Charles Bridge, Prague.

Our next destination after the visit to the Prague Castle is Prague Old Town. To reach the Old Town, we had to walk pass Charles Bridge. Construction of this bridge started around mid 14th century and completed about fifty years later. The bridge is 621m long. It has 16 arches and the balustrades are decorated with thirty statues and statuaries.  These statues are mostly saints and patron saints venerated during the period from late 17th century to early 18th century.

This bridge being the only access across River Vltava at medieval time had seen some of the most horrible things that happened in Prague. During the Habsburg Monarchy, twenty seven leaders of the anti-Habsburg rebellion were executed on 21 June 1621. Their severed heads were put up on display at the bridge tower to serve as deterrent to Czechs from further resistance.

John of Nepomuk, the Vicar-General of St. Giles Cathedral was Queen Sophia's confessor. Wenceslaus IV, King of the Romans and Bohemia suspected his second wife, Queen Sophia who is the cousin of the Queen was having an affair. Eager to find out the truth, he wanted John to disclose the content of Sophia's confession but he refused. On 20 March 1393, at the behest of King Wenceslaus IV, John was tortured, then bundled into a sack and thrown into River Vltava from Charles Bridge where he died of drowning. He was considered the first martyr of the Seal of Confession, a patron against calumnies (libel or slander). He was later canonized and declared a saint in 1729.

Many came as "pilgrims" to seek blessing by touching the plague placed below the statue of St. John of Nepomuk.

Touching the Plague below the statue of 
St. John of Nepomuk.

Bridge Tower.

Taking advantage of the crowds of visitors, this is also a favorite for street musicians, souvenirs peddlers and the marginalized.

Prague Castle

We had to go through security check at the main entrance to Prague Castle prior to being allowed to go into the castle compound. This is because the castle is used as the official office of the President of Czech Republic. In fact this castle complex which dates back to the 9th century has always been the seat of power. It had been used by the kings of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Emperors. The complex which occupies an area of 750,000 sq. ft. (equivalent to 13 football fields) is certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest ancient castle in the world.

The main attraction in the castle probably is St. Vitus Cathedral. Its prominent Gothic design is clearly reflected in the pointed arches throughout many parts of the Cathedral. This is a place where the Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors are interred.

Castle complex entrance is "guarded" and 
Changing of Guards is scheduled 
at 1200 noon daily.

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St. Vitus cathedral

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At another remnant old block of the complex, the exhibits of armors, weapons and even torture tools  on display give a good idea of the lives during medieval time. 

It is just unthinkable how people at medieval time were so ingenious to come up with tools for torture that could inflict pain and even death of unimaginable scale. The spike armchair and torture rack were two of the many on display.

In the Prague Castle complex compound which is situated

 on top of a hill, one can have a good view of the 

old town of Prague.

The Lion King Musical, Singapore

It was in June 2016 when Paul treated us to tickets for Les Miserables at the Esplanade Theatre - an unforgettable experience!. 

Two years later in August 2018, the international tour of The Lion King Musical arrived in Singapore. Once again, Paul generously brought us to the show which took place on 16 August 2018 at the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands.

By then nearly 25 years had passed since Walt Disney Pictures released the original animated masterpiece "The Lion King" in 1994. Its iconic theme song "Circle of Life" became an instant classic resonating for years and echoing through households around the world. For many children of the '80s and '90s, the film cast a near-hypnotic spell, becoming a cultural touchstone of their childhood.

Before the stage performance, I couldn't help but wonder how characters like Simba, Pumbaa, Timon, Zazu would be brought to live on stage. As it turned out, the production exceeded expectations - a truly imaginative and masterful display of theatrical creativity!

Mufasa.

Mufasa and Zazu.

Pumbaa & Timon.

Down Memory Lane - Mersing

The idea of making a visit to Mersing was mooted after Lucy proposed to have a get-together in that little town. Both Lucy and my then GF got to know each other because both were posted to teach in the schools in Mersing in the late 70's.

Lucy and my then GF were house mates in Mersing.

Soon after my wife moved to KK in 1979, Lucy too applied to teach in a school (All Saints) in KK. She later met an Australian who came to work in Sabah and they fell in love and finally got married. Not long after, they decided to move back and settled down in Australia.

It has been such a very long time since we last met.

My daughter, Serene was the flower girl for 
Lucy's wedding in Christ Church KK.

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It was late afternoon by the time we arrived at Mersing on 11 August 2018. We had earlier picked up our rented car at Senai Airport immediately upon landing at 12.30pm. Along the way from Johor Bharu to Mersing, we stopped at Kluang to pick up my MIL. Before continuing to Mersing, we dropped by at the Cendol Kadir outlet at Jalan Kaptain Ahmad to savour the so called Kluang's acclaimed Cendol.

I remember the very first time visiting Mersing, this Johor little outback way back in 1977.  Almost all the short uni-holiday breaks were spent visiting my GF who was posted to teach in one of the secondary schools there, SMK Sri Mersing. In those days some forty years ago, making a trip from KL to Mersing was laborious and time consuming. First, I needed to take a public bus from Petaling Jaya to KL Central Train Station to catch a train from KL to Kluang covering 270Km. From Kluang Train Station, I had to walk to the Bus Station to catch another public bus to Mersing (105Km). It would be late afternoon or early evening by the time I reached Mersing.

After forty years, Mersing has undergone significant changes. I was told that much of the new commercial area in the town center is on reclaimed seafront land.

The beach which I could remember most has undergone extensive upgrading work. This is one place where I had both amusing as well as embarrassing moments. One late afternoon after school in 1977, I and my then GF put on our swimming trunks and walked all the way from the rented house to the beach for a swim. Just before the dip, we left our shirts, shorts and slippers on the beach within sighting distance. Just before sunset, we decided it was time to go and we walked back to pick up our belongings. The stuff was nowhere to be seen. We failed to realize that the tide had come in at the time of our swim and dragged them into the sea. To avoid curious eyes looking at a bare-chest man walking in public view, we decided to move only when the evening was totally dark! It is hilarious now that I think about it!

 

A prominent landmark at the beach.

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It was exactly forty years since she taught in this school.

With some of the students.

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The highlight of the reunion with friends who settled down in Mersing was a sumptuous lunch at a local Chinese restaurant. The host was Siew Lan, a former student of my wife who later on became an administrative staff of the school. She has also since retired. 

My English Teacher at Lok Yuk School KK - Sushila Chari

Some of my 1969 classmates of Lok Yuk KK had a lunch at a local restaurant with our former English Teacher before she left for Australia. When she taught us in the late sixties, she was 26 and a fresh graduate. Sushila Chari is a petite Indian lady who married a man whom she called "my China Man". After her marriage, students called her Mr. Sushila Chung. Now, both teacher and students are all senior citizens.

Class of 1969.

Talking about teachers, there is a quote that says, "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspire".

I could recall mediocre teachers, indifferent teachers, uncommitted  teachers, dispassionate teachers, some good teachers, extremely rare superior teachers and great teacher who inspired - none I could think of.

I remember a teacher, a known majong enthusiast who came to class with occasional yawns for lack of sleep. His favourite teaching method was to ask the students to turn to the pages on worked examples and he would start copying the examples on the board. Once, he failed to realize that he had copied wrongly until the students pointed out to him. 

Then, we had another teacher who came to the class, pulled the chair and sat down. Without looking at the class, she asked the students to turn to specific pages of the text book and started teaching. There was hardly a moment that she would raise her head to look at the class and had eyes contact - a dispassionate teacher! Surprisingly, she rose to become a school principal.

It turns out it was a trainee teacher from a teacher training college whom I consider a superior teacher when I was a lower secondary student. He would take extra effort to make all the models and teaching aids to supplement his teaching. In a class outing, he took the effort to join the students and we had such great fun and laughter. There was no difference between teacher and students. He was one of us. That left a lasting impression on me. 

Teachers should not be rated just based on the teaching skill alone. Sometimes, it is the little things that they do for the students, their compassion, their understanding that earn them the credentials to be regarded as good teachers. This is the case of my English Teacher.

When the lunch with my English Teacher was over on 5 July 2018 and photos shared, this is what she shared in WhatsApp:

"I will never forget this particular day, good food, excellent company and beautiful memorable photos. What could one ask for. Thanks Jesus for the young men and women I had taught 42 years ago!". 

To be exact, it is 49 years ago!