Recently the Phantom of the opera started to hunt me again. I got no idea what caused this phenomenon but the urge to take the CD out again to listen was compelling.
Therefore on Wednesday of this week while I was getting bored of the work I am doing in the office, I started to youtube “The Phantom of the Opera”.
I was having a great moment listening to some wonderful tracks. The only pain I had was the annoying connection speed to download the videos while receiving constant excitement attacks.
After a while, I stumbled across an audition video in which the candidate was “William Hung-like”. He looked kind of weird.
The audition was for the show “Britain’s got talent” and the champion of the competition would have to perform in front of her majesty the queen of England.
However for the glamour of stardom, naturally it attracted many contestants. Looking at this weird looking guy, stardom seemed a million miles away.
Watch this video and I will tell you more about it after the video.
Well you should have finished the video upon reading this section. If not, my article will not mean a damn thing to you.
If you had followed the progression of my article, you probably realized that I am talking rubbish in the first half.
That guy, Paul Potts to be exact, was astonishingly incredible. He looked plain and simple but the moment he started doing what all the judges thought would be the joke of the century, he managed to devour their souls. Even the strictest judge, Simon Cowell, who was hated for his direct criticisms and mockeries, gave his compliments first before the rest.
When I was listening to Paul, although I had never listened to that song he performed in my life before, he had told me in his performance that it was an extremely sorrowful piece of master piece. The song was actually performed by one of the world’s most popular opera mainstream singer, Luciano Pavarotti, who departed on September 6th, 2007.
I think on my journey back to opera, I found myself a sparkling gem.
For all opera lovers, all music for the world.
It was just one or two days ago when I complained about those barbaric middle aged witches and balding men about how uncivilised they are. Today I received a different touch.
It’s Monday and naturally going back to work after a weekend, where you indulged yourself with more rest and late nights, you felt rather still in a weekend mood. I was rather gloomy and I couldn’t fully open my eyes as the sleep last night was not what I would call a comfortable and fruitful sleep.
An old man in his sixties sat next to me on the 2 man bench.
From my unpleasant experience, I was struggling to think if this old man next to me would be considerate. I was doubtful if he would do something irritating like to occupy more seat space or spread his legs so wide as though he had something else hanging in between his inner thighs.
However, to my surprise, after a significant time had passed, he didn’t do anything like what I had said. He was civilized. He sat there quietly in his own space, no big movement or anything that could cause distraction to the passenger next to him. He was only shifting his vision around from the scenery outside to the passengers around him.
My stop finally arrived. When I was about to make my way out of the seat to the aisle, the old man stood up and shifted himself out to the aisle to give way to me instead of just turning outwards and leaning to his side against the backrest like most people did. I even get a friendly and joyful smile from him which was really a huge bonus and that urges me to thank him followed by a smile in return.
Just maybe to share a little more, there was another scenario that I just remembered.
A father and a toddler boarded a train in the East-West line. As it was very crowded, the father was struggling to keep himself balanced as well as holding his child.
Of all the entire stretch of people seated down in that row nearest to them, a feeble old man in his 80s with a hunch, stood up and offered his seat. He also insisted that the child take his seat as he stood up weakly and tried to find something to grab hold of.
The moved and grateful father, who felt unbearable to reject his offer, told his boy to sit down and thank the old man. The young boy gave the old man his sunny and adorable smile that sparkled my entire visual as though angels were surrounding this boy and old man with twinkling dust descending gently within their vicinity.
Anyway, that old man sitting next to me really made my day. As I alighted and walked to my workplace feeling energised by this wonderful old man, I couldn’t help thinking that if everybody in Singapore was like this, it would be a much nicer place to live in.
This topic is all about the street cultivation of my fellow Singapore.
I was at the supermarket with a friend the other day and we caught in an ugly scenario. We happened to be blocking an old couple's way carrying a toddler.
Uncouthly, they yelled "Siam" which is defined as "scram" only ruder and offensive, followed by an "empress's stare". Yes I admit and apologize sincerely for blocking their paths as we were squatting down looking at can food on the lowest shelf. I had a good mind of telling them that they could tell us nicely like "Young chap, could you let me pass?". If I didn't hear it, the least they could do is to tap my shoulder.
Imagine doing this to a hoodlum, she could be assaulted and there would be no help except a call to the police at the most as Singaporeans are quintessentially self centered. The woman is fine for being assaulted as she really deserved it for being so unrefined. But I wondered if she ever think for the kid they were carrying. What if that innocent child got injured because her stupidity and foolishness?
As I was saying that Singaporeans are self centered and can't accept their mistakes, after I scolded her, she didn't concede at all.
Singaporeans, full of educated people from prestigious schools, strong in their economy, happily celebrating their honorable National day, can't even perform the simplest basic manners that other countries do intuitively. While we had successfully get rid of almost all the "gangsters" in the 90s, I find there is a rise in intellectually obsoleted imbeciles. It's always the people in their 40s and above. While they usually claimed that they had took more salt than us had taken rice, their brains seemed to have shrunk as well.
Another day, I saw 2 bus commuters reading newspapers at the time on the same 2-men chair. They were quietly fighting for reading space by opening their individual paper as big as possible to dominate over the other. The other man even flip the papers harshly so that it brushes the other person in the face. Both in there 40s.
So many ugly things you could see within a few days.
Another thing, have you ever got bang by shoulders or bags of some retards especially when you are least slightly in their way?
Besides the increased in permanent residents, the reason that many Singaporeans are moving out of their country could because of the intolerable characteristic of their fellow folks. I believe tourists who experienced these went home with disgust and thought that Singaporeans are still barbarian at heart. Uncivilized, uncouth, unrefined. This is really depressing at the same time disappointing.
Some people are blaming the schools, the parents, ancestors, the government that they didn't do their part in teaching these unrefined people. But I think it lies with every individual one of us. If personally you are doing anything that rhymes with the scenarios that I had mentioned, you are teaching them to be the same way and in the long term, someone else will return to you the nuisance that you had created and taught. Vindictive is the offspring of self centeredness. Don't hit the stone with a stone, tell them in their face and shame them. Even if their brains are so useless to absorb, i guarantee you that the people around will understand and the result will be better.
Be polite, considerate and careful about the people around. Be humble and nice which are what should be of for being branded as a human being. Don't let this discreet disease create more angry and rotten people in the world. The economy crisis may be coming the next year but the mid-life crisis had already resides here.