Is it funny that the title for today's entry came upon me late yesterday night as I was listening to ABBA songs in midi format? It is the case!
I was just on the Internet after my blog posting yesterday and something began to dawn on me. Again. Suddenly what happened to me when I went to go watch the Australian production of Mamma Mia! last November flashed across me all over again. I was inside The Esplanade's theatre for the very first time, don't know what to expect.
And it was the same place where the Opening Ceremony for the 117th IOC Session was at too before the dramatic vote for the 2012 Games host city. I know, because I watched it then with my parents in their room. It's like I feel like telling the world that the who's who of the sporting world were once there! And those politicians too. People like the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, the French President Jacques Chirac, the New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and the current New York senator Hilary Clinton (ahem, she's a former First Lady). Now it's like I love to link the places being highlighted during the IOC Session with my own daily life. Ha! No life for me, huh! But when you come from a country where real big names are rare in sight (other than our very own who's who of the country), it's just like that. I remembered I was reading the papers days and weeks leading to that big day, I kept rattling off any big names I know from the papers who are coming to town till I almost...ran out of breath! LOL! Do you think it's so silly of me that when I first learnt that the British Prime Minister Tony Blair is coming to town to support the London bid and I went excited at once?
That was really me then. It's like to me, a big 'celebrity' coming to town. The last time such a frenzy happens within the country was when Tom Cruise (oh yes, one of the big shots in Hollywood) came here to promote his movie Vanilla Sky. Yup.
And I read through the Sirlinksalot website about London's bidding journey on The Daily Telegraph's sports website on a commentary the day the British Prime Minister arrived here in the Far East (which I always seemed to notice very distinctly from the British media like to describe us as) - Singapore, he was like a celebrity at once. I tried to imagine I was one of those shoppers near to the Raffles City Convention Centre (where the action is all at), where the columnist (who came here to witness the IOC Session) who wrote was around there with a few shoppers. I will almost fell to the floor, at once! Will you believe that in the commentary, 'a local fan club' was mentioned in regards to the British PM? Oh my goodness! Okaaay, I have to admit...I'm in that. Ha! If there ever is one, I mean.
To think of it, Mr Tony Blair is known everywhere, thanks to the US President George Bush where both men have the same views on the war on Iraq and many other things. So when news was spread around that he had arrived here, it's reported...everywhere. I have to be thankful that because of the British PM, Singapore is that 'famous' when he arrived and the time when he was doing his lobbying.
And now I remember this, also on the same website I came across, The Straits Times was indirectly mentioned in regards to the IOC Session. Except that it's called - 'Some people do believe they mean business and one Singapore newspaper has even published a poll which says that in the first round of the vote London will be just short of victory and Paris eliminated.' The one I bolded is the one I'm talking about! I remembered about the opinion poll the national (and may I add, the largest circulating in this country as well and close to half the population read it everyday) newspaper of this country where I live my entire life The Straits Times once did and actually, it's their second and last opinion poll in regards to whom the general public they polled think should be the host for the 2012 Games. They did once before everything was in full swing and the results was rather split then. Not the same answer when it's almost to that dramatic vote. We Singaporeans are not blind. We read the papers and we know that London is being heavily featured in our papers all the time (thanks to the British PM, which is good), second to which is Paris. So the results in that second opinion poll (which I remembered) said that many Singaporeans being polled are going for London. You can ask me before the start of the IOC Session and the day before the showdown and I will still tell you the same answer - London. Oh yes. *grins*
Just imagining me grinning almost like a Cheshire cat whenever I think about it. (sings) I have a dream...which can be so lame sometimes. (ends)
Okay.
ETA @ 8.20pm: You know, I was watching the news on TV as I was having my dinner that the guy who was being shot by the police in the wake of the second wave of London bombings was well, a mistake. They shot the wrong person.
