Arty Farty People Normally NOT Cultured

I was out with my folks on Sunday aka Father's Day, brought my dad, mum and my lil' sis who just got back from New York, to taste some fine Chinese cuisine and dim sum brunch. We were brunching near Tanglin and decided to get replacement pots for our water feature at home. A friend who does pottery lessons suggested that we can head down to this pottery place at Tanglin Place, and perhaps get them replaced - little did I know it almost spoilt our wonderful day. Here is what took place as we stepped into Bxxx's Pottery:

Mom: Wondering if you do pottery? Do you have such pots?
Man: (Looking at our sample pot) We don't do custom pots. Our pots here are made like art.
Mom: So you cannot make such pots?
Man: Yes, I can but we don't do it. Anyway this is low temp, ours is high temp.
Mom: So you don't make such pots?
Man: Can do but we won't make custom pots?
Mom: But if we ask you to do, how much do you think it will cost.
Man: We don't make custom pots, anyway.. (picks up a small pot) anyway this here cost S$180, your pot size will cost at least double.
Mom: So about S$300 odd.
Man: Yes and we normally need to do 3 at one time. (Me thinking here - thought you don't do custom pots? So if I throw money at you, you will lar)
Man: Anyway ours is art, our clients are Ministers and celebrities. (Pointing to some Minister photo, and Wong Li Lin doing pottery photos) Yours is low temp mass produced pots.
Mom: Do you know where else I can go to get it replaced?
Man: Very few people will do it.

I was already walking out with bated breath, rushing out of the shop to curse with greater ease.

Pot is similar to this size, and ours is just about 4 times the height.


From what I experienced on Sunday, I realised arty farty people aren't cultured at all. No display of gracefullness observed but a air of "atas" (snobbish) attitude is whiffed instead. It is easily deduced how their "air" came about.


Let's take an example, where back in the 80s, the rich plays golf because they need it for business and it makes sense having corporate country club memberships. For some, doing well in golf is a matter of keeping up with appearances. And they often speak about golf with respect to the expensive equipment they purchased. Recent years of lowered barrier of entry to golf courses with advent of sprouted places in Johor Bahru, Bintan etc allowed many to enjoy the sport. Many friends of mine have managed to indulge in the sport with great passion and totally without "atas" air - they mostly speak about the distance they can hit and where is the best value for money golf range to practise.

Similarly, with new wealth coming into families quickly in the past decade from enbloc sales, to stock market, we start to see a new class arising where perhaps they think their new found status is much to be envied. They think that buying art makes them feel cultured (see my previous post on defining culture) akin to playing golf, makes them think they are of a higher plateau. And with that came the arts tradesmen who think they are of a higher status over the other trades. I remembered studying about local sculptor Ng Eng Teng to pioneer female artist Georgette Chen in my secondary school days. The struggles they go through, the road less travelled was a beaten and weary one.

So how could art which is suppose to infuse culture into oneself become so displaced? Such haughty behaviour is strange somewhat as I do not see any offence done from my aged Mom's point of view. Were we in any way being disrespectful or could we have been better redirected?

Anyway, I do hope its just one black sheep that we have met and this will not be a sweeping statement for all Arty Farty people. Like golf, it will be just a matter of time before art is available to the masses, and there will be more pottery places, galleries etc. For more information on Singapore artists. Go to Singapore Art.

Engagement

Sometimes I get obstinate and insist on my point of views. My hope is just to engage my friends. I may sometimes get anal about things because seriously I do not see a crime highlighting the fact that the poor and the unjustified do not have a voice in Sillypore or many other parts of the world.

Similarly to performing charity acts by donating to the poor begging on the roadside only to find out they are on social visit passes living in hotels, dressing well and perhaps wearing gold wrist watches. To turn sympathy into money-making schemes is not just wrong, it should be a crime. True that no one can stop a healthy man who decided to shave his head and don a robe, canvassing little strings or amulets for money. But in some sense it stopped me from donating after learning the truth.

I used to donate to flag days of all sorts, even performed quite a handful. I fervently donated to TT Durai's KNF golden taps, Rev. Monk-stunt-man wannabe of Ren Chi's assistant's shopping etc...
It's just sad knowing that we were all taken for fools. But in some sense there is no lives loss, or anyone hurt in that process of charity except stupid fund-raising stunt shows which only Mediacorp artistes were injured.



Turning back to the scenes of the movie "Slumdog Millionaire", not sure if you remembered the storyline, I hope that many did not just enjoy the cinematography and love story. The fact that many have thrown criticisms of the stark reality that the child stars are still living in the slums as the movie enjoys its resounding success. In the movie, we witness kids being taken off the streets and maimed or blinded in order to earn more from begging. I saw the reality of it when I was a kid traveling to Bangkok back in the 80s and my parents told me of what they do to those kids we see begging on the streets, my parents made me throw in some coins into their milk tins, perhaps in some ways to learn that I should give when I am able. But I swore never to donate ever again whenever I go to Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines etc. The need for knowledge in this sense is not just for your conscience's sake but for the little kid's sake. Yes, many have rebutted in my face saying it is just loose change, but the kidnappings, unjust deliberate mutilation is the result of the sympathy. In this context, when the giving stops, it stops. The kidnappers will realise it is no longer a lucrative act.

Thus I choose to continue pissing off my friends in order for engagement, if it is what it takes to get one to start thinking. What's most important is that the final goal is achieved.

All we need is magic

Caught a little bit of magic as a JC Sum invites us to an old Victorian special act. We had a special price entry but being on a Thurs and some busy folks have to fly last minute kites, only myself, and a couple of others with StaticVariable had a bit of magic from an old friend.

Gone are the days of practising cards and straight jacket escape acts in his room, JC has elevated to performing permanent 5 days a week evening acts at Arena over at Clark Quay. The act was entertaining with me being pulled up on stage to inspect Magicbabe Ning's biggest "Fan". Man..first the fan was a real huge fan and the babe was really quite hot! hahah..so that saying, when the fan was turned on, I got cooled off!



Anyway do try to catch their amazing free acts coming live at Singapore River, all part of STB's effort to promote the nightlife entertainment district with the Singapore River Festival with exciting lifestyle and entertainment events on and along the river.

Inversion: The Blindfolded Upside Down Escape
Fathers' Day - 21 June 2009
Time: 18:00 - 19:00
Location: Central Gallery (retail mall located at Clarke Quay MRT)

The other act will be on closing night with the “The Impossible Record” on June 27.
If you can't catch both free acts, you can always pop by weekday nights to the Arena.

For now, I have been watching this upcoming David Blaine-liked Japanese Cyril magician on youtube for hours now..can't wait for JC to reach that level of international stardom..then maybe perhaps he can make our 30-yr old whiskeys duplicate like one of his magic act last night!!

Reason why Sillyporeans Complain

A friend just made this statement:

Complaints happen when expectations and services do not match. we are often sold the idea that we need to pay top dollar for 1st class service; instead, it should be revised the other way, if you want to collect top dollar, give us the matching service first.

How true and quite often we allow the Gahmen to take advantage of the fact that there is no voice in the parliamentary seatings and rulings just push forward without much discussion or debates.

Maybe the Gahmen and local media should take this observation to shut the whining lesser-mortal-true-blue Sillyporeans who complain too much. People like me for instance...I would shut up, if they revise the way things work around here.

Anyway ShUTdaFarkup Charles Chong! I am totally pissed today...going to take it out on the court later...

Seriously shutdafarkup Charles Chong

I really am pissed after reading this from Mr. Brown.

Firstly I was called a lesser mortal by this Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC f$%ked up MP Charles Chong. And anyone would think he would have learnt and seriously be more cautious with his choice of words, but now he has come out to say this.

Mr Charles Chong, the ward's MP, said yesterday that he started noticing a growing number of new immigrants in the neighbourhood three years ago.

He estimated that about 10 per cent of the residents in some blocks could be permanent residents or new citizens, but was unable to pinpoint the precise number. Punggol Central has 48,000 residents in all.

Most of the new immigrants are from India, China, the Philippines and Myanmar.

'They are usually very happy to be here and have settled in well,' Mr Chong said.

With his trademark grin, he added: 'When you ask Singaporean residents for feedback, they will complain that they have to wait more than 15 minutes for the bus. But when you ask new immigrants, they are happy that the bus comes in under 30 minutes.'

Seriously, does he even take public transport? Does he get 1st world pay or 3rd world immigrant MP's pay? Asking me to be happy with 30mins wait time for a bus is like asking me to pay him peanuts. (Wait..our Singaporean TT Durai "peanuts" is worth over 600k per annum)
If we are paying peanuts to get monkeys who continuously think his ivory tower has a golden seat for him for all eternity, I rather get a monkey who can shutdafarkup. I dislike knowing the fact that I pay my taxes to support such an ass who continuously think that by comparing his standards with somewhat lowered ones, his job is done. This is not why and where millions of taxpayer's money go to - to be compromised. We were promised by PAPpies to be progressing, to pay more for better quality leaders. This is clearly a case of a used car salesman selling me a Toyota by comparing with a Geely.



Should he be comparing our standards with first world transportation? We cannot compare ourselves with Japan? Just as our local media love to pull a fast one (check my previous post) on making Sillypore a "perceived" wonderful place to live it.

Now I am an ungrateful lesser mortal..soon to be displaced by grateful, happily settled immigrants. No offence to the new immigrants, enjoy the ride of a "perceived" wonderful gahmen.