stolen colours

Some bad tidings have arrived this Christmas. A relative has had a recurrence of metastatic cancer and needs to go for more radiation and chemotherapy. He’s currently asymptomatic and seems quite upbeat, so we’re all hoping he can fight and survive this. It’s always the nicest people who get struck by diseases that aren’t of their own doing.

Today QY, Jenny and I watched a handbell performance at the Esplanade by Ministry of Bellz, the first privately-funded handbell ensemble in Singapore. The ringers are mostly percussionists at the Percussive Arts Studios. While I think they did remarkably well in spite of having had just 2 months of practice and no prior ringing experience save for a few members, the technique wasn’t quite there yet. They’ll only get better, though.

I really want to ring again. It’s been 7 years since I graduated from the Raffles Ringers, and I still feel the same way. Ringing is one of the very few times that I think, “yes, it is right to be doing this.” We ARE going to make it happen. A 5-octave set plus extras plus shipping would be around S$50,000? It’s the cost of a car, but can’t pay in instalments. We need the bells, and then a place to practice, and then the members will come. And we already have a killer name. I’m excited.

It finally feels like Christmas.

I walked home from Serangoon MRT in slightly under thirty minutes. It was windy and the sky was clear. Did anyone look at the full moon tonight? With its watercolour rainbow penumbra? And the clouds swept to form a path through the sky?

Merry Christmas!