what is a l. p.?
In the literature for beginners tutorial today a student asked, "What is a L. P.?" On the 23 young, trusting faces in the room, I noticed that more than a few were looking blank. I tried my best to describe the vinyl record, going on to talk about how you go about putting one on the player. I thought of someone I knew in the UK who owned at least a hundred records. Thinking back now, maybe I should have been more focussed in my attempt at filling in the blanks.
The reference to the cassette tape's forefather is in Arthur Yap's poem "in passing". It was one of the poems I had assigned for discussion. The poem mentions a mural at Changi Airport. Where is this mural? I asked. Nobody knew. That's probably because the mural has been removed and replaced with something more current, like the carpeting in the airport which, to me at least, always looks like it's just been replaced.
Incidentally, do you know that we are the only airport in the world that has carpeting all over (except for in the restrooms)? It's to reduce noise pollution from trolleys, apparently. We also have the best trolleys in the world. They're hardly ever squeaky. Which leads to the million dollar question: Why then do we need all that carpeting?
Actually, I have another million dollar question also inspired by the carpeting at Changi. Why does the carpet-purchasing-department invariable go for jarringly colourful patterns? What's wrong with sedate and dignified monocolour carpeting? Is the carpeting a visual and tactile exemplification of vibrancy in a multicultural society? Like I said, it's a million dollar question.
Back to "in passing". So much of the poem relies on the reader's sense of pride in Singapore's airport, one of the first signs that we'd truly "arrived" on the global stage when it opened in 1981. At that time it was the world's largest airport. Number One in the World! That was something I heard over and over again as a child and teenager. Also, don't forget, we were also Number One Port! Better than Amsterdam!
Two-thirds of the students in today's class were not yet born in 1981. So I had to tell them about the long circular water features that drizzled their circular shower in air-wells by the side of escalators inside what is now Terminal 1 of Changi International Airport. The sound of rain inside, is what I think impressed me at that time, although of course now I can't be sure if there was any sound at all or if the water could be heard above the piped-in muzak.
They had to listen to me do my grandmother act, "last time ah, there was . . . ". Only I was talking about stepless escalators, not the kacang puteh man or firecrackers. Correct me if I'm wrong, all you 1970's or 1960's babies out there, but wasn't Changi airport the first place in Singapore to have gently sloping escalators?
One of the students said that in Singapore a lot of things are in passing. I was tempted to talk about the National Library at Stamford Road, but we were running out of time.
Passing by, passing through, pass on before you pass out.
The reference to the cassette tape's forefather is in Arthur Yap's poem "in passing". It was one of the poems I had assigned for discussion. The poem mentions a mural at Changi Airport. Where is this mural? I asked. Nobody knew. That's probably because the mural has been removed and replaced with something more current, like the carpeting in the airport which, to me at least, always looks like it's just been replaced.
Incidentally, do you know that we are the only airport in the world that has carpeting all over (except for in the restrooms)? It's to reduce noise pollution from trolleys, apparently. We also have the best trolleys in the world. They're hardly ever squeaky. Which leads to the million dollar question: Why then do we need all that carpeting?
Actually, I have another million dollar question also inspired by the carpeting at Changi. Why does the carpet-purchasing-department invariable go for jarringly colourful patterns? What's wrong with sedate and dignified monocolour carpeting? Is the carpeting a visual and tactile exemplification of vibrancy in a multicultural society? Like I said, it's a million dollar question.
Back to "in passing". So much of the poem relies on the reader's sense of pride in Singapore's airport, one of the first signs that we'd truly "arrived" on the global stage when it opened in 1981. At that time it was the world's largest airport. Number One in the World! That was something I heard over and over again as a child and teenager. Also, don't forget, we were also Number One Port! Better than Amsterdam!
Two-thirds of the students in today's class were not yet born in 1981. So I had to tell them about the long circular water features that drizzled their circular shower in air-wells by the side of escalators inside what is now Terminal 1 of Changi International Airport. The sound of rain inside, is what I think impressed me at that time, although of course now I can't be sure if there was any sound at all or if the water could be heard above the piped-in muzak.
They had to listen to me do my grandmother act, "last time ah, there was . . . ". Only I was talking about stepless escalators, not the kacang puteh man or firecrackers. Correct me if I'm wrong, all you 1970's or 1960's babies out there, but wasn't Changi airport the first place in Singapore to have gently sloping escalators?
One of the students said that in Singapore a lot of things are in passing. I was tempted to talk about the National Library at Stamford Road, but we were running out of time.
Passing by, passing through, pass on before you pass out.
posted by wheyface at 2:29 PM
3 Comments:
I am sorry that you are a grandmother. Dr Ah Beng can offer this one info that LPs are still in use for spinning especially retro tracks at discos. Bet your students are more uncle and aunty than me to know this as well! (But Dr Ah Beng doesn't do discos at all even when he was a teenage Ah Beng, which makes it all the more curious that he should know anything. He spent his younger geek years studying at Changi Airport. When they still had studying tables. When the Singapore Girls were still cute. When clean toilets were a rare find.)
Dr Ah Beng
Dr Ah Beng:
You traveled all the way from the north to the east to study, no wonder today you are doctor!
The Singapore Girl is still cute lah, don't be so harsh. She just needs to change the colour of her eyeshadow and lipstick and nail polish.
The furthest I have traveled for pleasing toilet usage is from the east to the Singapore Zoo. The toilets there have a resort feel and the winning style has since been copied by a number of refurbished hawker centres (e.g. the East Coast food centre).
No lah, actually I went from the north to the east to use the toilet. The zoo toilet is too open: make me feel like a peeing exhibitionist.
Singapore Girl still cute meh??! My mother cuter.
Dr Ah Beng
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