This list is, of course, not exhaustive.

1. Don't talk about me when I am gone
2. The bell song
3. The end of a love affair
4. Watch what happens
5. It had to be you
6. Feeling good
7. Charity
8. I wish you love (by Ella Fitzgerald)
9. Along came Betty
10. It's only a paper moon. (Ella Fitzgerald has sung it)
11. Lazy river
12. Mental Phrasing (an famous instrumental)
13. Prelude to a kiss (by Duke Ellington)
14. Spring High (by Stevie Wonder)
15. Nostalgia At Times Square
16. Cheek to cheek
17. Just the two of us
18. My baby just cares for me (by Nina Simone)
19. Misty (popularised by Frank Sinatra).
20. Everything happens to me
21. Please bounce
22. Mood for love (by James Moody).
23. Superstar. (Popularised by Luther Vandross)
24. Unforgettable. (By Nat King Cole).
25. Can't take it away from me. (By Gershwin).
26. Overjoyed. (By Stevie Wonder).
27. Sunny
28. Joshua (an instrumental, popularised by Miles Davis).
29. Hallelujah, I Love Her So. (By Ray Charles.)
30. I've got the world on a string. (By Frank Sinatra).
31. Autumn leaves.
32. Ladybird. (An instrumental).
33. Unit Seven (an instrumental composition by Sam Jones).
34. < Marvin Gaye's songs >.
35. Something stupid
36. All the things you are.
37. Besame mucho.
38. Nature boy. (By Nat King Cole).
39. The lady is a tramp. (Made famous by Ella Fitzgerald).
40. Dream a little dream of me.
41. Sir Duke. (A song made in honour of Duke Ellington).
42. La vie en rose.
43. Moment's notice (an instrumental by Coltrane).
44. Quando Quando Quando.
45. The shadow of your smile. (an instrumental by Johnny Mandel).
46. Sunny side of the street.
47. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life. Frank Sinatra.
48. “Insanity”. A duet featuring Gregory Porter.
49. “Precious”. A female bassist named Esperanza Spalding.
50. “Let there be love”. Nat King Cole.
51. All The Way. Popularised by Frank Sinatra.
52. “My romance”. Ella Fitzgerald.
53. Desafinado (trans.: “a little off-tune”) is a 1959 bossa nova song and jazz standard composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim
54. A very precious love. Doris Day.
55. “It's a lovely day today”. Bossa nova.
56. “I'll never fall in love again.” By Burt Bacharach, and popularised by Dionne Warwick.
57. “At last”. Etta James.
58. “Giant steps”. A bebop tune.
59. “Slow hot wind”. An instrumental.
60. 'Tis Autumn.
61. Randy Crawford's version of Feeling Good.
62. “Time After Time” is a romantic jazz standard with lyrics written by Sammy Cahn and music by Jule Styne in 1946.
63. “One-note samba”. Antonio Carlos Jobim.
64. “Don't know me”. Ray Charles.
65. “Stellar by starlight”. A jazz standard.
66. “Fascinating rhythm”. Popularised by Ella Fitzgerald.
67. “Copa cabana (her name was Lola)”. Barry Manilow.
68. Dream a little dream of me
69. “You're just too good to be true / I can't take my eyes off you”
70. L-O-V-E. Nat King Cole.
71. “Will you still be mine”. Miles Davis.
72. Blackbird. Popularised by Brad Mehldau.
73. “Tell me a bedtime story.” Herbie Hancock. An Instrumental.
74. “The moon is a harsh mistress”. Jimmy Webb. An Instrumental.
75. “Crystal silence”. Chick Corea's work, as performed by Gary Burton on vibraphone.
76. Honeysuckle Rose, popularised by Fats Waller.
77. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado). Popularised by Frank Sinatra.
78. “Four”. A jazz standard.

#lists

So, I will now direct my attention to visual depictions of Biblical violence.

1. Abel and Cain, by Titian.
2. Jael and Sisera, by James Northcote.
3. Samson and Delilah, by Rembrandt.
4. The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, by John Martin.
5. Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, by a follower of Rembrandt.
6. The Fall of the Dragon and the Rebel Angels Defeated by Michael the Archangel. Engraving by N.P. Loir after C. Lebrun. 1624-1679 AD.

The above list is certainly not exhaustive.

#lists

Beware: ahead lies mentions of religion, spirituality and various unmentionables.

from Henry David Thoreau. “Civil Disobedience and Other Essays”.

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things..

from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

What is success?

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!

from Charlie Mackesy. “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”.

“When things get difficult remember who you are.”

'Who am I?' asked the boy.

'You are loved,' said the horse.

from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. “The little prince”. (Chapter 21).

“Goodbye,” he said.

“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.”

“It is the time I have wasted for my rose—” said the little prince, so that he would be sure to remember.

“Men have forgotten this truth,” said the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose . . .”

“I am responsible for my rose,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

From John Pritchard's book, “Why go to church?” (Page 18):

Making the effort to put ourselves into a place of glad gratitude is nearly always worthwhile. It changes our point of view. It says: 'this is what I was made for. This is where I'm meant to be.' and gradually, oh so gradually, we become a fraction more like the one we worship. It's always like that. As Tom Wright puts it:

Those who worship money become, eventually, human calculating machines. Those who worship sex become obsessed with their own attractiveness or prowess. Those who worship power become more and more ruthless. [Footnote]

But those who worship Jesus Christ become, all unaware, more and more like him, though very slowly, in small gradations. And the world needs them.

• Footnote:

Tom Wright. (2006). “Simply Christian”. Page 127. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

From an anonymous source:

God loved birds and He built them a sky.

Man loved birds and he built them a cage.

from an anonymous source

There are two ways to play this game. One, play it safe. Two, play to grow.

The second way is how you win.

anonymous

Give your best to the world, and she will give her best to you.

anonymous

Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive. Because what the world needs is people who come alive.

From Niccolò Michiavelli's book, “The Prince” (Chapter XXIV: Why the princes of Italy have lost their States):

Let those Princes of ours, therefore, who, after holding them for a length of years, have lost their dominions, blame not [redacted], [nor God], but their own inertness. For never having reflected in tranquil times that there might come a change (and it is human nature when the sea is calm not to think of storms), when adversity overtook them, they thought not of defence but only of escape, hoping that their people, disgusted with the arrogance of the conqueror, would someday recall them.

This course may be a good one to follow when others fail, but it were the height of folly, trusting to it, to abandon every other; since none would wish to fall on the chance of someone else being found to lift him up. It may not happen that you are recalled by your people, or if it happen, it gives you no security. It is an ignoble resource, since it does not depend on you for its success; and those modes of defence are alone good, certain and lasting, which depend upon yourself and your own worth.

from a deaconess

It is easy to be righteous. Just impose high standards upon other people, and punish them when they fail to meet your standards.

It is easy to be loving. Just say nice words and do nice things for other people, and sit at the same table with them, no matter how immoral they are. (But that is called indulgence, not love).

How to be righteous and loving – now that is the difficult part.

from Nicky and Pippa Gumbel

Love becomes soft if it is not strengthened by truth. Truth becomes hard if it is not softened by love.

from an elder sister-in-Christ

In the field of parenting -

love without discipline leads to spoilt children.

discipline without love leads to rebellious children.

love with discipline leads to righteous children.

from an elder

In the field of choosing a romance partner -

At some point, the mind matters more than the face, and the heart more than the body.

#lists

I shall attempt to compile a list of news articles, below.

If the rich and famous can die suddenly – in the midst of their affluence and opulence – so can I.

A question for myself: does Sergeant Death really care if I am rich or poor, single or married?

Memento mori.

1. “Microsoft Singapore managing director Lee Hui Li dies while on sabbatical”. 25 July 2025. In The Straits Times.
2. “What we know about the death of Liverpool soccer star Diogo Jota and his brother”. 4 July 2025. In CNN.
3. “Artist JunYang Pow, who at 31 years old has had a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Died on 17 March 2025.” In Instagram of Art Outreach Singapore.
4. “Driver killed in high-speed crash on Nicoll Highway was director of Chee Song Foods”. Mar 03, 2025. In The Straits Times.
5. “Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, star of the popular drama ‘Meteor Garden,’ dies at age 48”. February 3, 2025. in Associated Press.
6. “Makansutra’s K.F. Seetoh’s brother killed in suspected gas explosion in Italy.” Dec 23, 2024. in The Straits Times.
7. “UK tech tycoon among six missing after yacht sinks”. August 19, 2024. in BBC.
8. “Woman killed by falling tree in Marsiling Park.” Feb 18, 2021. in The Straits Times.
9. “Political activist Charlie Kirk has been murdered at the age of 31 by a sniper at a speaking event at Utah Valley University”. 11 Sep 2025. In The Guardian

In all you do, remember the end of your life, and then you will never sin. (Sirach 7:36)

#lists

Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.

What a blessing it is to enjoy music – on both listening and performing ends – at public pianos.

Let me recount some memorable encounters while I was plonking away at the keys.

“my father is dead”

• Venue: National Library Building, Singapore. Level 1, Lobby
• Song request: “Golden Hour” by JVKE
• Requester: a young lady, age-wise, maybe in her late twenties

“My father is dead. Before he died, he used to play this song for me. Can you play it?”

“sure, I can't play it fluently, as I'm unfamiliar with it, but I can try.”

“Thank you.”

“my mother likes it”

• Venue: Tan Tock Seng Hospital, atrium, facing the food court
• Song request: “Always with me (theme song from the anime, Spirited Away)“, by Joe Hisashi
• Requester: middle-aged lady, standing next to her elderly mother, who was seated in a wheelchair

“excuse me, can I request something? My mother likes this song. It's from an anime.”

(thinks to myself) your mother likes anime?!

“sure, I can try. I'll play it slowly though.”

“let me buy dinner for you”

• Venue: National Library Building, Singapore. Level 1, Lobby
• Request: “Love story” by Taylor Swift
• Requester: young Chinese-looking male, appearing to be in mid-thirties of age

Thinking on hindsight – I wasn't used to being paid, but okay, no problem, I can try letting others pay me. The gentleman took me to a road-side food stall, some fifteen minutes' walk away from the piano. He also gave me SGD$1.50 in coins, to buy myself a drink at a vending machine.

Thank you, kind sir.

“I like Studio Ghibli”

• Venue: Orchard MRT Station, near the corridor facing Wisma Atria
• Song request: any song from a Studio Ghibli anime. I picked “The changing seasons (theme song from the anime, Kiki's Delivery Service)“, by Joe Hisaishi
• Requester: a young lady, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties

She was very enthusiastic in recording my performance with her smart-phone's video-recording function. She was recording the video for such a long duration that I worried that her phone would run out of (digital) storage space.

After my performance ended, she shyly handed me a little key-chain, and then blushed, her face turning a deep crimson in colour. The key-chain featured a figurine of Totoro, the panda-like character from another Studio Ghibli anime, My Neighbour Totoro.

References

1. “Find a public piano to play.” https://pianos.pub/
2. “Play it Forward Singapore: Public Piano Movement in Singapore. Public pianos around Singapore for all to play!” https://playitforwardsg.org/
3. “The Creative Economy: Arts, Cultural Value and Society in practice”. a book by Ashley, and Loh, et al. Publisher: ‎ Routledge. Publication date: ‎ May 8, 2024

#piano #lists

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep; 'God is not dead, nor doth he sleep! The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men!' – H. W. Longfellow

I have never had a father’s protection from danger, and I have never had a mother’s tender touch.

Every passer-by could see I was lost and abandoned, but no one had the willingness to help; or, even if they had, they lacked the ability. They shook their heads, and said, “it’s sad to see this”, and then went on with their lives. Probably they have forgotten all about me, by now, and even at this present hour, they are caught up with their own workplace troubles and family conflicts.

Worse, robbers and thieves (who looked innocent and friendly enough, on the surface) started scheming, when they saw my defenceless state, and managed to steal my possessions, and took advantage of my body.

But God hears me when I cry myself to sleep on my pillow. He is my only Ever-loving Father.

Psalm 27:10: “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” (New Living Translation)

Psalm 68:5: “Father of the fatherless, and defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.”

2 Corinthians 12:9: “I boast in my weakness, for when I am weak, I am strong.”

No one can stop God from loving me. What comfort this is! God is the undefeated in battle.

Jesus is enough for an orphan like me. I can hold my head high because Jesus loves me. As the song goes: “yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.”

Don’t be discouraged. If I can feel happiness, you can, too.

Jesus loves you.

resources

1. World Without Orphans. https://worldwithoutorphans.org/
2. The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel. https://bible.alpha.org/en/
3. “Alpha is an 11-week course...” https://alpha.org/
4. “When Spiritual Parenting becomes emotional codependency, it's no longer discipleship – it's dysfunction. This is a boundary that should never be crossed.” by: Chris Durso, pastor of Good Company Church. https://www.instagram.com/p/DJt49lvRTRB/?img_index=2&igsh=MTRka2x6ODRvd2R3Zw==

#talmid #lists

Can your mind process these opinions and come to a conclusion that makes sense to yourself?

1. “We are facing a pornography pandemic” by: Josh McDowell. https://saltandlight.sg/faith/we-are-facing-a-pornography-pandemic-josh-mcdowell/
2. “Can I ever be set free from pornography and masturbation?” by: Dawson Ng. https://thirst.sg/can-i-ever-be-set-free-from-pornography-and-masturbation/
3. “Facing up to porn addiction, the hidden third party in our marriage.” by: Sharon Tan (pseudonym). https://saltandlight.sg/relationships/porn-addiction-the-hidden-third-party-in-our-marriage/
4. “Surviving an affair” by Willard F. Harvey Jr.
5. “The real avenger: Christian song about struggles against lust and porn.” By: Gino Borst.
6. “What does God and the Bible say about masturbation?” by: Pastor Mike Novotny.

a rambling discourse, on opinions, follows hence

The world is a noisy place. Everyone has an opinion. And you know what humorous uncles say about opinions: 'it's like an anus. Everyone has one.'

Yet wars are started on opinions, and friendships are similarly broken through opinions: “I am right and you are wrong.” In the face of a differing opinion, people choose violence – verbal, physical, or otherwise – instead of being curious: “Oh, may I know what is informing your opinion? Let me investigate with curiosity. And maybe, just maybe, I would actually become more aware of your background, though I may still disagree with you.”

In the older days, the word “conversation” used to mean, “to turn with” – I switch my position, from my side of the argument, to your side. Actually, that's how I heard scientific knowledge is advanced: you have made an amazing discovery that contradicts my existing knowledge, and I thank you for that, because now I see that I have been misguided, and now I can benefit from this correction.

Instead, in this age of social media, people are just shouting over each other, and no one is really listening. That's a sure recipe for disaster in any society. We talk to each other, instead of talking with each other, and everyone is unhappy.

But this is nothing new. Centuries ago, Galileo was severely ill-treated by powerful people; he dared to claim that the Earth revolves around the Sun, in a time when the popular opinion was that the Sun (supposedly) revolved around the Earth.

As an older human says: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise.”

So I

#lists #talmid

What, then?

As things turned out, the call of nature has resulted in screaming outrage, reflected in news articles.

It seems that the millenia-old practice of urinating and defecating is still causing shock today.

a list follows (in no particular order)

1. “Drunk man, 37, who visited MBS casino & pooped on floor, fined S$400”. 19 September 2024. in MotherShip.
2. “Man urinates in MRT train in full view of commuters; gets jail and fine”. 18 March 2025. in Channel NewsAsia.
3. “Two more men charged with urinating at MRT stations”. 15 Jan 2025. in Channel NewsAsia.
4. “Man jailed for urinating at Sengkang bus interchange”. 27 May 2025. In Channel NewsAsia.

On closer inspection, it seems that alcohol consumption has been a factor in a number of these incidents.

Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, And whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

• the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 20, Verse 1, New King James Version

disease and shit

Seen on Quora.com, a question-and-answer website:

“What do you do when a person with Alzheimer’s keeps pooping on the floor when using the bathroom?”

'My mom with dementia pees and poops all over the house. I'm tired of having to clean up after...”

life isn't always pretty.

Image credit: Fritz Burmann – “Mrs Biene from Worpswede, 87 Years Old”. (1923). Seen on Flickr

maybe that's partly why I am drawn to compost heaps, (in community-run gardens), these days. I am amazed at the transformation of food scraps into nutrient-rich soil, over weeks and months.

And, in one of the novels by the late great Zola, the ending features a solitary flower that grows out of a mound of dung.

There is magic here on this planet, if you know where to look.

parting shot

“The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.”

from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 30, verse 17, New International Version.

#lists

Special thanks to Alyson for your warm hospitality at Cuturi Gallery.

I. 8th of November, 2019

I was at Art Porters Gallery, where a photographer-artist named Lavender Chang was giving a talk. Then, Monsieur Guillaume offered a pair of tickets, free of charge, to a music recital, named “ Voices of Bernard Sabatier”.

(Bernard Sabatier is a luthier, a maker of string instruments, such as the violin and viola. His viola is unconventionally shaped, and hence is met with resistance in music academies. However the luthier believes that his own instruments make performances easier for younger musicians.)

I accepted this splendid offer, inviting a younger friend along.

The venue for this recital was a studio in the magnificent Esplanade Theatres. If I remember correctly, one of the featured compositions was Schubert's.

II. 9th of November, 2023.

Someone from Gnani Arts Gallery sent me an email, inviting me to Affordable Art Fair, for “a private viewing of new and spectacular work curated by us for this season.”

I happily accepted the complimentary ticket. The venue was Formula One Pit Building.

One year later, I would receive another complimentary ticket, to the latest iteration of the fair. (But this time, I heard directly from the organising team behind the fair.) I would donate it to a younger artist, whose birthday fell around the same time (approximately 7th to 10th November 2024).

III. 14th of January, 2023.

Someone from The Projector, an independent cinema, posted on Facebook: “want tickets to Art SG?” Or something like that. I said Yes. And then I went to the exhibition, named “Art SG”, at Marina Bay Sands, which featured galleries from all over the world. (I know “Art SG” isn't the most imaginative name, but that isn't the point.)

IV. 13th of December, 2024.

The event was named, “Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel Art Fair”. Someone posted in a chat-group in Telegram: “If anyone wants free entry, you can Private Message me.”

I went there and sipped some wine. How wonderful!

That particular chat-group is titled: Creative Tech SG.

Of course, I give thanks to a Divine Somebody, who provides for a imperfect creature like me.

#lists

1. Amazing grace (23 Nov 2024)
2. 10,000 reasons (30 Nov 2024)
3. Silent night (21 Dec 2024)
4. Hark the herald (28 Dec 2024)
5. Holy forever (4 Jan 2025)
6. How great is our god (11 Jan 2025)
7. Living hope (18 Jan 2025)
8. Above all (8 Feb 2025)
9. Hymn of Heaven (15 Feb 2025)
10. My Jesus, my saviour (22 Feb 25)
11. Blessed assurance (1 March 25)
12. How great Thou art (8 March 25)
13. Here I am to worship (15 March 25)
14. Follow on (22 March 25)

#lists