It's a small world

Today, on my way to work, I saw my ex-tuition teacher in the carpark. What a surprise. Apparently, he has moved in the estate for about six months already. And I didn't realise that until today! All because I went to work a little later than usual (I usually like to arrive at work early.)

I have known him for 20 years. While he only taught me for six years, we have remained in contact, and he is one of those people who had a very strong hand in the forming of my character, in shaping who I am today. I really owe it to him a lot. Many years ago, I even went on a tour of the Silk Road with him.

It really is a small world, bumping into him like this on a day that I chose to leave slightly later for work.

Appeal to Singaporean drivers

Please don't slow down your car to look at accidents. Please don't slow down your car to look at the vehicles involved in the accident... especially to take down their registration numbers to buy 4D. Traffic is bad enough as it is, we don't need a slowdown in traffic because people are busy noting down numbers, instead of driving.

Keep your eyes on the road, not on the accident vehicles.

Time to change

We always like to talk about change, how change is the only constant, how we must change in order to adapt to the changing landscape.

Yet at the same time, we are so afraid of change.

Change requires time. And a tolerance as people need to get used to the new ways of doing things. Before efficiency picks up once again from habit, people need time to build up that habit. This means things get done at a slower pace than before.

But being result-oriented people, we tend to want the results now. So if we need to go back to old ways to get those results, chances are, people will revert back to the old ways.

So while change may be good in the long run, it requires a mature organisation to be able to pull it through. The organisation must be willing to suffer that slowdown in operations that will come about as people adapt to the new ways of doing things. But if it can clear that hurdle, it will find that efficiency in the long run will improve. But, you need to be able to live with the inefficiency in the short run.

Are you willing to be patient for change?

Navigator beer

Found this beer in the supermarket today... Dutch beer from Amsterdam. The Navigator Beer. Just what every sailor needs! At 8.4% alcohol content, this is stronger than your average beer.

Info on this beer at BeerTutor.com

Bewitched

Once upon a time, I used to watch this TV series known as "Bewitched". It is about a witch called Samantha, who is trying to lead a life married to a mortal Darrin. There is a lot of laughter, as she tries to fend off the many spells that her mother casts, in an attempt to make Darrin leave her. In a way, it is a show about marriage, about how couples need to work things out when trouble comes in between them.

"Bewitched" showed between 1964 to 1972... that is a long time ago. The reruns showed in Singapore during the 1980s, if I remember correctly. The earlier seasons (which I did not catch) were in black and white, while the later seasons were in colour. Sony has decided to release DVDs of the series, expected to be all out in 2009.

And a few years ago, Nicole Kidman took up the role of the witch, and starred in the movie by the same name, "Bewitched". The story is a little different, but it has the same elements. A witch falling in love with a mortal man, and her family who does not approve of the union. There were elements of the TV series, such as the house number 1164 (which was the same as the TV series), and the neighbours (the lady somehow always noticed weird things going on in the witch's house). The movie was shown on TV last night, which prompted me to write this post.
And TBS in Japan decided to make a Japanese drama series along the same lines. Called "奥さまは魔女" (Oku sama wa majo, which translates to "My wife is a witch"), it is a remake of the original series, in Japanese with a Japanese context.

Official site for the movie "Bewitched"
奥様は魔法少女, a anime based on "Bewitched"

The Leap Years

2008 is a leap year. And on 29 Feb 2008, a local production was released, known as "The Leap Years". It is a love story based on a novella called "Leap of Love" by local author Catherine Lim.

What is so touching about the story is that it is based on a simple promise, a promise to meet every four years on 29 Feb.

On the first 29 Feb, the couple met. But then, they had to part, and they made a promise to meet every 29 Feb.

On the second 29 Feb, after four years of waiting and silence, they met again. It was a confirmation of their feelings for each other. But they parted on bad terms, when she knew that he was married with a 3-year old daughter.

On the third 29 Feb, they met again, but this time, she broke his heart, by lying to him that she has married and has a 2-year old daughter.

On the fourth 29 Feb, she was really going to get married, they finally realised how deeply they felt for each other, and thus chose to end the "meet-once-every-four-years" tradition by getting married.

Before the seventh 29 Feb, he has gone into a coma, and may never wake up... on the seventh 29 Feb, she got a call from the hospital, rushed down... and he opened his eyes, coming out of his coma and keeping his promise to meet her every 29 Feb.

While the production may not have been the greatest, and the actors may not have been the best, I guess the story was really great. At least for me. I love romantic stories much like those in The Return of the Condor Heroes, which is why this story of meeting every four years (similar to Yang Guo waiting 16 years for his wife) draws me into the story.

By the way, this movie led me to discover the origins of the phrase "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all". It comes from Alfred Tennyson's poem, In Memoriam, 1850, line 27, stanza 4.

'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

The phrase "Theirs is not to reason why, theirs is but to do and die" also came from Lord Tennyson.

Catch the movie, or read the novella, and enjoy the story.