My Primary School

One of my posts is now up on Yesterday.sg.

If you are wondering which Primary School I had attended, please see: Growing Up in Ang Mo Kio: My Primary School.

2 more days to cast your votes

There's two more days to cast votes for the Singapore Blog Awards. Voting for the Singapore Blog Awards is opened from 30 Jun 2008 to 31 Jul 2008. Everyone is entitled to cast ONE vote in EACH category EVERYDAY!

If you would think the following bloggers are deserving, please visit their blogs and cast your votes for them daily. Voting ends on 31 Jul 2008.

Best Youth Blog Finalist: Lion City. Jaymes 007
Most Entertaining Blog Finalist: Eastcoastlife
Most Insightful Blog Finalist: ieatishootipost
Best Design Blog Finalist: Sparklette.net
Best Individual Blog Finalist: Good Morning Yesterday

May the above-mentioned finalists score well with the judges and the voters.

CozyCot's Blog Shop Weekend

Courtesy of My Trinket Trove.

One of my friends, My Trinket Trove, shared with me that she will be setting a stall on 2 Jun 2008 at Cotters Blog Shop Weekend from 12 - 6 p.m. If you like to support her works and check out other products on sale at the event, do make a visit to Level 3 Parkview Square that day.

Here are more details about this event:

The Cotters Blog Shop Weekend
Date:
2nd August 2008 (Sat) 12pm - 6pm
3rd August 2008 (Sun) 12pm - 6pm

Venue:
600 North Bridge Road
Level 3 Parkview Square
Singapore 188778
(Near Bugis Junction, opposite Raffles Hospital. Take exit B from Bugis MRT Station)

New Venue
10 Eunos Road 8
#12-20
Singapore Post Centre
Singapore 408600

Bus Services:
Alight at Singpost Centre or opposite Paya Lebar MRT
24, 28, 43, 70, 76, 135, 154 or 155

Nearest MRT:
Paya Lebar Station (EW 8)

www.CozyCot.com

(Note: This is definitely not a paid post.)

Finding nostalgia in National Day Parade songs

National Day is coming and strangely, in my mind for the past few days, a couple of the past National Day Parade songs have been ringing in my mind. My personal favourites are: Stephanie Sun's 一起走到, and Kit Chan's 家. I like the lyrics in these and the tunes too. I also quite like the song Will You for its uplifting tune. Generally, I like the Mandarin National Day songs that are sung by Stephanie Sun and Kit Chan. I can't say why, there's a particular quality that I like about their voice and their way of singing National Day songs.

I recall that when I was in Primary School, assembly time and the time when the teachers were having their so-called Staff's meeting was the time for the students to practise singing National Day Parade songs especially when National Day drew near. Did you have such experience singing National Day songs during assembly time in your school days?

It is strange how my experiences towards National Day songs could differ with time. When I was in Lower Primary, I vaguely recall that I would still sing the National Day songs with lots of interest. I would even try to remember every words in the lyrics because back then, thanks to my mother, I was given a cassette tape that contains an album of National Day songs. If I remember correctly, one of the songs that was in the album was Stand Up for Singapore. Interestingly, when it was time to practise singing National Day songs when I was lower Primary, I would eagerly stand up whenever it was time to sing the chorus "Stand Up for Singapore..."

Strangely, perhaps it was the time when self-consciousness had set in, my attitude towards National Day songs became different when I was in Upper Primary. Somehow, most of my classmates when I was in Upper Primary would not singing National Day songs even if the teacher-in-charge urged the assembly to do so. If I had sang, I would then be the odd-one-out among an entire group of Upper Primary students who won't sing the National Day songs. I would also prefer not to sing with a group of people for I can't seem to figure out how my voice would harmonise with the rest of the crowd. When the rest of the school was singing Stand Up for Singapore, it was rather clear that the Upper Primary students preferred a nonchalant approach. There was hardly any Upper Primary School students who had eagerly stood up when it was time to sing the chorus!

Even during the times when I was in Secondary school and in Junior College, I did not have much inclination to sing National Day song in public. If I did hum a bit of them, it was because those had good lyrics and good melodies, but I would sing in the comfort of my own private space. Admittedly, being not in favour of being in the crowd, I tend to stay low-key during the school's National Day functions.

Strangely, was it nostalgia, after I had just graduated from the University, I found myself starting to hum Stephanie Sun's 一起走到. It was the National Day Parade song for the year. I think it was the inspiring lyrics and the cheerful tune that attracted me to the song. I found myself singing it to lift my moods up when I was on my way to work. I didn't sing on the MRT train but I would sing it while walking that path from the MRT station to my then workplace.

In my current job, I realised I have been having a tendency to play National Day songs during certain events for children. I was hoping that at the very least, the children might be familiar with some of the National Day songs, as compared to any of the classical tunes that I would personally fancy more. Furthermore, National Day songs seem to have qualities of being motivating and inspiring, which I hope may somehow encourage the children to bring out their best in their everyday lives.

What are your experiences with National Day songs?

Anyway, I chanced upon this official URL with National Day songs from the past:
http://www.ndp.org.sg/downloads/audio/pastyear.php

Enjoy the songs.
12 days to Singapore's National Day.

Happy National Day Singapore.
National Day, I suppose, it would be very different without the National Day songs.

What are some of your favourite National Day songs?

Onboard the tour 'The Other Side of Geylang'

Yesterday, I participated in yet another trail of the Expedition 'H' that is held in conjunction with the Singapore Heritage Fest. This tour titled The Other Side of Geylang indeed brings me to a different side of Geylang. It is not a food tour, neither does it cover anything about Geylang which is known for being a red-light district. Nevertheless, it was quite an interesting tour because I get to hear about the stories of ordinary individuals who have in some ways been heroes because of their deeds and contributions.

The first part of the tour brought us to a museum which I have never been before. The museum, the Kong Hiap Museum, is located at 8 Geylang East Avenue 1. It houses the collection of the late Venerable Kong Hiap (广洽法师). Our group had the privilege to get a guided tour specially by Cultural Medallion winner, Tan Swie Hian!



This museum houses a very good collection of original works by Feng Zikai. The museum also has many good calligraphy pieces by several masters. It is worth a visit for anyone who likes Feng Zikai's works and for those who likes calligraphy works. I remember that there was one piece of calligraphy that was written using the blood of Venerable Kong Hiap. In order to have his blood used as a medium for the work, he had to go through a no-sodium diet for a period of time. By the end of the tour, I have learnt a bit more about Chinese calligraphy and the life of Venerable Kong Hiap and his art collections. Many thanks to Tan Swie Hian for his insightful guided tour.

For those who wishes to visit Kong Hiap Memorial Museum, it is opened on Saturday, Sunday and every 1st and 8th of the Lunar Month, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The next stop was Masjid Khadijah at 583 Geylang Road. I learnt about the history of Masjid Khadijah. The mosque is named after the late Mdm Katijah Binte Mohamed. In my opinion, the heroes behind the mosque are not only the late Katijah Binte Mohamed and the many donors who have contributed to the mosque. The people who forms the congregation that makes up the mosque who have dedicated their time and devotion to sustain the running of the mosque are also the heroes.

I am very impressed by the way the mosque is being runned. I heard that the nasi beriani cooked by the ladies of the mosque for the Nasi Beriani Amal programme is a well-known brand in the Muslim community. The mosque has raised much funds through the Nasi Beriani Amal programme whereby nasi beriani is being sold. It is not the amount of funds raised that is important, it is the devotion that the people who serve the mosque has that truly matters. I can sense that they take pride in what they do.

The mosque is a beautiful mosque. During the tour, personnel from the mosque gave us a very interesting overview to the history of the mosque and even explained to us about set-up of the prayer hall. The mihrab will indicate the direction of Mecca, where the Kaaba is located. Many thanks to the mosque for its graciousness in hosting us.





After the visit to the mosque, the tour bus led us to the oldest Chinese temple in Geylang, the Chong Teck Tong Temple. I learnt about the history behind the temple. Somehow, while I can't quite hear clearly the name of the founder of this temple, I felt touched by her compassion towards the less fortunate. She was a heroine in her simple way.

At the temple, we were given a short briefing about the wooden-fish (mu-yu) and other tools that were used in prayer rites. We were also given a demonstration on how to offer incense to the gods. Many thanks to the temple for hosting us, and so generously serving us vegetarian meals at the end of the tour.


The final part of the tour took us to a part of the Geylang which I won't have been able to visit if not for the tour. It took us to the private studio of local artist, Wong Keen. I realised it was situated in an area where many 'ladies of the night' would stand about when night falls to wait for potential customers. At the studio, we had the privilege to speak with Wong Keen, and even see some of his latest works. Right below is a glimpse of one of his works which was inspired by scenes from Geylang.




On the whole, the tour might have been more educational if it could cover some aspects of the history of Geylang. Nevertheless, it was still worth my time as I've managed to come face-to-face with two local artists, and visited places which I have never been before. I realised that there is still so much I have to learn about Singapore, the country that I grow up in.

By the end of the tour, I realised that Geylang's night-life is not just about food and vices. There's another side of Geylang which we may have not noticed: the art, the devotion and the dedication towards the community. It is the ordinary heroes that make these other sides of Geylang thrive.

Week 30 of year 2008 on the double bass

20 Jul 2008, Sun: I practised Dragonetti's Concerto in A major and managed to be better at the first page. I had difficulties knowing where the harmonics should be when I worked on the second page. Was it a lack of confidence or lack of understanding of my instrument?

Anyway, I subsequently worked on a couple of bars from Osbourne's Gargoyles.

21 Jul 2008, Mon: I practised selected passages from Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" Overture. My focus was on increasing the speed that I play the passages, while ensuring adequate intonation and maintaining a good rhythm.

23 Jul 2008, Wed: I practised selected passages from Rossini's The Thieving Magpie Overture focusing on producing a clear sound, while ensuring a good intonation. I also practised the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major and Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. Strangely, my double bass seemed to require more effort to stop the strings for the day's practice.

24 Jul 2008, Thu: During double bass lesson, my tutor helped gave me pointers to the fingerings to the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. It was challenging, but actually the fingerings aren't as difficult as I had imagined. My tutor passed me my purchase of a new rosin: Samuel Kolstein Ultra Bass Rosin. It felt sticky initially but after a while of playing, the rosin helped me achieve a full, clear and bright sound. Cool rosin.

I then spent time working on the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. I need to have steady tempo and woprk on my sense of rhythm.

25 Jul 2008, Fri: Perhaps inspired by my tutor's demonstration the day before, I worked on selected bars from the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. Hopefully I could master this movement in time to come.

***
More good practice is needed.

Mustering all strength

I am wishing for strength and patience
Today I find myself not as effective at work
I was slower at making judgement
The awfully fast pace of work has worn me out

Mustering all strength
To stay focused
And to keep my cool
Even though there were times I felt out of focus

Could I last these trials?
And emerge stronger?

At the same time
So many questions now go on my mind
Is this the life where I can best contribute?
Or is it time to change focus?

I'm exhausted

I'm exhausted
A day when things did not go as planned
Worn out
But things aren't really that bad actually

Cast your votes for Singapore Blog Awards

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the blogs that I have been reading regularly, and which have been nominated for the Singapore Blog Awards. Here's a short post to lobby for support for the deserving bloggers who have written those blogs.

Voting for the Singapore Blog Awards is opened from 30 Jun 2008 to 31 Jul 2008. Everyone is entitled to cast ONE vote in EACH category EVERYDAY!

If you would think the following bloggers are deserving, please visit their blogs and cast your votes for them daily. Voting ends on 31 Jul 2008.

Best Youth Blog Finalist: Lion City. Jaymes 007
Most Entertaining Blog Finalist: Eastcoastlife
Most Insightful Blog Finalist: ieatishootipost
Best Design Blog Finalist: Sparklette.net
Best Individual Blog Finalist: Good Morning Yesterday

All the best to the above-mentioned finalists!

Unconditional Love

During a meeting today, the concept of "Unconditional Love" was brought up briefly. This concept has been often brought up during professional meetings held at my workplace. Today, I felt like sharing this concept with readers reading this blog.

Upon reflecting upon my practice with people from all walks of life, I wonder: Would unconditional love, starting with loving oneself unconditionally, be one of the answers that could help people heal from very painful or bitter life experiences?

I don't have the answer.

Anyway, here's sharing Unconditional Love (starting with you) by Kathy Brandt. It is quite an insightful read.

As I reflected, I could at least say that I have been practising the use of unconditional love when interacting with people close to me, particularly on friends and family members that I hold dear in my heart. Then again, possibly, my unconditional love for my parents may not be able to match the love that they probably have for me.

***
On the side, here's wishing my Mum safety and all the best for the day surgery that she will be going for tomorrow.

The hope that keeps me going

There have been times when I had felt that life feels dead empty
Thank goodness I have hanged on
And that hope comes soon enough
To keep me going forward

Wishing you hope.

***

By the way, do read on Karl Blog, a post titled Hope for Happy Ending.

Week 29 of year 2008 on the double bass

13 Jul 2008, Sun: I practised the first 19 bars from Dragonetti's Concerto in A so that I could play these bars at tempo that is closer to the original tempo.

Afterwhich, I attempt to practise a couple of bars from Osborne's Gargoyles. I realised that I prefer playing works that are melodic and tonal rather than rhythmic in nature. I was simply struggling to play those few bars during my practice, but I was slightly better at the practice than a few days ago.

Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto remains to be a favourite for me. I practised the second movement to refine my playing.

14 Jul 2008, Mon: I felt awfully tired after work, but needed some playing so to rid the stress and toxic-feeling out of my system. I focused on practising selected parts from Rossini's The Thieving Magpie Overture. The parts required some working-out technically, yet they were comparatively more straight-forward than the concertos by Dragonetti and Dittersdorf since most of these parts are written in sequences. I am glad that I did, at least I felt a little better after the practice.

16 Jul 2008, Wed: Double bass lesson was brought forward to a Wednesday. I played the first couple of bars from Dragonetti's Concerto in A. My tutor realising that I needed more practice suggested that I play it during lesson on another day.

I also asked to work on Osborne's Gargoyles. While it was considered a difficult work for myself, I nevertheless decided to take up the challenge to work on it. My tutor guided me to work through a couple of bars. I played badly yet I have learnt a lot. I learnt how to better approach Osborne's Gargoyles.

The last work that I worked on was the second movement from Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. My tutor gave me pointers on how to approach a few particular bars whereby I have to keep crossing between the "D" and the "G" strings.

17 Jul 2008, Thu: I practised Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. Finally, I have went past the first 19 bars. The fingerings that my tutor had suggested has helped.

19 Jul 2008, Sat: I practised Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. It sounded a little bit better than when I first started out practising it.

Meeting up with Trinket Addict

This afternoon, I met up with Trinket Addict. Other than learning from her about the processes involved in choosing the materials and the making of the jewelleries on display on her blog, time was spent catching up with each other. Time flies, it has been more than a decade since we first knew each other. She has been a kind and supportive friend these years.

Trinket Addict also passed me an order that I had specially requested from her sometime ago. I don't wear jewellery in general, except for the necklace and pendant from my maternal grandmother. The order is meant for one of my friends, J. I hope she would like it.

If any one of you is interested in accessories with original designs, you may wish to visit Trinket Addict's blog to see if any of the items that she creates catches your eyes: http://www.mytrinkettrove.blogspot.com

Here's one of her recent creations for your viewing pleasure:

Courtesy of My Trinket Trove.

Onboard Expedition 'H': From Coconuts to Kaya!

This afternoon, I went onboard my first Expedition 'H' trail. Realising that it could be Journeys Pte Ltd that are in charge of guiding most of the trails, I decided to choose the trail that would take me to a place where I have not been onboard with Journeys Pte Ltd.

I was right, except for Trail 5, all the other trails are done by Journeys Pte Ltd. Since I have never attended any tours by Journey Pte Ltd that takes me to Katong, the choice was clearly the trail From Coconuts to Kaya!: A Cultural and Culinary Adventure of Katong™. In some way, it goes to show how I have enjoyed the tours by Journeys Pte Ltd so much that I have already been to almost all of its existing tours.

Our first stop was the Eurasian Community House at 139 Ceylon Rd. It was my first time stepping into the Eurasian Community House, and I was delighted to know that it houses a museum. Here we had the chance to sample some delightful and interesting Eurasian food at the Quentin's. I like the sugee cake especially. Yummy and nutty. Other than these, we also tried Curry's Devil and learnt about the story behind the dish. The chef also shared some interesting personal anecdotes with us while we were dining at Quentin's. I am impressed and touched by his passion to keep the art of Eurasian cooking alive. By the way, I learnt that Quentin's offers a Sunday Buffet Brunch at a pretty affordable price. The ambience is rather cosy. Do consider checking it out if you are nearby Ceylon Road.

Inside the museum located at the Eurasian Community House.

After a delightful sampling of Eurasian food, the group then board the coach and headed to the next stop. While we were on the coach, the guide also shared with us the origins of the word Katong. The next stop brought us to Kway Guan Huat at 95 Joo Chiat Rd. This establishment is perhaps best known for its hand-made popiah skin. We were lucky that the establishment gave us a demonstration of the making of the popiah skin. It is certainly an art that needs years to master.

The making popiah skins at Kway Guan Huat.

The making of popiah at Kway Guan Huat. Available from 95 Joo Chiat Rd.

We also were treated to a demonstration of the making of popiah. Afterwhich, everyone in the tour group gets to sample the popiah. Interesting, at Kway Guan Huat, the tasks of making popiah skin and making the popiah ingredients were divided according to gender. The popiah tasted fresh. I intend to bring friends from overseas here if I get the chance.

One of the stops of the trail was Masjid Khalid. I particularly like the part where a personnel from the mosque shared with us about the term halal. Many thanks to the mosque for hosting us and treating us to kuehs and pastries.



The trail also brought us to the 328 Katong Laksa stall at 51/53 East Coast Rd. The best part of this part of the tour was that our group had the privilege to hear directly from the boss of the stall, Ms Nancy Lim, some interesting anecdotes including what makes the 328 Katong Laksa different from other laksa that are sold in the Katong area. At this tour, the group learnt from the boss the meaning behind the name of "328 Katong Laksa". We each sampled the 328 Katong Laksa too.

Sampling 328 Katong Laksa.

At the final stop, Kim Choo Kueh Chang at 109/111 East Coast Road, we learnt more about the art of making dumplings the Peranakan Chinese way. I tasted one of the Kim Choo Kueh Changs. It was good.

The making of Kim Choo Kueh Chang.

This is not simply a tour that only brings people to sample food. It is a tour that helps us better understand the history of Katong and the heritage behind many of the well-known food establishments there. At the end of the tour, it struck me that the people who have built and/or operated the various food establishments on this trail deserve credit for their passion and diligence. It probably takes a lot of passion and diligence to make those delicious food. They are heroes in their own right.

There was a lot more that I have learnt at the trail, but I suppose it is best that one checks these out by joining one of the trails. If not, do check out any of the tours by Journeys Pte Ltd. More information can be found here: http://www.singaporewalks.com