I was watching the live broadcasts of the dramatic scene unfolding, as well as the thoughts of the ‘eclipse-chasers’ (that’s how they would like to be called) who were interviewed after the spectacle. Most people were glad they were able to catch something that is so rare, it is probably going to happen again only in the next century. Many termed it a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moment. Some claimed that it was an emotional experience that went beyond words. Others described it as poignant, spiritual, intense and astounding. I think this eclipse went beyond all of these. It was in short, a miracle.

How often do you hear people describing events as miracles? Most of us were brought up in a realistic and pragmatic world. Miracles were never meant to happen, or so we were told. Miracles evoke flighty dreams, unrealistic assumptions, groundless ideals and worst, unscientific reasonings. We were told that things happen for a reason. Science was meant to explain everything. Gravity has to work (at least on Earth). We were urged to try only the proven and encouraged to take risks, but only calculated ones. Hard work, persistence, dedication and commitment makes things work for us. Not miracles. The only miracles that occur in our world, do so only in the realms of religion. I remember a familiar phase used by one of the CCA groups back when I was in SJI. It is still etched firmly in my memory:

“The impossible we do straightaway, miracles take a little longer”

Fast-forward a couple of years and I could still picture myself sitting in the midst of a NTU lecture theatre, attending my Astronomy elective. We learnt about the stars and planets, their formation and their deaths. It was ironic because, as much as we were taught scientifically how the wonders of the universe were created, we also learnt that there were just as much that were still unexplained by science. In my lecturer’s words, “things just happened and till now we have not found the reason so”. The most chilling part was when scientific theories could explain how the universe was formed, theories were available on the blackholes, stars and the planets. However, the fact that Earth is the only planet (as of now) to support life is in fact a miracle. Earth is the only planet to be positioned away from the sun such that we receive the warmth and energy essential for survival, yet we are protected from the harmful rays and radiation. We are kept warm by the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Our atmosphere consists of the appropriate amount of gases to keep us sufficiently warm. A slight drop in that concentration, we will all freeze to death. The earth is tilted slightly, so that we can have our 4 seasons. Jupiter is placed right where it has to be, shielding Earth from most of the asteroids by deflecting them. The moon circles us, giving us our daily tides and helping to stabalise our gravity. I could still remember how the lecturer ended the lecture. “The fact that Earth has life and can support life is a miracle. The fact that we were not destroyed by asteroids, crushed to death by strong gravitational forces and fried by radioactive rays till today are miracles.”

Miracles do happen. Eclipses happen. Despite the fact that we could accurately predict when and where the next eclipse would be, we will never be able to predict if clouds are going to obstruct us. We will never be able to predict if the ‘diamond-ring’ effect will happen. Neither will we be able to be certain if could see the sun’s corona. And when things like these happen, like how they did yesterday, miracles happen. It is not that we don’t get much of such around us. We simply overlook them.

We have lost our sense of wonder. We could attribute almost anything and everything to a reason today. We presume and assume that we could buy and make almost anything in the world; and we think (or would like to think) that when the financial markets collapsed, we would lose everything.

Perhaps this eclipse would help us remember that as much as we build our successes on the foundations of  hard-work and dedication, sometimes things just happen; and they happen without a reason. Isn’t it great to have a sense of comfort and wonderment?

I will leave you with some pictures of the eclipse.

The roof of the Yellow Crane Tower is silhouetted below a partial solar eclipse in Wuhan, Hubei province, China

A partial solar eclipse is seen beyond a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the southern Indian city of Chennai, India

The diamond ring effect

The sun's corona, visible in this picture

People use their mobile phones to take photos as they join thousands of people along the Ganges river to watch a solar eclipse in the Indian city of Varanasi

A statue of Chairman Mao Zedong is silhouetted against a partial solar eclipse in Wuhan, Hubei province, China

A partial solar eclipse is seen behind the Taj Mahal in the northern Indian city of Agra

A dinosaur sculpture situated outside a themed restaurant is silhouetted against a partial solar eclipse in Taipei, Taiwan

A bird flies past a partial solar eclipse, seen behind one of the domes of the Golden Temple - the Sikhs holiest shrine - in Amritsar, India

Pictures courtesy of the Boston Globe

Enough of me. And more of the little secret I chanced upon recently. Most of us wondered occasionally where we could find an awesome Thai meal, where we would willingly part with some money for good, authentic Thai food. And of course,  an amazing setting to complete the picture. Thai Express is decent, easy and well, comfortable. But sometimes, we crave for a little more. So, here’s one of the best kept secrets in the dining scene – KHA. 

Hidden in Singapore’s new gardening and lifestyle center, Hort Park, KHA delivers modern Thai food in a lush, tropical setting. Very typical of Singapore, but very much welcomed and appreciated indeed. KHA capitalises on its Arcadian surroundings with an alfresco dining area, ample use of glass and airy interiors. Its owner, Yenn Wong is responsible for the JIA hotels in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Chef David Hamilton, formerly from Bangkok’s Dream Hotel and Banyan Tree Phuket devised a menu filled with refined Thai classics. I shall stop here and leave you to explore this special place on your own. Intriguing, engaging and senses-tingling Thai food awaits.

Don’t forget to check out the imposing antique 2m tall bronze Buddha at the entrance of the restaurant. Here is another teaser – do take up a spot on the lounge seats along the outdoor deck. It is a special place to view the amazing sunset!

KHA. www.kha.sg

We decided on the Chatterbox Restaurant at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel for their amazing chicken rice and arrived at the hotel later than expected, thanks (no thanks) to the crazy, snarling traffic along Singapore’s hottest stretch of shopping malls. The Hotel was also in the midst of a revamp and things looked a tad unfamiliar for me, after being too used to the wide, open spaces so common in European Piazzas. Looking slightly flustered and disorientated at the lobby, the familiar and amazing Meritus Mandarin service came extremely useful as we were urshered to the express elevators. For as long as I could remember, the Chatterbox was at the ground-floor. The last time I had chicken rice there was when I was a fresh-faced kid out of college, able to tuck in for a chicken rice brunch simply because I had my JC prom at the Hotel the night before. This time, the restaurant has relocated to the 39th floor, right where the famous Mandarin Hotel revolving restaurant was years back. 

We had the most spectacular view of the city at night. Well of course, not as breathtaking as the views from the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris, but at least from where we sat, we had the most amazing view of the entire Orchard Road, right up to Marina Bay and the future integrated resorts. We were lucky too! Rehearsals were on for NDP09 and we managed to catch the fireworks display. To reach the restaurant, we had to take a flight of stairs from the 38th floor, where the observation lounge was. A jazz band was playing and yuppies were lounging by the huge windows, taking in the cityscape from above. A pretty cool hangout for after dinner drinks, with an amazing ambience. 

The Chicken Rice was satisfying. Many would beg to differ because paying $24 for a set of chicken rice was never going to be worth the money anyway. However the sauces provided were spot on, the portions huge and the rice was fragrant. Fragrant rice. Something that I have learnt to appreciate when I was in Europe. Something that I have craved for so badly. Often, we had bland tasting pastas and baguettes for dinner, especially on nights where we have exceeded the day’s budget. Maybe the chicken rice from this restaurant had reached its legendary and iconic status years back that today, most chicken rice connoisseurs would dismiss it as overrated and overpriced. I would admit that the saving grace for the dish would be the rice, the sauces and its generous portion given the exorbitant prices. But hey. You are in one of the top hotels in the world and you have got the best view anyone could have asked for. Service is discreet and prompt. And, the dessert was splendid. Coconut icecream, topped with coconut shavings, walnuts and chocolate. I have learnt to appreciate desserts more since Europe. And this ice cream is truly special. A joy to savour. 

Perhaps all these small touches overshadowed and took away the attention from the chicken rice. There is certainly joy tucking into Tian Tian Chicken Rice in Maxwell Hawker Centre. The heady mix of oil, grease and sweaty bodies certainly offers another dimension to dining. Not to mention the sense of satisfaction driven from overcoming a long queue of the lunchtime crowd to sink your teeth into the tender and succulent chicken. But at the end of the night, we had our bill halved because of the American Express card promotion that was going on in the restaurant. Furthermore, I have learnt to appreciate the finer things in life after the European odyssey – ambience, a good conversation with my folks and not forgetting that breathtaking view. Europeans have always been willing to pay for the entire dining experience, while Singaporeans(in general) are more keen to have a hurried meal and move on to… their next agenda, whatever that may be. We have got to understand, dining comes in a whole package guys.

A balance must be struck and I will still enjoy my daily meals and suppers at the local kopitiams. But with the American Express deal that halved the bill for that legendary chicken rice. Who’s complaining?

Perhaps a new perspective, a new rush of adrenaline, resetting of goals, realizing old ones. More importantly, understanding of priorities. 

As i hit 24, my peers likened it to a coming-of-age. Suddenly, things that you thought were important when you were in your early teens, were no longer so. So here it goes, no linkages to the old blog. Just a rusty old link that appears once in awhile in my inbox. Some references to the old one now and then. Nonetheless, the photos will be an imposing feature in this blog. 

Some things still don’t change. But as I embark into the uncertain future and leave the warm, comforting embrace of school life, it is only a matter of fact that the realities out there will just be like this. Harsh and bare.