Books, shoes, and a concerto

My shipment arrived last week. Thankfully, the Singapore customs folks didn't even bother opening my lift van. The Singapore agent handling my consignment remarked that I had a large number of books, and I quickly assured her that I wasn't a book merchant - I would never sell my books even if someone wanted to buy my library. Writer, instructor, editor - my various occupations, I ensured her. I also had to send her scans of my passport and American visa so she could pass them to the customs department. I got the GST waiver and the lift van arrived at my doorstep two days after reaching the port. I suppose I was luckier than the accountant at Cisco, whose shipment contained several pornographic DVDs. He got thrown in jail and slapped with a fine after customs officers opened up his boxes. His brother's property apparently.

Several of my books were damaged - a dust jacket of a favorite book torn, a number of paperbacks with their pages bent in, folded book covers. I'm not happy about it, but I'll live.

In other news, I sent my foot measurements - length, width, arch circumference, foot circumference - to an online site last night. My tango shoes are in production at last!

Tango shoes was a topic at dinner last night when I met up with Peiming and Noella, the pianist and cellist, respectively. Of course, the main topics were weddings (theirs) and homes (mine). Noella has been learning salsa but is keen to take up Argentine tango this month at the Singapore History Museum. Peiming and Max will be roped in to classes with me and LK later this year, I hope. Seeing as how Peiming and Noella performed Astor Piazzolla's "Le Grand Tango" at the opening of the Arts House last year, it would be very apt for them to learn the dance too. And speaking of performances, the two of them are going to the stage again on September 11 at Victoria Concert Hall. Peiming will be performing Saint-Saens's Piano Concerto No. 5 with the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Noella's father (and Noella will be principal cellist).

Posted by Monoceros at August 25, 2005 9:04 AM