Special Olympics in Singapore!

The Special Olympics is blazing into town this weekend, and you'll be able to catch the various athletes in action at the National University of Singapore. Most of the land games are held there - including track & field, soccer & basketball, while the swimming events are held at Clementi Swimming Complex. Admission is FREE!

It's the June holidays. Why not pack some snacks & drinks, grab a cap and take the kids down to watch the Special Olympics? It will be a great experience for them, plus our Singapore athletes - a contingent of 500! - will need all the support they can get! *wink*

Our guests today were Chairperson of the 7th Special Olympics National Games 2009 organising committee, Josephine Chia; Chairman of the Parent Support Network, Mimi Tan (whose son Benson is a swimmer); Operations Manager Dexter Ho and bowling champion, Hanako Sawayama.

Hanako is such an inspiration! She's so cheerful, so "un-inflated" by her sterling achievements: 1 Gold & 2 Silvers at the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland. She was also appointed a 'Global Messenger' (2004-2006), which saw her speaking at national & international conferences, and representing the attitudes & opinions of 1.4 million Special Olympics athletes throughout the world. What an amazing young woman!

Our friends from Special Olympics Singapore: Dexter, Mimi, Josephine & bowler Hanako.

Oh, if you're wondering why the photo makes everyone look so "slim", it's thanks to my good friend Marie L. who was fiddling with my Panasonic Lumix last night. She owns a Lumix LX-3, and was excitedly showing off this cool "vanity" function she discovered.

"If you select 'Scene' mode, you can choose 'Transform', and it will make you look really slim in the photo!" Marie enthuses at Clark Quay last night where we caught a magic show. We left for dinner after, happily leaving my camera setting at this "vanity" mode.

This morning, when Stan had the above photo snapped of our Special Olympics friends, his puzzled frown made me look up after reading the news. I burst out laughing at the realisation!