Thursday 18 August 2011

"Take this pill"

Got another call from the agency. They want to see my sunny, funny face tomorrow.
"This time you won't have to speak. It's for a printed add" Wayne, my agent's assistant said.
"Wear a suit" he added.
"I'll bring one. Although with this heat, I can't really see myself wearing a suit and running around!"
"Fine. Bring one and you'll change here. I'll go with you to the studio." the assistant said, laughing.

I'm also seeing FangYi tomorrow morning at the National Theatre to see more of what she has done choreographically one Oneness.
I suddenly realise that I have to extend the piece as she has required me to do, last time we met. I'll have to ask how the audienced received this solo from Oneness she presented last month at this festival in the US. The big premiere will be in December in Macau. I must admit, I haven't put too much of mind in it.
Next week, I'll fly to Hong Kong. And I also have to see about the flight ticket to Paris...
And what about this project in Vietnam this month of October? I wrote to Loc, the director, but got no reply...
Whatever happens, I will just follow my intuition and do what I see fit.
But I have the funniest feling a lot of it is going to be a last-minute-rush affair.

I was racing yesterday with a biker on my way home from the gym. At a red light, he stopped next to me and it took me a few minutes before I realised he was talking to me. I had my headphones on and Radiohead was playing full blast.
"Are you An Ton...?" he asked.
"Em.... how do you know?" I didn't recognise him.
"Were you in Taipei three years ago? You did a musical, didn't you? Auntie... "
Oh dear... Auntie was haunting me.
I asked his name. Only then did I know whom I was talking to. Facebook friend. He had seen Auntie in Tainan. Now I remembered!
It was nearly midnight. I hadn't eaten, so I suggested we had a littke snack. Where?
The choice was poor: McDonald's, MosBurger, Yoshinoya or some late night street food stall at the night market...
We picked MosBurger.
The conversation quickly settled on the topic of Buddhism. He had been training and practicing more intensively for the past year.
This unexpected encounter brought lots of lightness to me. I realised the past couple of months had been quite rich but heavy, and allowed me little time to unburden myself from all the things I had been carrying in my mind.
He gave me a little pack of pills when he learned that I slept badly.
"They come from Tibet. They're made of roots and some plants. Then the monks pray millions of time on them. Take them whenever you feel something isn't right."
He had turned to Buddhism a year ago. Confused life, bad sleep, and ghosts! His sister who had this 6th sense said she saw ghosts around him.
"The best way to get rid of ghosts and reach a better place was to practice the teaching of Buddha. Learn to empty your mind. Because the more you think of ghosts, the more space you give to them."
I told him that it could apply to everything in life. It all depends on our awareness and conscience of what surrounds us. If we manage to empty our mind from this constant noise of unncessary, negative thoughts, we can see more clearly what direction we have to follow.

Last night was the first good night I had in weeks.

And the Buddhist saga goes on.


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