Trying my darnest to be up-to-date with my blog but struggling really badly, especially now that i have taken to leaving my laptop in school after work rather than lugging it home and back to work the next day. The computer at work just 'cannot make it' and i would rather keep my work on my own laptop anyway. Things at work was pretty hectic... Don't even have time to check my emails, much less blog during lunch time or otherwise.
Anyway...
Was an interesting sunday last weekend (26/8) when we went down to Little india to catch part of the Singapore Art Show.
Was a very meaningful project because it actively got the migrant workers gathering at Little india every sunday to participate in the various activities. It was a side one seldom seen of these foreigners who came from various parts of India, Bangladash, Sri Lanka and China to work here in Singapore. It is amazing that when given a voice, what many of these silent people would say, through their masks, photographs, writings and paintings.
Wilk and I was just mingling amongst the participants and artists, taking photos and chit-chatting with them. There were curious onlookers and serious artists/painters among them, and many came probably not thinking to get involved but couldn't resist having their photos taken or portrait painted. There was a volunteer translator who happened to visit the show and thought that it was really meaningful and hence stayed to encouraged his fellow foreigners to pick up a paint brush or sit for their masks to be made by one of the artist (Amanda Heng), every sunday.
The participants which fascinated me the most, were those who took up the paint brushes and canvases avaliable to make their own paintings. Often the paintings depicted their homeland and elements of nature (e.g. bird on a twig), one of the men even painted his village home which he had left for the last ten years, to work as a construction worker in Spore. Through their paintings and notes, a touching tale emerge from these migrant workers, one which is seldom heard or seen as we passes them by, by the roadworks and Singapore's numerous construction projects.
Perhaps as one rapidly developing country (I hesitate to say 'developed'), i feel we often have a huge propensity to ignore, belittle, those who came from a country "less-developed". It has become a standard by which the locals follow and these workers expect. It was with great encouragement (from one of their own, nonetheless) before some would pick up the paintbrushes or sit down with the artist, bewildered at giving a chance to say something, to create art, to be viewed as important and bemused perhaps at the eccentricity of these artists, because this is something out of their normal way of life in Spore, and out of their expectation of how locals would treat them usually. In any case, the carnival will go on every sunday till the 23rd Sept from 4 to 7pm, at the field infront of Mustafa. Worthy to take a look and a stroll, and perhaps like me, you will also feel touched and humbled amongst many of those who have helped created Singapore's many 'World's Best'.
From Little India, we jumped to another local culture one seldom have a chance to take part of except during the 7th Lunar month of each year. The Ghost Festival Getai happening each year is another culture which only seems to involve a certain population in Spore (I do not mean just the 'invisible' kind). I must confess that, despite knowing of them, it is one sub-culture which i did not readily take to (likewise many of my peers) due to our SES and perhaps religion differences. Again, it was another humbling experience for me, being a non-hokkien speaking, deity worshipping pseudo Sporean (Msia PR but who can really tell).
I've always known of Getais and even seen one but never up close. Perhaps it was Royston Tan's 881 which spark this revival of interest in this, what some say is a, declining sub-cultural practise every year. I must confess though, I watched this getai prior to 881 and it was the getai which propelled me to watch 881 instead of the other way round (I was thinking it wasn't worth the ticket and probably just borrow's someone's vcd when it was out). It was a last minute decision to catch the getai at AMK Industrial Park 2 last sunday night with leonnie, my colleauge, but boy, was it a great night. Incidentally, the very first singer we saw turned out to be leonnie's cousin!
The host was Ah Nan and we managed to inched out way right to the side of the stage where we could catch the action first hand. Now i know what they mean when they say they have to 'gan chang', some singers actually ran to the stage and when saw that there were 1 or 2 more singers waiting, would hurriedly move off to a next show. I saw elaborate costumes on young and not-so-young glamourously made-up getai singers. Two of the singers (who was on the sunday lifestyle section of the TST) was also there and their costumes actually had extendable pieces and looked like it belonged on some cabaret show off broadway! Most of the songs were in Hokkien and I bemoaned the fact that i am not well-versed in the langauge to appreciate the lyrics though i could more or less get the gist of the earthy jokes and exchanges by the host and the singers. However, i am proud to say that i've heard most of the chinese oldies sang and could actually sing along to some of them.
Wilk and I will be trying to catch more getais before the end of the 7th month, perhaps one hosted by Lin Ru Ping, Lim Li or Liu Ling Ling, who are some of the most 'bankable' hosts in the circuit. Hopefully we can get to sit up front to take photos the next time.
Happy Anniversary dearest botak hubby.
