The Cave of the Silken Web - a ge zai xi performed in Hokkien by Taiwan's Yi Xin Opera Troupe.
The Silken-web Fairy forces the monk to marry her. This is a light comedy about the evil Fairy of the Silken Web Cave capturing the Monk Xuanzong and the Monkey King, Sun Wu Kong, rescuing him.
There was a short romance scene between the Monk and the Empress of the Land of Women. The empress hinted that they could live a happy life together. But of course the Monk's only wish was to accomplish his mission - to get the Buddhist Scriptures and help mankind.
There was also a frivolous scene which delighted the audience. In it the Pig Zhu Ba Jie was dressed in female clothing and later he took out a big handphone from his dress.
The more strenuous fighting parts were done by the Monkey, the Evil Fairy and a few supporting male actors. To make it more realistic, in one scene the Monkey jumped up to the ceiling of the stage and flew around in circles. This was made possible by a cable attached to his body.
There was no stoppage for changes of scenes. The show just went on with stage crew pulling away a backdrop or pulling in one. There was also little change of costumes. For most performers, it was not necessary. Towards the end of the show I am not sure why the Pig dressed himself up as a cockerel.
This is one of the top stars in the troupe. She sang during the interval and went down to shake hands with the audience. Autograph session after the show ...
Waxed duck - this is something we eat only once a year, during the CNY period. We only bought the drumsticks. It is also not something you eat a lot because it is as salty as salted fish. Here is the leftover which can be kept for several days.
Eating a few pieces of this is enough to help you finish a bowl of rice.
How to cook - chop the drumsticks into small pieces, cut off as much skin and fats as possible and then steam it.
Fish soup
A friend saw me eating fish soup twice at the same stall in a hawkers' centre. He concluded that my favourite food is fish. Do you think he is right?
At that hawkers' centre, I eat chicken rice and wanton mee more than the fish soup but the friend didn't see me eating the chicken rice or the wanton mee.
Well, the wanton mee is nothing special, not one of those highly-rated. The chicken rice is ordinary, just like any chicken rice you find in a hawkers' centre. The fish soup is more popular. At peak hours you have to wait for 30 to 45 minutes.
The answer to my question - yes, I like to eat fish. But my friend's deduction method is not convincing.
By the way, I also like the waxed duck.
You know, just now I typed an f instead of a d in the above sentence. Luckily I checked before posting; otherwise you all will be shocked. Do you know that the d and f keys are just next to each other.
As we grow from childhood to youth-hood to adulthood and to parenthood, our feeling for Chinese New Year also changes. As kids we look forward to ang pows, aerated water, our favourite food and , for some of us, playing with fire-crackers. When we have children ourselves and they start growing up, we value traditions more and we hope that our children will carry on with them.
It was reported that more people fall sick during the CNY period because they overeat. Even when the CNY holiday is over, the mood lingers and food is still there and we are tempted to eat them. When we go back to our workplace, colleagues would bring goodies to share or some would go out for another feasting. It will take about one week to go back to our normal diet.
I, too, ate more during this period but not a lot more. Still, that means more salt, sugar and fats which is not good. Fortunately I didn't fall sick.
Whether you wish to have more money, good health, a good wife or husband, a pay rise or promotion, a healthy baby, good exam results, obedient pupils, to lose weight or to improve your opera and singing skills ..... may they come true.
Here is a clip of a lunar new year song with pictures of some Singapore cantonese opera artistes.One exercise for you - count the number of shengs and the number of dans in the clip, exclude the artiste in the white mask at the beginning of the clip.
Saturday evening, Chinatown was a hive of activity. The streets and shopping centres were very congested - people everywhere.
At night there was a stage show by local performers and visitors from China. And some buskers were performing on the streets. There were two groups of seniors buskers along New Bridge Road outside CK Supermarket. The performers were enjoying themselves as well as entertaining others.
Here is a clip of a woman singing a well-known oldie and a man dancing away immersed in nostalgia, oblivious of amused looks from passers-by. I think the oldie is a song by the famous actress/singer Bai Guang but I don't know its name. Anyone knows?
If you don't declare the offences you have been convicted of in your application for a job, it already gives the impression that honesty is not a value high in your list. If you have offences that you can’t remember, then state so in the form or go back and find out first.
Although we encourage companies to employ ex-convicts, I believe you have to see what type of jobs. I don't think a casino or a bank would employ someone who has been convicted for, say, cheating.
Or for example, if you need a driver for your school buses, would you hire someone who has been convicted for drink-driving or molesting children? No, right?
babies
I think if a couple do not want to have babies, they will still not produce even if the government gives them cash outright. Bringing up children is a very difficult job.
You must really love children and feel that it is a blessing to have them. Couples in this group don’t need incentives. Neither can the stress of life stops them from having babies.
So, I feel there is a limit to what the government can do. It is really up to the people themselves.
The previous post reminded me of an old book I still have. The cover is shown below. Now, don't you see the word God and you think I want to preach you religion and quickly close the blog. No, I don't preach religion..
I think if you want to spread your religion it is better to be a good example yourself and do good rather than going around trying to convert people.
Even if you are not a Christian or whether you believe in any God or no Gods, you can still make use of some of the things it says . Here is one example everyone can use:
An opera fan cum artiste sent me this life handbook. So I post it here for you to read. It might be helpful for you.
HANDBOOK 2010
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water. 2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. 3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. 4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy. 5. Make time for prayer... 6. Play more games. 7. Read more books than you did in 2009. 8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. 9. Sleep for 7 hours. 10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. 13. Don't over do. Keep your limits. 14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip. 16. Dream more while you are awake. 17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others. 20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present. 21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.23. Smile and laugh more. 24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Society:
25. Call your family often. 26. Each day give something good to others. 27. Forgive everyone for everything. 28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 &under the age of 6. 29. Try to make at least three people smile each day. 30. What other people think of you is none of your business. 31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch...
Life:
32. Do the right thing! 33. Always speak the truth even if it leads to your death. 34. GOD heals everything. 35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 37. The best is yet to come. 38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it. 39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
Last but not the least: 40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about.
Last week I was strolling at a Fairprice Supermarket. I saw some canned Australian abalone on special offer at less than $30 a can. Cheap, I thought. I asked the girl at the counter to take down a can for me to see. When I saw the weight, I think I know why it was cheaper.
You see, the net weight of a can of abalone is usually about 425g and the drained weight is about 210g. That one I was looking at had net weight 425g and drained weight 120g. So it means there is less abalone and so it is cheaper.
coffee
I have tried several types of 3-in-1 instant coffee but they are too sweet for my taste.
At Fairprice a lady was doing promotions for an instant coffee. She offered me a small amount in a tiny paper cup.
I drank it. It is good, has coffee taste and is not sweet.Actually it is bitter because this type is 2-in-1 without sugar. That means you can decide whether you want to put sugar or not or you can add one teaspoon or two teaspoons according to your taste.
Li Yu or Li Houzhu was the last ruler of the Southern Tang Kingdom. The powerful armies of the Song Dynasty invaded the Southern Tang Kingdom and took Li Houzhu and his family captive. Before they were taken away, Li and his second wife bade farewell to their subjects.
李後主之去國歸降
四十年來家國 三千里地山河 鳳閣龍樓連宵漢 玉樹瓊枝作煙籮 家傾國破恨綿綿
Do you know who the singers are? For more songs, you may visit this site.
On and off you read comments about allowing singles to buy HDB flats. The reasons for not allowing singles to buy HDB flats have been explained many times and I think older singles are allowed to if they satisfy certain conditions.
If you allow young singles to buy HDB flats, I think it could encourage more of them to stay single.
cold theatre
Friday night I was at the Drama Centre, National Library. It was cold. I didn't feel cold during my previous visits, but that night it was especially cold. I guess it was about 20 degrees. Many people also complained cold but many had also come prepared and put on extra warm clothing.
Later it was better, probably because of the heat from the bodies in the packed theatre.
plastic bags
If you go shopping in Hong Kong or Guangzhou, it is better you bring a bag along. In HK, some supermarkets don't give you bags or charge you 50 cents for it.
Once I bought some vcds from a shop in Guangzhou. At that time I did not have any bag, so I asked the cashier for one. She said they didn't have, so she used sticky tape to secure all the discs together. I had to hold the thing in my hand.
In Singapore, Wednesday is bring-your-own-bag day at some supermarkets and stores. At Fairprice and Shop-and-Save they don't charge you for a bag but you can deposit 10 cents in the donation tins. Not many people do this. But there are a few shoppers who bring their own bags every visit.
On any day, Fairprice gives you a discount of 10 cents on purchases of $10 or more if you bring your own bag.
This is Lou Mee Wah acting the role of the Emperor.
Lou Mee Wah seldom peforms. Last year she had only two performances, one of which was a full-length opera. Her full-length operas often take a long time in the making. Watching Emperor Shun Zhi we could see that a lot of effort and time has been put in. I think even those doing minor roles like guards and maids must have spent long hours practising and rehearsing.
Beside Lou Mee Wah, other veteran artistes are Christopher Choo, Chan Mei Yin and Ellen Li. Other than Gordon Choy and the artistes doing the action roles, most of the others are Lou's pupils. I was a little surprised that Leong Sau Fong played the role of huang tai hou, the emperor's mother. I thought she was a bit too young for that.
This is Chung Lai Yong playing the role of Dong E Fei, the Emperor's favourite concubine. This was the first time I watched her doing the lead female role in a full-length opera. I would say she did very well.
The beauty and the bearded. The bearded man is Christopher Choo
The Guang Dong Yue Ju Yuan has 3 troupes - first troupe, second troupe and youth troupe. Since the second troupe will be coming to perform here, here are some of its main artistes.
I was watching a Cantonese drama and there was this metaphorical phrase 'monk holds umbrella'. Do you know the meaning?
You see, a monk has no hair. And when he holds the umbrella above his head, he can't see the sky, right? So it means no hair, no sky. But in Mandarin or Cantonese, hair and law have the same sound (fa in pinyin and faat in cantonese).
So, the meaning is wu fa wu tian (無法無天) or lawless.
Don't pour your money into the sea
You know, there is a HK advertisement in which people carry boxes of money and pour it into the sea. What do you think it is about?
Actually it wants tell people not to gamble. It says 'gambling is like pouring money into the sea'. It makes use of two words of the same sound. Gamble and pour have the same sound in Cantonese - doh.
