Japan's Beauty

"To see that life means a joyful participation in a world of sorrows, and that suffering is not the same as unhappiness, is one of the singular blessings this seasoned country still has to offer."

- The Undiminished Beauty of Japan, Pico Iyer in the New York Times

The past, the future: 2011 to 2012

Over breakfast the other day, the few of us were on the topic of cameras when Eugene remarked that he couldn't recall when was the last time he used his camera. He takes photographs occasionally, using his iPhone which has a built-in camera. With camera-enabled smart phones these days, he observed, there is no need to carry a camera around since a mobile phone could perform the same role. Our kopi-talk then shifted to the pre-digital camera days which we all recall fondly. Those were the days of film camera when you can't see the photographs taken instantly. Whenever a roll of film was sent for developing - especially after a vacation - we would be waiting excitedly to see the developed photographs. K shared that he once went straight to the film shop from the airport to drop rolls of film for processing right after he returned from a trip. Such was the excitement of seeing the pictures taken, as compared to seeing digital images instantly today.

A week ago, I uploaded pictures taken in 2011 which I had compiled into a '2011 album'. This has become a tradition which I started only a year ago. The idea behind the album is not to walk down memory lane, but to share the photos which I had taken over the past year but had neither the time nor energy to upload and share. It's like being on a high speed train and it's only at the end of the frenetic journey, when the train slows down, that I found time to pause and organise the contents that have accumulated throughout the journey. Besides, I like to dabble in some creative pursuits now and then. Putting disparate photographs together into a album allows me to string together a year's worth of highlights (excluding those events whose pictures I've already uploaded) and making a running commentary of sorts. I like the fact that I can also view these favourite pictures anytime - so long as I have my mobile phone and there's internet connection. Pictures and words, I've said before, pretty much fill the narrative of my life.

By all accounts, twenty eleven was a year of many highs. I've grown older (as in any year), lived another year's of life experiences, made some new friends, learnt a few lessons, and laughed more. January was a special month because I had three pairs of friends getting married. I know all of them from different stages of my life, but they have all gotten hitched as husband and wife at the same time, that glorious January of 2011. Lisa not only married JM, but she got pregnant soon after and gave birth to Lucas last month. I am terribly happy for both of them. She's one of my most cherished friends and I am happy to see her so blessed and now going through motherhood. It's one of life's beauties that you know another human being at a young age and progress to seeing him/her move through life and creating another life that will soon come full circle. We were barely teenagers when our paths crossed in a stroke of divinity. Now she's a mother already and we are no longer the impish and innocent young teens that we used to be.

The other two friends who got married in January, they are both lovely and wonderful people with whom I clicked easily. Coincidentally, I found out this week that Josh is going to be a Daddy while the Chongs are also expecting their first child. I feel happy for both of them even though I didn't learn of the news sooner. It wasn't long ago that Josh and I were talking about his impending fatherhood. Now it's for real. For Yvon and Dan, I think they are going to have a beautiful child who's going to inherit their athletic finesse and good looks. From a trip that Yvon and I went on together 5 years ago to her wedding in January this year and now impending motherhood, I think time has been kind and I feel blessed for making two more good friends who are warm and genuine people.

Myself - it would take many paragraphs and pages to write about my 2011 experience, but suffice to say that the most profound change is my switch in profession. I not only quit my job but I gave up a lot of salary and moved into a completely different industry, one in which I lacked both knowledge and the requisite networks to get by comfortably. But in embracing change and uncertainty (and perhaps insecurity), I left behind a lot of angst and unhappy stress. Since then I have been able to run more, sleep more, cycle more, and complain less. Things are still tough and I am not sure if this is what I want to do in the long run, but at least right now I am learning new things and leaving behind the past. This is not to say that I've had a bad time previously; I was alone battling many things and exhausting every ounce of my energy, but that also forced me to manage difficulties and be a survivor. At the end of the day it is the relationships and my interactions with people that give meaning to what I do. I am glad I have gained from all this. But now I have reached another crossroad, and it's time for me to move on.

There are other things that I want to write about, but I think 2011 on the whole has been about friends who have reached their milestones in life and of me getting through tough times and moving on to the next phase in my working life. Blessed also is Kel who found out, got treated immediately, and survived cancer, and we all survived a potential nightmare.

Twenty Twelve has barely started, but I know before long we will be crossing the first month, then the first quarter, followed by the first half. I have no resolutions to make because I will not keep them. But I hope I will be happier in 2012, keep up with new and old friends, read more books, live a more healthy life and become wiser and richer in my experiences. For my friends, I hope the same for them and I can't wait to share their happiness - those who have just turned parents, those who are turning into parents, and a couple of them who are getting married this year.

star-yuppie-bucks

I found out recently that Starbucks @ Liat Towers has turned into a uber yuppie place. Not quite the yuppiest people it attracts but I am sure there are many tertiary students and young people in their twenties who hang out there and use the free wifi.

I guess they've figured that it makes good business sense to have customers stay in the cafe for as long as possible - with just a cup of cuppacino that's all.

Well, I quite like the place. I'm the targeted group after all, haha! Young and Young. ;)

The other view

Lovely is the other view, where you turn into an observer, spy the kaleidoscope of objects within and enjoy the reflection that has weaved into the scene. The beauty is: not a thing seems out of place.

雨中的卡布其诺

The middle-aged Caucasian couple at the table beside me are engaging in a conversation. They could be speaking Italian or Spanish, I'm not too sure. But they are speaking fast and non-stop.

In front of me are three single tables, occupied by a man each. They all have their laptops with them and are, unsurprisingly, looking intently at their laptop screen. One of them has a MacBook Pro; the other two have less exciting laptop brands, and one of them is probably working, for his is a Dell laptop which has those white stickers on the exterior that indicates a serial number. I can't see what the other guy is doing as he's seated furthest away. But he's been around the longest and is completely absorbed in whatever he's working on.

Across at the other table, a family spanning three generations, pram in tow, just settled not long ago as I was beginning to type this. They probably just had lunch somewhere or came after Sunday service.

Unconsciously, more than an hour has passed since I sauntered into one of my favorite cafes in town. The sky was fast darkening then, and it wasn't long before the mighty raindrops fell. With a cuppacino and the Chinese GQ magazine (from the cafe) on the table, I was experiencing a moment that I think of often enough: chilling at a cafe, raindrops falling outside the window, coffee and magazine at hand, and soft pleasing music playing in the background.

I took out my iPhone and updated my status thus: 下雨了。星期天下的雨感觉更加的凉爽，愉快。

Time to trudge back to office.

The timeless Village

Even as time slips away and the cosmetic changes have been more than passing, this village has held its own and stood unwaveringly as a little gem. I find it reassuring just recalling its name - the only constant, perhaps, that has withstood the ravages of time. There was once when this cloistered urban village was where we retreat to after school, our white and green sharing the presence with another white and blue. Years later, slightly older and a little wiser hopefully, we were still visitors to the village, but liquors and spirits had replaced coke and tea as we hung out at places unsuitable for the uniformed folks.

I can't say I've developed any special affinity to this place. But somehow, my heart softens when I recall this place or step into it. Something about it gives it an unassuming charm. For one thing, it has remained nestled in a residential district which sites both humble public housing and private residences. Though many shops have come and gone, it has a surprisingly unchanging quality to it: the winding road cutting through the restaurants on both sides; the progression of eateries to cafes to bars and pubs from one end to the other; the shopping mall opposite crystal jade; the newspaper stands that display a magnificent array of international magazines and papers - all this and so much more have inevitably weaved themselves into the earnest fabric of this place called Holland Village.


I love these signboards. They are what make a street fun and pretty.


Colours galore for this marketing gimmick


Oh, what's a cosmopolitan village without the international bucks with stars


Gone is the King of burgers, in comes the unroyal Wendy's


Barrier to the heart of the village


Shophouses, signboards and al fresco rock


More than a pillar of strength, it's a monument of timelessness

Yesterday once more #1: 传 统

看到杂货店的玩具让我冋想起许多回忆。这些简单玲珑的玩具并非是什么贵品,但它们可是许多儿童所梦想的好伙伴。

曾几何时,你我不也是这些儿童,追求着同样的梦想吗?


怀旧的经典唱片


Where parents and in-laws buy the necessary items for newly-weds


天长地久,百年好合. [It helps that the colourful shirt caught my attention.]


婚姻物品


饱经沧桑


八下的景观

short stories delight

It's not often that I finished reading a book and decided that I want to own a copy myself. Wena Poon's stories and her writing have a sparkle that charms and makes you smile a subtle relish smile that betrays delight.

My friends once remarked that they can't read short stories because they feel somewhat shortchanged or unsatisfied at the end, as compared to reading a novel which has a full, unfolding plot that requires time to ingest.

To that thought, Irene has a sound and genuine response: 'You can't read a short story like you do a novel.' She should know better, for she teaches literature.

"Edward marvelled again at the random connectivity of life, the enormous consequences of tiny blips of electronic mail pulsing, faster than the speed of light, through the wide world. For the past few weeks he had felt, intermittently, the terror of the void. And yet the void had sent him back something: her smell, her flesh. Out of eternity he had redeemed an hour; out of the unknown he had experienced a sudden consummation in which for a few seconds the universe contracted into the smallest possible ball of anguished joy, before expanding again and petering out into nonthingness. The void, consequently, became a little less terrifying. Even as he thought so, he found it impossible to tell her. He had already decided, earlier in the evening, that she had picked him up at random, that he was being used, perhaps even objectified. But now he didn’t mind. He smiled in the darkness. “You know what you are? You are a sex tourist.”"

"“Oh, God.” Buried in her words was a footnote about his love life. But she always stopped right there. She had a light touch with her boys. She believed that if she did not edit their existence, they would grow up sensible."

-The Proper Care of Foxes, Wena Poon

Recalling the scenes

The one thing that never fails to get me excited when I travel is the opportunity to walk the streets, see and feel the life of locals and, hopefully, capture some authentic photographs. Street photography is especially difficult when you are travelling with others, which is why photographers are always in action alone. An observant and adept traveller would have honed his intuition for what makes a good photo, such that when the opportunity comes along, he would be fast in action, confident and effortless, with the right camera settings adjusted in no time. For common folks like myself, it's mostly a point and shoot process, or else we need time to fiddle with the camera, frame the shot and even take repeat shots just to get it more right.

Sometimes I don't get to appreciate sufficiently the places I visited or passed by because of the need to keep moving, either constrained by time or having to catch up with others. There are always so many things to see and learn, but time is never on your side, especially if you are not travelling for leisure. Precisely for this reason, I find that taking photos on the move allows me to return to the scenes later and appreciate the sights that have passed me by. Often enough, there's even greater pleasure as you can enjoy the photograph at your own time and discover details that you have missed on the go.


Visiting the old home of a local historically significant person


These colour flags and confetti are a trademark of Chinese celebrations.
I reckon they are meant to create a vibrant, triumphant mood


I know there are many people who adopt a condescending attitude toward
Chinese riding bicycles; they associate this with backwardness, Chinese masses.
Contrast the same image with, say, a European riding a bicycle. I think the
bicycles that Chinese ride reflect humility, not poverty. And if more Chinese
or others use the bicycle, we should be all the more thankful that the environment
is greener because of that.


I came across many a toddler who are wrapped in thick clothing and they
walk with wobbly steps like a bundle of cotton. It's terribly cute.


A worker at a pottery production factory that is sparsely equipped,
mainly because the process of making all the ceramic products is heavily
dependent on manual labour


The workers above are part of the 'assembly line' that is responsible
for carving the images and patterns on the ceramics. I was horrified
to see fellow visitors pointing their cameras at close range, in their
faces, snapping them at work. It was offensive but the workers were
completely oblivious, as though they were used to such invasions or
were under instructions not to be affected.


The headline of the red notice reads 'Winter Hotpot'.
If you look closely, check out what's on offer for the fifth type of hotpot.


This was taken at an area abound with peasants and
lower-class workers. I was almost losing YH and had to
snap and move on quickly


Roadside store selling porridge


Public phones for domestic long-distance calls, 0.15yuan per minute.

In transit

Over the past week I found myself experiencing the real transit inn. No, it isn’t accommodation (inn) that I am talking about. Rather, it’s related to the one place (transit) in every sovereign state and city that connects to other places - places that most of us would probably never have the chance to set foot upon in our life. Through these connections though, somehow a web of linkages that binds all of us together in this globe is formed. It’s like invisible magic weaving through geographical space. We can only imagine, for we can't see its workings.

I became one of the seamless throngs of passengers moving in and out of airports last week. Four airports in a week, and twice I was in transit - in every sense of its real meaning. It’s not the first time I am in such a situation. But this time round, the transit was much longer, and therefore there is plenty of time for my mind to wander. My thoughts drifted like the passengers shuttling through the marble-floored grounds, hurrying from one point to another ceaselessly. Often enough they floated through the copious spaces that are purposefully constructed, ironically. But it wouldn't take long before my mind surrenders to physical exhaustion.

Beijing
Arriving in the morning at Beijing airport Terminal 3 on a red-eye flight, I was informed by the airplane announcement that the temperature outside is negative 5 degrees. I looked out the window and saw nothing that suggested it was freezing cold. I put on my windbreaker, sat back in my seat while nearly everyone was standing and waiting to rush out upon the clearance given to disembark. I always wonder if it's anxiety to beat the crowds, to be ahead of everyone else for immigration clearance, that makes everyone on the plane jump to their feet and collect their luggage the moment they could. Or was it to escape the claustrophobia of a plane ride? We should take things slowly, breathe a little easier and not get on everyone's nerves.

I stepped out of the plane onto the arrow bridge. The drop in temperature was felt immediately, but it wasn't that bad. Further ahead, a small platoon of women in airport uniform stood huddled at the side. Armed with cleaning equipment, they were all ready to spring into action once the last passenger gets out of the plane.

So here I am, finally at Beijing airport, at 7plus am in the morning, en route to another part of China. I looked around and above me, did a 360 degree sweep to take in the surroundings. Apart from Chinese airport officials, nothing could have suggested that this is a backward China of more than a billion people. YH and I proceeded to the immigration counters. We had to claim our luggage, check in again and then find a place to wait - stone - for the new few hours.

Life's Concidences
Coincidences in life never fail to intrigue and fascinate me. To those who believe steadfastly in logic only, a coincidence is nothing more than life's randomness; there is no causal relationship with other factors; it happens because it just happens. Perhaps so, but coincidences have consequences sometimes that alter the course of one's life, whether slightly or significantly, for better or for worse. If nothing happens, at least they leave footprints in our lives and become part of our story, to be told again or remembered.

I was travelling to China for work, and though I did not manage to meet up with YH before this, I had already found out that we were the same age and studied at the same junior college. (YH, a businessman, was invited to go on this trip.) What surprised me was that he, who hasn't seen my picture before we met, asked if I were from the same secondary school or JC when I linked up with him at the boarding gate. Typing away on his laptop, he looked every bit the businessman. And he had robbed me of my chance to surprise him with our connection. Instead, I was caught by surprise that he recognised me. I was possibly the most low-profile person back in school, and we weren't even in the same faculty!

In a way, I was kind of reassured to be travelling with YH. Having a link between us provided much common ground for us to talk. We got along pretty fine during the trip.

Prelude to a tiring week
Back to Beijing airport. We settled for a Chinese fast food restaurant, whose name now eludes me. After breakfast, YH worked on his laptop on a business proposal, while I got frustrated not being able to get internet connection. My eyes were struggling to stay open, and my body was protesting against a lack of rest. I decided to take a stroll around the airport, but it was a short one, for all airports become the same when you travel enough and spend much time in them. People moving endlessly, carrying briefcases or travel bags, wearing coats and jackets; luxury retail shops catering to the rich and super-rich, shops selling local snacks and indigenous products, book stores hawking international bestsellers and business books. After some time, as I recall Pico Iyer saying in his book The Global Soul, everything becomes the same. Finally, I walked back to our temporary abode, placed my wallet and phone by my side, then I rested my head on the table, succumbing to exhaustion. I knew I was in for a tiring week.


I should be in bed at this hour


View from where I sat in the Chinese Fast food restaurant


Walking around the airport


Laptop - the work travel companion

Xie4 Xie4 Jiu4 Hao3

The location: a public toilet at a train station.

The accused: an ordinary-looking boy of around 5-years-old, wearing a cap and carrying a small haversack.

Nature of the crime: Speakcrime.

The Crime Scene:
I was washing my hands at the basin. The accused, having finished his business, walked over and used the basin next to me. Being a puny boy who has yet to gain strength and height, he reached for the tap and pressed it feebly but to no avail. He didn't have the strength to push it, so no water came out; he couldn't wash his hands.

The kind-hearted gentleman next to him - that is, yours truly - without being asked, extended his hand to press the tap for the poor fellow. The small boy put his hands under the tap and washed his hands dutifully, no doubt practising a good habit that must surely be inculcated by his parents and teachers in school.

Then, in the most appreciative and earnest voice that a 5 year-old could muster, he uttered these words with a clarity and volume that shows his good manners:

'Xie Xie UNCLE.'

UNCLE, huh?

Somwhat recalling that decorum requires of me to give an appropriate response, I smiled weakly at the expressionless boy as he turned and walked out of the toilet.

Why, was it necessary to add UNCLE after XIE XIE (Thank You in mandarin)? Ah boy, just stop at XIE XIE and you would have committed no speakcrime!

The thing is, in the local context, anyone and everyone - unless you are obviously a kid - is commonly being referred to as 'Uncle' or 'Auntie' in many situations. The people who are addressed by these titles include strangers you meet, your neighbours, your friends' parents, your relatives. Then for some groups of people whom you are acquainted with, there's the chance that you won't call them by their first name if they are more senior than you in age. One gets the sense that in our local context, there's a certain level of discomfort and feeling of disrespect felt by an individual if he were to greet someone his senior by his/her first name.

Someone once related to me that his sister and young niece from Australia had come to Singapore, and during the taxi journey from Changi airport to home, his niece was rather puzzled as to why her uncle - that is, her mum's brother - addressed the cab driver as 'Uncle'.

Finally, when she couldn't bear the weight of the curious puzzlement, she asked her mum: 'Mama, is this a (distant) relative whom we know?'

[Note: The title in Chinese Han Yu Pin Yin translates to: "Thank you will do".]

Be all of them

Be stylish


Be breathless


Be on the road


Be ostentatious


Be merry!


Be very hungry


Be awestruck


Be Cuppacino


Be entertained


Be wowed


Be strong (even after your last breath)


Be greedy


Be united


Be different


Be diverse


Just don't be silly.