the same again.
Part-Mao, part-Chow
As you might already know, I’ve been alternating between bunking over at the Maos’ and Chows’ on weekends so as to ease my travelling burdens – I can’t tell you how grateful I am, not just because I save on time and costs, but also for just getting to know them better, seeing how they live and kinda sorta being part-Mao or -Chow for the weekend.
Agi is currently “training” to convert her 21-year old Hungarian driving license (don’t let the years fool you, as it turns out she is somewhat like En’ai when it comes to driving… you know what I mean) into an Australian one, so she usually drives us to church on Sundays with L-plate in tow and Ivan as instructor.
Agi: Okay, today don’t tell me the directions, and see if I can get there on my own.
Ivan: Sure, but make sure you think before turning!
Agi: Of course!
*Drives car out of garage*
Agi: Okay, I know. Right.
Ivan: Left!!
Agi: Right!!
Ivan: … It’s a one-way street.
Hahaha I thought that was hilarious. Anyway, good at directions be she not but Agi is one fanstastic cook and I, very fortunately, have benefitted greatly from this – try lamb shank, baked chicken stew and most recently a sushi-making session (in which Lincoln didn’t make a sushi handroll so much as a hand-grenade).
More on some other stuff I’ve been up to over here in due course, but if you can, some snail mail would really cheer me up – just ask me for my address! Love y’all.
