SINGAPORE 60's: ANDY's POP MUSIC INFLUENCE IS A PERSONAL MUSIC, MEMORY TRAIL. BLOGGER DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO VIDEOS, AUDIO TRACKS AND IMAGES. THEY ARE UPLOADED FOR FUN, EDUCATIONAL, ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES AND HAVE BEEN CREDITED. BLOG IS NOT SPONSORED NOR ADVERTORIAL IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. INFORM BLOGGER OF COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND POST WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT COPY THE POSTS; GET PERMISSION N CREDIT ME IF YOU DO. ANDY LIM LA (NOVEMBER, 2008) -
(新加坡六十年代安迪的流行音乐影响力), SUDI MAMPIR !
Strange Andy that it was just yesterday that I was reminded of this annual festival which falls on 22 Dec - three days before Christmas. When young, I used to help my mother make them -right from rolling the dough to forming the 'yuan'. Didn't particularly like eating them - found them too sweet. In later years, we could buy the ready made dough from the market.
I prefer the 'ah boh leng' -a larger version of the tang yuan sold in some food centres. The fillings come in a range of red beans, peanuts, sesame... Sorry, I've not had them for some years and thus have forgotten the other fillings and the price of this dessert.
This is a cultural festival and will soon be lost if the young ones are not made aware - yes, lost to such western influence as 'Halloween'.
Written by the late CYLin on 22.12.2016.
With thanks to Jimmy Chng.
What Ms Lin said is true. We should focus also on the local festivities that will soon be lost if we don't celebrate them annually.
Comments are encouraged.
Mai Tang Yuan: Jing Yin Fang - Topic
YouTube Video from: Universal Music Group
The Legendary Chinese Hits Volume 19:
Fang Jing Yin - Mai Tang Yuan
℗ 1957 EMI (HK) Ltd.
Do you know the difference?
Tang Yuen
Ah Boh Leng
Andy's Comment:
Actually what attracted me as a child was this cute custom, that is: you eat the number of Tang Yuan according to your age, and at 8 years old I was allowed 8 balls. But here's the nice thing about my mum. "After that," she says, "you can eat as many, as long as you don't get sick..."
Happy Winter Solstice to all this 2023 year of the Rabbit who will soon disappear because the dragon is coming around the corner.
Jamus Lim's now famous English saying (which many of us learnt during our school days) has brought some memories to surface. One of them is James Kwok who sent me the video Cockles and Mussels, a song from way back Brit times in Singapore schools. It was one of many tunes we had to learn during the colonial days. These were songs that were totally British, Irish, Scottish or Welsh using words and terms we could not understand but had to remember. It was fun.
As school boys and girls, "It warms the cockles of our hearts..." is a phrase many would be familiar with. Now the children have grown up and have become Seniors today.
But let's read what James has to say:
Back in primary school in the 1950s we had music class when we learnt to sing British songs such as Molly Malone and Sing a Song of Six Pence a Packet Full of Rye. I didn't know what's Six pence or rye, but just sang along, after my negative experience with the British national anthem.
Early in the year we were taught to sing. God Save the Queen. I remember asking music teacher Miss Lee what's happened to the queen and I was given an angry stare and told to behave myself and to shut up. Things were different then, that's Pr 1, 1954.
The famous Molly Malone with 'Cockles and Mussels', one of many songs we had to learn as a child during British colonial times in Singapore. Sung by Ruby Murray above. YouTube video by IAN ANDERSON. Thank you.
Then came self government and Majulah Singapura and in secondary school we had the Victoria School song plus other Singapore songs with subtle nation-building themes composed by Pak Zubir Said and others who inspired us with their works.
Back in my Pr 1 days, a song which I loved to sing and was considered harmless is now judged by some to be politically incorrect, even racist, so its title has been altered to BAA BAA SHEEP SHEEP. Things are different now, this being 2020.
Usually, Singapore celebrates Children's Day on First October but from 2011 onwards it will be on the first Friday every October. So for this year, it's on the 5th. Just as we honour the children, we must also remember the impoverished and homeless ones around the world. 1969 hit Nobody's Child by British singer *Karen Young (image 4) highlighted the plight of a blind and unwanted child in an orphanage. The song originally written by Cy Coben and Mel Foree was first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949 and had been covered byartistesthat included George Sheridan and three of the Beatles. Another group called The Traveling Wilburys that had Bob Dylan as a member recorded the song for a benefit (image 2). Asian artistes included Agnes Chan and Irene Ryder, both from Hong Kong on Life Record and Pon EMI Regal.
Singapore has two versions, one on a Philips Product Long Play by 60s stars, Heather and The Thunderbirds (image 2, details below**) and the other by Lisa Lim and The Stylers on Amigo Records (image 1). Nobody's Child: Cy Coben and Mel Foree.
(Refrain) I'm nobody's child I'm nobody's child /Just like a flower I'm growing wild/No mommy's kisses and no daddy's smile/Nobody wants me I'm nobody's child... As I was slowly passing an orphan's home one day/I stopped there for a moment just to watch the children play/Alone a boy was standing and when I asked him why/He turned with eyes that could not see and he began to cry... Some people come for children and take them for their own/But they all seem to pass me by and leave me all alone/I know they'd like to take me but when they see I'm blind/They always take some other child and I'm left behind... No mother's arms to hold me or soothe me when I cry/Sometimes it gets so lonely here I wish that I could die/I'll walk the streets of heaven where all the blind can see/And just like the other kids there'd be a home for me... **PSY 112 275 Philips: Heather - Harvey and The Thunderbirds, 'Birthday'. Side One: I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Birthday, Nobody's Child, Early In The Morning, Special Delivery, The Ballad of John and Yoko. Side Two: Wonderful World, Tracy, With A Little Help from My Friends, Train, Romeo And Juliet, Time Is Tight. To read about The Thunderbirds click Labels below. Image 1, 2: Andy Lim Collection. Image 3, 4: Google. *There is an added Karen Young biography and connection on the Comment page. She had passed on in 1991. Click Comments below.
Adam West (image right), star of the popular but campy 1960's Batman TV show, died of leukaemia @ 88, on Friday evening, his family said in a statement. Joe Sterling (CNN) June 11, 2017. Our first grandson grew up mostly at our home in the early years of his childhood. He was only two when the family started buying for him Tomica,Hot Wheels andSiku scale-model vehicles. The collection grew and JayOne, within a span of six years has more than 700 pieces of these beautifully crafted cutie mixes of vintage, saloon, super sports and buses. Since the collecting became both our affair, I looked after the die-cast buses, trucks and vintage cars. His interest is keeping the supercars and the number amounted to more than 500 pieces. Name it and he would have the Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Bugatti and others.
As the years went by, the hobby has become an addiction for both. Worse, I decided to collect another special car I fancied, one owned by the most popular and talked about the superhero. He was a favourite. Draped in black, the man who was dressed as a bat became a knight and my collection of his special car expanded. So today this rather odd collection of the Dark Knight's cars has grown from three to a dozen, eleven blacks and one sand-coloured. The first appearance of the Batmobile came out in a comic book in 1939, so imagine how many caped crusader's model cars there are for collectors.
Meanwhile, the family has to be careful with JayOne since he is totally focused on buying more of his supercars whenever he is at a toy-shop or shopping mall. Enforcement doesn't usually work with children; they need to understand the reason why certain practices are prohibited. To keep him balanced and focused, I had to explain my obsession with the Batmobile. So here's my version of the Bat-story that I told him.
I explained that I used to watch, as a young adult, my favourite superhero on television. It was the 1966 Adam West/Burt Ward version with the jingly theme music calling out, "Batman, Batman..." The pow, wham, sok, bam affected me so much I had myself glued to the set every time the programme came on the air. In the beginning, Batman, like Green Hornet and sidekick Kato, had a friend called Robin but he soon disappeared and our dark knight stood alone to fight the evils of Gotham City. (Of course there's a tale behind this.)
Now alone, Batman had the car to himself and the single seater version was produced. The creativity behind the transformation was fabulous and final metamorphosis was unbelievable. From an ordinary automobile that used to be shaped a little like a bat, it became a turbo powered contraption, a tank and a tumbler. Wing sprouts and huge wheels became a feature. Batpod? Even the theme song music compositions are incredible. A simple BatmanTVTheme, with choir girls, repeatedly screaming the same phrase, mushroomed into a brilliance of the Zimmer and Howard,Dark Knight Rises' orchestral and digital music phenomenon. The Batman franchise is a king maker. During my recent visit to another nearby island and a walk around their Heritage Place, the toy shop guy refused my generous offer to sell me his Hot Wheels Batpod since he has only one piece left. No amount of persuasion could make him let it go. Sigh.
The bonding with my grandson is great, what with the model cars and the variety of Batmobiles available; they have become a common source of discussion during dinner chats. Not easy to talk to a ten-year-old who knows more about supercars than his grandpa. For the past few months, he has been buying me a few of the other Batmobile models. Taking a photo of the replica and sending it by What'sApp he would SMS: "You want this?" My reply was always yes because he knows I don't own that particular model. "OK," he would reply, "Will get for you." Daddy, in the background, was very supportive and would pay the $5.90 for the metal piece. Wish I had done the same with him and my elder one. BTW, anyone with an extra bat pod?
News Flash: Singapore, 16th December 2015: The other famous franchise and just as popular is STAR WARS, coming into battle by midnight tonight, Singapore time. Batman for the moment will probably be left out of the fracas as Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, C3PO, Chewbacca do battle again. Another great time for collectors. And boom time for toy makers. Yikes! Images: A personal collection; Google.
Batman Theme Song Movie
YouTube Video by Angel
(This posting is a personal one and does not promote or sell Batman and Star Wars franchise.)
4 PART SERIES MR LEE KUAN YEW, SINGAPORE'S FIRST PM, PASSED AWAY ON 23rd MARCH, 2015.
A) I FOLLOWED LKY @ PULAU TEKONG IN MAY 1963.
I met him only once in my life time. But it was a special encounter and when he walked by, the respectability and awe the crowd had for him was remarkable.
Mr Lee, at 40 years young, was visiting Pulau Tekong Besar in May 1963 when he toured the island, Pulau Ubin and Changi. Sounds of the kompang in the kampongs filled the afternoon air as he met the villagers who thanked him for newly opened community centres and for improvements in their lifestyle.
At 23 years, I witnessed the occasion and with my father's box camera, followed him with the delegation and crowd that accompanied him. I managed to take some photographs of Mr Lee because I kept a close distance. And amidst gangly coconut trees, coconut leaf buntings and festivities, I heard Mr Lee speak.
Many of us have been 'following' him since, in the newspapers, magazines, academic papers and recently on the internet. There were also the books he wrote.
Some books about LKY. Really good reads.
15 Titles On COMMENTS page.
Images for A: Private Collection.
ON 23RD MARCH, 2015, MR LEE PASSED AWAY; HE HAD BEEN
UNWELL AND WAS HOSPITALISED.
B) WAKE @ SRI TEMASEK, ISTANA NEGARA, 24th May.
REMEMBERING MR LEE
Istana Singapore
Sri Temasek within Istana Grounds
Images for B: Thanks to Jimmy PresLee.
The choir of St. John's College Cambridge sang Home @ Parliament House on 25th March. Video: PM Office.
C) PARLIAMENT HOUSE, LYING IN STATE: 26th MARCH.
OUR QUEUE FROM 8.30 pm - 12.30 am.
Parliament House, Singapore
New Art Gallery where crowds gather The crowd was huge but it was orderly. When I checked my iPhone outside City Hall interchange I read it was to be an eight hour wait. I nodded to friend Tony and we decided to join the queue.
The lines of people streamed in silence as we watched them move towards Parliament House. We followed the flow. The line was snaky but we both had a bottle of water each while others took canned drinks, biscuits, sweets and umbrellas, provided free by some generous donors.
We had spent nearly two hours after we came at 8.30 pm. It was another two hours before filing into the House which was just ahead of us. My back was in pain but by then I was holding the hand of a three year old boy who was with his parents and older sister. We had all met in the queue, bonded quickly and energised ourselves with bubbly chats... I looked around me. We were standing on Padang grass. An area of history and great pageantry. In front of me was the new Art Gallery, majestic under the arch lights, but a place where judges and lawyers used to gather.
I looked at my young friend, who was still holding my hand and not letting go for some time. I sensed that he was comfortable with me so I couldn't resist singing, "Little One" to him during one of our short stops. The song was a Russ Hamilton hit written for his niece. I thought Emmanuel enjoyed the lullaby. He looked tired though. By this time my back was at its worst. Hardly any chance to sit. By about 11.30 pm, we reached the security gates where we were checked by the guards. Within half an hour the silent crowd had been split into two rows as we filed into Parliament House. I was about to pocket the iPhone as no picture-taking was allowed within the corridors but managed a stolen snap. The guard looked at me, "No photo taking please!" I smiled.
Another 15 minutes passed, and finally, after a long evening we managed to witness our Mr Lee lying in state. It was a four hour wait but a four minute view. I looked at my Phone, 12.30 am. Emmanuel finally let go of my hand as he sleepily ambled to his mother. I really like that kid. We said our good-byes. He was in dreamland as we left the gates. Lucky boy; and in so many ways. An appropriate name too, Emmanuel...
Images for C: Private Collection.
Time to let go. D) MUSIC PLAYED @ STATE FUNERAL: UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE 29 MARCH. THE FINAL JOURNEY
NUS Cultural Centre
PLAYED DURING SERVICE:
1) Dead March from Saul performed by the Singapore Armed Forces Military Band.
Coffin Bearer Party carried the coffin into the University Cultural Centre (UCC).
2) Air performed by Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
J. S. Bach's Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, performed by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
3) Last Post by lone bugler from the Singapore Armed Forces Military Band.
At the end of the eulogies, a lone bugler from the Singapore Armed Forces Military Band sounded the Last Post, representing a final salute to LKY and also marked the start of a minute of silence for him.
4) The Rouse by lone bugler from the Singapore Armed Forces Military Band.
It is a symbolic call back to duty after respect was paid to memory of the deceased and the end of a minute of silence.
5) National Anthem
After the National Pledge, the National Anthem was played as a mark of respect to Mr Lee.
Images: PM Office; CNA Media Corps, Singapore. SONGS @ PARLIAMENT HOUSE: 6) Auld Lang Syne Played when the casket left Sri Temasek for Parliament House. 7) Amazing Grace Heard during Mr Lee's Lying in State at Parliament House. 8) Home (Singapore Song) sung in Parliament House witnessed by PM Lee Hsien Loong. Images: Google.
Charlie Munger: Number 2 to Warren Buffet.
"Study about the life and work of Lee Kuan Yew, most successful, in the history of mankind -you're going to be flabbergasted."
This article has been reposted from 2014 to coincide with the Formula 1 Singapore Race from 20 September, 2019.
Reposted again on 30th September, 2022 after a 3 year absence. Reposted today: 20th September, 2024.
Young J's Collection
Ronnie n The Daytonas - 'Little GTO' - Video:
A 2014 Singapore Grand Prix F1 Night Race Marina Bay Posting: "Little GTO, you're really lookin' fine Three deuces and a four-speed and a 389 Listen to her tachin' up now, listen to her whine C'mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO..."
The collection above is only one-third of what he has. With many more miniature vehicles, highways, car parks and buildings from Tomica, Hot Wheels, Realtoy, Fast Lane and Siku, this boy has quite a lot in his playroom. Whenever he gets news from a current catalogue about the latest model he would run off to the nearest toy-shop to get one.
Highway Connections
Together with the toy cars in his four-year collection, he has as many in his memory. Young J. can rattle off the makes and models of cars by just looking at the particular model for a second or two.
Hennessy Venom GT
He names a Maserati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin easily but is only interested in the fastest ones and quickly recognizes a Koenigsegg Agera R, Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport or Zenvo ST1 and others in similar category. Because of this special interest, others have inherited his beautiful array of buses, vans, trucks and police/fire-fighting vehicles.
Young J's Photos Of Real Cars And Toy Ones. Know which?
He plays cars, reads cars, talks cars, surfs cars, carries cars, photographs cars, bathes color-changing cars and even eats and sleeps with them. He has these tiny vehicles everywhere in his home and ours. The only time he doesn't have one around him is when he's at school. Carrying a little car in his pocket has been disallowed.
At Wisma Atria
During weekend evenings he is taken to Ion or the area around Scotts Road, where, to his heart's content, he takes a photograph or a video of the sports cars that roam the streets. He uses a digital camera that his father gave him. A hobby has now become a passion for this youthful enthusiast.
A Child's Paradise
The current September 2014 display of Lamborghini's masterpieces at Wisma Atria was a gigantic draw for him so he had a whale of a time taking pictures of the different models showcased for the general public.
His Racing Spirit
Later this week a trip to the Formula One race at the Marina Bay area would be a special treat for him. He has been advised to get ear-plugs for the occasion.
F1 Security Tags With Bar Codes Erased
So come Friday he would probably have a great afternoon watching Formula Ones (not his interest actually) speeding straits and maneuvering bend at Stamford Road. His folks would be around to lug his water-bottle and umbrellas.
Heavy vehicles and security cars.
But young J. still has one wish. That he will be able to ride in one of his favorite super-cars these few weeks. Any offers?
Images: A Personal Collection. Video: YouTube. Song: Ronnie n The Daytonas - 'Little GTO' - 1964. It's considered to be the first muscle car.
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