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I went to Sengkang New Village with our Singapore Bible College
(SBC) schoolmates for mission work in November 1990.
We organised Children Camp, Youth Fellowship and Evening of Friendship. Besides, we visited the villagers too.
When Kuang Jun, a member of the Youth Fellowship, celebrated his birthday, he invited us to his Birthday Party. More than ten of us, his friends and family enjoyed the evening at the front yard. I walked to the living room when I heard people singing. A few teenagers were singing with the karaoke video tape. During those days, there was no video disk. Hence, they sang from the first song to the last song of the tape.
They saw me and said, "Teacher, come and sing with us." A few days later we went to the New Village visiting villagers. Kuang Jun would ride his motorcycle in front of us and called those families we would visit, "Open the door, my friends are coming." Five years prior to my studies in SBC, I used to play the cassette in my car when going to work in the early morning. The cassette contained songs related to the Taiwanese gangsters. I needed to have the strong music to alert me from sleeping when driving. I listened to those songs day after day. Hence I could sing a few lines. When I resigned from the Christian organisation and was back to the computer company in 1993, I was seconded to a client. The Deputy Director of the client liked to sing. He would go to the Company's Karaoke Hall with a group of colleagues once a week after dinner. He invited me and one of my colleagues to join them. But we were busy and made him disappointed. I actually did not like to attend the karaoke session because I could not sing. I got involved in voluntary work more frequent after I retired in 2002. I started to learn Teochew Opera singing then. I was fond in Teochew Opera when I was young. After learning for eight years, I learned Chinese and Hockkien songs with a karaoke class for about three years. I never imagine that those elderly I served at my voluntary activities loved to listen to my singing. I ever sang during some activities, after that the elderly liked to ask me to sing. I remembered I sang for the elderly at Jurong West, Taman Jurong and Henderson NTUC Eldercare Centres, the Christian Home for the Aged, St. Luke's Eldercare Jurong East and Ayer Rajah Centres, as well as an Eldercare Centre at Bukit Batok. I ever sang one of the Chinese oldies "The Lonely Boudoir" (蘭閨寂寂) at an activity at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital. Some elderly then requested me to sing more Chinese oldies for them. But when I led those Bingo Sessions, we did not include any other programme. When I was a volunteer of YMCA English Course a few years ago, I ever sang a few Chinese songs to our China friends. |
 Jurong West Centre 18.06.2008 |
 Jurong West Centre 18.12.2009 |
 YMCA 21.09.2010 |
 YMCA 24.05.2011 |
 Singapore Christian Home for the Aged 03.06.2011 |
 Singapore Christian Home for the Aged 01.07.2011 |
 St. Luke's Jurong East Centre 08.07.2011 |
 St. Luke's Jurong East Centre 15.07.2011 |
 Henderson Centre 18.06.2011 |
 Henderson Centre 20.08.2011 |
 Hong Kah North Centre 10.08.2011 |
 Hong Kah North Centre 25.11.2011 |
 Taman Jurong Centre 28.09.2011 |
 Taman Jurong Centre 23.12.2011 |
 St. Luke's Ayer Rajah Centre 08.10.2012 |
 St. Luke's Ayer Rajah Centre 27.01.2014 |
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I sang more Teochew Opera songs and Chinese songs.
Although I attended the Karaoke Class of Hockkien songs,
I preferred to sing Hockkien folk songs of Taiwan. Once there were a few elderly requested me to sing a Cantonese Opera song "The Premature End" (香夭) of "The Princess" (帝女花). I spent much time to learn that song. A week later we were back to those elderly. When I wanted to sing the song without music, a lady volunteer said that she could sing with me. I passed her the microphone and I told her that I did not need any microphone. After singing once for both of our turns, a grandma was not happy. She turned to me and said, "You sing by yourself, I don't know what she sang." Oh dear, the volunteer sang too soft although she had the microphone. I watched a Hainanese movie "Poem on the Maple Leave" (紅葉題詩), I liked those Hainanese songs. But I could not speak Hainanese and I could not find the movie in video disk to learn from.
We started with two participants on the first time. It later expended to 5 persons, 8 persons, and finally more than 15 persons. There were 12 to 15 regulars. When we had only a few persons in the earlier days, I had to sing a few Chinese or Hockkien songs to serve as a stopgap. A few elderly later joined us just to enjoy our singing. There was an elderly enjoyed my Teochew Opera songs very much. When I knew that she would turn up the following week, I would practise my Teochew Opera singing for the whole week to get ready. Some of our friends did not understand what I sang. Although I used up a few minutes, but they knew that the song was for the elderly and they supported me with their applauses. At a Karaoke session in April this year, an unpleasantness happened. When I got ready to sing a Teochew Opera song, a new volunteer stopped me. The reason was there were many participants. I was holding the microphone and the disk was on the machine. Some of the participants were aware of the argument. I did not like to show in front of others that there was no love of Christians. Besides, it was difficult to work together if we did not have a common goal. After thinking over again and again, I told the Manager one month later that I would not help the Karaoke Session anymore. I have many opportunities to be on stage, but I do not like to. A few weeks later, I read the PPHCSC Annual Report of 2013. There was a paragraph regarding the Karaoke Session. It was written "An avid volunteer even sang Teochew opera for the elderly to enjoy." It was heart-breaking. Very sad! I have never imagined that God granted me wisdom in singing. The aim is to sing to those elderly who need loving care. |
I listened to Hakka folk songs often when I was young.
I remembered a few interesting lines.
I was invited to set up the Karaoke Session by PPH
Community Services Centre (PPHCSC) in early 2013. Singing with an elderly in 2009 - Teochew Opera 桃花過渡 |
 With the 100-Persons Teochew Opera Choir in 2006 京城會 |