I liked the fact that Neo Swee Lin (a former KC-ian) and her husband both participated in this play. It really was a display of their teamwork and close relationship. It was heart-warming to watch them open with song which they were singing so passionately and the atmosphere just hauled us to join in with them. I wasn’t looking forward to it at first because I thought the play was just pure engagement and zero performance. However, I was proved wrong when the lights dimmed and the couple got into positions. I waited in anticipation.
The structure of the play was basically many different scenarios broken down and separated by meditation periods. I thought that the meditation was a good way for the audience to voice out their thoughts and opinions and also feel connected with the actors. Thanks to the wonderful hosting skills of the pair, we were all put at ease and managed to answer the questions naturally. I think that the playwright’s intention of breaking up the scenes with the meditation was to remind us to stop and think, or reflect at any one point of our life, especially when we are moving on to the next phase of life. That is why Kay siew shared on his experience of the second phase of his life, which was boarding school. The playwright wanted us to reflect on what life has taught us, to make sure that we are actually uncovering “Life” layer by layer every passing day, and that we actually mature and learn from life’s everyday experiences. During the meditation session, someone said something that struck me hard. “I want to know what life is all about.” So, what IS life all about actually?
The playwright tried to illustrate what life was using mini scenarios between 2 people and I thought that pretty much summed up what life was ABOUT. But what life really is, as of I had learnt today, is doing ordinary routines in an ordinary way with an extraordinary heart and mind. We must always think before we speak or act, that is why Swee Lin had been repeating the same lines, “think before you speak” in multiple scenes. Life is about thinking, not acting. Life is about learning, and thus, the title, “What Did You Learn Today? So, I think this is what I’d learnt today. Today, I learnt life isn’t just about living, existing, being here, or breathing. Life is profound and is meant for young people like me to figure out what it is. Life is a mystery.
I shared twice during the meditation period. At first, I was hesitant but the secondary 4 seniors lead the way and were the first ones from our school to share. Subsequently, I also shared twice, saying;
1) Why can’t I learn to be more focused?
2) Why can’t I learn to appreciate those around me more?
To me, the most memorable part of the play was the part when Swee Lin shared her childhood life with us. (We were planning to go “WHOO!” when she mentioned KC but she didn’t even. L ) Anyway, when she had mentioned that her mother who had passed away for 5 years but still thinks of her every day, I couldn’t control my tears. This brings us back to the point of appreciating those around us. It depicts a scenario where a loved one is lost, and how a family member reacts to it. Here, you can clearly tell, life is also about coping with huge losses and to learn to handle situations like these. Kay Siew did a monologue and it mirrored how self-centered people nowadays are. They are so preoccupied with themselves, they never actually spend the time well with their loved us, they never actually lived life to its fullest, and as a result, end up wallowing in regret. This serves as a reminder to all of us not to live for the sake of living, only concerned about materialistic rewards and most of all, ourselves. Also, when Swee Lin “died” and Kay Siew was standing up, it sort of formed levels between them. Similarly, it also made Kay Siew seem more superior as he was higher in level and this illustrated the “all about me” mindset.
I was disturbed by the vulgar language involved and it made me feel awkward, but it also set me thinking. If this play was supposed to be educational and inspiring, were they trying to educate us on how to use vulgarities? Certainly not. Again, this is a reenactment of everyday lives and it only reflects how thoughtless and rash people nowadays are, to use vulgarities on one another. This also created much impact on the already heated argument and it helped to increase the tension. We often forget to be civilized citizens. And life should be dedicated to being the best you can be, thus, we often forget what life really is about.
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