My life has been interesting because of many incidents which I have experienced. Some of these incidents have been eccentric, funny and mad. Together, they have added colour and sparkle to my life. I have no regrets for the things that I have done for they have made me who and what I am today. I can laugh when I think of them and I have learned much from them too. My advice to younger people is just throw yourself into activities and enjoy your life. Take part in things that you have not done before and enjoy yourself. Do not shy away from activities that are a little different, a little way out and a little bizarre! Remember what Robert Ornstein said, “If you spend too much time being like everybody else, you decrease your chances of coming up with something different.” Please permit me, in this post, to share with you some of my eccentric, funny moments.
Mad Conductor
Some years ago, our local classical radio station organised a Mad Conductor competition. All that contestants had to do was to conduct an imaginary orchestra. The radio station provided a list of classical pieces and we could select the one that we wanted to use. We could also dress for the part. It sounded such fun and there was a prize to win as well! I love the way conductors are able to inspire the musicians in the orchestra to produce great music. They move, they sway, they lift their batons and they create magic!
I told myself that I could do this. I would practise to the music. I would jump, move as I envisaged how a mad conductor would move and I would have fun. The contest would take place at a shopping centre and anyone and everyone could be in the audience! This was daunting but I still wanted to do it! There would be the heats, some people would be selected and then the finals would be scheduled a week later. So I registered myself for the contest and on the day of the heats I dressed myself in a pair of black trousers, a white shirt, black bow tie and a black jacket and went to the shopping mall. I watched some of the other contestants and I told myself “this is fun and you can do it”! When it came to my turn, I went on stage and did I perform! Yes, I was selected for the finals.
For the finals I had to conduct the Redetzky March by Johnann Strauss. I obtained a CD of the music and I played it again and again. I hopped, I moved, I swayed and I bent to the music. I moved the baton up and down and I was in my elements! It was superb! I decided to hire a gorilla mask to enhance the Mad Image! The day of the finals came and I went to the shopping centre. My turn arrived and I went on stage and I just let myself go and moved to the music. What a dream! I was the Mad Conductor on stage performing! Sadly, I did not win. There was someone better but I enjoyed the opportunity the contest had given me. I still have the little gifts, including a T-shirt with the Mad Conductor logo on it, that the radio station gave the contestants. Each time I hear the Redetzky March, I think back to that day and to my performance as the Mad Conductor!
Suzie Wong
Many years ago, a friend who lives in Bermuda gave me a splendid recipe for Margaritas. I soon became an expert at making Margaritas and even earned the title of Margarita Queen. My friends just loved my Margaritas. One young man invited me to Bangladesh to attend his birthday party and he requested that I make the Margaritas for the party. Wow! What an honour indeed! His Highness and I packed our bags and arrived in Dhaka all ready to party! Did we have a splendid time! Our young friend had arranged for us to attend many other events as well!
On the day of his party, I wore a cheongsam which I had specially tailored back home. It was made of red silk material which had bright green and yellow flower prints. It was quite stunning. I made my way to the kitchen where the waiters from the catering organisation were busy working. Using a blender, I started making the Margaritas. The waiters were amazed to see me fixing the drink. One of them asked me where I came from and I said to them, “The Suzie Wong Bar.” I have to tell you that my Margaritas were very well received that evening and many jugs of Margaritas were drunk!
Celebrity Bar Tender
My Margarita making skills were once again put to test when I was invited, together with five other women, to be bartenders at the Bar and Billiards Room at the Raffles Hotel. The six of us were described as Celebrity Bartenders and we would be raising money for a women’s organisation. We were asked to work in pairs and we had to select a drink to make. Of course I offered my Margarita recipe and the Hotel made tent cards with our recipes written on them. I still have one of the tent cards. On the day in question, together with my partner, we made glass after glass of Margaritas.
It was a fun, memorable occasion. Our friends and supporters came to the Bar and Billiards Room and they bought the drinks that we fixed. It was a happy, merry event which was well reported in the media.
Conclusion
I urge you to be eccentric at times and have funny, mad moments. You will find life vibrant, exciting and full of vitality. Dame Edith Sitwell said, “Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.”