dwayne blogged

It came to pass.. finally. More than anything, 5000 over Singaporeans living overseas flocked to Central Park in NY for a taste of free local food except… well, do you see the picture on the right? I’m the green guy on stage. And for me, it was a little hard to get to the food. I was the only Singaporean performing who wasn’t going back to Singapore with the rest. How like that?!? Well, I did what every hungry Singaporean would have done. I snuck out and ate lah! Then what? Ssshh! Don’t tell the stage manager.

The food was amazing. I crept up to the front of the queues and flashed my "I Heart SG" pass for immediate gratification. Laksa doesn’t do very much for my voice but again, I was a hungry Singaporean. I could write a book on how it was such a logistical nightmare, but I’d rather talk about how the Nasi Lemak made me forget it all, except my lyrics of course. Still, it was an exciting challenge to be fit into the show only 2 days before.

We had another performance at the New York Public Library later in the evening for dignitaries at dinner. Kit Chan sang the new National Day song for 2007. It was about Singaporeans having seen the world and still calling Singapore home. I was tearing by the side of the stage (about to go on stage myself after her song). I couldn’t deny that I missed Singapore and my family as much as I have enjoyed the experiences I have had here in New York.

My cousin came to NY to visit for 5 days! What a treat. I got to be a tourist once again and saw many more things I had not seen before, through her eyes. It’s still pretty cold here for Spring but we walked about nonetheless - Chinatown, Wall Street, Broadway, 5th Ave, Central Park. With the last few visitors, I got lost a few times taking them around. This time, I’m proud to say I did a pretty decent tour. The photo you see was taken from the 8th floor of the Marriott hotel at Times Square. We sat for my current favourite drink- Absolut Pear with Pineapple juice! Divine!

We also managed to dodge the cold on Madison Ave. I found an interior park where even birds found refuge. It was warm and nice and one of the few times, I actually pulled out a book to read in a park. (It’s just not a Singaporean thing to do. It’s too hot all year round for us to appreciate the warmth. It would be a clear sign of madness if you sat in the middle of a park, alone, reading a book in the blazing sun and dripping buckets).

The Disney Store was nearby, so I bought a nice Winnie the Pooh mug for my morning and bedtime drinks. Disney apparently has lost the rights to Pooh, so better stock up right? I’ve also recently discovered the Strand bookstore. Miles and miles of used/new books. It has a wider selection that your normal Borders or Barnes and Noble. And it’s so much more fun going through an unorganized piles of books to uncover treasures!