Some interesting pictures

These pictures are copied from other blogs.

Rock formation - what creature do you see ?


Bookface - see, the woman's face and the face on the book cover in almost perfect alignment


三寸金莲, three-inch feet - women in ancient China bound their feet to fit into these tiny shoes


Pain - I think this is from Shanice's blog.

Primes

Writers normally name their stories in sequence - Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, ....

This story book I'm reading, the writer named his chapters 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13,17, 19, and so on. The last chapter is 233.

Do you recognize these numbers? Yes, they are prime numbers or primes.

Remember what primes are? Well, they are numbers which have 2, and only two, factors and the factors are itself and 1.

So, 4 is not a prime number because it has 3 factors - 1, 2, 4. Also, 1 is not a prime number because it has only 1 factor - 1.

Mathematicians are intrigued by prime numbers because prime numbers have no formula and there are also no patterns. There is no formula to tell you if a very big number, say 21203, is a prime number or not. There is also no formula to find out for example what is the 1000th prime number.

Mathematicians may know the largest prime number to date but there is always the next one waiting to be discovered.

All these may be useless information for us. But I read that prime numbers have some very important applications. They have to do with secret codes.

The fact that the writer used prime numbers to name his chapters tells us that he loves mathematics.

Braised mei cai with pork

Not long ago I read YG's blog post about how to prepare this dish. So I tried it out with sweet mei cai and not-so-fat pork. It is quite easy but you must wash the mei cai (mui choy in cantonese) clean and soak it in water for at least 30 minutes.

The picture doesn't look very appealing but don't be fooled by its look. The taste is not bad. I would rate it 6.5/10. But as teachers like to tell us 'there is room for improvement'.

By the way there was a principal who used to write the same remark in the report book of every sec 1 pupil, from the top pupil in standard to the last. You know what he wrote? Just four words:
DEAR ROME TROYS SOBOK

You must rearrange the letters. I think like that more fun for you.


Coming: 厦门高甲戏, see Chinese Opera Performance

My Singapore

I bought this book recently. From the caricatures of the characters, I think you can recognize many of them. Below are some pages from the book.








An Aussie's experience performing Cantonese opera for the first time.

Another look at the Monty Hall Problem

The book I was referring to looks at the Monty Hall Problem the following way which sounds logical to me:

Suppose Door 1 and Door 2 has a goat behind it and Door 3, the Car. Possible outcome:

You choose Door 1, the host reveals Door 2.
You switch doors, you WIN

You choose Door 2, the host reveals Door 1.
You switch, you WIN

You choose Door 3.
The host reveals either Door 1 or 2
You switch, you LOSE

So if you switch, your chance is 2 in 3 or 66.7%.

In other words, if you don't switch, actually nothing has changed. The host is just revealing the doors to you one by one. So your chance is the same as the original, 1 in 3 and not 1 in 2.

Revealing a door when you have already made your choice does not improve your chance if you do nothing.

Hahaha, logical or not?

The Monty Hall Problem

When I first read about the Monty Hall Problem I didn't pay much attention to it. Recently MK wrote something about this. A book I am reading has a chapter about it too. If you have not heard of it before, here it is :

You are in a game show on TV. In this show, the idea is to win a car as a prize. The host of the show shows you 3 doors. He tells you there is a car behind one of the doors and there are goats behind the other two doors. He asks you to pick a door. So you pick a door. Then the host, who knows what is behind each door, opens a door you didn't pick to reveal a goat. He says that you have a final chance to change your mind and ask you if you want to pick another door.

What should you do? Do you have a better chance if you change and pick the other door instead?

Most people think it doesn't matter. Whichever remaining door you choose the chance is 1 in 2 or 50:50. Not true. If you change your door, the chance is higher, 2 in 3.

It is quite intriguing and not easy to understand but it could be proved.

If you are interested, search for Monty Hall problem and read it up.

I tried out the game with 3 cards, one card with the word CAR written on it and the other two cards with the word GOAT. Every time I changed the original card I had picked. Results: 7 out of 10 times I got a car. That means if I didn't change the card I got a car only 3 out of 10 times.

makan nasi ayam

Last week I was sitting next to a Malay elderly lady while waiting outside the consultation room at the Polyclinic. She asked me something in Malay. I did not understand everything but I guessed she asked me if I had been waiting long. 10 minutes only. I gave her a three-word reply in Malay.

Then she started talking to me in Malay. Oh no, I don't understand. So I told her so with six Malay words - 'my malay no good cannot speak'. She understood and nodded.

Actually I took a Malay course for beginners long ago at night classes conducted by the Adult Education Board which had many courses for adults who wanted to improve themselves. There is no more AEB now. I think beginners was equivalent to mid-primary level.

Malay is our National Language, you know.

After many years of neglect and unuse, I think 95% of what I learnt were already forgotten. The title words belong to the remaining 5%. (Anyone knows if unuse can be used as a noun?)

So if you are learning a language or want to improve in it, you must use it - speak, read and write.

Opera snippets

These pictures are from a recent opera magazine.
Leong Siu Meng, wife and son


His troupe's HQ and dormitory


Rehearsing for a coming show



Here are 4 huadans without opera make-up. Can you recognize them?

SINGPOST

I just paid a parking fine at Sing Post. It was really a penalty for my own carelessness rather than a fine for violating any parking rule.

It was quite windy. I guess when I banged the door shut, a gust of wind lifted up the parking coupon from the edge of the dashboard and then it drifted down onto the floorboard.

The receipt for the parking fine was a long one because it got a lot of free things. You just have to show the receipt to get them:

1. Additional 5% petrol discount at all Caltex Stations.
2. Get $1 off Shaw movie ticket.
3. Get 5% off your bill at KBox.

I suppose these are to encourage you to use SingPost and not encourage you to break traffic rules.

Until recently, I didn't know you can pay road tax at SingPost. I used to pay road tax at my insurance company, INCOME. And you can pay other bills at SingPost too. Sometimes you can also buy things like computers and cameras. This branch I went to also has an officer from an insurance company to give you advice.

Once upon a time the post-office was just place where you went to post letters or buy stamps.

Choya

This is a Japanese fruit liqueur. According to the label it is 100% honey and also got royal jelly. Bought this bottle from the DFS at Changi Airport last year. Never tried this before. I like the dull-looking fruits in the bottle.


Two days ago I performed the opening ceremony. Hee hee, I even had a 'guest-of-honour' - Samak. He was on tv.

I drank some mixed with ice. At first I thought it would be like those cream liquor which are too sweet for my liking. But no, it is not too sweet - sweetness merged with some sourness. The taste suits me. You can also mix it with hot water.

Alcohol 15% which is quite low compared to the 40% in cognac and whisky.

Today is Mid-Autumn Festival.
Cheers, everyone.

Beer girls

Two evenings ago I went to the upgraded food centre at Smith Street, Chinatown, and walked around the place to have a look. I have been there just after the upgrading but didn't walk around.

It was quite warm. No rain today. There were quite a lot of people. A few stalls I used to patronize are still there. The lady boss at Heng Kee still remembers me although I really didn't eat there often.

At one section there were groups of men drinking beer at several tables. A few already have several empty beer bottles on their tables. It reminded me of something interesting.

It was before the upgrading. I was having dinner with a friend at a stall. At a table nearby some men were drinking beer and having food. One middle-age dark-skin man was smoking and later he let the cigarette butt drop onto the floor.

I happened to be looking in that direction and saw it, but I was not thinking about littering. Maybe I looked at him one second too long. A surprising thing happened.

After hesitating for a second or two, he picked up the butt and put it on a plate on the table. Unexpected, right?

Later we had a good laugh. Hahaha! Maybe he has been fined before and he thought I was an officer from the Environment Ministry.

Ops! Nothing about beer girls yet, wait you say my title misleading ... Well, I also saw two beer girls serving beer at the tables but they were not the young sexy type.


Old Picture
Movie and opera stars of yesteryears - can you recognize any of them ...

Rediffusion

Rediffusion is selling Lee Dai Soh 6-CD box sets. The CDs, titled 蛇鬼山斗蛊記, cost S$18 per set and come in very attractive packaging. (Lee Dai Soh was a well-known story-teller in the 60s and 70s.)

Those who subscribe to Rediffusion will get a Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) receiver set free-of-charge. The set produces crisp, clear and interference-free digital sound.

If you are interested please read this post for details: http://victorkoo.blogspot.com/2008/09/rediffusion-and-big-fool-lee.html

慈母心 游子情

慈母手中线，游子身上衣。
临行密密缝，意恐迟迟归。
谁言寸草心，报得三春晖。

... 游子唸 - 紅線女

youku

Do you know there are quite a lot of Chinese (including Cantonese) opera videos at youku.com? And a few videos are very long. I think youku doesn't have the 10-minute limit as in YouTube. But youku is in Chinese.

Someone sent me a mail recommending me to use youku.

Here are some cantonese operas at youku:
http://www.youku.com/playlist_show/id_639811.html


At Kreta Ayer People's Theatre, last Saturday:

See, a man sitting at side of the third row had set his cam to take videos of the shows but his cam was poking up so high. I was sure it blocked the views of some people. Sure enough, later two women complained to a lady, I think a member of the organizing committee, and she changed their seats. What about those who didn't complain? Luckily it didn't block me. I think the organizers shouldn't allow this (the video cam blocking the audience).

I saw this happened before. Then, one brave woman went up to the man and I guessed she told him off.

Photos

One night last week there was a religious function at the ground floor of a block nearby. They was a small gathering and there were two or three tables and food. The next morning I saw this rubbish stacked near the rubbish dump.

See the tray of food ... what a waste, isn't it? Quite sinful too. I wonder why couldn't they ask the guests take the food away or keep it for the next day. You know, the first thought that came to my mind - Some people really don't need the Government's help package.


At a supermarket in Marine Parade. Isn't it irresponsible to let a kid, quite a big one here, sit in a trolley. It could cause injuries to himself and others and damages to things if the trolley topples. A young girl was pushing the trolley, could be his sister or maid. How do you think the big kid got into the trolley?

Car number

It was a company's annual staff dinner. There was a game in which questions related to the company were asked. Of course got prizes, otherwise who would want to answer, right? The question for the second prize was an easy one ...

'What is the number of Mr Koo's car?' the compere asked, pointing to the beaming Mr Koo, Boss of the company, sitting at the front table.

There were excited voices around the small cosy function room. A sweet young lady was the first to raise her hand.

2163, she said confidently.

Not correct, Miss Huang, the compere said. You have also to say the letters at both ends of the number. Mr Koo would be disappointed if you couldn't identify his car correctly.

It was Miss Huang who was disappointed. She only remembered the S. Another two persons tried but they got the last letter wrong. ... Finally a gentlemen gave the correct answer.

Haha, more than 50 employees but not many knew the complete number of the boss's car.

Hee hee, maybe Miss Huang won't get her bonus.

Coincidence

Tell you an interesting coincidence that happened many years ago.

One day I parked my car at a narrow two-way road with parking lots on one side. The car in front of mine was parked in the wrong direction, that means the two cars faced each other head to head. This is nothing unusual. The interesting thing was that our 4-digit numbers were exactly the same.

Now, I think there must be more than a hundred cars with one same numerical number. But how often do you see two such cars at the same time, whether on the road or parked next to each other in the car park. Rarely, right? Because the probability of two such cars to be at the same place at the same time on the same day is very low.

Not the end yet. More exciting things to come.

The following weekend, the God of Fortune came to give me money. Hahaha, you see, my car number was the top prize in the Saturday 4-D draw. Wow! A double coincidence within a few days. I had only placed a $1 bet but I was very happy. It was the only one time I got a first-prize windfall.

So far nothing as dramatic as that happened again.

Shock

This afternoon I went to an ATM to take out some cash. After the money came out, the transaction slip came out too. I put both into my wallet and left.

At home when I looked at the slip, I got a big shock. I had only $14.76 left in the bank. What happened? I remember I have much more. I thought of people stealing your password and transferring your money away. I was thinking whether to go to the bank right away when I noticed that the account number on the slip looked unfamiliar. I checked my passbook.

The account was not mine. But how come I got that receipt. There was no slip of paper sticking out of the slot before I took out my money. It should belong to the person who came before me. So, likely the person after me would get my slip.

What a scare!

I think this weekend I will invest $2 on 1476. Hee hee ... coincidences do happen, you know.

Erratic behaviour

Recently my computer behaving quite erratically:
once or twice the screen went blank, then it said 'no signal' and shut down,
sometimes it takes quite a long time to respond to a click.

Haha, maybe it wants to retire. Anyway, if you see no post for more than a week, it means the computer is on leave.

Another thing: when I use the Windows Movie Maker, this message comes up 'Windows Movie Maker has encountered a problem and needs to close'. Anyone knows how to fix the problem?

Penalty for drink driving ...

... in China - suspend license 3 months, fine ¥1500, detain 15 days.



Just came across a blog called Ho Ho Chiak 好好吃. It is about good food in Malaysia; it is in Chinese. If you are interested: http://hohochiak.blogspot.com/

Cracked jar

You all know that water expands when it freezes.

Two days ago, I filled this 10cm-tall jar with water (not full). I placed the lid loosely on top so that if the water expands, it can flow out. Then I put it in the freezer. But, you see what happened - the force exerted by the freezing water was so strong it cracked the jar.

The ice still inside ....

As if the jar was sliced into 2 halves by a sharp knife ...

傾國名花

西施, 貂蝉, 王昭君, 杨贵妃

Horse riding

I mentioned about horse-riding a few days ago. This girl is 余碧玲, a young huadan in the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Troupe. Her horse-riding is very nice to watch - whether trotting along a country path or galloping in the F1 horse-racing.

Her arms position and wrist action, legs and feet movement, body tilt and motion - give you a very pleasing harmonious feel. I'm not talking about special or very difficult skills, just the act of riding a horse, Chinese opera style, round the stage.

Annoying

Once I had a young colleague who had an innocent way of annoying people. Innocent because it was not intentional and I think she was not even aware of it.

One time during a casual chitchat, I told her I had just bought a washing machine of a certain brand. 'Oh,' she said, 'this brand no good one. Always gives problems ....... ' and so she went on telling me about the problems she had heard from friends. Quite disheartening, isn't it?

Another time I gave her a lift on my way home. On the way I stopped at a duck rice stall, told her to wait for a minute and went to buy some duck for dinner. When I came back and told her what I bought, she said, 'I don't like duck. Ducks very dirty one, you know where farmers rear ducks what ducks feed on ....... ' And so she went on. Quite upsetting, isn't it?

Photos

I don't think I've shown you these photos before.

Recognize the man in the middle, he is Mun Chin Sui. He came with his wife for a show at the Kreta Ayer People's Theatre 2 or 3 years ago. This photo was taken backstage. The other man's action looked as if he was scolding Mun Chin Sui. It was not so. It just happened that I captured the scene at that instance.


This photo was taken at the end of the show. Standing next to Mun Chin Sui is his wife. Recognize the others in the photo?

粤语片诗礼传家 - 胡枫 & 林凤

A clip from an old movie by Wu Feng and Lum Fung ... about a big family in olden China that was steeped in superstitions and traditional beliefs, customs and rites. A wife's role was to serve her husband and produce children especially boys. Maids were village girls from poor families sold to rich households. They had no rights at all.


Other stars in the movie: Lee Heong Kam, Ng Chor Fan ... I don't know who acted the maid or the name of the other male actor.


This couple were forced to marry by their parents. They didn't love each other, the man already had a sweetheart. But on the wedding night they decided to accept their fate and try to love each other.

Heard of the Chinese saying Beauties have short lives. When Lum Fung died, she was only 36. A pity right?

This clip shows the couple on their wedding night (no M18 or M16 scenes, suitable for everyone, from babies to grandmothers) and a maid being ill-treated by the mistress of the house.

李大傻讲故事 - 八仙過海

The 8 Immortals cross the sea. This is a short audio clip from a longer story "The 8 Immortals create havoc in the East Sea". The storyteller was Li Da Sha (Lei Dai Sor in cantonese) - a renowned cantonese storyteller from the 50s to the 70s.


The 8 Immortals made such a big mess in the East Sea. As a punishment the Jade Emperor banished them to Earth .......... and they lost their magic powers and have to do things the way all of us mortals do.

The pictures in the video clip below were copied from Sihui's blog. Shihui is a Xiang Opera artiste. Her blog has lots of nice photos.

Pump attendant

This evening I went to buy petrol at at ESSO. The pump attendant was a young man, a bit dark and has some moustache.

Thinking he was a Malay I said 'Lima Puloh ... Hijau' and pointed at the green pump.
In case you don't know Malay, lima puloh means fifty. Hijau is green.

He said 'Ni hao'.

Oh, not Malay, Chinese.

Then I talked to him. He was from Shandong.

Later in the office I asked the cashier how much a petrol attendant normally earns.

About $750, he said.

So far I have encountered foreigners in jobs like cashiers and helpers in supermarkets and foodcourts. But first time I saw a Chinese-national pump-attendant.

So hard to find locals to do the jobs?

One way is to increase the pay. But even with increase, I think only older workers will consider doing these jobs. And they might not stay long. Not easy to solve, right?

A few weeks ago at an opera show I was talking to woman over 50 years old. She occasionally does part-time jobs. She said she won't do a job if is too strenuous, too far away or if the pay is less than $___. I can't remember the amount. So she said she is usually out of job. I suppose it is ok for her as she doesn't look like the very poor type.

Nice photos

There are some nice photos of Koi Meng Fai and Ng Mei Ying at this site: http://www.pbase.com/chan_ysc/chinese_arts__cantonese_opera

Tall Tales

One day I was having dinner at a stall in a food centre. I saw an auntie helper scooped rice from a big container, poured it into the cooker, added water and switched on the cooker. But she didn't wash the rice. Never mind, I thought. You won't get sick eating unwashed rice. It is also not an offence not to bathe the rice.

Anyway, after my dinner I asked her how come she didn't wash the rice. You know what she said. She said in the afternoon she washed already and then dried it. So free, nothing to do or what? You believe that ... You know how the grains stuck together when they are wet. Wash the whole container of rice and then dry the rice? Bullshit!

Another time it was outside a lift in a commercial building. I was waiting to go down. When the door opened I saw a Chinese man quickly drop his hand which was holding a lighted cigarette to his side.

Inside the lift I said to him 'Cannot smoke inside the lift'.

After a pause he said 'I not smoking what, where got'.

Oh, trying to be smart, I thought.

After a pause I said 'According to law, whether smoking or not, holding a lighted cigarette with smoke coming out is an offence'.

True or not, I don't know. I just said that hoping he would not smoke in the lift again.

He kept quiet.

梁醒波演喜剧 Leong Sing Por's comedy

Leong Sing Por was an outstanding comedian in movies as well as in opera. I think during the early 70s, you could still see his cantonese-dialogue movies on television.


Here is a clip from one of his comedies. You may recognize other actors/actresses in the clip - Law Kim Long, Chan Ho Kau, Kwan Hoi San, Mui Lan, Hui Ying Sau.....


In the first scene Uncle Por uses a broom to beat Law Kim Long because Law has wrongly accused him of stealing. In the second scene Mui Lan hugs Uncle Por because she has mistaken him to be her father.

粤语片 七 喜临门

Nan Yin

Hello cantonese opera fans,
Introduce to you a Quanzhou-style Nan Yin by talented artistes from Siong Leng Musical Association. They are Xu Su Zhen, Huang Yu Ying and Huang Ling Ling. This video was taken by Chinatownboy.


And here is one Guangdong-style Nam Yum. I don't know who the singer is. She is blind.

What's done cannot be undone

I was doing a search when I came across an article with the above heading at theborneopost.com. It was dated 27 April 2008. Nothing surprising. But there was a little surprise for me. It quoted a chunk from a post I put up about 3 years ago. I have already forgotten much of what I wrote. It also quoted Victor's comments. Quite a surprise, isn't it?

Here is part of the article, the sections in blue are from my post -
..........

What Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim didn’t say is: “Forgive yes, forget no.”

And, of course, it’s all very true that what is done is done. It cannot be undone.

Frannxis’ blog has this to say about the proverb:

" Bought a box of persimmons at Fairprice for $5.80 and the next day Fairprice had it on offer at $4.80. This type of thing happened before and each time I used to scold myself for buying the thing too early. But then who knows. So, I find this proverb ‘What’s done cannot be undone’ very appropriate and consoling.

Earlier in the year, someone I know bought a return air-ticket to Hong Kong from a budget airline at the normal price. Soon after, the airline had a promotional offer to Hong Kong — the price was several tens of dollars less and it covered the travel period of this person. He was sore at the airline.

‘What’s done cannot be undone’. There is no point brooding over it; otherwise you make yourself unhappy.

Similarly, if you had said or done something that offended your friend, see what you can do to repair the damage rather than brood over it.

This proverb also reminds us to think before we act. "

Someone named Victor posted on the same website the following comments:

" About the drop in the price of persimmons by $1 the next day, be consoled that you were getting persimmons that were one day fresher on the previous day.

One good example of a product with price decreasing almost everyday is the PC. I bought my Pentium III Datamini 1 GHz PC in March 2001 for more than $2000. Today (with) that kind of money can buy a Pentium IV PC of 3.4 GHz. But if I keep waiting for the price to drop, I will never get to buy a PC as it becomes a never-ending waiting game. "
.......

At the end of the day, it may be too late to say “What’s done cannot be undone”.

What to do under the circumstances?

Never let it happen again or have the vision and foresight to prevent it happening.

from: http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=34659

Soul Journey 《启程》

Watching the Nan Yin concert, Soul Journey, was a unique soul-nourishing experience. Siong Leng Musical Association put a lot of effort in the production, whether in the music itself or in creating the Zen atmosphere and mood to bring you into its Soul Journey.

Even at the reception outside the theatre, they had three young members standing in front of two wooden tubs to help you wash your hands. Next, another member served you tea in a tiny teacup. And all the while their Malay musician, Mohd Faizal, helped you relax with his soothing guzheng music.


As you entered the studio someone gave you a thin sash for you to blindfold yourself in one of the items. The studio was dimly lit. The orchestra pit was at one end. There was a big drum and there was something that looked like a tree. At the other end a man sat cross-legged on the floor, meditating. On both sides were rows of seats.

And for the next 80 minutes, the audience were immersed in a world of serene Nan Yin tunes and graceful liyuan dance and movements.

Nan Yin music is melancholic and soulful. It is also slow-moving. Nan Yin songs are sung in the ancient Quanzhou Hokkien dialect. Not everyone likes or can appreciate Nan Yin, said Cai Ya Yi, SL's new performer from Quanzhou. She sang very well. Another good singer, Mei E, didn't perform that night.

During the dialogue session there were quite a lot of comments and questions. The participants liked and enjoyed the show and appreciated SL's effort in promoting Nan Yin.

The elderly man who asked the last question said that young people today are not so conversant in Hokkien and may not attend dialect shows ... and he added "Cantonese opera no people see, now they have to perform in English". Maybe he was suggesting SL could consider Nan Yin in mandarin or English. But I don't think Wang Bi Yu, SL's artistic director, will like the idea.

His remark about Cantonese opera is incorrect. As if now a lot of Cantonese operas are in English.

In Singapore, so far only one Cantonese opera has been performed in English and its primary aim was to get young people to watch. Attract them first and hopefully they will go on to watch Chinese operas in their original dialects.

And the Cantonese opera scene here is quite active. With the exception of the one opera in English and another one in mandarin, all operas are performed in Cantonese.

Want to sell your organs

The only good thing about allowing people to sell their organs is that it saves other people's lives. But changing the law is not so simple as some people think - just change the law, put in some regulations and safeguards and everything is fine.

Many people write about the sufferings of the patients but what about the sufferings of the seller and how his health will be affected after the operation.

Just imagine cutting open your body and digging out your organ, eeeeeeek! What if later on you find your body cannot accept the loss of the organ and gives you all sorts of problems.

If you want to change the law, you may have to decide what organ can sell and what cannot sell. Some people may want to sell their eyes. One eye also can survive.

I think it could make people more selfish. People may want to sell instead of donate.

Will a man sell or forced to sell his organ to pay for his gambling debts ...

Just some thoughts that passed through my mind.

Miscellaneous 2

Heard about the teacher who fled from the class and abandoned his pupils during the earthquake in China? He said he wouldn't care about other people, not even his mother, in such circumstances. Certainly he can't be a policeman, fireman or similar jobs ... right? And, in a crisis, to save his own skin probably he would sacrifice his colleagues, sell out his friends or even betray his country.

Read about the protests to oust the PM in Thailand? Isn't he democratically elected and supported by the majorities. Like that, what for have elections.

Seen the demonstrations in South Korea? Many weeks already. Protesters fought with police. Isn't a lot of time and resources wasted? Pity the policemen. And I don't think the demonstrators can achieve what they want.

Miscellaneous

During the Wuchuan opera week I met an opera fan who is a Teochew. He speaks good cantonese. He likes the Wuchuan Troupe and has watched 4 nights. He talked to me about the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Youth Troupe that came here a few years back. He still remembers the 2 shengs, Mun Yu Ching and Pang Heng Wah, his favourite. He said they were very good. He also watches local shows. Quite surprising that a Teochew so interested in cantonese opera and knows quite a lot too. He also watches Teochew opera.

A couple of days ago I saw a Chinese man at the pavement, in front of a pedestrian crossing. I think he was waiting for no cars before he crossed. Maybe he is from China where the drivers don't stop for you to cross the road. Even if you are crossing some will just whiz past you. In Singapore, if you just stand there some drivers will also not stop because they don't know if you want to cross or not. You must at least make the motion - step onto the road.

A few weeks ago I was somewhere in the housing estate at Crawford Street. I couldn't figure out the directions, so I was not sure where the nearest MRT was. I asked a Chinese man who was passing by. He didn't understanding English so I asked him in Mandarin. It turned out he was a worker from China and he pointed out to me the direction to the Kallang MRT. Haha, a Singaporean asking a foreigner for directions!

Tyrwhitt Road

This road is in Jalan Besar. Now, how do you pronounce Tyrwhitt? Try.

At first I didn't know how to pronounce it.

This short road is very ordinary and dull-looking. Once upon a time there were 3 well-known landmarks in this area. One was the famous Jalan Besar Stadium which is still there. The second was the New World Amusement Park, an entertainment hub of yesteryears. It is gone now. The third was the prestigious Victoria School, which was next to JB Stadium. The school is in Marine Parade now. I don't know if the old building is still in Tyrwhitt Road.

VS was in Tyrwhitt Road for decades. There was a principal who used to tell the new sec one pupils the address of the school and how to pronounce that word.

Not tie-whit or tur-whit, he said, Tyrwhitt is pronounced Tilt.

Principal you know, so must be correct. Did you get it right?

I don't remember learning phonetics in school. There are many words I don't know how to pronounce. It doesn't matter much. But if I have to say them to an audience, I will ask somebody first.


I have added a few photos of the Wuchuan City COT artistes at my Xanga Site:
http://photo.xanga.com/frannxis

Videos

Backstage scenes


If you want to see the Wuchuan COT in action, here are some clips uploaded by others:

http://uk.youtube.com/user/melchizedekofsalem

http://uk.youtube.com/user/OperafanSingapore

Photos of Wuchuan COT artistes

You know, some opera fans are crazy about taking photos. They swarm over the few lead artistes during intervals and after the shows and pose with them one after another.

I only took a few random shots ...

Lead huadan Chen Shi Min 陈诗敏 ( I didn't manage to take the other lead huadan.)


Lead xiao sheng Zheng Yong Jian 郑永健


Xiao sheng Lin Tian Yongi 林 田 勇


Pretty huadan Zheng Cui Feng 郑翠凤 doing multi roles


Handsome multi-role xiao sheng Feng Ze Jun 冯泽君. He is an emperor here.


Handsome soldiers

巾帼奇英 & 碧海狂僧

巾帼奇英, The Magnificent Heroine was the show by the Wuchuan City COT on Wednesday night and was one of the most entertaining operas. This is the heroine Chen Shi Min, 陈诗敏. Somersaults, split-leg jump, one-leg stand, spears, swords - to her they are as easy as eating vegetable.


This is the passionate monk, 23-year-old Li Wei Cong, 李伟聪. He performed an excerpt, 林冲夜奔, on Sunday and he acted very well. And on Wednesday night he sang a song, 碧海狂僧 (an extra item not in the programme). He also sang very well with plenty of action, motion and emotions.


Wei Cong with an admirer

Good display of martial skills

On Tuesday evening I saw a man, probably from the Wuchuan City COT, praying outside the backstage of Kreta Ayer People's Theatre. Later I learnt that it was to pray for the safety of the artistes doing the fighting scene and that everything went smoothly.

Society may advance and modernize but some traditions and rituals continue. Some people may think it is superstitious, but the important thing is that it gives them peace of mind.

The fighting scene went very well with some spectacular stunts. They fighting was well-choreographed and the stunts well-executed. In one of them, the two male leads fought each other standing on the the backrests of two chairs placed on a table. When the villain was killed he fell backwards, body-straight, from the chair ... Oh no!!! We held our breath. But not to worry ... he fell into the hands of the imperial guards, his troupe mates.

All this needs good coordination, timing and teamwork.

Although the fighting scene went smoothly, there were two stoppages in two other scenes due to 'power failure'. In one of them, the leading actor was singing fine in one moment but the next moment there was no sound. What happened? So the show stopped.

Fortunately, things were put right very quickly.

Note: a cafeteria has just opened next to Kreta Ayer CC. It sells hot & cold drinks and food like fried mee hoon, chee cheong fun and char siew rice.

Fire on stage

There was a little surreal drama last Friday, the first night of the Wuchuan Cantonese Opera Troupe performances, at Kreta Ayer People's Theatre. Towards the last 10 minutes or so of the final scene, there was smoke at the upper right hand corner of the stage. We all thought it was part of the show. You see, the final scene was a fiery one with a lot of action, fierce fighting and some splendid stunts.

Then one of the rolled-up backdrops hanging behind caught fire at the right side. The rebels set fire to the palace? The fire to make the show look more real?

No, they are not part of the show.

The backdrop was lowered down and an 'imperial guard' tried to beat out the flames. The next moment there was some foam and the fire was put out. I think someone at the side of the stage used an extinguisher.

Fortunately the artistes were calm and the show continued after the brief interruption.


Here are some clips of the Wuchuan COT performance:
http://uk.youtube.com/profile?user=OperafanSingapore

1910

A week ago I was at Kreta Ayer People's Theatre waiting for the Kong Chow 168 anniversary show to start. Then I saw a lady usher guiding an old woman to her seat. From their conversation, she was 98 years old.

Those of you who are below 30, 98 is so far away, right? (According to my previous survey, about one-third of my visitors are below 30.)

She really looked old with her wrinkled shrunken face. She was of small-built. But, from the way she talked and walked, she looked healthy enough. I think she would have no problems passing the century mark. Later a woman came to talk briefly to her. She didn't speak loudly so it meant the old lady's hearing was still good. Still later a man sat beside her.

The usher asked her the secret for her longevity. She said "don't eat pig meat, eat fish".

I was thinking of going over to ask her what watching opera was like in the 1920s and 30s when she was a sweet young girl. But then ... Tok Tok Tok Chang! ... Chang! Chang! Chang! Chang! Chang! The show started.

Road quiz

See if you recognize the road in this video. There are two prominent landmarks. Some objects might also give you some hints. There was not much traffic because it was a blazing humid Sunday afternoon.

Friends in other countries, if you have visited my country you might have come to this road before.

Fund Raising Cantonese Opera Show

Here is a message from Allan. The poster is also sent by him.

Dear All

Please refer to poster attached. The Cantonese Opera will held at Kreta Ayer Peoples Theatre on 3rd June a 7:00 pm. The total collection inclusive of donations, tickets selling, sponsors will be donated ONE HUNDRED PERCENT to these two countries to help the victims. As for some who are not familiarized with the Cantonese Opera, I can say they are amount the top local talents, some are even professional and teachers in the Opera Circle.

Please help the victims by buying tickets for the performance or by means of contribution. Please cross your cheque and address to Singapore Red Cross Society. Please write your name, address, I/C numbers clearly at the reverse side of the cheque.

Don't miss out being kind as one good gesture will make you a happier and healthier person.

Thank You.

Best Regards
Allan Woo.

Joker

Talking about the school discipline master... Although he punishes pupils, he is also one of the most respected teachers in many secondary schools.

There was one DM who was quite a joker. One day a lady teacher who got her driving license not long ago was driving her new car cautiously at a very slow speed into the driveway in the school compound. Pupils had gathered in the field on one side of the driveway waiting for the flag-raising ceremony which would start in about 5 minutes.

The DM was crossing the driveway. When he saw the car approaching him, he pretended to be very alarmed and quickly jumped out of the way. Hahaha, as if he was so scared of new female drivers.

He was very comical. Everyone was giggling or grinning away.


Notice: I was informed that some cantonese opera artists are organizing a show to raise fund in aid of the earthquake victims in China - on 3 June 2008 at the Kreta Ayer People's Theatre. Anyone with more information, please post it at the comments.

Miscellaneous thoughts

A man was fined $1000 for feeding monkeys. Originally it was $4000 but it was reduced on appeal. I don't think $1000 is too harsh.

A school discipline master used to say 'education and punishment are complementary'. He means you can teach and counsel students but must punish them too.

Similar we can educate and advise people, tell them not to drink drive, not to breed mosquitoes, not to feed monkeys, etc. After that action must also be taken.

I don't believe in just educating and counselling.

What I think of .....

Off-day for maids - Give them at least an off-day every fortnight.

Escape of JI man - No need for DPM Wong to step down.

One more thing,
Heard of this argument "If 18 is old (or mature or whatever) enough to do NS, they should be allowed to vote or do this or that." ?

I don't quite agree with this logic. Anyone wants to convince me?

If the age for NS call-up were 16 and not 18, then I suppose we can't use this argument. I think 16-year-olds are also 'old enough' to be trained to use weapons and defend the country and fight in a war.

So, it doesn't mean just because you do NS you could do this or that.

Dirty jobs

Recently there was a report about old people cleaning toilets. I feel it is ok if the people themselves want to work and do not mind.

I remember quite long ago there was a Use Your Hands Campaign. It was was started because people did not want to do jobs that dirtied their hands. As with many campaigns it had to start with the young and schools had to take the lead.

So schools had their own campaigns in which students cleaned up their classrooms at the end of every term and in some schools, classes were scheduled to clean toilets and pick up litter in the school compound.

Today the situation is very much the same. People are still reluctant to dirty their hands.

And in the news today - it is difficult to get bus drivers. It won't dirty your hands but it is long tiring work and includes shift duties. It was reported our bus companies are short of 200 drivers and of the hired drivers, only about 25% are Singapore citizens. I think they will have to hire more foreigners.

Free money

The day after Labour Day I was walking along some shops when I saw a long queue snaking out from an OCBC Bank into the hot sun outside. Unusual. Why so many people? I asked the bank girl on duty outside. She said they came to withdraw the bonus the Government had given out.

I see. But why couldn't wait a few days. Then no need to wait so long. Or maybe they needed the money desperately.

When the Government first gave out free money about 2 years ago, I remember reading a blog post in which the writer said he was not happy with the way the money was given out because some people he knew got more than he did and he felt they did not deserve it.

I think he would rather the Government not give out money or just give to those who really need it and not to everyone.

This man has a wife and kids, lives in a private house and drives a car. So we can assume he was quite well-to-do and happy with his life and then the Government gave out money and made him unhappy.

Car

Once my car seat belt got stuck. Fortunately I was not in a hurry. After a while and some struggling with the belt, I won and it let go. Later I thought about it. What if the car burst into flame? Not a comfortable way to die.

So I keep a pair of scissor in the car. A small one, about the length of your palm. Anyway, a scissor has many uses.

A friend of mine keeps a long screwdriver under the driver's seat of his car. He said it is to defend himself against robbers. As if he always encounters robbers. A screwdriver is a car tool, so it is ok to carry it around, he claimed.

Another friend, an NPCC officer, put his peak cap on the dashboard of his car. He said it was a deterrent against theft. No one would want to steal a police officer's car, he reasoned. As if a lot of people want to steal his old car.

Money not enough

The other day, at a supermarket.......

A cute little girl took an ice-cream from the small freezer near the exit. After that she toddled to the cashier at the counter nearby, raised her little hand and offered the cashier a one-dollar coin.

"Not enough. One thirty," the amused cashier said in English. The little girl did not seem to understand.

1 30, the cashier repeated, 1 30. Still the little one shook her head.

At this instance, a kind uncle who was delivering goods to the supermarket went to the girl, squatted down and explained to her. Whether she understood or not I don't know. In the end she toddled away, haha, probably going to look for her ice-cream at another shop.

Surname

In the news today, there was a report about a teacher with the surname Ding. It reminded me of a teacher with quite a rare surname, Dieu (pronounced dew). I don't know what it is in Chinese or what his native dialect is.

One day Mr Dieu was walking along the corridor beside some classrooms where lessons were going on. Those were the old type of classrooms with open doors and windows. Suddenly the senior assistant came out of his office and shouted after him, "Dieu! Mr Dieu!" I think the SA wanted to talk to him.

It was quite funny. Dieu is an offensive word in cantonese.