i had no idea wee kim wee passed away on monday. i never seem to get any news from home these days until i go out looking for it, and i never know to go out looking for it until someone blogs about it. of course i don't know much about him except that he was the president during much of my childhood, but i read his book of short essays when it came out last year (mostly on a long train ride to tiong bahru last june) and was thinking how interesting he was and how i ought to pay more attention to his post-presidency activities, and suddenly he is no more. i wonder if glimpses and reflections is in widener. i quite feel like rereading the parts about his journalist days.