Taufik @ The New Paper 31082009

What exactly lies beneath the exterior of that cool, calm & composed soulman whom we know as Taufik Batisah? Check out the following sections to learn more about the man.

Taufik featured in The New Paper

The New Paper: 31 August 2009
Electric Show: Fly On The Wall - Red & White On Parade

BIRTHDAY BOY: Dick Lee flanked by guests Carrie Wong and Taufik Batisah

GIVE the man a cultural medallion!

Oh, he's already got one.

The deserving recipient of a Cultural Medallion in 2005 - highest award for arts in Singapore - Dick Lee celebrated his 53rd birthday with a patriotic party.

We, the citizens of Singapore, obeyed the law of the dress code: Baju-lah, Singapura, and the Bellini Grande was a scene of red and white and it was National Day all over again.

A hundred guests somehow found an item of clothing each, closest to a stick of Christmas candy cane, for the Minstrel Mentor Richard Lee Peng Boon's People Action Party last week.

Dick has had a birthday party every year 'since a long long time,' his many friends chorused.

'Yah, always with a theme, like Bad Taste, Cowboys & Indians, Gothic, he's also quite good at getting sponsors!'

Thank you, for the mini wagyu burgers, squares of margarita pizza, lychee cocktails, a red and white birthday cake (you guessed it, the Singapore flag, delicious it was too).

And every year, a few new friends are added to the birthday guest list.

What must the newbie think?

When Dr Woffles Wu arrived in Singapore, he was dragged to a Dick Lee party, and the first thing he saw was a party animal hoicking up her cheongsam with the cry: It's time to par-tay!

Woffles said, 'I knew I was here to stay.'

See and be seen

People you haven't seen in an age are sure to be at Dick's party.

Like the Barker siblings, Carla and Deborah and Brandon, rarely all together at the same event.

Better take a picture, said the children of our late law minister, Eddie Barker. Brandon lives and works in London with once-supermodel Carrie Wong.

Carrie was there too with her daughter Nathalie Perrodo and her fiance, a dancer, Charlie Samani. The young couple were over from Paris.

Isn't this simply dandy, everyone's in red and white, who knew Tang's would have shoes like this, Dick's red shoes reminded one of the Pope, hmmm.

'I donno, I threw it altogether from my closet,' he said of his jacket and shorts and glitter.

In the dining room of the Bellini Grande, a grand piano, its ivories just asking to be tickled by the birthday boy.

With apologies to Doris Day, Dick gaily rendered his personal version of Que Sera Sera which turned maybe one or two red and white dressers into pink. (Embarrased they'd not heard of Doris Day before.)

Hey, how come you didn't invite your new neighbour, Jet Li?

Oh they haven't moved in yet, only in December, house still being renovated.

Maybe they're hacking away the pool and home theatre?

So what do you give the man who already owns a cultural medallion?

The gifts took two car trips from club to home. Next morning, Josephina, Dick's helper, cleared out the big boxes and all the presents could be reduced into a single paperbag.

Little things mean a lot. Especially jewellery.

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