Thursday, June 24, 2010

Just to Ponder ......

"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Matthew 8:20

Perhaps the above verse in Matthew Chap. 8 is one of the verses in the Bible that touches me the most.

Jesus had shown his examples of faith and trust, prioritising His work on earth, and doing His father's will.

Yet, so many of us mortal Christians must try to outshine one another by living in bigger, and yet bigger and even somewhat opulent residences.! Some church leaders must build bigger and yet bigger churches filled with platinum and crystals. Some even claim that as they are children of the King of Kings, they should "live it up" and not live like paupers because it will not be glorifying to the One who has created heaven and earth.

It has been some three decades since I studied at the University of Alberta. One incident still remains etched in my memory. I had invited a very kind Canadian lady to our Varsity Christian Fellowship where my wonderful church pastor, Rev. Bey was the guest speaker. The Canadian Lady, Mrs. Moslow, had adopted 14 children from all over the world, and she would look after them like a foster mother. As it was a potluck party, Mrs. Moslow cooked a big pot of stew, and brought it to the gathering.
While Rev. Bey was preaching, to our horror, Mrs. Moslow stood up and pointed to Rev. Bey and in a loud voice declared, "You Sir, if you really love God, give away your diamond ring and the pearl tie pin on your coat!" And in an even louder voice, she asserted, "Come children, let's leave this place of hypocrites".! She marched out of the meeting with her brood of seven older children!

The world has always seen Christians to be what Christ has examplified. Sadly many church leaders in the likes of Ho Yeow Sun, (as wife of Rev. Kong, she is a leader whether she likes it or not), Benny Hinn, etc. have lived in opulent residences and "live it up". It does not matter whether they are using their own hard earned money or not. Does not the bible teach us to be frugal by the example of the pieces of bread that were picked up after the huge crowd of people had been fed miraculously. The pieces of left over bread filled 12 baskets.! Jesus had just created a miracle of turning the loaves of bread and fishes into food. Yet, he examplified frugality and conservation by instructing his disciples to pick up the remnants of food. No, I am not a thelogian, but a reader who analyses what she reads only. Economically, does it not make sense, that even if we have loads of wealth, if we live a little more simply and frugally, we will have more to give away to those who are hungry and homeless?

One of my friend's mother has a friend whose son attends the City Harvest Church. She lamented that her son does not give her or her husband any monthly allowance, because he has given a lot of money to his church already. "Give, give, until you cry", asserted Pastor Kong Hee. The son did not cry, but his aged parents did. Has Pastor Kong Hee forgotten about the reminder that we have to honour our parents. What show of filial piety has the son demonstrated by not giving his aged parents some pocket money? As I have said, I am not a theologian, but our parents are only with us for a short time, and once they are gone, we would not have any more opportunity to demonstrate our love and filial piety.

Sigh.....it is not easy to be a good Christian for we have to be always on our guard, and Satan or "affectionately known as" "Mr. S.A. Tan" is like a roaring lion, ready to pounce on all of us....yeah, even the most seemingly successful and impressive pastors. Indeed we have all fallen short of the glory of God!

Let us all continue to focus on the Cross, and to be constantly reminded of the excruciating pain of pierced head, hands and feet and a flogged body that Christ had to go through in order that His work on earth be finished, and to remember his words, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do". (Luke 23: 24).

Above all, let us even weak mortals that we are, continue to lead a simple life of faith, love, peace and joy. It is not easy to live in this world full of temptations, but let us all remember that "we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength."

Gan Cao

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Excuse Me, Are You A Property Agent?....(26)

I was anxious to get my client, Geok Sim's lovely unit in Little India tenanted out before I fly to London in a few days' time. Hence, when an agent wanted to bring his client, I readily obliged and told him I would show the unit after my violin lessons at Braddell Heights Community Centre. However, I reminded him to be punctual because I had many, many things to do.

I received an sms from the cobroking agent, Balan, from DTZ, asking if he should park his car inside or outisde of the condominium. I replied, "I will see if I can find the dustpan to open the gate."

I had expected Balan to be somewhat flabbergasted when he replied, "I can't believe what you have just said. Am waiting for my client at MRT station."

I was happy to find the metallic dustpan near the rubbish bin and I practised opening the gate with it. I sent an sms to Balan, "By golly it works! When you are here, give me a ring and I will open the gate for you. I had seen someone opening the gate this way, and I'm just a copy meow".

Balan's client was a pleasant expatriate from India. As usual, when I am dealing with Indian clients I like to say some words to them in Hindi or Tamil to break the ice. And as usual, they were often pleasantly surprised that a Chinese would bother to learn to speak their languages. Earlier, another client who had lived in Europe for a few years was quite linguistic, and he ended up conversing with me in French.
His co-broking agent, Brendz, from Propnex, smiled, thinking it was quite comical to hear a Chinese and an Indian conversing with each other in French!

Balan's client saw my violin, and told me that he would like to take up violin lessons, as it had been his dream to learn the violin. I told him to quickly avail himself of the opportunity, and not to wait like me, learning the violin at the age of 56! I guess, this is the fun part of my job, for I meet people from all nationalities and walks of life.

Balan's client was quite interested in my unit, and until I receive a Letter of Intent, the unit is still open to other interested parties.

Gan Cao

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

A Mother Duck with her 10 lucky ducklings!

I was exhausted after a long day. It was the Opening Ceremony of Orange Tee at the new and spanking building at Toa Payoh. After that it was rushing off to show an apartment for rental. And then rushing back to get ready for our Company's Dinner at the Rtiz Carlton Hotel. It was midnight but after reading this charming email sent by my friend, Jean Tay, my energy was restored! I love the story and hence am putting it in my blog for my readers to enjoy.

 

Oops! The first duckling is still safe, though somewhat disoriented.
 

Curious office workers, mesmerised by Michael's effort to save the ducklings.
 

At last, all present and accounted for: "We're all together again. We're here! We're here!"

 

And here's a family portrait before they head outward to further adventures...


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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A True Duck Story from San Antonio , Texas

Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. is an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second story office. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.


Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching. Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off. Office work came to a standstill as everyone gathered to watch.

The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy newborn trustingly toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. Michael couldn't stand to watch this risky effort nine more times! He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its mother, was resting in a stupor after the near-fatal fall. Michael stood out of sight under the awning-planter, ready to help.

As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the concrete. Safe and sound, he set it down it by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering from that painful leap. (The momma must have sensed that Michael was trying to help her babies.)

One by one the babies continued to jump.. Each time Michael hid under the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. At the scene the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a standstill.. Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining eight and set them by their approving mother.

At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs and past pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the San Antonio River , site of the famed "River Walk." The onlooking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers joined in. An empty copy-paper box was brought to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, and loaded them in the container.. Michael held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the San Antonio River . The mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight, all the way.

As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping in the river and quacking loudly. At the water's edge, Michael tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to the waiting mother after their adventurous ride.

All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly quacking.

Like all of us in the big times of our life, they never could have made it alone without lots of helping hands. I think it gives the name of San Antonio 's famous "River Walk" a whole new meaning! Maybe you will want to share this story with others. Doctor York told me she had forwarded it to 20 people. It's too good to lose!

Party for the Paws!

 

All in the family - My neighbour Irin with her four dogs : Papa Bobby, Mama Bibi
and her two boys - Brandon and Brian. Joanne (Helen's niece) is at extreme left, holding the girls - Angel and Juno. The lady with the long hair at the back row is Bibi's original owner. She gave Bibi to Irin.
 

Minister Lui Tuck Yew is a kind man for dogs don't take to people they sense
are not dog lovers or people who have eaten dog meat before.!
 

"Wow! These six dogs are all from the same family?" Mr. Lui Tuck Yew was somewhat
flabbergasted! Irin proudly explains why she has so many dogs.
 
Yours truly receiving a prize for coming in second position in the game, " Who's who?"


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Hello everyone! I am sorry for having been somewhat slow in posting my articles!
The last two weeks have been really hectic because I have volunteered to help Ching
look after her husky, Major. Now that Ching is back from Japan, my mission has been accomplished, and life will to back to normal again, except that in four days' time I am flying off to London and Europe with my best friend, Soh Wah. First purpose is to attend my niece, Kam Ning's wedding in London, and secondly it is to maximise our trip to visit Barcelona, or some other European cities.

12th of June ..... a date I had been looking forward to! Some creative residents had come up with the idea for a party to celebrate the loyalty and beauty of our canine friends. Wendy, our lovely neighbour had informed us all about the big date, and she
even kindly donated some 4 tickets to my neighbours, Irin and Helen. Irin, in turn, bought 3 more tickets for me and her two friends, but it was Aunty Helen who paid for the tickets. Aren't my neighbours wonderful? This is why I love living in Little India where most of my neighbours are kind, helpful and fun loving.

Irin was full of foresight and even invited Bibi and her previous owner and friends to the party.

How wonderful to meet neighbours with the same love and interest - four legged doggy friends. There are so many types of dogs at the party - small ones like Chihuahua to huge dogs like Golden Retrievers, Border collies etc.

Our Minister, Mr. Lui Tuck Yew was the guest of honour, and it was such a lovely and relaxing day for everyone. I enjoy winning prizes - hence, when the game for "Who's Who" was on, I sprang to action, asking everyone whether their birthdate is in June; whether their dog was adopted and whether they are from our neighbourhood etc. My effort paid off, and I won the second prize - some vouchers from NTUC Fairprice.

Joanne was lucky too as she won a lucky prize with her ticket number 165. Irin's two dogs, Bobby and Brandon came in 2nd and 3rd position in the race! They won dog food and vouchers!

The $3 coupon is worth every cent. It comes with goody bags worth many times over the amount. Everyone celebrated with a packet of delicious nasi lemak from Lee Brothers for dinner.

I look forward to more activities organised by the Community Centre. In the near future, I may also volunteer my services. I hope to write to the Authorities to convince them that HDB dwellers should be allowed to keep big dogs like Golden Retrievers, Border Collies or Chow Chows which have mild and good temperament. It is actually the smaller dogs that tend to bark more because of their insecurity with their size. The huge dogs tend to be quieter because their huge bodies more than make up for their bark. If the owners are responsible and take their dogs out for long walks and exercise, the smallness of the HDB flat is not important. I know of huge landed properties which have big dogs, but sadly, these dogs are sometimes caged up! I'd rather be a big dog which belongs to a wonderful and caring dog owner who lives in a public housing flat to living in a bungalow where I am often caged up!

Gan Cao

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Names that Confuse and Confound!

 

What a name for a restaurant!
 
Sloppy Joe belies the lovely decor and good food of the restaurant

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Of late, I notice that people have come up with quirky names for their businesses.
I was walking along Orchard when I saw the name of the restaurant or was it the name of a dish at $6.50? "Sloppy" made it unattractive for me to enter the restaurant, for "sloppy is not a good word to be associated with food. It made me wonder whether my food would be properly prepared.

Another restaurant in Balmoral Plaza is named "Big Bird". Here the big bird refers to chicken, because the restaurant specialises in chicken rice. For a long time, I resisted entering the restaurant for I wonder if the staff serve pigeon soup or some big birds like an ostrich or eagle?

When I first heard of "Lehman Brothers", I thought that the company was trading in jeans and clothings, like our "Benjamin Brothers". I did not realise "Lehman Brothers" refers to a bank! "Oh! It's good that you don't know, Choo, for it means you are safe," said my good friend, Jack.

Little did I realise that Fannie Mae refers to a mortgage and finance company! I thought Fannie Mae refers to a modelling agency!

One of my friends knows someone in Hong Kong by the name of "Bullion", and another by the name of "Silver". A rich family has called their daughter "Precious Wong".

Names are important and people should think carefully before choosing the appropriate name for their businesses and for themselves and loved ones.

Gan Cao

Friday, June 11, 2010

Major - the husky that does not bark!

 

Major, 14 years old is still strong except for weak hind legs
 

Always cool and calm
 

Still looking good at a ripe old age of 14

My friend, Ching, has gone to Japan for a two weeks' vacation. She needed someone to help dogsit her lovely husky, Major. I decided to help Ching as it was difficult to find someone at the last minute.

I have always loved huskies, but could not bring myself to keep one as I feel it must be very difficult to keep a husky in this hot and humid weather. After watching the movie, "Iron Will", I have begun to appreciate the dogs that pull sleighs on the snow.

It has been four days since I have been looking after Major. I have not heard him bark... no, not even once. He is such a cool and calm dog. Even when I come back, he will just look at you serenely and will not bark or wag his tail!
I thought maybe it is because I am a stranger, but Major's owner told me that her pet would also do likewise when she returns. Even when Major sees other dogs, he would just look at them, and not bark.

Major is in perfect health except for weak hind legs. Ching said that most big dogs have problems with their hind legs when they grow old. Major's hind legs keep sliding when he walks on the smooth ceramic floor but once he is on the road, he walks quite steadily as the road has a rougher surface, hence giving Major a better grip. He walks very, very slowly but enjoys his walk, because it would be the only time you can see him smile! Major also likes to be brushed. Each time I brush his fur, I collect a bagful of fur. I guess, the collected fur would help to make Major feel a little cooler.

I am glad of the opportunity to take care of Major, as this is the first time that I can get so close to a husky. Huskies are such good looking dogs, as most of them have double eye-lids and because of the dark outline of the eyes,
huskies look like they have eyeshadows! God is such an awesome creator, and there are so many beautiful species of dogs!

It is not easy trying to cope with my job as well as carrying out my task of looking after Major. Fortunately, it is only about 5 bus-stops to Ching's apartment. However, work is not work when we enjoy what we are doing, and it is lovely to
get paid for doing something I enjoy so thoroughly.

Gan Cao
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Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Happiness is ......(40)

 

My single flower bloom of adenium!
 

Notice that the single bloom stems from a stalk that is rotting at the tip!
 
My previous bloom of adenium - a ring of flowers!

As I was watering my plants, I was pleasantly surprised when I found a single stalk of flower on my adenium plant!

Unlike the previous bloom with a ring of six to seven flowers, this time, it is a lonely flower, blooming majestically and proudly, despite its singleness.

To my greater surprise, the stalk from which the flower has bloomed is kind of rotting, and yet the flower is so resplendent in its growth and beauty!

It makes me think of some disadvantaged children who shine despite poverty, hardship and sufferings!

It also makes me think that like the flower, I must never give up even when circumstances are not encouraging. I will depend on the Creator for strenghth and life, and will bloom despite adversity!

Amazing how much happiness and learning we can glean from nature, if only we take the time to smell and see. More importantly, to take a break from the hecticness of life, to just sit back and ponder.!

I am so happy to see the lovely single adenium. Indeed one flower is better than none!

Gan Cao


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Sunday, June 06, 2010

Happiness is ....(39)

 

The two main actor and actress: Shawn Lee as Chew Kiatg Kun
and Megan Zheng as his sister, Seow Fang
 

Seow Fang is punished for pretending to be hurt so that she could wear
slippers to school instead.
 

Despite initial setbacks, Kiat Kun was determined to win! Close behind him was
Joshua Ang as Tan Beng Soon. Joshua Ang looks like the younger version of popular Media Corp actor, Thomas Ong!
 

Though first in the race, Kiat Kun was unhappy because he won a medal,
and not the coveted pair of shoes which he wanted for his sister!

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I had been coughing incessantly, and my cough had woken me up early yesterday morning. I decided to browse through the computer, and came across xin.msn. To my surprise, when I clicked on the "movie", I came across "Homerun". When I clicked again, hey presto, the movie was on the screen.

My neighbours had told me about watching some movies on the computer, and this is my first experience.!

It is a great movie that found me using up some pieces of tissue papers. For those of you who have yet to watch this award winning movie, I would encourage you to watch it. For those who are too busy, below is a summary of the movie. The children acted very well, and I am so proud that Megan Zheng is the first Singaporean to win a Golden Horse Award. Happiness is being able to watch a movie on the computer, free of charge and in the comfort of home!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Directed by Jack Neo
Produced by Chan Pui Yin
Titus Ho
Written by Jack Neo

Starring Huang Wenyong
Xiang Yun
Shawn Lee
Megan Zheng

Music by Redwan Ali
Li Yi
Cinematography Kane Chen
Editing by Lawrence Ang
Distributed by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
Release date(s) Singapore:
7 August 2003
Running time 108 minutes
Country Singapore
Language Mandarin

Homerun ((Abbreviated HR) Chinese: 跑吧!孩子 pinyin: pǎo bà háizǐ, lit. Run, Child!) is a 2003 Singaporean Mandarin-language film. A remake of the award-winning Iranian film Children of Heaven, Homerun is a drama about two poor siblings and their adventures over a lost pairs of shoes. Set in 1965, the year Singapore separated from Malaysia, the film satirises political relations between the two countries, leading to its banning in Malaysia.

The film was written and directed by Singaporean filmmaker Jack Neo, and produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures. It stars Huang Wenyong, Xiang Yun, Shawn Lee and Megan Zheng. Filming took place in the rural outskirts of Kuala Lumpur during November and December 2002, but post-production delays pushed back the film's release date.

Released in cinemas on 7 August 2003, Homerun grossed over S$2.3 million during its nine-week box office run. It was nominated for two awards at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards; Megan Zheng, then 10, became the first Singaporean to win a Golden Horse. Generally, however, critical reception of the film was mixed.


Plot

In 1965, two poor Singaporean children, Chew Kiat Kun and his younger sister Seow Fang live with their mother who is late in her third pregnancy and their father who is in debt to a local rice merchant. The children make the best of what little they have, while their father works long hours doing odd jobs.

The family's problems are compounded when Kiat Kun accidentally loses Seow Fang's only pair of shoes after taking them to be repaired. The children conduct a frantic search but find nothing; a karung guni man had claimed the shoes as unwanted rubbish. The Chew siblings are frustrated by the situation until their father inspires Kiat Kun to share his shoes with his sister, trading off between classes so they can both attend school. Unfortunately, this plan brings additional problems: Seow Fang is chastised for wearing oversized shoes to school, while Kiat Kun is repeatedly late as he must wait for his sister to exchange shoes with him.

At school, a wealthy schoolmate of Kiat Kun's named Tan Beng Soon runs a football team with his friends. Kiat Kun and his friends strike a bargain with Beng Soon to play on the team using the other boys' football shoes, in exchange for helping them cheat on their homework. However, the boys quarrel, causing an angry Beng Soon to renege on the deal and remove Kiat Kun and his friends from the team.

Without their assistance, Beng Soon and his friends are punished for producing substandard homework. Although the boys try to resolve their differences, they eventually give up on reaching an agreement. Beng Soon's grades continue to fall, and his parents decide to send him away to boarding school in England.

Meanwhile, Seow Fang sees her classmate wearing her lost shoes to school. She and Kiat Kun follow the girl home, but after realising her father is blind and that the family lived in the slums, they decide not to reclaim the shoes. However, a few days later, Seow Fang notices that her classmate is wearing a new pair; upon confronting her, she discovers that the girl has discarded the old pair at the kampung rubbish dump. The Chew siblings frantically search the rubbish dump for her shoes, but only discover them as they are destroyed during a trade unionist riot.


The climax of the film, in which Kiat Kun is pushed to the limit but trips and finishes first — a parallel to Singapore's political history.[1]Kiat Kun is dejected until he learns that the third prize in the 1965 National Primary School Cross Country Competition is a pair of shoes. Because he pretended to be sick on the day his school selected representatives for the race, he pleads with his P.E. teacher to let him enter. The teacher, initially reluctant, relents when Kiat Kun rushes to get his cough medicine, demonstrating his running ability. As the competition begins, Kiat Kun notices that Beng Soon is also participating.

Once the starting gun fires, Kiat Kun pushes himself to the limit and eventually establishes himself among the lead runners. Kiat Kun appears assured of third place, but due to a miracle, unexpectedly trips over a stone which leads him to finish second. Beng Soon ends the race in third place. While Kiat Kun is running, Mrs Chew goes into labour, forcing Seow Fang to run across a long path littered with broken glass to find a midwife. Finally, Mrs Chew gives birth to a baby boy and Beng Soon gives Kiat Kun and Seow Fang new pairs of shoes before departing. After finally obtaining their goal of getting a new pair of shoes, they realize that there are still more problems to be encountered. They then look to a long muddy path before them which they have to cross."

Friday, June 04, 2010

Bosom Friends

My friends always forward me emails concerning animals as they know I am an animal lover. Janice, just forwarded me this touching email and I wish to share with my readers. How wonderful to know that four legged creatures can be such bosom friends! Hence, we, homo sapiens, who are God's highest form of creation should always try to be sincere and genuine in our friendship with one another.

"After losing his parents, this 3 year old orangutan was so depressed he wouldn't eat and didn't respond to any medical treatments. The veterinarians thought he would surely die from sadness. The zoo keepers found an old sick dog on the grounds in the park at the zoo where the orangutan lived and took the dog to the animal treatment center. The dog arrived at the same time the orangutan was there being treated. The 2 lost souls met and have been inseparable ever since.

The orangutan found a new reason to live and each always tries his best to be a good companion to his new found friend. They are together 24 hours a day in all their activities.



 

They live in Northern California where swimming is their favorite past time, although Roscoe (the orangutan) is a little afraid of the water and needs his friend's help to swim.

 

Together they have discovered the joy and laughter in life and the value of friendship.

 

They have found more than a friendly shoulder to lean on.

 

Long live friendship! Cheers to all our good friends!

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Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Life Summed Up in 5 Bottles!

 



My friend, Pradeep, emailed me the following. What a wonderful way to sum up life! A pictures tells a thousand
words and brevity is the soul of wit!

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Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Happiness is.....(38)

 
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Director Roysten Abel conducting a rehearsal with the 36 musicians from The Manganiyar Seduction before their gala performance at the Singapore Arts Festival
ST Photo by Samuel He

My friend, Elsa, the ex-president of Singapore Toastmasters Club, invited me to a concert by the Mangainyar musicians from India. Intrigued, I accepted her invitation, and reciprocated by giving Elsa a dinner treat at the Japanese restaurant at the Esplanade before the concert proper.

Wow! The 70 minute show was indeed a gala show fit for a king! The singers and musicians traditionally sang for the kings of Rajasthan in north-western India.

Under the direction of New Delhi-based theatre and film director Roysten Abel, the musicians charmed the more than 900 strong audience with their energetic performance.

President S R Nathan, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Cabinet ministers were among those in the audience. Sitting in four stacked rows of cubicles framed with lgiht bulbs and red velvet curtains, the 36 Manganiyar musicians played among other songs, Alfat Un Bin In Bin, inspired by a Muslim poet's love for God. They also
played a Hindu hymn as an encore.

The performers captivated the audience from start to end, prompting many shouts of "Bravo!" at the end. Many of us had not heard such instruments like kamancha, dholak, murli, kartal, sarangi, morchang, bapang, algoza and dhol before, but together the music was wonderful and almost mesmerising!

I admire the performers for they sang and played without looking at their scores. The bare-footed conductor, Daevo Khan, dressed in his white baggy Indian outfit, looked like he was almost dancing on stage and thoroughly enjoying himself! The group deserved a standing ovation!

Happiness is when out of the blue, a friend invited me to something I am not familiar with, and out of gratitude and appreciation, I accepted without knowing what to really expect. Happiness is realising what great fun and joy I would have missed have I insisted on being a frog in my own well!

Thanks Elsa for a great evening and for giving this frog a chance to see and hear the world!

Gan Cao