Grief

If you were there on the opening of the Remembering Tsunami show on 21 December, then you'll already know about the plans to have a photographer's forum at the gallery every once in a while. I'll be involved in the first one (along with some of the others who had their works shown on the 21st, of course), details follow:


Topic: Photographing Grief: Regarding the Pain of Others
Venue: Kay Ngee Tan Architects, 16/17 Duxton Hill
Date: 6 January 2007
Time: 2 - 5 pm


I hope to see some familiar faces there.

For The Record

Not drunk.

And for the record also, this looks like fun. I'll only know when I wake up tomorrow to try it and not get arrested for drink driving.

And also, Nokias are still stronger than most. In image: stains where the condensation from my beer seeped into my phone. Still working. Was able to transfer some more songs onto my phone's playlist. Heck, look at the 'Additional Information' tab on the Flickr page. I took the damned photo with the phone.

So there.

My Life in 2006

Guess, like the missus, I'm going to make this an annual thing (as long as I remember):

Figured I should start the ball rolling for 2006 before I lapse too much. When you're four tables away from me, you shouldn't be chewing your food with your mouth open and loud enough that I can hear you... Like this pigeon I found at the foot of our block recently - I do hope it's one of the neighbourhood cats that did this; better than the scary H5N1 that's going around - my hopes of getting to vote have been dashed. You'd think that with all the hands-free sets out there, and the availability of bluetooth sets - some with enough funky flashing blue lights to give even a closet beng heavy wet dreams - people would learn to drive without having to resort to actually holding the mobile phone to their ear. In the meantime, while I make plans for the next couple of weeks before I leave for Japan, more images from the two days on Ubin. 10 years as a short story. "... whatever card also can! As long as there's a card!" Been thinking a lot more about the whole theft incident and something that the client said yesterday had been festering in my mind, only to be given an airing today. Made the mistake of answering a doorbell in the afternoon yesterday. Or 'cover-up' (and a good reason not to be home this evening). Was minding my own business catching on things happening in the school with a colleague (ex-colleague, that is) when this came in: "Don't be left behind! Even Ministers blog! The new wave is Mobile Blogging! Now you can post to your blog site from your phone. Register at..." Becoming Royston is sold out.

I might be wrong, but I think there're more words here... I gotta start writing shorter sentences.

Vale

I've been on a Manchester United mailing list for the last ten years (ever since I moved to Canada for four years of mugging and hockey and sororities) because coverage over there isn't as extensive as I would've liked.

This came over the list today:

"My husband was a list member for a number of years, he enjoyed reading all your comments and reports no matter where he was stationed. He was killed in action on the 12th December whilst serving in Helmand, Southern Afghanistan. Sadly missed by his wife, our three children, his dad, his brother and his very many friends."

Goodbye, Danny. I remember your posts, your opinions.

R.I.P.

May it be a better place where you are.


"Frater, ave atque vale."


Updated 29 December 2006:

I know I'm probably overstepping my bounds on someone's grief, but I think I must:

"I would just like to thank you all so very much for your kind words concerning Danny on and off the list. There have been so many from strangers to me but it warms my heart that you think enough of someone to write to his wife like this. I was going to reply to everyone personally but thought it best to write something here, I hope you understand. I know he's met a couple of you on his travels but don't know who? Danny's real name was Tim but his friends called him Desperate Dan or Danny as there was already a Tim in their small unit - he assured me that was the reason and it had nothing to do with A) his travelling ie Daniel Defoe or B) his appetite for 'cow pies' or C) because he was built like a brick ....house. And to the 'Aussie' on here? Dan liked you :)

We will be ok. I'm not sure it's sunken it yet as we're used to him being away for long periods at a time. Our littlest, Sarah doesn't really understand and points at soldiers on the news and yells "Dada!" and I cry every time. But the two boys are being very brave. The eldest is 15 and has always thought of himself as the 2.i.c when dad is away. Of course, everything reminds me of him but seeing or hearing Manchester United on the news or just seeing some young lad wearing the shirt down the road, makes me feel very empty and weak, the gleam in Danny's eye whenever his team was mentioned, I'm sure you all understand. I know the boys will be watching the next match on the telly but I don't know if I can yet, we'll wait and see. Tom will carry on reading these messages in his dad's absence, he used to fill Danny in on all your news whenever he rang.

Danny lived and died a hero. He "carried his radioman to safety under heavy fire" only an hour before his death. But he would never ever see it that way. He loved his job, he loved his pals. And like he always said, he's only there so they wouldn't kill each other. Dan was coming home for good this March. All these years of sharing him with the army, we was finally to have him all to ourselves. He was our hero every day. A wonderful, kind, funny man who put others before himself in everything.

I apologise, I have so much to say but this isn't the place. I didn't mean to take up so much of your time. This has taken me two hours to write. Danny would be extremely embarrassed. To all of you, thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Cherish those around you, cherish them now. And to quote one of Danny's many tattoos, this one under the United crest on his chest "Forever and ever." "

Think maybe it's time our men and women stop fighting the wars that no one wants them there in the first place.

So I wasn't dreaming...

At about 4 am this morning, when I was still awake and on WOW, I thought I felt the room I was in sway a little.

I looked over at the wooden window blinds immediately and they were moving slightly.

Then I told myself I've been awake more than 23 hours. I was preparing for the Remembering Tsunami show. I was grumpy. I had just put my foot in my mouth over multiple open MSN chats. It couldn't be happening. It had to be the paranoia brought about by sleep depravation and thinking too much about Thursday.

Especially not around this time again.

A cigarette calmed me down, but only until I saw this in today's CNA online:

Title : Seven dead, 150 injured in Indonesian earthquake
By :
Date : 18 December 2006 1920 hrs (SST)
URL : Link here


JAKARTA : A quake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra has killed at least seven people, injured 150 and brought down hundreds of homes, local officials and police said.

Three aftershocks sent residents rushing out of their homes in the region, where memories of the 2004 tsunami which devastated Aceh further to the north are still fresh.

Rescuers were trying to reach 20 villages which were cut off by landslides triggered by the 5.7-magnitude quake, police said Monday.

The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 4:39 am (2139 GMT Sunday), was 150 kilometres (95 miles) southeast of Sibolga at the relatively shallow depth of 17.7 kilometres, geologists said.

Eddy Syofian, information chief in the North Sumatra provincial government, said the death toll was seven with 150 injured, according to the detikcom news portal.

Police in Panyabungan bordering South and West Sumatra earlier said that a family of four was killed after their home collapsed in Tamiyang village some 65 kilometres away.

The quake also damaged a large number of homes while key roads were blocked by landslides, local police chief Rudi Sumarardiyanto told AFP.

"I'm unable to go to Tamiyang to get first-hand information on the situation. Local residents have come out to help clear the road and we have deployed two tractors," he said.

Some 20 villages out of 23 in the worst-hit district of Muara Sipongi were cut off, district police chief Pulongan told AFP.

The fate of the residents was unknown and officials had not been able to make contact with them, he said.

Pulongan said 250 homes were damaged and 16 people suffered minor injuries in the three villages which were accessible.

Electricity supplies had been cut and landslides and rain were hampering rescue operations by some 100 police and soldiers.

"We have set up temporary shelters for those who have lost their homes and are providing them food," he said.

The quake was also felt 540 kilometres away in Singapore, the city-state's environment agency said.

Singapore local radio reported receiving calls from residents who reported that their apartments were shaken by the tremor.

The quake followed just half an hour after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit the north of Sumatra.

The first quake struck at 4:10 am with its epicentre under the Indian Ocean south-southwest of Banda Aceh.

"These are moderate earthquakes," said Budiwaluyo, head of the earthquake information unit with the meteorology headquarters here.

He said no tsunami warning was issued for the first quake as it was below 6.3-magnitude.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in July on the south coast of the main island of Java also killed more than 600 people.

- AFP/ms

Remembering The Tsunami

It's next week. Come. Listen to our stories.

It Sucks

When one is suffering from yet another bout of insomnia. It's worse when said one doesn't have his laptop with him so that at least he could go raiding on WoW. It's pretty pathetic, when one, in an attempt to be more productive, goes out in the middle of the night to 'shoot something' and realises that he has absolutely no idea what he's out shooting. In the end, all one does is to get dressed up and then go to the closest 24-hour coffee shop to have a teh halia.

Sigh.

So, we didn't win...

But what's wrong with this picture?

1. Director for one of the films gets up before the the announcement of the winner of the Best Actress award and moves to the end of the row of seats to wait for the name to be announced.

2. Producer of another film thanks the jury for the win, and then mentions how much he enjoyed spending the last 7 days with them, visiting Uniquely Singapore.

3. There were ties. Shared awards (well, actually not shared - there was one for each winner).


Then again, I'm just glad I got to dress up. And to be in the same room as Anthony Wong and Cecilia Yip. But I'm swearing off formal-wear for the next two months. Sometimes, it's just not worth it to dig out stuff from your wardrobe to look good. Especially when no one in the theatre even realised we were in it.

Next time, we'll get a $1 million dollar budget, requisition guns and blow up a mountain. Forget the $10k budget that we spent on Becoming Royston, let's splurge.

The dinner at Empire Cafe and the drinks after that at Loof was good though.

Ah, wallowing. Good once in a while.


But, next screening of the movie for the people who missed it on Tuesday will be announced. Stay tuned.


Updated 8 December 2006, 4:04 am:

OK, so now I'm drunk, and I can say whatever I want that I wouldn't say normally:

Kelong!

That's pretty much all I have to say.

Or not.

Am I upset about not winning? Perhaps. See here. Or not. I'm more upset for the others who might have stood a chance if people weren't already a shoo-in for the award.

C'mon. Anyone who came for the rest of movies would have known the field Becoming Royston found itself in. An explosion? Guns? A film made with 200 people in the crew? Jeezus Christie. We were lucky if 6 people showed up. And our budget? Already mentioned (see above). Fucking hell. How the heck were we supposed to compete with that?

And how about how we were informed at the very last minute about little events with the jury where we could've tried to tripod them a little? A networking session with the nominees and the jury on Monday, at 6 to 7 pm. And we were told at 6.30 pm? Lunch with the jury and the STB people on Tuesday at noon, and we were told at 10 am? A rehearsal for the Awards Night at 2.30 pm on the day itself and we were told just the evening before*? And what did we do when we were there? Pretty much getting ignored, sitting at the back of the hall and then leaving after waiting 40 minutes for the jury and the other nominees to arrive, and having the rehearsal last a grand total of 10 minutes.

How about a speech at the start about how we were all winners because we were already nominated? Fuck that. It's one thing to be already nominated when the field is still open. But not when the winners have already been decided beforehand. Winners? Hah! No wonder some people don't attend the Oscars.

I'm not normally this sore a loser, but when all these things happened and when I was witness to all these things:

What's wrong with this picture?

All I can say again: KELONG!


* And why the fuck were we there in the first place anyway? People already knew who won, right?

Sold Out

Becoming Royston is sold out.

All tickets for the Arts House screening of the movie, which is the closing film of the Asian Festival of First Films, were snapped up last Thursday.

Thank you all who got the tickets.


For the rest of you who couldn't get a place in the 80-seater, watch this space. We might have another screening after the festival's over.