The Olympic Spirit

 

"Olympism aka The Olympic Spirit: The principles of peace, fair play and fair contest with the view to creating a peaceful society with less violence and competition. In other words, Olympism leads to a different, idealized way of life that today’s society desperately needs."

The IOC.

In the days since Joseph Schooling competed in the 100m Butterfly heats at the Olympics, there has been an outpouring of support from The President, Ministers, and the public, and that is fantastic. But I feel compelled to write this blog post because some things I have seen some rather vitriolic things online, written by some terribly ignorant people, who probably don't even understand the definition of the word 'vitriol'. I'm talking about the kind of people whose attitudes have put them in contention for the gold, silver, and bronze medals at the dingbat's Olympics.  Yes, I'm talking about the hoo haha about our Joseph's performance at year's Olympic Games

Five years ago, we all watched TV as Joseph took to the starting blocks for the 100m butterfly in Rio. As we all know he was up against the heavyweights of Phelps, Le Clos, and Laszlo Cheh.  Years of hard work, sacrifice, and a great deal of personal financial expense had brought Joseph to that moment. With the whole country was watching, waiting, and anticipating, a lesser person may have crumbled. 

He entered the finals as the fastest qualifiers.  I was probably one of the only Singaporeans who did not watch the actual race. My nerves got the better of me. So while Joseph was taking his position on the starting blocks, I was in the shower trying to calm down. By the time I had shampoo in my eyes, Mum screeched like a banshee, "Joseph won! Joseph won, and in world record time!"

It's needless to say we were all thrilled beyond belief and I finished my shower and watched the race when it was replayed.  My parents have known the Schoolings for years. They are very nice people. The journey to Olympic gold was not an easy one but they never wavered.  I have to say Joseph is the definition of grace under pressure, class, and dignity; qualities that were no doubt instilled in him by his parents, Colin and May.

His hero's welcome was much deserved. Hey, I even went to a part of it at Singtel, braving hot and sweaty revelers who had seemingly never heard of deodorant let alone used it. If there was an Olympics for the pongiest fans, there would have been multiple ties for the gold. Deafening cheers heralded Joseph's arrival and as he walked past, I was shoved into a sea of very sticky bodies. I had never needed wet wipes or disinfectant more than at that very moment. 

Joseph thanked everyone for their support and after a few more words he boarded his bus and was off to continue his victory lap around the country. His triumph came when I was about to give up my own journey of writing (I'm always on the verge of quitting)  but I was inspired to write a kids' book about this young man. Dad helped me draft an email to Mr. Schooling to ask permission to write it and he kindly agreed. But I was beaten to the finish line by another book From Kid to King. Funnily enough, the illustrator of that book is Daryl Seow (no relation). And so I started work on my first non-fiction picture book. Like Joseph's Olympic journey, the road to publication was fraught with ups and downs, but it was finally published. Race to Rio: Joseph Schooling Goes for Olympic Gold. Two Schooling books by two Seows. There's a joke in there somewhere but I can't think of one right now.

Now five years later, here we are.  There is no medal this time. But he is still an Olympic Champ and nothing will ever change that. I am, however, disappointed in the behavior and the attitude of some of my fellow Singaporeans. There have been gripes from some who supported his win back then but have turned positively vitriolic because they did not get the result they seem to think they were entitled to, that they think they were owed or deserved.  

This fair-weather kind of support is extremely unbecoming, and it's even been reported in the international press like SCMP...and Yahoo News UK So embarrassing!  

I have to say, a pair of extra small speedos on an elephant is capable of providing more support than these jokers. Thankfully they seem to be in the minority but they're, nevertheless,  very irritating - like an itch you can't quite find. And what's worse they base their opinions on misinformation and assumptions. What did Donald Trump call it? Oh right, fake news.

Instead of being bitter, these people should be grateful that we have a true-blue Singaporean Gold medalist. He wasn't imported from another country; he was born here and raised here.  They should be thankful that Olympians like  Quah Zheng Wen, Quah Ting Wen, and Yu MengYu, Joseph have dedicated themselves to their sport, to put this country on the world stage. What have the naysayers done? Wait they've made the news by whinging.

I had a recent debate with someone on Twitter who was moaning about the fact there weren't any medals this time. After a while, I gave up this person does not understand the meaning of sportsmanship.

I don't think South Africa is complaining that Le Clos did not medal this time, are they?  The public is not privy to training schedules or routines so they have no right to disparage or criticize. Doing so does not reflect the Olympic Spirit in the slightest.

The Schoolings don't deserve this treatment at all. And they, like the rest of us, have other cares and concerns that they have to face, so give them a break. 

Thank you, Madam President, all the MPs, and anyone else who has spoken against such abhorrent, ungracious behavior.  

So instead of being negative nellies, support Joseph,  support Quah Zheng Wen and the rest of our Olympians. Being negative and critical does not help anyone, it hinders us.  

So to those who have exhibited such behavior in recent days,  I say focus on what you can do to make things better for yourself and others. I need to remind myself of this too. Oh boy, I really do!

Give Joseph and the rest of our Olympians some much-needed time and space and instead of providing unnecessary criticism, unwanted armchair analysis, or judgment about their performances. Show the world that Singaporeans understand the meaning of sportsmanship and the Olympic Spirit. Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat.

I Proverbs 18 

 "The tongue has the power of life and death,
        and those who love it will eat its fruit."

Absolutely Charming Book about Chinese Opera

Thanksgiving

Another year has passed, and hopefully, I'm just a wee bit wiser. My birthday falls within a week of Thanksgiving so I might add this post is about giving thanks and gratitude.

I'm thankful for God putting up with me and be patient with me as I try to find my way through the daily journey that is life.

I am thankful for my family's constant and unwavering support. I'm grateful for each and every one of them and I should show it more. I am thankful for my few friends, both old and new (You know who you are) who have been there for me, through good times and the bad, especially the bad.

 I am thankful that I have a publisher who's been willing to publish me, even though I've been on a self-imposed publishing sabbatical for personal reasons. I'm thankful for my editors and publishers who have put up with my unique creative process. I've been inspirationally constipated for the longest time.

Now,  some people perceive what gratefulness means in terms of friendship.  Gratefulness and gratitude towards one's family and friends is a state of mind. It's about mutual respect, kindness, thoughtfulness, and consideration.

Gratefulness does not necessarily mean paying back favors though, naturally, one would want to do everything and anything to help a true friend and vice versa; it does not mean tit for tat, or I do this for you, so you should do that for me - That is no measure of gratefulness or of friendship. Gratitude or gratefulness means listening, even though  you may not agree with what is being said. It means you give the other party a chance to speak rather than dismissing them thoughtlessly. It means admitting one's  mistakes (no one is ever 100% right all of the time). It means wanting to do all you can to help whenever and where ever help is needed, no questions asked.

Gratitude towards others means appreciating people for who they are, not judging them or thinking one is always right when no one is right all the time. Gratitude is not about disparaging or mocking another person. Gratitude is about appreciating the people in your life, not taking them for granted and not taking advantage of them.

One can even have gratitude for those who have hurt oneself,  Be grateful for the lessons they have taught you. It does not matter if they don't have any remorse or guilt, forgive them anyway. They've given you an invaluable lesson. 

So this Thanksgiving, I am grateful to God, (Should make more of a concerted effort to put Him first), family, friends, and everyone who has ever taught me something.

Royal Visit of TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall

TRH The Prince of Wales & Duchess of Cornwall.

I'm fifth from right behind the barricades.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a royalist and I have been since I was a very small boy. As an author, I like to feature royals in my stories such as The Littlest Emperor, A Day with the Duchess, and A Royal Adventure, and I've got even more stories about princes and princesses that haven't even been published yet, such as The Great Big Spooky Forest, The Magical Red Prince, and Princess Penelope Primrose. And now, after the recent royal visit,  I'm inspired to write another royal story.

In early October it was announced that TRH would be visiting Singapore as part of the SE Asian Tour. Yes, I started planning where I would try to meet them. When I was a small boy, my late Uncle Philip had the opportunity to play Polo with the Prince here in Singapore and the whole family was invited to watch. 

At the end of the match, I was within feet of the Prince, 
and I had two burning questions that I was dying to ask:1) Who picked up his polo pony's poo? and 2.) What was it like to fall off the said pony? Knowing what 
was on the tip of my tongue, my mother held me back, but my big sister and older cousin were allowed to meet him! What the...? I know, right...? Totally unfair!

I was just as unlucky when it came to meeting the Duchess. A couple of years ago, I wrote to HRH and sent her a couple of my children's books for her grandchildren. I was down in the dumps about my writing career and I knew she was an advocate for children's literacy and I wrote saying I admired her efforts promoting literacy and that I knew that the Prince had written a children's book that I, unfortunately, had never read.

A few weeks later, a large package arrived via registered royal post. I ripped open the envelope and The Old Man of Lochnagar dropped out along with a small white envelope. The Duchess had personally written back, thanking me for my books and enclosing The Old Man of Lochnagar because I had never been able to get a copy for myself. It's needless to I was thrilled speechless. It was incredibly kind of her and just goes to show how very thoughtful she is.

The book and letter I received from the Duchess.
I have photoshopped out the letter's content
as it's private and confidential.

A couple of months later, I attended the London Book Fair and I found out that HRH was scheduled to make an official visit to the fair. But sadly I missed seeing her. I was at wrong place at the wrong time.

I did not see or meet HRH at the 2014 London Book Fair. But these
lucky ladies did.

I wrote the Duchess another letter and once again she personally replied! So when I found out that TRH's were coming to town, I was determined to meet them. My publisher contacted the British Council to see if it would be possible to present TRH with my Books, and the Council agreed, but they would present the books to the Royal Couple themselves. Dash! No, invite to the High Commission to meet them!

Thankfully it was announced that The Prince and The Duchess would be paying their respects at the Cenotaph.  The High Commission did not announce when they would be there for security purposes, so I had to make an educated guess as to when they would be there. Fortunately, by the time I arrived at the Cenotaph, there was a small crowd, waiting for the Prince and Duchess to arrive. I, luckily, managed to find a prime spot at the front of the barricades.

Spectators holding up their cell phones in anticipation of the royal arrival were firmly advised not to ask the couple for selfies. I brought along two cameras with me just in case one of them malfunctioned.  

Then as noon approached, the Royal motorcade pulled up. Cell phones shot up into the air, as the Prince and The Duchess stepped out and were greeted by officials before they took their places for the ceremony. 

I might be mistaken about the order of events, but I think the 

Prince laid the wreath, and there was a moment of silence before the couple was ushered to a receiving line of armed services personnel. As they slowly made their way down the line, I alternated shooting on both cameras until one of the cameras malfunctioned!

I was not expecting the couple to do a walkabout and was pleasantly surprised when they came over to the barricades. The royal couple joked with the school children who, in all probably had skipped class, to meet them, and TRH also took their time chatting with the rest of us there. 

I shook hands with the Duchess and reminded her that she sent me a copy of The Old Man of Lochnagar. She told me she still reads my books to her grandkids! It was such an OMG: Oh my Gosh moment for me! I told her that I really enjoyed The Old Man of Lochnagar and she motioned towards the Prince, asking me to tell him.

I was going to tell the Prince how much I enjoyed it but, instead, I blurted out how he had once played polo with my late Uncle Philip and how disappointed I was that I hadn't been allowed to meet him. He shook my hand and smiled: "You didn't miss a thing!" LOL.

It was a pleasure and an honor to finally have met the Prince and The Duchess.  They are warm, incredibly down-to-earth, and self-deprecating. Their Royal Highnesses do not get the credit that they deserve, but perhaps that will all change.  Judging by the reaction of the people who turned up at their engagements, I'm betting that it will.

I  was hoping to meet them again at their visit to the Orchid Garden, but something cropped up and I was unable to do so. I do hope that they did get the books that the British Council promised to present to them. I might just write to HRH to ask if she did, but I don't want to be a bother, especially since she probably gets a ton of correspondence. 

Storytelling at Uniqlo Orchard Central

Hi everyone or the one person who comes to my blog  :) Soefara and I will be conducting a storytelling session this coming Saturday at Uniqlo, Orchard Central in Singapore. So please come along if you can make it. I hope we'll see you there.

Thanks,

D

Don't Worry, Spratly!

Now, we all don't like change but it's an inevitable part of life. Over the years and even in the past almost 9 months, I've had to face big, difficult and painful changes myself.  Have I liked them? No...Have I worried about them? Yes...but thanks to a few very dear friends (who know who they are) I am facing them and overcoming them and moving on.

'Don't Worry, Spratly!' is a charming book about the fear of change and facing it head on. Written in delightful verse by my friend Helen Sampson, Spratly finds out that he has to move to a new school and that's a big change and understandably he finds his tummy in knots about it.

It's a sweet tale that every child and, might I add, every grown-up will be able to relate to. Though Spratly doesn't like the fact that there's going to be a big change, he knows it's going to happen anyway and in the end...well you know in the end, he'll have nothing to worry about.

This is Helen's first picture book and it is just delightful and as an added bonus there is a craft section at the back of the book that parents can use to entertain the little ones. 

Great job, Helen.  Hopefully this is just the first in many adventures we can expect from Spratly and his friends. To find out how to order this fast-selling book, please click on the link below.


                                     ORDER SPRATLY

Congratulations, Joseph Schooling!

Congratulations to Singapore's first Olympic Champion --Joseph Schooling.

Captain America: Civil War Blue Carpet Premiere

The excitement of The Huntsman: Winter's War premiere was barely over when fans were all clamouring for the next big fix which was the Captain America: Civil War Blue Carpet Premiere which was to be held at the Marina Bay Sands Skating rink. The video above set both fanboys and fangirls into virtual meltdown mode. It was the event that everyone wanted to go to. In addition to the main event, there would be a four day festival including games and activities that would cap off, pardon the pun, with a fireworks display at the Helix Bridge.

Now unlike Universal Studios, the skating rink is a relatively small area and not that many fans would be able to get up close and personal with the stars. Back in 2014, I scored a pair of passes to the Spiderman event and from experience I knew that if you didn't have a pass, it was highly unlikely you would get to meet the stars.

Organisers so anticipated the magnitude of the event that the skating rink started being prepped a week in advance of the premiere.

A week before the event

Two days before the event

The day of the event.

This time there weren't a slew of competitors that fans could enter to get into the rink. However, there was an instagram competition in which fans had to pose in their best superhero poses. I sure wasn't going to do that and, anyway, they were only giving passes to the top four entries. 

Since not everyone was into dressing up or posing, the organisers offered the fans alternate ways they could get in on the blue carpet action. You could be one of the top spenders at the Marina Bay Shoppes. And there's no way I could afford to do that. Oh, yes and you could also win blue carpet passes if you were the 88th, 888th, or the 1,888 person to sign up for Marina Bay Sands privilege account. 

And lest I forget Reed Exhibitions were selling Captain America Packages that included one blue carpet pass for $688 or you could even pay $1,288 and that would include a night's stay at Marina Bay Sands. Fans were outraged and their ire even made it to the Straits Times. Never before had fans had to pay to get onto the red, or in this case, blue carpet of a movie premiere. It was totally unprecedented. 

I all but resigned myself to the fact that there was no way that I was going to the event. But then a day before the Blue Carpet, my mum scored me a pass!! Thanks, Mum and to everyone who helped. You know who you are. :) :)

My VIP wristband that gained me access to the blue carpet.

On the day itself,  I arrived at MBS at about 1pm and the place was already completely packed. Some fans were disgruntled because there was no clear indication of where they could wait and they had been asked to move several times. I met JM, who had already attended the press con and was sporting her fan zone wrist band, and Liza who was staking her claim on a spot along the blue carpet.  Fellow Marvel fans Chee and Ray were at the food court surveying the scene and Caroline was waiting for her daughter Jess who had the all important blue carpet passes in her possession. Chee, Ray, Caroline and I met two years ago at the Spiderman red carpet event so this was kind of old hat to us.

My friend Anthony, who had also scored a  VIP pass arrived soon after and we headed off for a bite to eat, but truth be told I could hardly eat anything so I had a drink instead.

The press, the VIP guests and the fanzone pass holders all had to enter via the same area so it began to get really packed and they finally let us into our designated areas at 4:45pm.  Anthony, Caroline, Jess and I made our way to the VIP area and claimed our spots by the barricades right opposite the press pens. The VIP area was relatively empty and we wondered how many people would actually show up.

From this instagram photo above you can see me, Caroline and Jess in the relatively empty VIP area (The section with the tables). Anthony can be seen near one of the tables taking photos.  Let's just say it wouldn't stay that empty for long.

This is what it looked like before the stars arrived

Anthony and me, looking like smurfs.

I also have no idea why they used blue lighting when they had blue carpet. Everyone ended up looking like smurfs. What's also interesting to note is that the DC SuperHero cafe on the top floor was shrouded in black  right before the event. WOW!

Right before the DC Cafe  on the top floor was blacked out in a black shroud.

After about half an hour, hosts Glenn Ong and Stephanie 
Carrington appeared on stage and various cosplayers walked the carpet before taking part in a cosplay competition. 

Having barely eaten, I didn't pay much attention to the competition.  With that portion of the event over, local celebrities walked the blue carpet. And they looked like a bunch of smurfs just like the rest of us.  You know when the local celebs appear that it isn't going to be too much longer before the main stars turn up, so I got my stuff together and braced myself for deafening shrieks from the thousands of fans present.

And sure enough at around 7pm Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie and director Joe Russo arrived to be greeted by the strained vocal chords of four floors of fans.

Anthony Mackie on the blue carpet. It was impossible to get a

good shot.

They signed autographs and posed for selfies with fans who had strategically positioned themselves on the outskirts of the rink before making their way to the fanzone and VIP areas. I had brought some of my books for all of them but I knew that it  would be tough to give them my books given the situation.

Anthony Mackie was the first to show up in our section, he signed for some further up the carpet, talked to press, then he jumped into the press pen and walked to the food court to meet the masses of fans who didn't have blue carpet passes. I tried to get his minder to get him to come over, but she refused and instead she said she would give my book to him. I'm not sure if she ever did.

Joe Russo was next and he signed an illustration that my illustrator had done and that was to be presented to Sebastian Stan.  Stan 

was next and I lucky enough to get him to sign an autograph for a young fan that I had met as well as one for myself. Then he posed for a selfie with Anthony and me. I was also able to pass him a copy of The Lion Dance as a souvenir.

Sebastian signing for me ©Gettyimages

Found this photo on instagram. You can see me just about to give Sebastian the book.

Sebastian Stan autographed magazine cover

It seem quite a while before Evans appeared on the carpet. I had a copy of A Day with the Duchess that I wanted to pass to him for his  nephew Miles and I wanted to tell him I hoped Miles 'Wiked' it, but  again who knew what the situation was going to be wike. I mean like.

After a premature announcement that Evans was on the blue carpet,  and a few moments of uncertainty on the part of the hosts, Evans arrived surrounded my a phalanx of security. Fans screamed, shrieked, yelled, you name it. Arms stretched out with phones and sharpies, all hoping to get that all important selfie or autograph but Evans breezed past them, smiling, waving and looking a tad anxious and uncertain. It didn't look like he was going to stop or sign at all. Then when he  was about 10 feet away he stopped and starting signing. "Chris! Chris!" I yelled holding out my Captain America Civil War hardback book. The cover was too  glossy and I didn't want his autograph to smudge, so opened it up and hoped Chris would sign it. Chris signed the fastest autographs I have ever seen anyone sign. And with all the shoving it was impossible to get a good photo.

See what I mean?

The worrying thing at that point was that he was skipping quite a lot of people. Finally he was within arm's length and I held out my book. He was about to sign for me when someone held a Captain America Shield over my head, obscuring me from his view. Chris signed the shield and then looked at me and smiled and signed my book. "Chris!" I heard Anthony yell and he got his photo signed too! 

Chris signing my book for me. (I'm in the cap on the left)

Done signing my book he gets ready to sign for Anthony (top left)

The much sought-after Chris Evans autograph

Chris signed two more autographs before he placed the cap back on the sharpie. Caroline and Jess couldn't get an autograph as the shield wielding fan behind us blocked them as Chris stood right in front of them. Done with signing, he moved over to the press pen of star struck journalists who  wasted no time in getting their own selfies as they were forbidden from asking for selfies and autographs during the press junket. 

Guess who's behind Chris's right shoulder

When all four stars took to the stage, a forest of arms sprung into the air with cell phones dangling like the first blossoms of spring. I was too exhausted to hold my camera above my head so I cornered a server for a burger slider and a much needed Coca Cola.

The stars bantered with the crowd. Posed for a selfie with one lucky fan. Met the children's beneficiaries of Marina Bay Sands and were presented with specially commissioned pieces of Superhero Art, one of which was done by my illustrator Soefara.

With the blue carpet portion of the event over, we were ushered up to the Mastercard Theatre for the screening of Captain: America Civil War. Free popcorn and coke for everyone!! It was one of the best Marvel Movies I've ever seen and ranks alongside Guardians of the Galaxy and Antman as one of my all time faves. The movie let out at almost 11pm. Though completely exhausted, Anthony and I both felt it was a pretty great day. Thanks again, Mum!

Though I didn't get to give my books to Chris or Joe Russo or meet Anthony Mackie, hopefully one day I'll be able to do so. Who knows they may even want to do something with my books. Wishful thinking I know and I'm not going to hold my breath. But you never know.

Autographed Shield on Display at the Captain America Festival