hafta do this.. from someone important.. mr toh..

(below articles are quoted from Jimmy's website http://www.cynics.info/translate/Appeared in today’s ST Forum ( reproduced here as ST articles only online for a week ).

Day I told the world, ‘We’re Singaporean’I REFER to Mr Jimmy Liew’s letter, ‘Time to sing praises of our choirs’ (ST, July 30).

I am happy and, I suppose, proud to be a Singaporean, but it’s never been something I wear emblazoned on my shirt sleeve. Unlike Americans, I would rather wear a sack than a T-shirt displaying my country’s flag.I have not watched the National Day Parade from start to finish since primary school and, this year, I am toying with the idea of joining the exodus over the Causeway for the National Day holiday.Yet, when I went halfway around the world to Germany for the 3rd Choir Olympics with my choir, we paraded the streets waving our Singapore flags high in the air, declaring to anyone who cared to listen that ‘We’re from Singapore!’.

And, after years of yawning through the flag-raising ceremony during the morning assembly at school, suddenly, at the prize-presentation ceremony at the end of the competition, there was nothing I wanted more than to see my crescent moon and five stars rising to the beautiful melody of Majulah Singapura.When the results were announced, what joy! Any triumph by a Singaporean choir was celebrated wildly with hugs and tears. Seven golds and one silver! We all bubbled with excitement. We just couldn’t wait to bring the news home and tell our beloved Singapore that we had done it proud. Indeed, nothing sets ablaze patriotic fervour like competing and triumphing in an international arena. And nothing extinguishes that flame faster than coming home to complete indifference. We had all forgotten one minor detail: We’re from Singapore.In Singapore, you had better be happy to have got even a ‘whimper’ from the media about your eight Olympic medals if they are for something frivolous like singing. And don’t even dream of monetary rewards from the Government, like those bestowed on our noble athletes.After all, none of us has executed a graceful dive into a pool of water. None of us has run in the 4×100m sprint relay. None of us has thrown a javelin.

A friend said to me: ‘You’ve been on TV and the Internet - you’re famous now!’ Famous in Germany, that is. Featured on German news television.To the Victoria Junior College Choir, Victoria Chorale, National Junior College Choir, Tampines Primary School Children’s Choir and Hwa Chong Choir, my sincerest congratulations on the landmark achievements.The victories are all our own. We threw our hearts and souls into our music. We have done ourselves proud.Perhaps that is the real message for all arts groups: we fight alone and celebrate alone.RACHEL TEO PEI EN (MISS)

her last sentence said it all.

More equal treatment for the arts, pleaseTHE sporting arena in Singapore is a well-developed and coordinated effort. In contrast, there is neither assurance of financial aid or reward, nor comprehensive avenues of support for arts groups wishing to compete internationally.More often than not, we face the challenge of raising funds to offset high competition fees, on top of coordinating long and intense rehearsals.For example, Hwa Chong Choir had to train musically as well as earn itself the trip to Bremen, literally.The National Arts Council (NAC) has in place many initiatives. Now that more and more international competitions are becoming recognised, perhaps NAC can set in motion schemes which provide support to arts groups, and accord due recognition to achievements at established competitions.The primary motivation of playing badminton or singing is passion, and not promise of fame and riches. Yet that passion, to be sustained and nurtured, requires a strong support system.Following Singapore’s outstanding showing at the 2004 Choir Olympics - it came in fourth among 83 countries last month - local arts groups have proven themselves worthy of greater recognition and investment.HE JIA WEN (MISS)

The Unsung Olympics Gold Medalists - Jimmy Liew http://www.cynics.info/translate/July 28, 2004 3PM I n the run up to the Olympics Games in Athens, we are constantly seeing substantial media exposure to the Games itself and, of course, to the hardworking athletes who will be representing the nation. But unknown to many, Singapore is already an Olympics winner, although not in the sporting arena. The competition in question is the 3rd Choir Olympics held in Bremen, Germany. In the world’s biggest choral competition, with 83 participating countries, Singapore put up a good fight and emerged fourth, behind only to China, host Germany and South Africa. This is the best outing by any Singaporean contingent since the first Choir Olympics in Linz, Austria back in 2000. Five choirs - Victoria Chorale, Victoria Junior College Choir, Hwa Chong Choir, National Junior College Choir and Tampines Primary School Children’s Choir - returned with seven Golds and one Silver, behind China, Germany and South Africa in the medals tally.

In addition, VJC Choir was placed first in the Mixed Choirs category, while Victoria Chorale came up runner-up in the Folklore A cappella category. Yet, there was only a whimper in our local media over this achievement by local choir groups. As of now, there wasn’t any note of congratulation from National Arts Council - and let’s not even mention monetary rewards - for all the hard work put in by all the choirs. True, the Choir Olympics may not have the advantage of having an illustrious history behind it, as compared to the sporting Olympics, but that should not discount the efforts from the five choirs that put Singapore at the peak of the international choral scene. Just as athletes put in time and effort to excel in competitions, so do choirs. Students have to fit in practice times in between studies and exams while working professionals have to sacrifice their weekends. And just as athletes need money for their training and competitions, choirs are often largely self-funded and have to raise money to compete in overseas tournaments. For example, the trip to Bremen took Victoria Chorale two years of fund-raising to materialise. With the current emphasis on the sporting scene in Singapore, one can only hope that the initial blueprint to turn Singapore into an Arts Renaissance city has not been left to merely collect dust. note: this entry was also sent to ST Forum - whether it sees the light, that is for another day