mrbrown.com

Lean on me

"Is she too heavy for you, Mom?" I said, worried that my 11-year-old's awkward hug may be too physically taxing my mother.

Because of her autism, Faith rarely displays physical affection but lately she's been spontaneously hugging Grandma, whom she adores. Love overcomes even sensory barriers that make touch difficult.

"It's ok, it's ok, let Faith lean on me," Mom laughed. "I can still take it. I'll move her away if I cannot take her weight."

Mom told me the other day, Faith leaned over and rested on her shoulder while she was driving.

"Aiyoh, she was sweet but I had to make her sit back on her seat," Mom laughed.

No matter what your triumphs or failures in 2012, what your ups or downs, what your tears or laughter, there is much to be thankful for.

May your 2013 be filled with hugs and love from your special loved ones.

A most unfortunate placement of the Facebook logo

Seen at U Desserts, Kulai, JB.

Creepiest toy I saw so far, during Christmas shopping

Video link: http://moby.to/6btjyt

O hear the angel voices!

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/TuGoUu

This is Lauren Yeo. She is 9. And she has a voice of an angel.

She recently won 1st place in the American Protege International Vocal Competition in Classical singing. She's the first Singaporean and the youngest winner.

She'll be performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 2013.

Here is another video of her singing Puccini's O Mio Babbino Caro:

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/TuGxHu

Fight the good fight

My nine-year-old, watching me play Team Fortress 2…

Isaac: "Papa, why do you stay inside the base and shoot? Go out and fight."

Me: "Papa is a sniper. That's what I do."

Isaac: "Isn't that cowardly?"

Me: "Ok. I'll change to the Pyro and charge at them with my flamethrower, ok?"

Isaac: "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

Me: "Where did you learn THAT phrase?"

Isaac: "How Transformers Should Have Ended. I saw it on YouTube."

Home for Christmas

I came home late at night from Opening Night and saw my children in my bedroom.

"Hello Faith," I said, "give Papa a kiss?"

She smiled and planted an awkward wet kiss on my lips.

"Today Papa told some people about your story, girl."

Faith smiled. I don't know if my autistic firstborn understood what I said but that's ok. She will tell me some day.

Drunk driver who killed cyclist fined

He was drink driving. He wasn't careful. He killed a cyclist.

Ploughed into the 67-year-old cyclist, to be exact.

He only gets a fine and driving ban, no jail time.

What did he have to do to get slapped with jail? Run over the dead cyclist's body a few more times with his car?

This is the signal that the gahmen wants to send to motorists about the value of a cyclist's life and driving under the influence?

From ST: http://mrbrwn.co/12sVoUq

I think the Mayans trolled us all

This just in. The Mayan End of the World will be delayed in Singapore because the MRT train it was on had a "disruption due to train fault". It seems someone pressed the red Emergency button.

It was 21st December in New Zealand earlier. I hear Sauron returned.

地铁干拿塞

Seems like the NEL is down again.

@miyagi asked, "What's 'disruption due to train fault' in Mandarin, SBSTransit?"

My Chinese isn't the best in the world but I believe it's 地铁 kanasai.

[image via @mezame]

Paper Hearts

One morning, I spotted some of my A4 printer paper folded in half, with a diamond hole cut out in the middle of it, and asked, "Ok kids, who cut up paper and left the stray paper lying about? Clean up, please."

Joy and Isaac promptly complied, saying, "Sorry Papa, we were making cards!"

I replied with a harrumph.

Later in the evening, the wife found this card made by Joy, on her side table (Isaac had another design) and sent me a photo of it.

From left, it is the wife, me, Joy, Isaac, our helper Celia, and big sister Faith.

My seven-year-old even included a small detail with Faith's drawing: her tongue sticking out, which my autistic firstborn does a lot.

I have such sweet kids, even if they do make a mess once in a while.

the mrbrown show: the end of the world

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/T8BEQQ

Mayan prophecies getting you down? We offer sage advice from our bunker.

Reaching out to some new friends

Very happy to have been part of this Silent Carolers video by Coca-Cola Singapore. I learned to sign a Christmas carol and I hope I signed it correctly!

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/VQukrC

Even if it is the end of the world…

I went for my half-yearly dental checkup and cleaning over the weekend. Felt like my mouth was put through a car wash. My wallet too. Good thing I only needed a clean and polish.

I never took dental maintenance seriously until I was older. What scared me was the price my wife paid to have a root canal and crowning. Yikes. The cost is enough to make you take better care of your teeth, I tell you.

Meanwhile, I have had no time to do any shopping for Christmas, what with work and all. But if the crowds I am seeing in malls even during weekdays is any indication, I think I will stay away on weekends too.

I do hope to finish my Christmas shopping before 21st December. It would be harder to find open stores after the Mayan apocalypse.

This begs the question: What timezone is the Mayan Apocalypse happening to first?

Singapore can inform America if the Mayans were right, since we would reach 21st December earlier. If we don't call you, you have 12 hours to live. Don't worry, I am very on the ball with my tweets and Facebook status updates. I'd do it even while running from a fiery meteoric ball of fire.

I am not even sure if I should do the laundry and other chores till at least the 21st.

I did, however, help my mother with some tech chores, like upgrading her cable tv boxes. She was told that the old analog boxes will be decommissioned next year, so she went down with me to the woefully under-staff and super-crowded Customer Service Centre to get them changed.

Naturally, I was the default installer. I battled the grimy old cables bonded to the cable tv point with decades of rust & paint. Why do moms paint OVER the cable point when they DIY-paint the house? It's a mystery.

What makes fighting stubborn cables more painful is doing it after you've cut your finger nails too close to the skin.

So both of Mom's cable boxes are now HD. But here's the catch: she cannot see any difference between her SD and HD channels except the remotes are now different. And she doesn't seem to care about HD too. Her biggest concern was figuring out how to navigate the new Teletext layout so she can check her 4D results.

Hey, priorities matter, ok? 4D > HD.

the mrbrown show: a work of passion

Youtube link: http://mrbrwn.co/12phTZh

Everyone's favorite minister weighs in on matters of passion.

A right and honourable thing?

TODAY: Palmer resignation "right and honourable":

Former Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer "did the right and honourable thing" by resigning, Minister of State (Health and Manpower) Amy Khor said yesterday.

"Like many others I am very shocked and saddened by the news of Michael Palmer's resignation under such circumstances," she said.

"In fact my heart goes out to the family but I think he did the right and honourable thing to resign because MPs and politicians must uphold the highest standard of integrity in personal conduct in order to earn the respect and trust and confidence of people who have elected us to represent them."

Amy Khor, there was nothing "right" or "honourable" about this whole sordid affair. If an affair is about to leak, with all the emails and SMSes already in the hands of the press, what else is there to do BUT to confess and resign?

You'd think Michael Palmer won the Nobel Peace Prize for Curing Cancer for Little Kittens or something, the way Amy Khor put it.

[photo from EDMW Loves Singapore's FB]

Taxi talk

Pro tip: Taxis with cameras fitted to their rear view mirrors also record audio INSIDE the cab.

Watch what you say on your next cab ride.

Heck, watch what you say in any car that has these cameras mounted, for that matter.

Breaking in or breaking out?

Must be inside job.

[photo from my friend Benedict]

Political Suicide, the book

Meanwhile, in an eerie twist, another Michael Palmer launches THIS book…

You couldn't make this stuff up.

Yes, it is a real book.

Breaking: Michael Palmer resigns as Speaker of the House and from PAP

Woah, just when you thought 2012 isn't going to get more sagas, MP for Punggol East SMC, Michael Palmer, who is also Speaker of the House, resigns because of an improper "relationship with a member of the PA staff working in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC".

I remember that PM Lee said during WP Yaw Shin Leong saga: "The WP has let down the voters of Hougang."

So PAP now got Michael Palmer case, how ah?

Quite a facePalmer moment for the PAP hor? Got by-election or not ah?

Another question: Do PAP MPs get a different PAssion card from us?

[photo via TODAY]

12.12.12

Happy 12.12.12!

It's the last time this century you will get annoying status messages that the calendar is aligned! Hooray!

[photo via]