Last night, I was eating the horrible yam paste at Ji De Chi when I received a phone call. I didn't recognise the no. and wondered who might be calling me at that hour. It was a voice of a lady and I certainly didn't recognise it. She asked if I was free to talk and I replied in the affirmative. She told me her daughter was a 5th-year voice student at SOTA, mezzo-soprano, she added. She then asked me if I remembered them at Esplanade some time ago. It wasn't long before I recalled what happened that day. It was some 5 years ago and I was still in NS. I was browsing for some opera CDs that day when suddenly a mother and her daughter approached me. They seemed quite lost and the mother told me of their predicament. Her daughter was going to audition for some school and one of the requirements was to sing a classical piece and she didn't know where to begin. Hence I directed them to some relevant scores and CDs. I think I recommended them to seek a teacher from the Singapore Lyric Opera. Couldn't really remember, it was so long ago.

Well, it was certainly just a small favour and I didn't expect them to remember. The mum told me on the phone that her daughter was going to perform in a recital and one day while they were conversing they suddenly remembered about me. So she wanted to invite me over to her recital. I replied that I would if I could. I see the girl had taken the road that I had failed to take. And I felt happy for her, and sad for myself.