Opera enthusiasts

A gathering of cantonese opera/songs enthusiasts from Europe and Asia at Kreta Ayer People's Theatre, Singapore. It is on from 14 - 17 Nov 2007.

They may not be the best from their countries. But it is a good opportunity to see them and to hear them sing. It is encouraging to see people of Chinese descent in other lands preserving and cherishing their culture.

Here are some pictures of our friends. ...

Denmark and Thailand...

England...

France...

Holland...

Hong Kong, this man is a very good singer...

Singapore...

比利時, I'm not sure of the name in English...
HK, England, Singapore, Switzerland...

A short video of Lu Bu performed by 吳丽诗...

MP and race

It was reported that In a survey, 92% of the people said they would vote for an MP of a different race. It means most people would not mind if their MP is of another race. I presume the MP is better-qualified than his opponent. If both are equal, then people may take race into consideration.

Now if you ask them 'Would you mind if there were no MPs of your race?', I am quite certain many would mind, particularly the minorities. It is not racist thinking; just that they think there would be no one to voice their concerns and aspirations. And if that ever happens, it is not good for our country.

As for myself, I won't mind voting for a non-Chinese MP but I would mind if there were no Chinese MPs in Parliament. These are two different things. Some Chinese may say they won't mind because they think it won't happen.

Chinese characters?

Hello, does anyone know why my computer cannot display certain Chinese characters. This one, for instance...

or this, look at ????? in the last line.
and this: ³o¥y¸ÜÀ³¥Î¦b§Ú­Ì¦~¬öªº¤H«Ü¬O¾A¦X!

All the examples are from Melanie's blog.

白蛇传 Madam White Snake

3 November 2007 at Kreta Ayer People's Theatre, performed by the Tanjong Pagar Community Club Cantonese Opera Group, students of Lou Mee Wah.

Putting up a Chinese opera show in Singapore is a tedious, energy-sapping task, particularly a full-length opera by a CC group. According to Mee Wah, last year when she decided to do MWS, her friends asked her why she chose this opera as it would be very taxing for her as well as for her students.

Like most Chinese opera artistes in Singapore, opera is just a passion for her students; they have a full-time job to do. Understandably, their standards vary. There are some who did well and there are some who need to put more effort in their skills and more feeling in their songs. Shortcomings notwithstanding, the show was a great effort by the Group and it was a creditable performance indeed.

Different artistes took turns to play the three leading roles - Xu Xian, Bai Su Zhen and Xiao Qing.

The best scene was Flooding the Jin San Monastery. It was well-choreographed – slick and fast-paced accompanied by rousing music. Besides combat, there were displays of some excellent acrobatics and big-flag manipulation skills. Overall it gave the audience superb visual and audio entertainment.

A refreshing and unique feature – while waiting for the scene to change, a storyteller with two aunties as his audience, came out to tell the story of MWS. There was even the nostalgic catchy tune that used to precede Lee Dai Sor’s stories on Redifusion in the old days. The storyteller sat on a wooden box and the two women sat on the floor listening to him. The storyteller was Christopher Choo. Haha, he is a good storyteller.

Judging from the response around me, the audience liked this arrangement.

An unexpected thing – the VIP Assoc Prof Koo Tsai Kee, MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, came before the show started at 7.30pm and stayed throughout the show until curtain call and photo-taking. Don't know he understood or not.

Picture, from left : Christopher Choo (the storyteller), Chung Yook Har (Green Snake), Loh Kwai Lan (Scholar Xu Xian) and Li Bing Mui (White Snake). They performed in the last two scenes. 朱振邦, 钟玉霞, 劳桂兰, 李冰梅

The 2 snakes - anxieties and worries before the show give way to joy and relief!

The artiste with the golden headgear was a 'heavenly soldier'. He was also the martial arts director. I think he is Gordon Choy. The one with the funny face was a 'crab general'. He manipulated the big flag.

Smile

I read a handbook. It says God always answers prayers. But, the answer is not just 'yes'. It can be Yes, No, Not yet or Here is something else for you. Well, anyway isn't it heartening to know that God listens to us.

In a previous post I said God didn't answer my prayer. I was wrong then. He did, only that his answer was no. Haha, he wanted me to go through the experience of giving a speech and to overcome my phobia.

Those of you who believe in God, be it in Taoism or Hinduism or any other religion, take comfort that there are good reasons if you don't get what you pray for. It is meant for your own good. Or it could mean that the time is not right yet. You might even get something better.

And when unfortunate things happen, it might not be a bad thing altogether. Heard of this Chinese proverb 塞翁失马. A misfortune may be a blessing in disguise.

Even if you have no religious belief, this way of thinking is quite helpful. It makes you more optimistic and cheerful. And when you are cheerful, you also look more radiant and attractive.

Sell what

This shop at Aljunied Road, near Geylang Road, has changed owners several times already, selling different foods each time. Once it was chicken rice, the only one I remember. I think the location is no good.

About a week ago I noticed this new name. Quite a queer name. Yesterday when I passed by and took this picture, it is still not open yet. Just wondering what they are selling this time. Vietnamese food? Or is it just a kopitiam. Anyone like to make a guess.

Voting

The Thais will be voting for another government in November. But Thaksin, the former elected prime minister who was thrown out when the military took over, can't even return to Thailand.

In Myanmar, the people can't even vote. UN mediator Gambari will be meeting Myanmar rulers in November. Hope something positive will come out of it. It is a very difficult problem. I don't believe sanctions and isolation are effective. It may cause more suffering to the people.

Below is part of a speech I gave many years ago. The audience were teenagers. The speech consisted of 12 handwritten foolscap pages but it lasted about 20 mins only and it was torture for me. Before that I was praying for something to happen, like a sudden fire drill, so that I didn't have to talk but God didn't answer my prayer.

I really admired our head - he could just stand on stage without scripts and talk for 30 minutes anytime. But he had no topic, just rojak talk.

This speech is still relevant today. With some updates it can be used again. This part is about the importance of voting. Actually much of the content was copied from an old civics textbook.

The writing was a bit untidy but the scripts were meant only for myself, no need to send to my superior for vetting.

梁紅玉擊鼓退金兵

2007 年畢業禮，幼稚園學生表演粵劇。Cantonese opera by HK school children.
These two are very conscious of their gestures and poses.

Miscellaneous

A few weeks ago friend Victor, a very public-spirited Singaporean who spares no effort in putting what is wrong right, blogged about the old Empress Hotel in Victoria Street, at the site where the new National Library now sits. He also mentioned about the Empress mooncakes produced by the hotel.

A few days ago I was re-looking at a coffee table book about Hong Kong and I came across this nice old picture advertising Empress mooncakes. So I scanned it and another two pictures to show you all. There was no mention of Empress mooncakes in the book.

The girl in the picture is supposed to be Chang Er, the lady on the moon.

Cantonese opera fans, surely you recognize the artistes in these two pictures.

Next 150 years

It was the association's 150th anniversary. The chairman, a slim sprightly elderly man, went up on stage to say a few words. He stood in the middle with the compere a short distance away.

Part of what he said... "..... I don't know if I will be here at the next 150 years. ....."
Of course this was said in jest, a self-directed remark which elderly people sometimes say, like 'I don't know if I'll live that long.' It didn't need a response. But the compere said something.

I was just thinking If he asked you that question, as the compere what would you say?

Gay petition

An NMP has filed a 1000-signature petition to Parliament on behalf of a group of people. These people want the law against homosexuality to be repealed. I think it is a waste of time.

You see, the review of the Penal Code and gathering of feedbacks have been on for a year or so. I am sure these people have submitted very strong and rational arguments to the review committee. If these cannot convince them, surely they don't expect a petition can change the Government's mind.

I said before and I still believe the Government will repeal the law. It will take time, but no need another 20 years, could even be 5 years. No need for another review. The Government can amend the law and get it through parliament.

I feel if these people push too hard, opposition from the opposite camp will also be strong. They can also get a keep-the -law petition and with more signatures.

And trying to get foreigners to speak for them is not a good idea also. Why not be patient.


new link (see right): Tung On Wui Kun

Mundane stuff

It was a routine weekday. I stopped at a pedestrian crossing at Bendemeer Road. People were crossing the road, going about their daily routine - kids, housewives, workers..... Suddenly I thought of taking a picture of them. When I got my hp camera ready, most have already crossed the road. I only managed to capture the last few people. See the contrasting styles of these two last persons, one marching, the other strolling...


Routine is monotonous. But from a positive angle, routine gives people a sense of comfort and security. You know tonight you will be watching your favourite tv programme. Tomorrow your job is still there. People may be quite glad of their routine but once in a while they want to do different things or do things differently or they need some excitement to add zest to their lives.

Some of you may have read the adventures of the great fictitious detective, Sherlock Holmes. He made many deductions and formed many of his theories based on the fact that people have routines and habits. Once he remarked to his trusted assistant, "My dear Watson, human beings are creatures of routine."

The author of these Sherlock Holmes stories is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.


Notice my new blog header? It got emotions and motion. The 4 artistes represent the 4 popular characters in Chinese opera - hero, beauty, scholar, maiden (英雄美人,才子佳人).

Nan Yin clips

I was watching some nan yin clips. Here are two of them.

This one is in Cantonese. Unfortunately you cannot see the front view of the singer.



This one is in Hokkien, performed at Thian Hock Keng Temple.

New CD and VCD

A new CD by Leong Siew Meng and Jeong Mun Tuin


Part of an article about the CD


A VCD by Lum Ka Boh, Jeong Mun Tuin and Mak Yeok Ching

Street peddlers

This man was peddling some chinese medicinal product at the courtyard in front of the People's Park Complex Food Centre (next to OG departmental store) on Saturday evening.

I remember when I was young this was quite a common sight. Some of these peddlers were dressed in kung-fu attire. To attract attention, they would perform kung-fu feats. Another common show was playing with snakes. Sometimes they also beat the gong to make noise. Many of them displayed certificates, trophies and photos of themselves with celebrities or performing great feats.

Last Saturday, the man did some tricks like making a short piece of rope become stiff. He had a few fake snakes on the ground. I am not sure if he had any live ones. I stayed for about 5 minutes; he was talking about snakes. I didn't wait to see what medicinal product he was selling.

Some colourful Chinese phrases

Bad guy

I came across this nice picture of an old-movie actor, so scanned it to share with you. He is Sek Kin (石堅).


He was the no.1 super bad guy in old cantonese movies. And the chief opponent of Wong Fei Hong in Wong Fei Hong movies. His looks together with his cunning smile, horrid sneer and sly eyes made him top choice for bad-guy roles. My father said when he walked on the street some people scolded him and even threw things at him. This showed how successful he was in his bad-guy roles.

Fun post

See, good to learn more skills...


I think it is more natural for the hands to point the opposite way.

Requests

A lady was looking for a maths tutor for her son who just entered sec school. She asked me for recommendations. This was not the first time I had such request. So I know which friends and colleagues are qualified but I also know that they are either too busy or not interested in giving tuition. Cannot anyhow recommend, right? At least must have good maths foundation and familiar with the syllabus. So I told her I couldn’t help her.

She was not happy. Understandable! She thought I was not helpful - it seemed to her I replied without even trying first. I should have waited a few days before giving her the answer.

I was thinking of these meet-the-people sessions by MPs. I guess they encounter cases like this. If someone makes a request which an MP knows cannot be done, I think he still has to write in, waits for the reply and shows it to the person. If he says cannot straightaway, people will say he is not caring.

The death sentence

I was thinking what could happen if judges were given the discretion to impose or not to impose the death sentence in capital offences.

I feel it is not a good idea.

If the judges can choose, then judges who are reluctant to give out the death sentence will generally not do so. This will make the other judges look unfeeling and heartless. Then there will be disparities – a less serious case might get the DS while a more serious one might not get.

Criminals will also try to get their cases heard before the ‘kind’ judges.

And if the person appeals, it will put the appeal judges in a difficult position. In the end, I guess no judge will want to give the death sentence. Or all the judges will come to a consensus themselves – give the DS.

Although there are not many this type of cases and I think there are also not many high court judges, all these are possible, right?

So, either have the death penalty or abolish it, no point giving the judge the discretion. Just my simple view.

越劇 - 五女拜壽

The Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Troupe is going to perform this in Singapore. For details please see Chinese Opera Performances. Link on the right.

Here is a Yueju from friend Amai.

寧波小百花越劇二團演出的[五女拜壽]

隨緣

The following article is from a Chinese newspaper. I find the writer's views quite interesting, It looks like a 'resigned to fate' attitude to me. So I copied it for you to read.

有時候覺得, 人生是一件很飄渺, 很遙远, 很无奈的事。每一个時期我们都会认识一些朋 友, 有些朋友能令你动情, 有些朋友还会让你刻骨铭心, 有些朋友却会令你心痛, 失望。这是一定的, 因为朋友有很多种, 很多类, 而且还有多种层次。

经验告诉我, 千万不要对朋友有过份苛求, 一切隨緣好了, 隨緣不是消极, 而是让你看得开, 使你的胸襟比较宽大。这种态度虽然帶点宿命, 对我, 却很受用。

我不同意一辈子只爱一个人的说法, 但的确有人一辈子只去爱一个人, 不为什么, 只因他们有緣。

緣, 是一种感觉, 不同的人有不同的緣, 千万不要強求。

My flat

Did you read Sunday's article about an expat couple go hunting for a flat and how the rents kept rising? Madness!!!

So I looked at my simple flat in a new dimension. Minor faults become insignificant. There are soooo many good points.

First, the location is good. Nearby, the Paya Lebar MRT station is coming up. Bus services are good. Fairprice, Shop & Save, hawkers’ center, market, 4D outlet, TVB rental shop, and other facilities are all within 2 to10 mins walk.

Doctor, barber, dentist, optician, and other services are also all nearby.

Furthermore, my block faces north-south; the sunlight doesn’t come into my flat. Then the blocks in this area are not affected by earthquake.

Still somemore, my block is safe. Of I know, so far no flat broken into, no girl molested. In the carpark, no car vandalized, no motorcycle burnt.

Suddenly my flat becomes so lovable!!!

Updates

Chinese opera performances - updates for October & November
Link on the right ===>

Li Hou Zhu @ Kreta Ayer People's Theatre

I have not seen any local troupe perform this opera before. I saw this performed by a foreign troupe only once and also at KAPT – in 2005 by a HK troupe led by Wun Fei Yin and Wei Jun Ying.

The opera was quite long. It started at about 7.50pm after a souvenir-giving ceremony by the guest-of-honour, Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, senior minister of state for foreign affairs. There was no interval. It ended at about 11.35pm. But a few changing of scenes took quite some time and people took these opportunities to go to the toilets or to stretch their legs. Four of the scenes were very long.

The leading sheng and dan were Chan Fook Hong and Wong Mei Ling. I have watched them perform many times before including full-length operas like The Patriotic Princess and Dream of the Red Chamber.

On the whole the show was enjoyable and performance was good. We could see that the troupe (ECHO Cantonese opera troupe from Eunos CC) has put in a lot of effort and resources. I think most of the young performers playing minor roles are new and probably it was the first time they stepped onto a Chinese opera stage after a few lessons. Thanks to Mei Ling and her troupe for presenting this show.

The costumes were lavish, especially those worn by the two lead artistes. There were two dance items. The dance at The Grand Wedding was impressive and the lead dancer was skillful as well as graceful.

It is not an easy opera to perform. There are copious dialogue and songs to memorize. The theme songs are also very long. There were several times when the main cast including the leads forgot their lines, omitted or repeated them. In two conspicuous instances, there was silence for three or four seconds as either the artiste forgot his line or forgot that it was his turn.

Two minor points - there were too many artistes, around 30, on stage in the last scene where some officials and songstresses send off their emperor and empress. It made the stage look congested. I think about 16 to 20 will do. Second, the subtitles were too small. I doubt those sitting in the upper half of the theatre could make them out clearly.

Li Hou Zhu - backstage snapshots

Leading huadan Wong Mei Ling, leader of the Echo Troupe. In this photo I think she looks a bit like Ngai Wai Ying, the Guangzhou huadan.

Leading xiao sheng Chan Fook Hong.

Some of the young lads doing minor roles.

This one got special attention.

The calm one..."Relax, don't be excited."

Make-up for a dancer.

Three pretty dancers.

Doing some warm-up.

These are ge ji in the palace.

What surprised her?

Miscellaneous

Every few months I take a break from the computer. If at home, I take just a few days. If abroad on holiday, sometimes two weeks although I will go to an internet café to check emails once a week. The break does me good. It always cured my neck ache and eye strain. Then I have more time for other things like reading.

The other day there was an article about over-zealous Korean missionaries going everywhere trying to convert everyone. In Singapore I don't think the church sends its members overseas on such mission. But I ever had eager young people coming to my flat trying to talk to me about their religion.

I told them I already believe in God. They like not believed me and asked me what I knew about God and which church I went to. Why not just say glad to know that and go away. So I told them not to waste their time talking to me. I also told them there are Malay families in my block and not to go and disturb them.

Being too persistent and too zealous do not help them. Instead it might alienate them from others.

The solder who deserted his post and went off with his rifle and bullets did a foolish thing. It ruined his future. What if he became agitated or if he lost the rifle. Scary thoughts! Thank God, nothing happened. But as reported, it has caused grief and pain to his grandmother.

Sometimes it is better to think trice before we act.

Making the news public has advantages and disadvantages but I feel the risks outweighed it. We don't know how he will react if knows that everyone is on the lookout for him.

Visitors

Hello friends, according to my survey I got only 19 visitors.

But, I can think of some excellent reasons why some visitors didn't 'vote'.

Some were blur, they not sure about what visitors I want to survey - like what Victor said, visit to the pub or temple, opera show or cabaret show, or casino or Batam or whatever.

With this kidnap scam in the news everyday, some thought it was another scam. They scared later I ask them to send money to my bank account.

Then got people who won't do any survey if there are no gifts or prizes. (thought of this reason from Victor's comment)

So if each reason got another 19 people, then I got 76 visitors.

Hahaha......just talking nonsense lah. Anyway Thank You for visiting......... This Blog.

Blog header

Notice my blog header? I'm trying out some pictures to see how they look. Know the characters? The man with the spear is Chow Yu, the old man is Dong Zhuo and the girl is Diao Chan. The artiste doing the make-up is the same one who is playing the role of the Seventh Fairy in my post below.

董永重會七仙姬之團圓

An action clip. I think I have uploaded only 4 action type, including this one. The rest are singing type.

The Seventh Fairy married an earthly man, Dong Weng, and borne him a son. But she was forced to separate from them. In this clip the Fox Fairy, the fairy sisters and the son of the 7th Fairy fight a fierce battle with the heavenly soldiers and generals. Finally the Goddess of Mercy intervenes and the son and his father are united with the Seventh Fairy.

The seven fairies...

The Seventh Fairy and Dong Weng...
Their son...

The Goddess of Mercy...

粵劇花旦化妝

Recent news

PM Lee said we can’t slow down with our economic development. I don’t know how right he is. I suppose the government understands the global and regional situation and our vulnerabilities better than us ordinary folks.

As for myself I would prefer a more relaxed life. Actually I am optimistic person. Never mind the fast-paced development or the hurried life, I will find time to laze around, daydream and do things that I enjoy doing. .

Regarding the pending changes to the CPF, I think they are good in the long term. But the two sore points are the delay of the drawing down of the minimum sum and the buying of an annuity for payout at age of 85. Chun See has a post on this. His link is on the right.

Hopefully these people waiting for their minimum sum will still have a job or have their own savings or able to get some help.

I think the government can support those penniless people 85 and above. I don't think there are many of them. Haha, maybe the G is worried that old people will then spend all their money before 85.

Survey

Hello friends, please help to do a survey.
Just answer the two questions on the right.
Choose your answer and click vote.
Thank You

Opera nite @ the Serangoon

There were 5 songs and 2 excerpts. Of the 8 singers I have only heard 2 of them sang before. All the singers sang well, better than I expected. The two excerpts were also well-performed.

Two of the singers Performers and orchestra members

钟慧玲

钟慧玲, 余丽明

小周后 - 钟慧玲



卢少玲, 钟慧玲, 余丽明

卢少玲

六月雪之大审 - 卢少玲, 余丽明

Just some thoughts on the ND show

I like to watch the marching contingents of the armed forces and the police. It is quite exhilarating to see them in straight rows marching proudly in unison and swinging their arms shoulder-high. As all NS men know it takes many many many hours of drills to perfect this.

I also like the special displays by the air, land and sea forces

Organizing and presenting the National Day Show is a formidable and stressful task involving massive planning, organizing and coordinating work and requires enormous resources. We are all very grateful to the people involved including the participants for the great show.

You know, our ND show seems to be more and more spectacular every year. I am just wondering if we will ever go back to having simpler, solemn celebrations, less spectacular and fewer dazzling items. If we do I think there will people who will be disappointed. But there will also be people who will be glad. One possibility it will happen is if the economy is not doing well and people are having a hard time.

The South Korean hostages

The Teleban militants in Afghanistan freed 2 female South Korean Hostages. Did you read this news a few days ago. This is what the Teleban said “for the sake of good relations between the Korean people and the Teleban”. …...After they had kidnapped the people and killed two of them !? Utmost rubbish !!!

I hope these people will be boiled in oil when they go to hell.

But I have misgivings about what these Koreans (church group volunteers) were doing. They were doing good but it was reported that they were irresponsible. My view is that in the beginning they shouldn't have gone to that country. It is a Muslim country and is at war.

And they give a big problem to their government and other people. Maybe they thought nothing would happen to them as God would protect them. But I believe God helps those who help themselves and God will not protect you if you are reckless and irresponsible.

Now they are pleading for help, no more the brave and fearless. If they had said ‘We do not wish to die but we also do not want any Government to give in to their demands as it will means more kidnapping and more deaths’, their countrymen would be very proud of them. And I think the chance of being released was also higher as these murderers saw that they couldn’t gain anything by holding them or killing them. Then they would release them on the pretext of “for the sake of good relations between the Korean people and the Teleban”. Hahaha, just some optimistic thinking.

I feel they will be released.

Li Yuan Opera - Li Ya Xian

11 August 2007 @ Esplanade Recital Studio, performed by Siong Leng Musical Association

Free seating, but the centre seats in the first 4 rows were reserved. That means more than 60 seats. So many guests? During the half-hour pre-show talk, I think only two of the reserved seats were occupied. So it looked rather odd - the speaker in front, people sitting at he back rows and in-between empty seats.

This is the stage. At one end a quaint make-up corner was set up. Just a few minutes before the show started two artistes in ancient costumes came out and sat there and pretended to do make-up. It looked very cute.

Pre-show Talk
During the talk, the speaker introduced Li Yuan Opera, briefly talked about the movement and singing and the 4 main characters – the scholar, the maiden, the elderly and the comic. Then he asked the sheng Lin Shao Ling to demonstrate some movements and facial expressions of the 4 characters. I thought why not ask a dan to come out too. Hong Ru Wang or Huang Yu Ying would be good.

Then there was a demonstration by the orchestra. The musicians, in dark uniform, looked so serious, like going to take the imperial exam. The drummer is a lady from Quan Zhou. Sometimes she had to use her foot to rub on the surface of the drum as she beat the drum.

At the end of the talk the speaker said only got time for 1 question. A man asked whether the performers were local or foreign. Mixed, the speaker said, 80% local and 20% foreign. I think he could have allowed a few more questions as there was a 15-min break after that.

The Show
The story. A scholar fell for a ‘qing lou’ beauty, Li Yaxian. He was so infatuated by her that he spent all his time at the ‘qing lou’. Soon his money was all gone and he also neglected his studies for the imperial exam. He became a beggar. Later he was reunited with the beauty. To make sure the scholar concentrate on his studies, she disfigured her face. Finally the scholar topped in the imperial exam and became the ‘zhuang yuan’.

The first two scenes – the Ball Game and the Beggars’ Song (Lian Hua Luo) – are unique and interesting. I think you can only see these in Li Yuan opera.

The handsome scholar was played by Lin Shao Ling, the delicate-looking beauty by Hong Ru Wang and the likeable Ah Gui, Li Yaxian's personal maid, by Huang Yu Ying. Wang Bi Yu was the money-faced ‘qing lou’ owner who only appeared in scene one. Bi Yu also acted as one of the beggars in two other scenes.

They all gave very good performance.

The singing in Li Yuan opera was not that slow as I thought. In this opera the lead sheng has a lot of singing to do. On the other hand, Ah Gui has no singing part. However, she has plenty of speaking and dialogues, including one with the photographer. Won’t it be nice to let us hear Ah Gui sing a song or two?

The opera is entertaining and watching it is a joy. You will enjoy it even if you don’t understand the dialect.


The orchestra, the drummer had her foot on the drum.

The scholar and the beauty

Performers, Siong Leng members and guests

Something different

A man singing an opera song with his 4-year-old daughter.


A funny opera clip

Guest bloggers

Friend Chun See has several guest bloggers. Wonder anyone wants to be my guest blogger - only about Chinese opera (reviews, reports, news, your views, pictures etc).

Hahaha...I think nobody. Maybe you are thinking of starting your own blog. Never mind, any time you like to you can just drop a note at the comments in this blog.

Unfounded worries

I was reading a blogger's post about a 'naughty' thing he did in school at a time when pupils were generally passive learners who did not like to ask questions.

Pupils nowadays are noisier, not afraid to ask questions, sometimes inappropriate ones and sometimes at inappropriate times. Nonetheless, they are encouraged to ask. Unlike my primary school days.....

Once upon a time, I was a kid in primary 5. One day a teacher teaching our class was being observed. We all thought it was an inspector from the education ministry. We were all very quiet. I only remember the lesson had something about clouds so I think it was either Geography or Science.

After some teaching the teacher wanted to get some feedback but no one responded or asked questions. Like that not good during observation. So the teacher decided to ask us questions instead.

"Please don't call me," we prayed. We didn't like to answer questions. We pretended to look at our books.

He called me.

"Oh no, how come call me. Why don't you call the clever ones like Victor or Ming De, sure they can give you the correct answer."

I stood up looking blur and said something. It was wrong and he asked another pupil. Later he explained the first part of the lesson again, probably for pupils like me.

For the next few days I was so scared that the teacher would punish me. You see, I couldn't answer his question, so the inspector thought his teaching no good and gave him a bad report. So he wanted to take revenge on me.

Silly boy! Of course nothing like that happened.

Opera day @ Kreta Ayer C C

29 July 2007 (afternoon show and night show)

Presented by artistes from the Kreta Ayer CC Cantonese Opera Troupe, the Performing Arts Group from Bishan Residents' committee third division and the Yew Meng Sing Cantonese opera Troupe from Hong Kong. Actually the HK troupe had only two adults and five young ones performing.

See if you recognize anyone you know. Click on photo to enlarge. The three performers squatting in front are youngsters 12-13 years of age The two girls are quite tall. The sheng in the blue costume and the dan on his right are from HK. The dan is the leader of the HK troupe.

This is Chan Mei Yin, leader of the Kreta Ayer COT and chief organizer of the event. She sang a song and performed one excerpt, both very well done .

These two kids sang part of a song. So cute, I just asked them to stand for me to take a picture and they put up this pose.