Writing at 9.30pm here on Sunday evening, enjoying a cool 27 degrees Celsius I am left thinking about whether tomorrow is going to be a snow day. It’s always a close run thing between children and teachers as to who likes those days off for snow more. It is a certainty that it is not the parents who have to make alternative arrangements for their little darlings when schools are closed though. However there is still great excitement for both the educators and those seeking education when there is even the remotest possibility of having a day off caused by snow.
Here in Malaysia, as I write, there is an outside chance of a sort of snow day off tomorrow. Today is General Election Day. It is reputed to be a close run thing between the current, and only ever, ruling party and the opposition alliance. Rumours of corruption abound with tales including about whether the indelible ink used is actually indelible and people being flown to home states at Government expense to vote. However the strongest rumour doing the rounds is that the winning party will declare tomorrow a National Holiday. So as not to be outdown, out voted or voted out both leading parties have apparently declared the same promise, a promise that is potentially full of problems. With election results supposedly being declared at around midnight how exactly will the message get to everyone? Lexi’s school has taken the wise decision to close anyway but surely shutting the country for a day needs more than a few minutes notice? The last time my previous school closed for snow I learned about it from Heart FM while driving to work and so consequently turned round and went home. Should I tune into Heart tomorrow just in case? My parents reckon that I should try Radio Norfolk.
Culturally it has been a marvellous couple of days. One of my colleagues and I took a small group of year 12s to Singapore on Friday and Saturday to see some plays. “Some plays” doesn’t really do the trip any form of justice as Friday’s cultural feast was an open air production of Othello in the impressive surrounding of Fort Canning Park. Sponsored by J P Morgan and Audi no expense had been spared on the set: a massive collection of shipping containers, scaffolding and a huge circular projection screen which came together to represent a desert warfare set. Steaming in the humid evening air eating great local noodle and rice dishes the heat added an extra layer of oppression to the hard and tough setting. The students and I also enjoyed and after show question and answer session as well as the arrival of the Duke of Venice, driven on to the vast stage in, wait for it, an Audi.
After a few hours sleep at the YMCA, a place that is apparently really fun to stay at, my colleague and I spent Saturday morning reviewing the play with the students before letting them have an hours play time. I sneaked off for swift natter with a mate who works lives in Singapore and then it was time for the second play.
Performed at the simply named, but very plush, Drama Centre Saturday afternoon’s offering was an all male version of The Importance of Being Earnest. The play was conceived by Wild Rice Theatre Company and was very good indeed. Sporting Victorian hats and black or white tail coated suits their version included energetic, frantic paced arguments between Jack (later to become Ernest) and Algernon while the girlie girlieness of Gwendolin and Cecilie had the audience in stitches. Lady Bracknell was an authoritarian and easily corrupted mincing queen whose crimson outfit won the battle of the suits. The high-camp, high-energy show was topped by, somewhat unexpectedly, the excellent performance of the bashful Miss Prism with his longing glances at an equally entertaining Dr Chasuable. The audience were in fits of laughter all the way through and it made a marvellous contrast to Othello.
After the show it was a swift, number 36 bus ride back to Changi Airport for the hour flight back to KL.
All I all it was a great school trip. Yes it was loads of hassle booking the four parts to the adventure. Air Asia once again provided trouble free transport but exceptionally difficult booking arrangements. In the normal world people get discounts for making group bookings, don’t they? Air Asia puts the price up for bookings in excess of nine people leaving teachers like me the option of buying much reduced “promo prices”, but having to type in the name of each and every student myself and then hope there are enough seats on the flight, or paying the inflated cost. Equally there were fun and games when trying to book with the school credit card. However all that can wait until it is time to book the next dramatic adventure which, I am hoping, will not be too far away.
In other Drama related news a year seven student asked me last week at Drama Club a question that could only be asked during a session on improvisation: Mr Lawrence, how exactly does a rabbit push a shopping trolley?
Back at home Edwin and Trixie are enjoying the recently bought bicycles. Trixie is our speed queen while Edwin is enjoying the freedom of having his own transportation. The bike that we bought for Rupert is currently being enjoyed by a local seven year old friend. Rupert will ride it, eventually, I am sure.