Singapore from above Ground Zero

Finally, I was able to have some awesome views of Singapore by night from way above ground zero inside the Singapore Flyer.

View from Singapore Flyer.

View from Singapore Flyer.

View from Singapore Flyer.

The Esplanade Theater taken before we watched 
the Musical, Les Miserables.

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A buffet dinner with ladies of CHIJ Batu Pahat at Seasonal Tastes of The Westin Singapore perched at Level 32, Asia Square Tower 2 at  Marina View allowed another spectacular view of the Marina Bay.

Garden by the Bay viewed from the Esplanade Theater.

Mohammad Ali (1942 - 2016)

The news of Mohammad Ali's death on 3 June 2016 came when I was in Singapore. For a moment, I thought about this man who during his hey days stirred many controversies. He had gone to jail and stripped off his World Heavyweight Boxing Champion title. Notwithstanding all the setbacks, he managed to weather through these storms and made a comeback to recapture the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion title. He was legendary and became one of the most well known characters in the universe.  At the pinnacle of his boxing career, Mohammad Ali was synonymous to boxing. In his later years after his retirement from boxing, he rose to assume the role of a Statesman crisscrossing countries to promote goodwill and resolving crisis.

Few people knew that Mohammad Ali in fact had at one time visited Sabah. That was in 1975 after he fought and defeated Joe Bugner in Kuala Lumpur on 30 June 1975. He spent three days in Sabah. The man who managed to get him to come was non other - the Chief Minister of Sabah then, Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun.

Mohammad Ali with the Governor of Sabah then, 
Tun Mohammad Fuad Stephens

"Champions aren't made in gyms, Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill". Mohammad Ali.

Les Miserables

We took a flight to Singapore on 3 June 2016 to watch the world-acclaimed musical, “Les Miserables”. Paul and Jun Shi had earlier bought us tickets to watch this musical at the Esplanade Theater.

I vaguely remember watching this musical years ago also in Singapore. Except a few catchy songs, there was nothing much to remember from the story line. But after watching the 1998 movie by Liam Neeson, watching the musical a second time made more sense. Of course, there is the third option: read the novel itself by Victor Hugo. But, that option might be a too ambitious endeavor to consider!

But listening to conversation in the movie helped to understand the story line a bit better. If ever I have to choose the most powerful moment of the movie, it is the following conversation soon after Valjean was caught by the police for stealing the church utensils and brought back to the church to face the bishop. It was the act of choosing kindness rather than vengeance that changed the course of Valjean's life.

Bishop: "Don't forget, don't ever forget, you promised to become a new man."
Valjean: (In disbelief and after a long pause) "I promise. But, why are you doing this?"
Bishop: "Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to you. With this silver, I bought your soul. I ransom your fear and hatred. And now, I give you back to God."