The Spark in their eyes

Most times when I step out of home on my way to conduct either story telling at the library or a sandplay therapy session with some kid, I will inevitably be asking myself silently "Why am I doing such crazy stuff?". My body prefers to relax at home and my mind conjures images of me making a fool of myself at storytelling or fighting sleepiness to remain attentive to the kid at the sand-tray.

Yet almost all the time I will leave the sessions with a spring in my steps and a lift in the heart. Yesterday after trying to figure out what happens at these sessions I conclude it must be the light in the children's eyes that is so infectious and which catches onto me. When the story takes an exciting turn you can literally see many pairs of sparkling eyes like gleaming cats' eyes in the dark. I am also puzzled why at story telling ideas and words flow so spontaneously that I can effortlessly put more spice into the story. Such creativity never ever shows up in any other area of my life, least of all at my previous career when I am often tongue tied when answering to my bosses.

Sandplay sessions however can be quite draining on the facilitator especially when the child tells a disturbing sand-story and the facilitator's psychic relates to it. However after the sand-story the kids at the children's home love to share about things happening in school and at the Home. Perhaps it was the fact that no one hears them out, you can literally see the twinkle in their eyes when you chat with them attentively and warmly. Maybe they are imagining me as their mum or grandma, who knows.

Yes it is that glow in their eyes that puts that quiet smile on my face and a spring in my steps after each session.

Doris Lessing in one of her novels:  "...the wonderful way children both know and do not know the facts, can believe in a fairy tale with one part of their minds and know it is not true with the other. It is a great, nourishing saving ability, and if a child doesn't achieve this capacity it may be in trouble."

I guess its my saving ability too!

Singapore Election 2015

Its Singapore 2015 election day and I now await the results.

My daughter posted on her facebook what she thinks are the 12 broad categories of Singapore voters. I summarise it here instead of copying her post because it is rather flowery and may be too long and difficult to read especially for older generation not knowing the younger peoples' jargon:


 Opposition Party Supporters

• 1.       They just need someone to champion their cause- (single mum, social mobility, retirement adequacy, healthcare, censorship etc) and  to table their issue in parliament
• 2.       People who believe diversity is necessary to build institutional resilience and considered policy making. They do not believe the elite governance of the last 50 years is tenable in the long run. Believe in the need of a long tern hedge and hence to give the opposition training wheels.
• 3.       Teochew diehards
• 4.       Angry people who rant and just want to voice their frustrations and point fingers at government
• 5.       Swing voters who succumb to media either repulsed by PAP brainwash or touched by eloquence of opposition candidates
• 6.       People who are well connected with a treasure trove of insider news about behind-the scene party struggles and the less known side of the PAP framework

Incumbent Supporters

• 7.       People who believe in Protecting the “SG unicorn” seeing no better comparable form of government
• 8.       Present or Ex civil servants or employees of stat boards/TLCs who understand the difficulty in policy making. They associate civil service with ruling party
• 9.       People who think “It isn’t  perfect but it is not bad”. Don’t fix it if it is not broken. Their deepest anxiety is incompetency creeping into the government whilst group 2’s  deepest anxiety is being stuck with one choice.
• 10.   The forever grateful who call non supporters as ingrates
• 11.   Swing voters won over by rebuttals of PM and stardust of Tharman
• 12.   Nerds that walk the talk, familiar with the manifesto, follow policy changes and their rationale, volunteer at RCs; and from their carefully weighed assessment the ruling party is the  party to bring us into the future.

Uncontrolled spontaneity

The Notting Hill Street Carnival is an annual event in London and is known as the biggest street carnival in Europe. It is a celebration by the African/Caribbean community of their vibrant culture and traditions. The event lasts for 2 full days with closure of several roads in the borough and where colourful parades roll down the streets and dance parties dotting every road junction and corner last through the nights. Caribbean food stands also line some of the streets. The crowd from local and tourists can be quite unmanageable such that many shops temporarily block their shopfront with timber boards leaving a small window to serve customers. This however lend colour to the festival as many artists display their creativity splashing colours and drawings on them.

I was lucky to be in London last weekend and braved the crowd to join in the fun. There were stalls that sold party horns and whistles and parents bought them for the kids. So there was an ongoing din because the little trumpets were really loud. I remarked to my husband that any whistle blowing by the police would surely be lost in the ongoing whistle sound everywhere.

As part of a crowd control strategy the train operator closed the few train stations closest to the scene. Once the first parade passed the street where we stood to watch, we made our long walk to other train stations that were opened. The shops further away from the seat of action were opened . I went into a convenient store. Not long after a young dark skinned man came running in to announce to the shopkeepers that the restaurant chefs were bringing their cooking into the streets, presumably the first time this had happened. They talked excitedly about the fun descending on the streets.

We walked on and close to Baywater train station, we came across a few Chinese restaurants. Hungry and tired we went inside one of them which had displayed delicious looking roasts at the shop window. A conversation was going on amongst the waiters.  “cao si ren” they said in Cantonese referring to the din in the neighbourhood ( meaning the noise is killing ). Inside were mainly Chinese families having their meals. From discreet eavesdropping I gathered that the middle aged couple and a young man at the next table are Singaporeans with their son who is studying there. Coming in from the streets where groups of youngsters were screaming, laughing and talking at the top of their voices, the great contrast in atmosphere inside seemed to hit me in the face especially when the couple served the son some food urging him to have more.

In the news the next day a man was stabbed at the carnival and more than 300 people arrested for various crimes including possession of arms. Apparently this was a record breaking year for arrests at the annual carnival. The mayor of London was concerned and had raised again a previous suggestion to move the carnival to Hyde Park which had met with much resistance.

I think about Singapore, how this would never have been allowed. Our street parties are organised by government affiliated organisations. It would have been unheard of to close such a big area for 2 full days including the few crucial train stations. Even the whistles would not have been allowed for sale and for use.

Yes that is why you need to go to London to see the splash, the spontaneity, the fun, the madness (even if it means having your light coloured jacket spoilt by paints when you ventured too near the participants’ painted bodies); and then fly back home where there is order and controlled sanity. You would have missed something if you didn’t experience it though.