One regret of mine from the summer just past is not being able to get tickets to “If There’re Seasons”. Friends who had caught the musical raved about it. Had I had a couple more weeks in Singapore I would definitely have gone to catch the show, even though only the most expensive tickets were left when I checked. “If There’re Seasons” is a musical based on works by Dr. Liang Wern Fu. I came to know about it from an interview with him by the Straits Times some time in early July. Strangely not yet a cultural medallion winner, Dr Liang was once the top student in NUS’ Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and is now an associate professor at NTU’s Chinese studies department. A pioneer of the 新谣 movement, Dr Liang is the composer of songs such as 《细水长流》, 《恋之憩》，《写一首歌给你》，《历史考试前夕》and《陪我看日出》. These songs are some of the most representative of the 新谣 or 新加坡歌谣 movement. For the benefit of the uninitiated, Wikipedia defines 新谣 as a genre of songs that was particularly popular among Chinese school students in Singapore in the 1980s and 1990s. Intensely local and authentic, these songs are usually about life in the island country. 新谣 can be clearly identified by its distinctive style of clean acoustics, with a group of people singing and harmonizing together, usually accompanied by a guitar.

When I started writing blog entries in Chinese, some came to the conclusion that I have become something of a ‘cheenapok’. I’m not too sure what to make of it though. I took Chinese only till Secondary four because I was in the in Higher Chinese program. Looking back, being in the program turned me off learning the language. Even though I can construct model sentences and write essays with the appropriate sprinkling of choice phrases, idioms and proverbs, I was never really fluent. The texts that we had to read were obscure, and I was put off by the amount of memorizing. But it is not that I hate Chinese, in fact, there were a number of good-looking people in my Chinese tuition class. However, Faye Wong, Jay Chou and 新谣 probably taught me more Chinese than the Higher Chinese syllabus. 新谣’s lyrics are particularly 感人, genuine and 本土. Part of its charm lies in its honesty, humility and an earnest sincerity to 唱出心声. The lyrics are without pretense and most of them are beautiful in a poetic kind of way.

水的话

我是小溪 源自山中
潺潺流过 郁郁青葱

吐向大海 鱼鸟与共
晨光一催 漊漊升空

浮云一片 飘南北西东
谁也不知 我的行踪

轻轻化作 烟雨朦胧
丝丝落在 你的心中

词曲：梁文福