2014 has proven to be an exceptional good year for friends of Pulau Ubin and Chek Jawa
as it comes to a close. It is as if the best has been left for the last.
Ubin Day
marked its place of significance in our local calendar on the 30th
of November for all Singaporeans as we celebrated it with our Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong who graced an eventful day on the island by signing off, “Enjoy nature and the silence. Leave with
happy memories and share them with friends”.
I left Pulau
Ubin that day with happy memories too but unbeknownst to me my happiness would escalate
a hundredfold as I read the news back at home.
A special Arbutus timepiece has been named after Chek Jawa in an event the day
before!
The
one-of-its-kind-only watch is named Chek Jawa Batik. It is one of 12 unique
creations presented by watch distributor Crystal Time on a roadshow at Orchard
Central aptly named Art and the Art of Watchmaking.
On the
surface, one might ask, “So what?” It is just a watch, one watch bought by one
lucky person and that’s it. End of story.
Well, I must
digress, and the story – a heartfelt Singapore story - must be told and
understood for all the significance it brings to our vibrant “Little Red Dot”.
Perhaps I
might start metaphorically that a watch is more than just a pretty face, a
facade that tells time. Beyond the superficial, there is a movement, a
heartbeat and life. There is an elegant symphony of cogs and wheels, of people who
chipped in to make it happen, culminating in the precision of purpose and the
inner beauty of art – the art of living and giving. If there is a time to tell,
Chek Jawa Batik indeed tells the life and time of our society that sticks
together and aspires for the good of all.
So, who are these people who came together and
made it happen? How did they contribute?
Working with
one heart are many hands on deck. Let us begin the story with the people at Crystal
Time. They came up with the fabulous idea of celebrating SG50 (Singapore’s 50th
Anniversary of Independence 2015) by giving something of value back to society
as well as commemorating the “precious vignette” of Singapore’s rich heritage. Chek
Jawa no doubt inspires as the “Jade of Singapore… one of Singapore’s few
remaining wetlands” (International Media The
Epoch Times December 5-18).
Crystal Time
got on board seashell artist Elmo Chung to hand-paint all 12 Arbutus watches
that formed the Singapore Heritage Commemorative Timepieces and dedicated the
entire proceeds from the sale to fund two worthy beneficiaries – the Little
Arts Academy and 10Square @ Orchard Central – both of which are founded and run by
the good people at the non-profit RICE Company Limited in their quest to nurture and develop
the artistic skills of young talents and youths from economically-challenged
families. Seven of the timepieces were sold at the time of the roadshow itself
and raised nearly $13,000.
Partnering RICE’s
ground up initiative at 10Square are the people from Far East Organisation who
has gifted 13,000 square feet of space for our young aspiring artists to realise
their potential. Substantial financial assistance also came from The Business
Times Budding Artists Fund.
Another ground
up initiative, Dream Journal, was staged at the opening of 10Square by a cast
of seven students from Hougang Secondary School representing the youth of
Singapore. Their words summed up the collaborative spirit of the whole
enterprise, “All of us are here, we have
a choice to come together or not. We’re now all scattered around. However, if
we come together, great things happen.”
Indeed possibilities are endless and great things can happen when people genuinely come together to share their passion and goodwill. Each bring to the table the best of their imagination and the art of their craft, for it is when people do what they do best and do it passionately, it becomes art... the art of business, the art of science, the art of care-giving, the art of teaching, etc.
Could I have been a teacher and these young people my students, what would I have shared with them?
I would love to tell them that there is one more art which I hope they will not forget, i.e. the art of believing. I would share with them the wisdom of Oscar Wilde, that "we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars". I would love to tell them to dream dreams and not to lose hope if ever they are told it can't be done, it is not possible, it is only one watch bought by one lucky person only, end of story. I would love to tell them the story of my metaphorical watch called Chek Jawa Batik and tell them that if they look hard enough, they can see it on their wrist and feel the spirit next to their pulse. I would finally tell them, "Look for your star. When you find it, go share it".
