Meeting Alaskair

Been enjoying free internet access in Leiden University; which explains the regular blog updates. Well, usually this time (5pm holland time) is like a free and easy period before we get to eat really good and free dinner, that comes with a regular and free supply of beer, white wine, red wine, juices and water. So I think I'm pretty hydrated over here.. haha.

Caught the semis between germany and italy last night in a pub with the rest of the exchange guys. I was sitting at the back and decided to have a chat with this 62 year old British guy call Alaskair. Apparently, he has been coming down to Singapore for the last 4 years or so, to escape the winter during december. He offered me a heineken (its a dutch beer afterall) and we had a great talk about Singapore. Somehow before Italy scored the 2 killer goals, Alaskair asked me why is it that everyone is so happy (he then point to the 39 students from across Asia and Europe who were rooting for their fave teams) at the human-to-human level, but there is so much problems in the world?

My brain was like:"hmmm...is this a question asked in a drunken stupor, or is this some sort of super chim philo question that he is trying to find out an answer for himself?" Oh well, maybe it helped that I was in melancholy land (read previous post), and I told him my personal spiritual thesis statement of 2006 that maybe everyone is happy on the outside but joyless on the inside; and so the whole world sort of operates in an emotional vaccum.

Later realized that he is a landscape architect, who is 'married but no longer', as well as a Anglican who is 'not devout', and likes to travel to avoid issues in life. Something inside me felt that I should talk a bit more to him, but I just wasn't in the right kind of atmosphere and mood to talk about deeper stuff like Christ and all. When I got back to the hotel, felt a bit probed by the holy spirit that I've missed something; that perhaps I should have stayed longer. So anyway, I tried to wake up earlier this morning to catch him over breakfast befores he hits the road again. Gave him my contacts (which was subversively written on this small piece of paper that has Psalms 91 on it; I carried it with me in my wallet as some sort of run-to-the-toilet-cubicle-to-pray-when-things-are-bad damage control pill) and we agreed to meet up when he is in Singapore this december.

I don't know, maybe I'll just bring him to SJSM or something; we are anglicans afterall.

***

Today's topics in ASEF was about Asian human rights. Somehow strangely, a lot of questions and accusations were directed at Singapore. I had a pretty good field day vacillating between being a defender and condemner of Singapore's (and ASEAN's) foreign and domestic politics. I think I did okay against all the goliaths; one of them couldn't believe I only did 2 years of PS... hee hee.

Okie, enough of self praise. Gonna catch the next semi final soon... Praying for ya.