Be aware, be very aware...

So this morning on my way to work, I was nursing a horrible toothache and a headache, as well as trying my best to work out how to meet a deadline at work. And then I get an sms from the ostentatious Mr Vernon, telling me that they've thrown in the towel. At first, I was like, "Huh? Who?" in my haze of painkillers and burdensome tooth/headache. But then slowly it sunk into my pained head, what Vernon was actually talking about.

Yes, I am talking about the (now famous) AWARE saga.

In fact, just last night,a friend mentioned to me that someone had told her something about locks being changed and the new AWARE exco wanting to hold the EGM somewhere else to accomodate all 800+ AWARE members this May (2nd May 2009, to be specific). But because I did not yet know about today's news and also because I was in too much pain to care, we both decided that those were just rumours and to keep it at that.

Until they appeared in the papers today.

Still my reaction was somewhat laissez-faire (the torturous pain of a toothache was more important to me at the time) and when I called Vernon to discuss the latest updates in the news on AWARE, I could still feel the burn out.

And then something life changing happened. My mother called. (Dun dun dunnnnnnnn).

Now, just for the record, throughout the whole AWARE saga these last few weeks, my mother has shown very little support for trying to get AWARE back. If she had any support, it was mostly things said on the side of pessimism and disillusionment. A career woman for most of her life (she started working at the age of 17), she has been a member of some women's organisations, in particular, the IBWA (Internation Business Women's Association), which disbanded after many years (rumour has it internal strife was the cause of the breakup). But she has never joined AWARE. It never occurred to her to join organisations for the sake of joining them. She always did it either for her business or if she was sure she could make a change with them. Joining groups like AWARE meant she'd have to devote time to helping people, and how to when she hardly has time to help herself?

Now, back to when my mother called.

I was quite taken by surprise by her call - she called to ask me how she could join AWARE. Out of caution, I asked her why she wanted to join AWARE. And she said she read the papers today and was appalled at what was going on. Staff members getting locked out and fired from their jobs without explanation? Unconscionable!!

Showdown at AWARE Office

But the thing that really stoked my mother's fire was the interview between the straits times and Thio Su Mien, the "Puppet Mistress" - the key player behind the takeover in AWARE.

Coup Leader Comes Open

My mother was disgusted by her blatant arrogance (which explains the thick-skinned tactics of the 9 new Exco members), as well as the fact that she was directly connected with the current president of AWARE, Josie Lau and Dr Alan Chin.

My mum smelled something funny there, and decided that these people had to be stopped.

And it is to her credit that I'm still in this ride.

Roads

So I really should be writing about the Ani DiFranco concert I went to last night - but I still haven't quite gotten down from cloud 9 yet about that one, so I've decided to do a little bit about the next best thing - masters of trip-hop, Portishead.

Formed in 1991 in Bristol, England, Portishead changed the way people listened to the trip-hop/drum and bass genre. They pioneered a sound that made people sit up and think, "So this is how it should be. This is how it has to be. This is how it will be." Since Portishead's growing presence in the music industry, I do not know of any current groups that come anywhere close to Portishead's sound or anyone who could do anything equally original and not end up being criticised for sounding "too much like Portishead". Well, maybe Tricky and Massive Attack could give Portishead a run for their money, but all 3 names are big names in the music industry now, and all 3 names churn out sounds that have their own uniqueness, and ultimately, their trademark.

I hesitate though, to introduce people to Portishead. I've heard alot of feedback about how depressing and debilitating they sound, the whole package being like a downward spiral journey from an acid high. But like beauty, music is to the ears of the beholder. You either hate Portishead or love them. Some people love that downward spiral journey, some don't - it really depends on how the listener wants to get off.

So how do you want to get off?