publichouse.sg

By Kamal Mamat

I came back to Singapore recently for my end-of-year break and decided to pay former colleagues a visit.

That morning, I woke up and reached for The Straits Times, as always. The front page featured the increased cost of living in Singapore and blamed it on the car and housing prices. Everything else was steady, it asserted. A politician opined that as long as we are not buying a house or a car, we would not be affected much by the increases. Another article provided a summary of the different sex scandals which happened in 2012. With all these carnal pleasures, I wondered why our fertility rates remain stubbornly low.

I got ready and headed to the bus stop. In the lift I heard Korean spoken between a mother and her son. I imagined them dancing to Gangnam Style at my void deck. Reached the bus stop and I waited for bus 132 to bring me to town. 18 minutes past and the bus finally appeared. Another 132 swiftly appeared behind and I decided to hop onto it instead. The driver, all of 25 I guessed, greeted me with a pleasant “ni hao” – “how do you do?” in Chinese. I proffered a hello in return.

It is that time of the year again, when this little island city dresses itself up in glittering lights and a heaving array of ornaments to attract and inspire the spirit of the season. Christmas means different things to different people - it is a time to party, a time to give, receive and reflect.

What does the holiday mean to you?

For local musician, producer and mentor Patrick Chng, the anticipation of yuletide cheers has resulted in a compilation of Christmas music performed by talented homegrown musicians. The proceeds go into helping the Rare Disorders Society (Singapore), an initiative started by two of his friends to help create awareness and support for the community of Singaporean caregivers and patients of rare diseases.

The album starts off aptly with a remastered track of Lilac Saints' "Give Me Love On Christmas Day", featuring an illustrious list of guest musicians from Olivia Ong to Joe Ng of The Padres. Local music fans will revel in the walk down memory lane, while newbies will certainly discover some gems from our colourful musical history with a quick google on any of the contributers.

The rest of the album is not to be outdone, replete with artful and definitive performances by some of this year's most prominent live acts. And even though the compilation was put together with mainstream appeal in mind, it is anything but run of the mill. I attribute this to an effortless yet thoughtful conveyance in style which can only be found in passionate and hardworking original artistes. Whether you are a fan of the sombre rock vibes of Lunarin, the sunny pop beats of Shelves or Kevin Mathews, or the raw and emotive delivery of singers and songwriters like Inch Chua and Charlie Lim, Sam Willows and Natalie Hiong, there is something in this compilation for any discerning listener looking for a Christmas album which embodies the real spirit of the season.

And don't we all need a "pick me up" after a year like 2012, it is enough to render us "emotionless" and "pessimistic" if we were not already, Christmas in Singapore might just get you there, from Singaporeans to all in Singapore.

Some of the tracks in the album:

I spoke to Patrick over the email to find out more about why and how he came to put this compilation together.

Biddy: How did this project come about?

Patrick: I've always love Christmas songs since I was a kid and have a pretty big collection of Christmas albums. I've had this idea of having a Christmas album by Singaporean artistes for a long time. It's just that every year, by the time I wanted to do it, it's usually too late! So this year, I started the project in March, talking to artistes, getting sponsors, etc.

Biddy: How did u get involved with Rare Disorders Society and what are they about?

Patrick: I found out about the Rare Disorders Society through a friend who volunteered with them. The society aims to raise awareness about rare disorders and to provide a platform for patients and their families to share their experience and knowledge with each other, as well as to provide support and encouragement.

Biddy: How did you end up with the current lineup for the compilation?

Patrick: I knew that some artistes already had original Christmas songs such as Rachael Teo, Kevin Mathews, Jonathan Meur, The Ukulele Girls and The Lilac Saints so they were first people that I approached. I wanted the album to be "radio friendly" and to appeal to the masses so considerations like that were taken into account in selecting some of the artistes, to balance those that are less mainstream sounding.

Biddy: Any particular track that you feel has special meaning to you?

Patrick: Tough one. But it has to be Rachael Teo's "Christmas time". The song makes my hair stand. It's wistful with a tinge of sadness yet hopeful.

Biddy: Christmas has been deemed by some to be overly commercial, what does Christmas mean to you?

Patrick: Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ. To quote U2, it's the day love came to town. For me, it's the perfect time to spread the love too.

The album is available at Starbucks outlets.

You can also sample and purchase the album online http://christmasinsingapore.bandcamp.com/

Stay tuned for our story on RDSS soon.

The Chinese and Indian men are desperate. They have not been paid for the last 2 to 3 months. After a period of protracted and unsuccessful attempts to get their employer to pay them their salaries, the Chinese men finally decided to down tools about a month ago. The Indian workers did so today, 18 December. Together there are about 40 workers or so who are refusing to start work.

They are the workers of Sime Chong Construction Pte Ltd. The Chinese workers have been working in Singapore for some 4 to 5 years, and this is the first time that they have taken things into their own hands. The men say they have been told by their employer that the company has no money and thus could not pay them. “But the construction project is still carrying on,” one of the men say, pointing to the ongoing construction of some HDB flats in Yishun where they are located, and which the company is involved in.

Four of the 20-odd Chinese men have decided to speak up. Each of them is owed a range of between S$2,400 to S$5,600 in salaries.

They have also approached the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for help but to no avail so far. “The Manpower Ministry says if the company doesn’t want to pay us, there is nothing it can do,” one of the workers says. The rest nodded their heads in agreement.

By Lisa Li / Additional translation by Yam Siow Ling

The jungle at Jalan Bahar is disappearing fast, careening towards a future of CleanTech industrial parks and other developments—but if you pause, look beyond the construction, and follow the winding paths deeper into the forest, there you will still find the hidden treasures of the last two dragons in Singapore, and the ceramists who are stoking the flames, keeping the stories alive.

Dragon kilns (龙窑) originated in China about 2,000 years ago, and were named for their elongated shape (sometimes up to 100m long) with 'scales' of bricks, a fire-breathing 'mouth' fed with wood chunks and air, and smoke emitted at the other end. In the belly of the dragon, the clay pieces would be fired, finally emerging as glazed ceramic objects.