He's Here, He's Lear

See that some of you have already voted. Glad to see that a few of you at least have an opinion about the issue. Keep the votes coming in!

Just read today's papers. Ian McKellen is here :) For those not in the know, the names Gandolf in LOTR and Magneto in X-Men will probably jog your memory. Nopes, he's not here to play either characters but he's here to act in the play, King Lear. A pity I didnt manage to get tickets for this play as I think it would be quite an eye-opener and a priviledge to see an accomplished actor 'live'. Ah well, the things I miss in life. That's why I say, experience life while you can, not when you need to work and make a living. It'll be a tad too late then eh?

2 things I found of interest: 1) With regards to Singapore being the only country in the King Lear Tour where he keeps his underpants on instead of removing it, this is what he says and I quote -

"I daresay if we were to argue the case, that there was an artistic reason for it (to appear nude for the play), maybe the young people would be allowed to respect an old man's genitalia. I think it's a pity, but not a great one."

Humourous, hehe.

2) He is known for his activist work for gay rights and he is one of the founding members of Britain's Stonewall, a gay rights group. Even more intriguing is this (and I quote from the ST) -

He says he has followed with interest the recent debate here on Section 377A of the Penal Code which bans homosexual sex. "Well, I feel a little bit guilty because the law you have in Singapore was one that was left behind by the British colonial forces and it's taken us an awful long time to get rid of it in Britain," he says "So I'm very sympathetic to the situation here."

Him being gay aside, what I found more interesting is that a Brit would actually know and "read with interest" this little debate that's going on in Singapore. If I were to ask a Singaporean on the street about this issue, which would defintely affect us all in some way or another in future, would she or he know or even be interested in this 'little trivia'? Food for thought about what it means to be an active citizen eh?

Anyway, for homework, just a gentle reminder:

- reflect on Mdm Gao Yao Jie on your blog by this weekend. For those without a blog, do give me a hard copy by this Friday.

- Due this Friday as well - (group work) list of achievements based on a biography of any character (either from ST or any magazines)

- next Weds 25 July, group essay on your debate topic.

That's all folks for today!

Rest well! :)