Unk Dicko and his Ukulele on FM 90.5 Gold "live".

Last night I was the special guest of Radio station Gold 90.5 FM hosted by father and son team of Brian and Mark Richmond. Brian received me at MediaCorp's reception area at about 7.30 pm and drove me to another building which housed the Radio section.

As we entered the soundproof studio of Gold 90.5, Mark was at the controls "live". As soon as the music came on, he stood up and came over to shake my hands warmly. I have known Brian previously and I can say for certain that they both have great chemistry as father and son to jointly co-host the programmes they are doing. It was infectious as they were jibing each other...and that makes three of us. I have a similar propensity.

Though it wasn't the first time I've been on Radio, still there should be some apprehension when that was going out truly "live". Glad to say I was not one bit nervous...just acting and being my normal self.
And that made it easy to go with the flow of that live segment as managed by Brian and Mark.
The theme and subject matter was about the Ukulele., the impact it had on my life and the surge in interest today.
The feedback I'd received from those who caught the 1 hour programme aired live was absolutely positive and inspiring.
Special Thanks to Brian and Mark!
You have helped give more life to that little fella ( the ukulele ).
Keep the music going and the good times rolling!
The ukulele community out there will appreciate this too.

Unk Dicko

They are truly a super, fabulous pair ...Brian and Mark



Unk Dicko with the Radio host legend himself...Brian Richmond



Wow, Mark has really grown real tall !

Unk Dicko with Brian and Mark inside Gold 90.5 FM studio

MediaCorp FM 90.5 invites Unk Dicko for "live" Ukulele performance tomorrow night.

My favourite local radio station is Gold 90.5 and that goes for my wifey too. We simply love to be surprised by the fabulous songs of the good old days that come over the airwave from this station mostly hosted by the incomparable Brian Richmond himself. Recently, his son Mark joined him in a father and son thing and it's definitely a first of sorts in radio folklore.

Yesterday ( Wednesday 30 march ) I received a pleasant surprise...a phone call from Brian himself.
We chatted like old friends for awhile before he sprang the surprise.
He wanted me to be his "Special Guest" on Friday,s programme segment called the "HOT SEAT".
Friday happens to be tomorrow April 1 2011...but this is no April Fools' joke I can assure you!
Apparently there are reports of a surge in ukulele interest among people in Singapore. On Tuesday the New Paper carried a double page write-up about the current ukulele interest level. And on that very night the "Grandpa Uke" duo ( R Chee and Unk Dicko ) were entertaining the shoppers "live" at Fairprice Hypermart at Nex Serangoon.
The topic for tomorrow night: We'll be discussing  the UKULELE and its impact on my life from the early years to the present. That will not be the only thing....there's much more.
Brian has requested me to provide him with a couple of songs that will feature in my personal all time favourites list.
Sigh...I have so many and it will not do justice to leave out the rest !
Nevertheless, the songs I had narrowed down to are the ones that have most emotional impact and meaning whenever they are played or sung.
So which are the songs?

I won't let the cat out of the bag yet...in fact, I think I'll leave all that to Mr Gold  90.5 himself to reveal the mystery.
So whereever you may be...tune in to FM 90.5 tomorrow starting from 8 pm sharp.
It's going out "live".
Those of you who missed my earlier ukulele performances on radio a few years ago will get a chance
to hear solid, pure ukulele sounds and songs.

Friday April 1  from 8 - 9 pm. Don't miss it!

Homestretch

Weekdays: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
TIME : 5pm to 9pm
SMS Keyword : HOME
DJ: Brian and Mark Richmond

Gold 90FM makes radio history with the first-ever Father and Son pairing of Brian and Mark Richmond on the evening drive show the Homestretch. Mark makes a return to radio to helm the Homestretch from 5pm to 9pm Monday to Fridays.

You'll be Riding with the Richmonds with great songs and tongue-in-cheek humour spiced with interesting segments to captivate and entertain the senses. With both father and son having credible sports casting experience, you can expect a healthy debate on the English football league and such like. There will also be interactive elements to engage the listeners.

A 'Celebration Surprise call' segment will enable listeners to get the duo to call on a loved one or friend celebrating a special day.

The Playback in the 8 o'clock hour will feature the Top Ten songs in the UK and the US for that particular day for a specific year interspersed with interesting historical events. And once a week on a Friday, Mark and Brian will entertain a special guest in the Hot Seat. They will share their favourite songs and give us an insight into their world.

There will be lots of surprises coming your way as you Ride Home with the Richmonds on the Homestretch. Catch it on Gold 90FM, Monday to Fridays 5pm - 9pm.

Send your SMS to 72346
*Each SMS costs 30 cents. This SMS service is provided by MediaCorp Technologies Pte Ltd, customer service hotline 68777132.
Reach the Richmonds by email: homestretch@mediacorp.com.sg
(  The above is from MediaCorp Gold 90.5 FM website )

Grandpa Uke ...entertaining LIVE tonight at Nex Hypermart, Serangoon.

The last 2 months or so I have spent much of my time going through all my collection of song books, song files, music CDs, music albums for the purpose of re-organising the many resources for easy retrieval based on song index, song type and other such things.

 In doing so, I found it was necessary to look at many of the song lyrics to correct obvious mistakes. Many of these songs did not come with music notes or even chord tabs. So, I had to source for them on the internet. When that produced nothing, I play the song out myself and write down the chord tabs.
It was a time-consuming labour of love.
In doing so, there were many bright moments like when I found better chord arrangements for a previously popular song...with good intro and a good ending as well.

My work is not finished yet. Will require many more months of hardwork.
Tonight,  Tuesday 29 March 2011...something interesting is happening at NTUC Fairprice Hypermart at Nex Serangoon Central. The Hypermart is located on level 3. Nex Mall is above the Serangoon MRT station.

From 7 - 9 pm,  Unk Dicko and Richard Chee my close ukulele partner, will be entertaining "live" within the premises of the Hypermart. Grandpa Uke is what we will call ourselves. Some members of my Minstrel Performing group may also be coming.
NTUC Fairprice has engaged us to provide "live" songs and music within the store.
Why Tuesday ?
I think it's because Tuesday is the day seniors aged 60 + get more discount than other days of shopping.

So come on down to shop and join in the night of music and fun.
We will be playing a very good selection of songs. And if you have a personal favourite just shout it out and we will oblige.

See you there!

Watch. Dream. Be Inspired!

I was browsing at my favourite bloglinks when I saw this video clip highlighted on Ageless Voice, a website belonging to my good friend Eleanor. Apparently she attended an informal meet up of some members of the club SILVER TSUNAMI ASIA ( www.silvertsunami.asia)at the East Coast area a few days ago. This clip was highlighted in their discussion.

Based on a true story of these elderly men, average age 81 years, who decided to return to doing what they had done as a group of close buddies in their young days....riding motorcycles! There were 6 of them originally but unfortunately one had passed away.

Unk Dicko knows and understand what they must have felt when their situation, circumstances and their bodies 'prevented' them from enjoying life to the fullest, especially that of their first love - riding their motorcycles again.
I am still the only one among my peers enjoying the freedom of riding today and everyday. The rest of my riding friends have given up donkey years ago.

As long as I am alive...I will continue to ride the freeways, safely.
This videoclip produced by Ogilvy Taiwan is truly one of the most inspirational clips I've seen.
It has garnered some 1.8 million hits already.

If you are like most seniors and elderly folks leading a sedentary and mundane lifestyle, watching this clip will make you want to jump up and do things. Perhaps even radicalise your
thoughts and actions.

Watch. Dream. Be Inspired!

Orangutan and the Hound

Orangutan and the Hound

I received this clip today from a close friend. It's such an incredible love of sharing and bonding between a stray hound dog and an orangutan.
It must be shared here.

How we poor humans can learn so much from just these 2 animals !
Click on the red link above and watch.

New Shaw Theatre at Nex Serangoon...my experience.

On Tuesday 15 February 2011 unk Dicko was invited to the private and exclusive pre-opening sampling of what the latest in cinematic luxury.. theatres can offer. It comes as no surprise that Shaw Theatres Pte Ltd, a household name for enjoying movies, has taken things to a higher level.

The invitation I had received came with a request...that I would hopefully blog about the experience of watching a movie at the Shaw Theatre Premier Hall which seats only 48 patrons plus 2 handicapped seats. They have 2 such luxury halls named simply Premier Hall 1 and Hall 2...both similar in structure.



This is my response to that request from http://www.omy.sg/ which invited me.



That night, my wifey D2 came along for the experience. Nex at Serangoon is conveniently situated right where Serangoon MRT station is. So, we decided to park our car and take the MRT down. The trains were as usual fully packed around 6.35 pm. This was my first ever visit to Nex. D2 had been there before and reminded me not to drive there if possible as parking lots are very limited. We had hoped to have some dinner within the gigantic new mall. But the crowds here were just like those at Vivo City.
Many eating places were packed.

There is a certain hugeness about this mall and the escalators are strung further apart...making sure you have to navigate and walk pass all the shops. Maybe it's intentional huh !
We decided to skip dinner and headed straight for the Theatre on Level 4. There, Alvin from OMY met me and handed me 2 premium tickets. There were some other invitees too...mostly fellow bloggers much, much younger than Unk Dicko.


We presented our tickets and were led into the exclusive Lounge where Premium patrons can have their wine, drinks and dine in comfort before a show. The set up is sleek and really classy with a bevy of smart-looking uniformed staff waiting to serve you well. I had my camera with me and asked if I could snap some pictures. " Certainly sir", one staff said. They were all polite to a perfect "T".


The Premier Lounge is the place where you could have some pre-screening drinks or meals, have a chat or just prepare for the movie. It is not open to patrons of the other halls. There is a substantial Food and Beverage list and comes with some discounts for patrons. D2 and I decided to head straight in to check out the interior of the Premier Hall.
As soon as we stepped inside and looked around, the first thing that impressed is the spaciousness...lots of space between each row and aisle, unlike the usual cinemas. No wonder, it will accomodate only about 50 people in all.


There is plenty of legroom for everyone. The super deluxe seats are made of the softest leather which adds to the comfort. Each pair of seat comes with a small oval mini table on which a F and B menu list is placed. A tiny table-lamp is attached for your convenience of reading in the dark.

This is Shaw's news release which I got when doing some checks.

[ Above: The interior of Premier Hall and the yummy F and B list food ]

The seats come with full adjustable reclining button. Press the button fully and it almost becomes a bed. A high quality blanket is provided for each seat. It is a sheer class act I must say.

Many cinemas are too cold for comfort and patrons without a jacket suffer.

New, fresh blankets will be used for each showtime.
What's our verdict about the seats?

Absolutely worth the money for the ticket price.

It's taking luxury to another level.

These are our 2 ticket foils. They are actually silver in background.

We were there for the new movie Rabbit Hole starring Nicole Kidman.

At the entrance of the Premier Lounge.

The bar of the Lounge.

We decided to try out their Lounge menu. Even though it was dark, the service was still excellent with the waiters even kneeling down on one knee to attend to your needs.

The food?

No complaints....very well done !


The movie we watched was not one we would normally have gone to. It is not "my kind" of movie and is the same for my wifey.

But it was an enjoyable and memorable outing for us. We had never eaten a meal like we did in a cinema before.

So, that was a 1st !

And we won't forget in a long while yet.

All in all, this was a memorable experience for me and D2.

Must listen..Hokkien local food song !

All food lovers whether from Singapore, Malaysia or even Indonesia will love this video-clip.
It is almost like a running commentary of all the top local hawker food we have come to love.
And singing it in Hokkien dialect somehow makes it seems tastier !
Don't believe me?
Play the video, watch and listen.
Me...I'm going for my 'prata' or 'char kway teow' break right now !