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.

New magazine

New cantonese opera magazine. Real one, not my creation. (Picture taken from MSN Opera Forum, link on the right).



About the Quiz in the previous post
You need to know something about the story Journey to the West. Here goes....

Monkey King and Bull Demon King were sworn brothers. BDK was the husband of Iron Fan Princess. They had a kid called the Red Child who was very mischievous and caused a lot of troubles. MK had to fight with the Child to stop him causing troubles. He captured the Child and the Goddess of Mercy took him away for punishment. Because of this, BDK and his wife hated MK.

By the way MK can do 72 transformations.

Answer to the quiz
Monkey King transformed himself into Bull Demon King and conned his wife Iron Fan Princess to give him the Fan.

Quiz

Refer to previous post .....
Monkey King transformed himself into an insect and entered Iron-fan Princess's stomach. He then forced her to lend him the Magic Fan. But she gave him a fake fan.

Question: Finally how did MK manage to get the real Fan from the Princess?