When Loss is Gain

Imagine your lovely wife having no memories of you.

Imagine your adorable children never existed.

Imagine your best of friends running away from you.

Imagine you only have 24 hours left.

Imagine you are fully responsible for all of the above!

For me, it's absolutely unimaginable!! But for my favourite non-fairy tale hero Shrek, it is a stark reality worse than the worst reality show in his latest (trust me, it won't be the Final Chapter;-) adventure, Shrek Forever After!

I was at the premiere of Shrek Forever After last Wednesday with my 5-year-old son. The show was in 3D, which was a headache for me both literally and figuratively because my son hated it and clamoured for the 2D version. Fortunately, he was a real sensible boy and he settled down and even enjoyed the show... without the 3D glasses of course!

The 3D animation wasn't particularly impressive but I was totally engaged in the storyline which I suspect, bears an uncanny resemblance to the situation of many young Singaporean fathers in a different 3D perspective:

• Dissatisfaction: This sets in pretty early during one's debut fatherhood experience, especially with stinky diapers, sleepless nights and a sudden lack of freedom!
• Defiance: This is the point when one walks out in the "heat of the battle" and willingly makes himself vulnerable to the modern Rumpelstiltskins of extramarital affairs, corporate rate races, and recently in Singapore, gambling.
• Discovery: When everything that can go wrong, goes wrong and one loses everything, one will finally gain the discovery that nothing comes close to good old family bliss...

Make the "Discovery" now minus the other 2Ds with Shrek in the comfort of the cinema!