Lessons From A Fairy Tale

Ah, it's good to be back and blogging! Yes, poor Stanley has had to shoulder the full (work)load of The Living Room while I was on MC, and that means not just preparing for interviews each day, but also updating the website, blogging, and scheduling for future interviews.

It's a tall order for one person. And so I salute my buddy for holding the fort while I was recovering from my Epi-LASIK operation. He's right, The Living Room is - and should always be - a partnership. And yes, we're back in full force! *grin*

Today I feel compelled to blog because we had actors Karen Tan, RJ Rosales (Chang in the hit musical Chang & Eng) and Hossan Leong (on the line from Lush 99.5FM studio) on our show, sharing us about W!ld Rice's new production, Beauty & the Beast.

RJ Rosales & Karen Tan share about W!ld Rice's Beauty & the Beast.

[Can you see me reading the news in the background? Hilarious]

Well, it's not the Disney version of the well-loved classic fairy tale for sure, with W!ld Rice's resident playwright Alfian Sa'at and director Hossan Leong helming this. But it is above all, about LOVE and about ACCEPTANCE of people different from ourselves.

Just listening to Karen share that made me feel that there's so much need for that in the world. How often do we judge people just because they are different from us? And who does not long to love and be loved? So I do believe there's going to be something in this pantomime for me, personally. I shall be open to the message it has for me.

Well, I watched Chang & Eng years ago, so it was wonderful to actually meet RJ "Chang" Rosales in the flesh. He plays the Beast in the play, and although he does admit it's the ugliest character he's had to play, he qualifies, "That depends on how you define Ugliness, isn't it? The Beast may be ugly physically, but he's got a good heart."

Then there's Karen Tan who plays Ah Ma Chow Chow - just the name cracks me up! Her character is a nanny, but she mentions something about being a bolster or comfort pillow (hence chow chow)? *raise eyebrow* I'm not sure but that's reason enough to catch her in action. For tickets, visit SISTIC.

We also had a couple of dynamic young ladies from the Singapore Management University (SMU) come in today to tell us about an upcoming exhibition called 1989: The Year They Kissed, which commemorates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

These final-year students from SMU's School of Social Sciences put up 1989: The Year They Kissed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

These girl are so mature & eloquent they impressed me to bits! Well, the Berlin Wall exhibition will be held at the Li Ka Shing library at SMU, so head down there to catch it. It sounds impressive ~ with a self-constructed Berlin Wall erected out of 120 shoe boxes, so the girls tell us! *chuckle*

And oh! It was wonderful to meet Ca-Mie De Souza again. She was our colleague from Channel NewsAsia before, but now with SMU. Yes, Ca-Mie is now on "the other side", but it helps that she's a seasoned journalist and knows what we journos look for in terms of stories. It's great to be working with her again!

I Believe That Children Are Our Future!

Way before I was a radio DJ (for want of a better word)... yes, even way, way before I was Deputy Editor of a magazine... I was a teacher in a secondary school.

For 3 years, I taught English & Geography to Upper Secondary School kids. I was also a Prefects Mistress, teacher i/c of Boys Brigade, and a Form teacher to 3 batches of students before I left to further my studies.

And then, I went back to school again after completing my Masters degree in Psychology. I became a school counsellor at my alma mater. Back among teens - where I feel most at home.

So in many ways, today's conversations struck a chord with me. The Necessary Stage (TNS) is putting up a play called Talentime, which targets teenagers, aged 13-16. Director Alvin Tan (whose also Artistic Director of TNS) tells us that they've opted to use Forum Theatre to engage these teens.

What's Forum Theatre?

Forum theatre was developed in the early 1970's by Brazilian director Augusto Boal. Boal believed that theatre could serve as a forum for teaching people the strategies they needed to change their world.

Cast members Karen Tan and Andrew Lua explain to us that after acting out a 10-minute skit - featuring a teenage girl who makes all the wrong choices - they then replay the skit, inviting the teen audience to come forward & role-play what they think she should've done.

In so doing, they process the issues themselves, and seek to find better solutions to problems. Therapy through theatre? *ponders* Maybe, maybe. I wish I had this creative tool to engage my students back when I was a teacher & school counsellor. It sure beats imparting a boring Moral Education lesson!

Tasked to engage & transform teens through the power of Forum Theatre. TNS' Director Alvin Tan, with Andrew Lua and Karen Tan.

I must admit that throughout the interview, I kept thinking "Where have I seen Andrew before?" He looked so darn familiar... But somehow, I just couldn't place him.

Until after the interview, when we were chatting briefly outside the studio, it suddenly hit me. OMG, he's the Starhub man! *chuckles*

Remember that TV commercial where a bewildered wife faints upon seeing three of her husband dash out to do a silly celebratory dance in front of the TV, when a goal is scored?

Well, that's him! He's the Starhub man! After my mini epiphany, I just had to take a photo with Andrew. Hey, I'm a fan girl! *grin*

Anyway, back to youth. Today, we also chatted with 3 undergrads from the Singapore Management University about their charity involvement.

Irene Ong, Justin Chan and Jerome Tang [pictured] are each heading a different Community Service project at SMU. And it was heartwarming for me to hear them share with such passion and conviction.

What I love about SMU is that they do not only look into the academic development of each student, but also their overall development - right down to instilling compassion and encouraging contribution. That's true education for you.

Also joining them was Theodore Teo, Assistant Director of the Office of Career Services at SMU [pictured, in orange]. Outside of work, he's also Vice-Chair of an organisation that shares best practices for international volunteerism. So this is a man who walks his talk!

Theodore really impressed Stan & me because he actually lugged a 12kg foldable bicycle into the studio. After our chat, he was planning to cycle to an appointment in town. He tells us that he used to ride a motorbike, but because it didn't do much to save the environment, he's resorted to cycling everywhere. Now that's another conversation for another time!

Oh, what inspirational & spirit-lifting conversations for a mid-week morning!

Martial Artists Raid Our Monday!

For the first time in my life, I experienced what it felt like to be on the brink of death. Just 2-3 seconds more in that position, and my breathing would've been completely cut off and I would've blacked out. Permanently.

Kapap was developed by the elite forces of the Israeli army. When Teo Yew Chye, founder & chief instructor of the Kapap Academy Singapore, demonstrated on Daniel Fang, an SMU Business undergrad who recently took up the sport, it looked effortless. Yet I saw how Daniel's face turned a beetroot red within seconds, and the burly chap had to tap Yew Chye to signal him to let go.

I volunteered to try. And it was terrifying. I felt my windpipe constrict. The blood vessels in my head close to exploding. I gagged because I could not breathe, at all. Believe it or not, I allowed myself to be pinned down, tipped off balance, and to be "put down" with just one tap of the finger on one of my pressure points...

It's the stuff of movies. But this is no play-acting. It's the real thing. And let me tell you, as an objective journalist, Kapap works.

I wanted to experience how it felt like to be the victim because I didn't believe that with so little physical strength exerted, it was possible to take someone down. And it was important for me to know because if it really works, then Kapap could well be what I'm looking for - a practical & effective means of self-defense for a pint-sizer like me. After all, I travel widely and I do get home late.

What clinched it for me was when I witnessed Stephanie Charles, a first-year Social Science student from SMU, use the simple concept of displacing balance to get herself out of a compromising situation. And to think she picked up Kapap only about 3 months ago!

I've uploaded two videos on Youtube: The first shows Steph being pinned under Daniel. Check out how she frees herself...

This second video shows Steph in a position women may find themselves if they are victims of rape. Yet, by simply tipping the assailant off-balance, she's able to be up on her feet and ready to run - all in under 3 seconds:

Now tell me if this is not the answer for women who are generally smaller and weaker than men! This is self-defense that makes sense.

For Daniel, president of the Kapap Club at SMU, it's important to empower others to protect themselves. That's why he's learning Kapap - to share these skills with abused women, the elderly etc. through community outreach programmes. And that's what the SMU Kapap Club has been doing. To find out more about their outreach in June, email Daniel at this address: daniel.kapap@gmail.com.

[L to R]: SMU students Daniel Fang & Stephanie Charles

with KAPAP instructor Teo Yew Chye.

Talking about martial arts, we had another martial arts exponent in our Living Room today. He was a Wushu champion in the SEA Games in 1993 and 1995, and Asian champion in 1996. In fact, he's the youngest Captain of the Singapore National Wushu team. If the name Picasso Tan rings a bell, it may also be because he's a TV actor and news host!

Well, Picasso is one of four co-owners of a new modern Pinoy restaurant in town called Bonifacio. The other two owners are also Wushu champions, one from the Philippines, the other China (Ace ended up being a Stunt Director with MediaCorp!). Joining Picasso to tell us more is publisher-businessman Kelvin Yoo, CEO of Singapore Asian Publications and recipient of the 'Entrepreneur of the Year Award' in 2006.

It was a lively chat where we found out more about Pinoy cuisine from Bonifacio's head chef Dahlia Conde from Manila. The trio also surprised us by bringing Mango Cheesecake from their dessert menu - complete with plastic forks for us to dig in on the spot! *chuckle*

But of course, we were raving on about the delectable pork dishes we sampled last week: Pork Sisig [above, left] and the pork knuckles or Crispy Pata [above, right]. These apparently go well with beer!

Pinoy Cuisine @ Bonifacio: Picasso Tan, Dahlia Conde and Kelvin Yoo.

Well, these two engaging conversations surely chased away the Monday Blues for us. And you know what? We'll definitely be back at Bonifacio - with our familes in tow!