But they were Stefan (tenor) and Marlene Fox (soprano) in a duet. I was attracted by the song sung by Il Divo and bought their Essential Voices some time ago when it was popular over our radio network.When we arrived after lunch, a group from St. Nicholas were performing, using the most basic of everyday items like plastic liquid containers as drums, wok and other metal items like scrapers and rice in plastic tubs (shakers) as percussion instruments! If you have the talent, there is no need for proper instruments.
After Stefan, Moses Chuah and his two talented sons, Dexter and Melvin, performed a few jazz numbers (keyboard, drums and bass... not sure if I got the names of his sons right in terms of who played drums or bass!). But seeing the bassist, I felt like giving up bass, knowing full well that I can never achieve the standard of play. It is hard to teach an old dog like me how to play proper bass, though I have yet to start on a course on it.
SP was attracted to this particular Sunday by a kimono demonstration but she was so engrossed in checking out the stalls that I had to call her so that she would not miss it. A Japanese lady, with a model and a good commentator, showed the proper way to wear a kimono. As Cheng mentioned to us before, a kimono costs between Rm35,000 to Rm70,000! Even the younger Japanese themselves have never worn one because of the high costs. Just imagine having one for each of the four seasons! Competitors for the kimono contests would have to be millionaires to be able to take part. Cheng brought back one given to her by her host, Fujioka, and it is kept in a camphor chest!
Towards the end, I almost join an expatriate couple (on keyboard and recorder) playing a few tunes to teach people how to dance. I was tempted to take up the offer of playing the tambourine but even for such a simple instrument, not knowing the tunes could be a problem. I was more interested in the drums but did not see any drumsticks, so did not offer! But I knew they were such sporting people that they would not mind if you do not play properly, which is what jamming is all about. Marlene played tambourine instead and a few young girls tried dancing to the tunes.
Marlene seemed to enjoy singing Chinese songs too, like The moon represents my heart, and Rose, Rose, I love you, in Mandarin which effectively put us to shame.
It was almost a year since we last visited Little Penang because it has always been held on the last Sunday of the month. There were times, like recently, when we were in Penang but not on such a day.
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