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    Of Gods, Mythical Creatures and Mynahs
    Of Gods, Mythical Creatures and Mynahs
    Of Gods, Mythical Creatures and Mynahs
    Ebook73 pages45 minutes

    Of Gods, Mythical Creatures and Mynahs

    By Uresh, Sandy and Ted

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    About this ebook

    The book consists of a collection of 3 plays. The first play features a gathering of Chinese deities at the court of the Heavenly Emperor on Chinese New Year day. The gods got themselves into a “serious” discussion to try to solve some of the problems that plagued humans on earth. The second play makes a revisitation of the “Red Hill story” and tells a tale involving Merlions and how the “Red Hill boy” comes back in the modern setting. The last play highlights the nature of bird communication through their ordinary business of daily living such as in getting their meals or in how they have to make “special” calls or passwords in identifying with the others.

    Sandy is interested in heritage matters and is an animal lover. Uresh and Ted are enthusiasts of science fiction, mythology and alternate history. The trio hopes all those who read the plays will discover something between the old and contemporary, the mythical and factual as well as what is usually understood as the norm versus the peculiar.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateJan 5, 2015
    ISBN9789670730080
    Of Gods, Mythical Creatures and Mynahs

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      Book preview

      Of Gods, Mythical Creatures and Mynahs - Uresh

      PREFACE

      Sandy wrote the plays on the Chinese deities (first play) and the mynahs (third play). As a Chinese, she has known these deities for a long time. Research and the first attempt to ‘humanize’ the gods (as opposed to deitify) took place when she was volunteering at the museum. She had hoped to assist the non-Chinese audience to understand the complex world and identities of the gods. As for the piece on the mynahs, Sandy has always had a keen interest of the animal world. As a non-science student, she has attempted to understand the most common specie of bird in Singapore and their not so readily understood behavior.

      Uresh and Ted have always had a keen interest in science fiction, mythology and alternate history. They had initially attempted to write a novel based on an alien invasion series screened in the mid-1980s. The writing of this play came about after they received encouragement from Mr Kenneth Johnson, an eminent writer-producer in the USA. Their common interest and spillover from their profession as history and social studies educators has helped them to sustain the lengthy process of research, writing and repeated editing. They have not given up their hopes of writing a sci-fi story set in the context of Malaysia and Singapore, where they respectively reside.

      The trio hopes all those who read the plays will discover something between the old and contemporary, the mythical and factual as well as what is usually understood as the norm versus the peculiar.

      Uresh, Sandy and Ted would like to thank Mr Mohd Zaki bin Ragman for the wonderful illustrations drawn for their plays.

      Uresh, Sandy and Ted

      12 October 2013

      New Year’s Day Fireworks

      A Play written by Sandy J.C. Liu

      New Year’s Day Fireworks

      Written by Sandy Liu

      Preamble / Abstract

      The play features a gathering of Chinese deities at the court of the Heavenly Jade Emperor on the first day of the Chinese New Year. The play aims to bring about an awareness to Chinese and non-Chinese readers the supposed roles and responsibilities of the various deities. These roles were formed from a mixture of religions, folklores and famous historical novels. In modern times, people from different industries start to adopt some of the deities for their blessings. New Year Day always ushers in a volley of fireworks. On this occasion, before the fireworks could be launched, a deity interrupted to ask for it to be substituted by a more natural form of celebrative display (i.e., lightning display), citing environmental reasons for the change. This launches the gods in an audience session looking for solutions to the environmental problem. The problem, it seems, is not any easier to disentangle in its explanations on earth or the role delegation in celestial heaven. Readers are advised to browse through the ‘occupations list of the deities’ before reading the play so that they will have some idea of their roles and generic affiliations.

      Cast / Characters

      JADE EMPEROR (OR HEAVENLY EMPEROR)

      GOD OF FIRE (OR KITCHEN GOD)

      GOD OF LIGHTNING

      SEA DRAGON

      SEA GODDESS

      MONKEY GOD

      GOD OF PROSPERITY

      EARTH GOD

      GOD OF JUSTICE

      GODDESS OF MERCY

      GOD OF UNDERWORLD

      THE THIRD PRINCE (OR THE MARSHAL)

      BUDDHA

      THREE-STAR DEITIES (FU-LU-SHOU)

      CONFUCIUS

      GOD OF ALCHEMY

      Sets / Props

      A court where an audience session is held by the Heavenly Emperor needs to be ‘set up’. A throne is located on an elevated platform at one end of the court (very much like an audience session held by an earthly emperor in Chinese historical serials) with the official-deities lined-up (standing) on both sides of the court.

      The individual characters may dress up according to the characteristics described in the ‘Deities’ occupation list’ as well as illustrated in an accompanying picture in the play. For instance, the Jade Emperor can wear an emperor headgear

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