I have a dream...

I had a nap earlier and I dreamt a dream so bizarre that I had to write it all down soon as I woke up lest I forget the details. Subconsciously though, I have been procrastinating about updating this blog and it's been so long that I just didn't know how or what to write. Well, this just about solves the problem. Or does is create one? Oh well... read on.

The first part of my dream was set in Singapore where I was supposed to sing at the Regent Hotel with Jeremy Monteiro on solo piano. The entire hotel was booked for an event for the staff of Sunway Hotel Malaysia. Now if that isn’t strange to begin with then I don’t know what the word means.

Anyway, I was supposed to be replacing David at Regent while he had to go somewhere else for a function. In real life, of course, David usually replaces Jeremy whenever the latter has a private gig. Massive downpour happening in Singapore and the streets are flooded and I had to take a boat to get to the hotel! Apparently, Jeremy went ahead. Anyway, we start the gig and everything is going well.. slabs and slices of cakes were being passed around in front, behind and beside Jeremy & myself as we were performing around the lobby and we were obviously multi-tasking as performers and also as part of the production line as cakes were going through us too! Soon enough the 1st set was over and we took a break.

The first break was short and uneventful. But as soon as we were back on “stage” everything was different. Jeremy was on top of a banquet table with a keyboard which, when he started playing the intro to the first song, turned him into a one-man band. Literally. Not the Casio-type keyboard complete with in-built drum beats, strings, etc.. this keyboard actually turned into an actual drum set and bass whenever they needed to be heard! Meanwhile, my microphone was standing in the middle of the room behind the ice carving. And table floral decoration. And food. Basket! Dream sequence also so pavam. Actually makes my BKK gig seem like Caesar’s Palace! Anyway, we eventually get to the break.. but not after Jeremy and I duet on that first (and only) song cos after that it was break time again. It was a pretty easy gig, what can I say?

The 2nd sequence develops during the break. This is really absurd but I travel to Manila during this break to sort out some family issues involving the death of a family member. (A bit too bizarre as one of my cousins did die, and under pretty hairy circumstances, recently!)

So family members gathered and the mood was somber and grief-laden. We sit church pew style to commence prayers before sitting down to a serious discussion. Cousin starts prayers in the front pew. I’m sitting in the last row. Meanwhile, an old uncle of ours standing right behind me keeps knocking my head with his hand and after a while I respectfully asked that he stop it. This causes the cousin leading the prayers to giggle uncontrollably, sending the whole gang into fits of laughter! Including myself.

Then that scene morphs into the 3rd sequence which sees me making a quick visit to my kampung in Puchong. The kids are going about their usual day.. ie going to padang and playing with friends. I am playing nicely with Aaron then all of a sudden I realized break time was over at Regent and I had to go back but if I needed to send Aaron home (at this point I can’t remember where the hell we were) then I’d be late and Jeremy would get angry with me so I take Aaron on a 5-hr bus ride back to Singapore to make it back to the microphone in, get this, 15 minutes!!!

Next comes the 4th sequence. Aaron & I are on the bus back to Lion City and the bus ride was uneventful but upon reaching Singapore, I had to go through the flood again. Not the same route though. This time it was more like small side roads. Actually looked like them roads in Manila. But if the dream says I went back to Singapore on a bus then it must be Singapore innit?!?

Anyhoo.. I am going through the flood which is really just shin-deep but the other people are neck-deep in water! I eventually end up at the other end of the road and I’m looking for Jeremy so we can start the gig and I find him in one warong.. wearing his boxers and singlet and he looked like he just got up from sleep! I’m like…. “Hello? I just traveled all the way to Manila and back to Singapore.. kidnapped my own son, conquered the flood only to find that I rushed back to find you sleeping??” And I never got an answer from him as he went straight to the fridge for a glass of milk.

Meanwhile, realizing I had somehow lost Aaron somewhere in the dream sequence, I go into one of the other warongs and there he was sleeping under a tent made out of blankets. I wake him up and tell him that we’re gonna have to figure out how to send him back the next day as Auntie Ping and all the other kids must be worried about him disappearing like that.

Then I woke up. What an adventure!!! If anyone cares to decipher this dream, please feel free to do so. I’ve already been laughing so much since I woke up that it’d be a real hoot to read what you guys make of this.