Old Black Joe - Stephen Foster

Old Black Joe
- by Stephen Foster

Gone are the days
When my heart was young and gay.
Gone are my friends
From the cotton fields away.
Gone from this place,
To a better land I know.
I hear their gentle voices calling:
Old Black Joe

Chorus:
I'm coming, I'm coming
For my head is bending low
I hear their gentle voices calling
Old Black Joe.

Why do I weep
When my heart should feel no pain
Why do I sigh
That my friends come not again
Grieving for forms
Now departed long ago
I hear their gentle voices calling:
Old Black Joe.

Chorus:
I'm coming, I'm coming
For my head is bending low
I hear their gentle voices calling
Old Black Joe.

Where are the hearts
Once so happy and so free
The children so dear
That I held upon my knee
Gone to the shore
Where my soul has longed to go
I hear their gentle voices calling:
Old Black Joe.

Chorus:
I'm coming, I'm coming
For my head is bending low
I hear their gentle voices calling
Old Black Joe.

p/s: Was it a happy ending? After realising that Dai Yang Tian is younger than me, I concentrated on Michael Tong.. only to realise he is very much older. It is like how I watched 100% Senorita and focus on Deric Wan only to realise he is so much older too. Darnz! They simply look pretty good with the actress (Rain Lee & Chen Qiao En respectively) that I did not realise how big the age gap was. Else is I'm just too into older guys.. of which I think I must put a stop to it! But if I have a partner like Michael Tong whose love was never ending, I think all vengenace will indeed be melted into thin air.. so.. was it a happy ending?

Muse of the Week

First of the one news that made me finally blog (as I couldn't get myself to blog no matter how much I wanted to muse about.. till I read this news)
"Tree Found In Lung"
Source: Sky.com

And I was thinking how when I was young, Mum used to say don't swallow the seeds of (grapes/apples/xxxxx) else it will grow in your stomach.  As I got older, I thought she was joking.  Afterall the birds love to eat seeds and I don't see any plants growing out of their body.  But there were times I do imagine a tree on top of my head, something like this picture
(by udonchow, Source: RedBubble)

Haha anyway that picture is too cute, the picture in my head is more simple, just a simple green tree YEAH!  Actually I was finding if Jimmy (几米) ever draw something like this (somehow I thought he had) .. Missed reading his books...

Anyway tree growing on your head is usually a photography angle joke too (don't get it?  Do an image google search on it)

Ok spent too much time on the tree on the head.. let's rush through the rest of the muse

Second muse is on the crappy bus service that I had been taking the past 1 week which resulted in me reaching client's office super early today. I wondered why is it between choosing to catch the earlier bus and the later bus, I always chose the former. I can envision if I'm an employee here, my working style will be similar to how it was in my previous company. But what puzzles me more is the question that does bus driver likes to see us packed like sardines, cramped by door, having difficulty alighting from the bus.. Or is it they were trying to let taxi drivers get business? It amazed me how these teenagers can quickly conclude "we will take a cab" after seeing the crowded bus (Seen it on 2 different days). And how the adults will die die wait and wait while one, two, three crowded buses went past them. Ok I never see a third crowded bus drove past me because I chose to sandwich myself. But it was such a crappy situation and only brought me back to my school days where we used to cramped ourselves in those early morning buses. Taxi versus Bus? I have not derived my conclusion.

Last muse is on desires and mistake. What you desire will wreck you if the desire has been somewhat too forceful. That was a conclusion I got from a past Slice of Life's article (I can't remember which one though).

Watching Feuerschmaetterling made me wonder if sometimes your desires not only wreck you, but wreck others. And when the person you wrecked is a lady who turn vengeful, what happens? And when love is unable to dissolve the vengefulness in her because the love itself lacks the trust. Sadly, such is life especially when a life is lost. How do one cope with the loss, to blame one self or to blame others? Maybe if one were to rewind and marry out of love and not money or stability, then maybe this show will not even have a plot. Or if you had chose money/stability then stay steadfast in your decision and not betray nor regret your decision, then there will be no plot too.

I'm disappointed... disappointed over the fact love cannot melt the vengenance because love had flawed the moment distrust surfaced. Disappointed over the fact human tends to blame others over their loss and end up losing even more. Disappointed over the fact that desires will only wreck you when you desire something that was never yours to begin with. I cannot bear to continue watching Feuerschmaetterling..

Moi First Kayaking Experience

I cannot figure out whether to post this here or in my Grasstales because the only reason I'm posting it is because I saw a pair of horsehose crabs!!!!

Ok I should rewind and start by mentioning the expedition... a short expedition (luckily). Met early morning in Pasir Ris - PA Water Venture. Geez, I did not know that place is called PA Water Venture even though I jogged past it many times. Haha and I was once again breathless due to my jog from home to PA. (Sigh, yesterday 8+ km test jog with my friend already made me realise the gap I need to train especially when he still has so much energy to expend... Oh but I realised ECP is quite nice to jog too.. worth considering route.)

Then is rent the kayaks (@ both PA and Watercross) and listened to instructions (clueless me need to know what are the signs my expedition leader will use to communicate with us). And is march (or rather kayak) on to Coney Island.

So what is Coney Island? It used to be called Pulau Serangoon (Coney Island) and is quite near to Punggol if you checked the map.

Nature wise, it is said that it is an important location for migratory birds like the endangered Magpie Robin and the Plover.

Usage wise, Coney Island was an island retreat popular with families looking for picnic spots. It was accessible from Punggol or Changi Point via boats (Heard a bridge is slated to be built from Punggol to Coney Island hmm). In later years, the island became popular for water-skiing, boating, and fishing.

Source: Singapore Infopedia

I remembered leader said it is a 2km kayaking expedition. Hmm 2km seems doable if you were asking me to run as I will probably just take 15-20 minutes. But this was kayaking and it was REALLY SLOW. Geez. My poor friend had to paddle doubly hard because clueless and useless me was only there to find out how does kayaking feel and to get some tan. Haha!

Along the way, saw the kelongs which I used to see when jogging.. you know how's the life of a kelong? I remembered my visit and interview with one of them, it was peaceful and serene and so out of the world.. Oh that was also the first time I seen kayaking, while in the boat looking after their belongings. (In the background Within Temptation's Memories was being played.. so apt!)

Also saw a pair of sea gulls and some of them spotted the jelly fish (I didn't as I was clumbsily paddling my way to Coney Island). Then a short rest at a spot in Coney Island. I saw the rubbishes strewn up the coastal area, so sad. At that time I did not know what Coney Island is for though so was quite puzzled. Anyway , there was a yatch and when it was moving off, we caught sight of flying fish after it (or so I believed) haha. So cute!

It is also at this spot that we saw the Horseshoe Crab. Woah it is bigger than the one in the Zoo Mangrove section.

A picture of a pair of mating Horseshoe Crab caught in action, courtesy of my friend for taking it. Initially the male was on top of the female and then slowly, the female will pauses every few feet to dig and lay her eggs...

No wonder there was so much burrowing... and we thought the pair was shy after being caught in action by so many of us.. just kidding! Read more facts in my Grasstales.

Tide down, it is back to Pasir Ris where we shower and then have lunch. Overall, this trip had allowed me to know kayaking better. Seriously though, I don't feel like taking certication for it.. but leisure kayaking should be fun. Hmm except I still don't have confidence to kayak alone and I think it isn't very fair to my partner if we kayak doubles. Still feel bad...

In search of the beautifully imperfect

Source: Youtube

Is the new TV commercial "Funeral" launched by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and I have been wanting to watch it but due to my forgetfulness and the fact that I rarely watch TV, I have not caught it. Till my friend asked me if I had watched the "Funeral". Vaguely, I was wondering was it that ... thanks to my friend I finally caught sight of it.

Went back to re-read the news article from Today and realised the director is Yasmin Ahmad, a Malaysian lady who has a husband that snores too. Sometimes the best stories are usually the type of stories you can find happening to you... that is why they are so endearing.

And sometimes finding your true love really does not mean finding the perfect someone.. it really is just loving the someone despite all his/her imperfections.. that is why love is blind...

Oh and this was the last year ad which I like it very much too... the daughter with her love for red shoes haha...


Source: Youtube

News Muse on Salaries

I read the article on "Brown announces ministerial pay freeze as MPs get 2.3% pay rise" on 30th March. It is inevitable that the public will grouse when everywhere around us, people are being retrenched or waiting to be retrenched. Then another article came out the next day on "The 10 highest paid politicians in the world". And it is based on basic salary in USD only...

1. Lee Hsien Loong - Singapore
Salary in dollars - $2.47 million
Salary in local currency - S$3.76 million

2. Donald Tsang Yum-Kuen - Hong Kong
Salary in dollars - $516,000
Salary in local currency - HK$4 million

3. Barack Obama - United States
Salary in dollars - $400,000

4. Brian Cowen - Ireland
Salary in dollars - $341,000
Salary in local currency - €257,000

5. Nicolas Sarkozy - France
Salary in dollars - $318,000
Salary in local currency - €240,000

6. Angela Merkel - Germany
Salary in dollars - $303,000
Salary in local currency - €228,000

7. Gordon Brown - UK
Salary in dollars - $279,000
Salary in local currency - £194,250

8. Stephen Harper - Canada
Salary in dollars - $246,000
Salary in local currency - C$311,000

9. Taro Aso - Japan
Salary in dollars - $243,000
Salary in local currency - Y24 million

10. Kevin Rudd - Australia
Salary in dollars - $229,000
Salary in local currency - A$330,000

The header of the article was "So, where does our own Gordon Brown stand?"... If that figures are true... I have to admit that this is a true example of why life is never fair. Those making the big decisions, where every words they say were nitpicked and everything they do is questioned by the world ... are just drawing a maximum of base salary USD400,000.

One should read the comments.. because they were really amusing.. from comments on MM and SM to why the preference of USD and not pounds to the reference of "the best job in the world" (oh and I heard the finalists are up already... I find that job recruitment and the job specifications really unique, as of now at least.. it's like they found the blue ocean haha).

Welcome to the real world (or was it the Matrix?)

Olden Singapore

Unmotivated hamster spotted this video while in gym.. coincidentally Schmetterlingmaerchen saw it the night before... though she fell asleep while waiting for the video to load...

Pretty cool vidz!

蔡依林 - 大丈夫

蔡依林 - 大丈夫(Real man)

詞：陳鎮川
曲：OA/OC: Jeberg, Jonas/ Sigvardt, Mikkel Remee/ Mich Hansen/ Nina Woodford

Nick:
我真的搞不太懂 你怎麼會選擇寂寞
要的通通都有 就少了那一個男朋友
妳還要ㄍ一ㄥ多久 妳到底挑什麼

Jolin:
聽比說得多 不怕我囉嗦
知道我難過 陪著我沉默
手機桌布只有我 很多甜蜜小動作
自己吃飯沒胃口 刷卡之前先問我

喜歡我朋友 也會愛我的狗
懂環保愛地球 保護我像英雄
總是大方介紹我 什麼節日都記得
陪我減肥吃蘋果 幫我買口紅

I don't want a boyfriend
I need a real man！
誠實的嘴 可靠的肩 溫柔的眼
I don't want a boyfriend
I need a real man！
Real man, Real man, Real man, Real man
何時出現 何時出現 何時出現 何時出現

會玩會工作 會瘋會生活
會下廚會運動 會愛會作夢
又像男孩又成熟 對我大方自己摳
教我絕招打電動 什麼都有我

I don't want a boyfriend
I need a real man！
誠實的嘴 可靠的肩 溫柔的眼
I don't want a boyfriend
I need a real man！
Real man, Real man, Real man, Real man
可會出現 可會出現 可會出現 可會出現

Nick:
我現在有一點通 該怎麼解決妳寂寞
妳說了兩三分鐘 我願意花兩三年去做
既然妳ㄍㄧㄥ很久 要不要等等我

Jolin:
大丈夫耍酷耍溫柔 肩膀什麼都扛得動
我嘴唇輕輕動一動 就知道我在想什麼
Just Show Me One Real Man
十項全男 Real Man

I don't want a boyfriend
I need a real man！
誠實的嘴 可靠的肩 溫柔的眼
I don't want a boyfriend
I need a real man！
Real man, Real man, Real man, Real man

I don't want a boyfriend
I need a real man！
誠實的嘴 可靠的肩 溫柔的眼
I don't want a boyfriend
I need a real man！
Real man, Real man, Real man, Real man

Bflygal's comment: Still remember my recent conversation with a friend... haha this song seems apt for that conversation...

Unmotivated hamster grousing

Image source: Reghardware

Hallo, I'm unmotivated hamster, the alter-ego of Schmetterlingmaerchen aka Butterflygal.

And what do I want to grouse about... lots while running on the treadmill... the only problem is now tat I'm typing... I gotten lazy and decided to just give a summary of my grouses.

1) Gym: after a while, running in circles no longer appeal to me. How I wish the marathon would come and go ASAP. And while it amuses me to actually recognise the regulars... and observe how much time ladies are willingly to spent in front of the mirror... I am starting to feel that even the morning weekday gym is getting crowded.. sigh that is the problem with familarity

2) $$: of course lots to complain! Esp when I'm asked how much $$ I can lend to XX.. One, I don't approve of the purchase and Two, I hate myself for the financial mess I'm in and Three, I exchanged my drop in income for freedom.. something which my family cannot understand and which I did not tell them.. which brings me to point 3

3) Work and Society: News of friend being retrenched, news of friend forced to take leave, seeing colleagues being retrenched. Is it stressful? I don't know. I don't even feel like telling my family because I'm not sure if they understand especially when I know my prev co is SUPER stable in this crisis (of course, must pray their customer has the money to pay but I trust they can ride through this crisis in black. Oh and this is when I finally understand the concept of P/L which my kind colleague explained yesterday. I never knew that if I had offered my service, that goes into my P/L even though I do not see the cash in... That is so cheating!). I once read an article where this guy said sometimes, we should tell the truth that our work isn't as rosy as it is and you will realise the other person is having a tough time too. This will lessen your so-called depression. The problem with soceity now is everybody is having a tough time, and I jolly well know it. And that I'm an escapist so why bother telling them MY problem. And to paint a rosy picture.. forget it, I rather not even venture that topic. Thus I have far too many taboo subjects lately and chatting becomes restrictive to me and..

I ended up playing mindless FB games.

P/s: I do like that USB hamster especially when it will match my typing speed. Maybe if I see it, I would like to have one.. it is afterall a cuter version of me, the unmotivated hamster.

Pp/s: Schmetterlingmaerchen believes strongly in yin and yang. Thus there are times where she has to grouse to balance herself. She is afterall a normal (and balanced) human. So do not be surprised by the grouse, afterall it is 1/5 of the actual grouse that went through unmotivated hamster's mind.

Ppp/s: Saw a funeral procession .. it's been a long time since I last saw one.. and I remember about my maternal grandparents suddenly.. not very suddenly considering I just visited them in Bright Hill Crematorium. I last visited them 2 years ago. Memories... (btw Cats Musical is back in SG this month.. Coolz!) Anyway I feel like visiting Brigh Hill Crematorium on a non-Qing Ming period.. My aunt said that there is a large bronze Buddha statue on the top floor of Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hal which is one of Asia's largest. I want to do a tour like what the site says!
Source: KMSPKS - Temple Tour

Internal Tourist - Asian Civilisation Museum

Travel Details:
Nearest MRT: Raffles Place MRT Station
Admission Charges: SGD 8 / pax

Because of the special Manchu Mania! program, admission to this event and the Asian Civilisation Museum galleries was FREE which explains why I made a trip down today.



Asian Civilisation Museum was originally Empress Place Building.

For over a century this neo-Palladian building was used as government offices. The central portion was built 1684-65 in anticipation of Singapore’s transfer of rule from India to the Colonial Office. Vacated in the mid 1980s, it underwent major restoragion work in order to house the Asian Civilisation Museum.

First stop: Singapore River Gallery 1


Don't be mistaken to think these were old coins used in the past.  These are actually Hong Men membership token

Membership tokens were carried around by secret society members, touting slogans like ‘Members of the brotherhood should help one another.’

These are the real old coins.  I have some of these stashed at home haha.

Then in the Shaw Foyer was an exhibition on Fantastic Creatures!
Mythical creatures of all shapes and sizes are presented in this exhibition. One can find the mermaid here haha.

Next Gallery: Southeast Asia Gallery 3 and 4



This is a Sandstone torso.  What I found interesting was the headless component.  It is said that the missing head and arms means that the identity of the figure remains obscure, although the style is found frequently on images of deities such as Shiva or Vishnu.

Filial Piety
While parents are alive,
One must not travel afar.
If one must, one’s whereabouts
Should always be made known.
Analects, Book II: Li Ren 19

Somehow it made me very thoughtful...

Special Exhibition: The Kangxi Emperor - Treasures from the Forbidden City
Hailed as one of China's greatest emperors, the Kangxi Emperor, XuanYe, succeeded his father, Emperor Shunzhi, at the tender age of eight. During his reign (1662 to 1722), the Manchus consolidated rule over China and the Chinese empire expanded.

The Kangxi Emperor's many achievements can be attributed to his passion and competence in his various roles. He was an astute ruler, skilled warrior, keen scholar and patron of the arts. His intellect, political acumen, diverse talents and civic virtues won him the admiration and support of his subjects.
This exhibition showcases treasures from The Palace Museum, Beijing and offers visitors a rare glimpse into the Forbidden City.

Unfortunately, no photo is allowed so everything I seen inside can only be downloaded from my limited memory (i.e. I forgot what I saw already haha)

Oh but I was curious about the Forbidden City and read up some info in the wiki. Somehow it did not answer my nagging question though - Why is it called The Forbidden City? Beijing Services answered my question with this answer: In the feudal society, emperors had supreme power, so this residence was certainly a forbidden place. Hmm.. I guess this will suffice.

This rare set consists of six trays – two at the centre and four surrounding. The two trays in the middle are inspired by the symbols yin and yang. Such trays were most popular during the Kangxi period, and even in modern times.

I like this Sweetmeat Tray because of the yin-yang.

Torajan House

The Torajans from Sulawesi Indonesia are known for their tongkonans. A tongkonan is a very spectacular house for living in and for elebration. The towering roof and rich decoration protects its occupants from danger.

The root word, tongkon means “to sit in one’s proper place”. Your house shows who you are in the village! The higher status you have, the more decorated your house is.

Ampang Bilik or “the doorstep of the room” is found in the central room of the tokongnan. It is a beautiful decorative panel which features animals and images which are very special to the Torajans. See if you can spot the buffalo, the pig, the rooster, the snakes and the sun disks.

Last stop: South Asia Galleries 7 and 8



Traditional vehicles include elephants, horses, peacocks, bulls, eagles, lions and other vahana, on which ride the key Hindu gods = Shiva, Vishnu and Durga. All Hindu god travel in a ratha (chariot) on special festivals.



Then I wandered about their facilities.  This River Room which is so quiet now, will later turn into a bustle of activity for the Manchu Mania! activities. 

The children will be happily making stencil art, paper lanterns, colouring and making plaster models as cute as this...



Before I wrapped up, I have to comment that the touch screen machines are very cute.  Upon touching them, these guides will share information with you.  But what if it is in idle mode?  Then they will be portrayed as playing with their handphone, singing (I put my ears near the screen to hear what they are singing haha), praying, caressing a cloth, and playing with a face mask like this one...



For Souvenir, I chose to buy a set of magnet from the Heritage trades collection by Choo Keng Kwang

Featuring accomplished local artist Choo Keng Kwang’s collage of oil paintings from the Singapore Art Museum collection, donated by the Times Publishing Group. The images capture a calligrapher, fortune-teller, clog-maker and latern-maker at work – marking a nostalgic moment in time of traditional, dedicated workmanship and craft.

Which reminds me, my next stop should be Singapore Art Museum already haha. I ever blogged about it before but forgot to visit it still. Let's see fate.

And while blogging, I decided to check out how was the Living Court House event that day. Stumbled into this photographer's set which I must say, has an amazing set of photo-work. I like some of the building photos the photographer has taken. Sigh I really regret not going to Living Court House early.

(Psst, for ACM, to avoid the noon crowd, I actually went there at 9am and stayed there for 3 hours to visit all the galleries haha. Then I came back after gym just to see the crowd and activities.. before leading a family of tourist from Indonesian who got lost to ACM while finding the Merlion. Ended up admiring the Esplanade MRT walkthrough which I haven't visited for a long long time ... Dead Beat!)

Related Posts:

Internal Tourist - Wheelies and the rest
Internal Tourist - Club
Internal Tourist - Temples
Internal Tourist - Palau Ubin and Changi
Internal Tourist - Southern Ridge
Internal Tourist - Museums
Internal Tourist - Arts
Internal Tourist - Arts Part 2
Internal Tourist - Asian Civilisation Museum

Ben Folds - Red is Blue

Ben Folds - Red is Blue

Everything is changing
You're looking for the cure
And you feel like you're the loneliest girl, in the world

Trouble in your head now
You don't know what to do
Seems like up is down and red, is blue

Red is blue, red is blue

Remember when we started
Days when all was fun
All we can make when life, was young

Now you're getting older
Nothing feels the same
You can't even make sense of, your own name

Because red is blue
Doesn't make much sense but
Red is blue
Messing with your head now
Red is blue

In your heart there's a room where you lock away
All the times, and the things that she said

And now
Red is blue
What was near is far now
Red is blue
Like a fallen star and
Red is blue

From the movie "Hoodwinked". Actually it is quite an interesting movie haha. Oh and I watched the first stage of initial D finished finally. Woah.. pretty exhilarating.