I have a number of delicate Chinese fingerines, vases, wall hangings, rare stone carvings, etc. And, I am looking for a place to have them displayed or appreciated in a new house or shop. They are not for sale, neither are they to be given away. They are not cheap. I have bought them from Shanghai, and am looking for a temporary place to hold them and for others to appreciate.
One day, when we can find a place where we use as a lounge or a meeting place for SilverHairs, I shall ask for them to be returned. Then, we can all appreciate them.
Terence Seah
Hi Terence
Perhaps u can send me pictures of your collection. See if I can help pick one or two n add them 2 my displayed collection at home. Btw, need 2 insure them or not?
Hi Yew Kwong,
Yes, I have just taken the pictures from the Shanghai shop, and should arrive in Singapore in two weeks. I bought almost 80 pieces. Better than interest rates in Singapore. These should serve as the nice Chinese decor for the SHC lounge or meeting place.
Will release pictures soon.
Terence Seah
Hi Terence,
How are you?
Its timely of you to display your love for SHC to have a place of its self. and now in advance you’ve some deposit fo collection..that is fantastic and lead many of us ot emulate..
As for place – just a thought
For the moment, wonder the house of collection, that is our S’pore heritage Museum maybe a good place till SHC find its new home.. I think they will be glad to house it, but you have to ink in paper that it’s for loan..ha..ha
As whether it’s better than interest..its too early to be seen.
Suggest cover with insurance, the value will really appreciate with time..
Regards
Gibson
Hi Gibson,
Yah, I have been thinking of a theme, and I thought a Chinese corner will be great. Yes, they will all be on loan, until we find a new house for them.
Terence Seah
Hi Terence
Today is my day-off.
It is a very good idea to have a club-premises for SHCians to gather. SHC can rent a shophouse of a ground level space, say from 1,000 sq ft to 2,500sq ft and if on the 2nd or even 3rd level, my contention is the landlord permits SHC to put up a signboard bearing the club’s name,
and quite prominently displayed at the ground-level entrance.
My take is, the rent of not more than $6,000 monthly can be offset from subscriptions paid by members of say $50annually per member. The final amount of subscription instituted for payment will of course depend on the actual numbers officially registered as SHC members and pertaining too, the best rental price obtainable.
After “the dust has settled” a few years later, an option of being a lifetime SHC member(say a minimum of ten yrs)can be granted with membership-subscriptions’ discounts. Perhaps also, those who wish to pay their subsciptions in advance of say, for 3yrs or more, be given discounts too.
To save costs, at least during the initial yrs, members take turns to voluteer as caretakers of the club ie., one who is physically present at the club premises which is presumably open daily between the hours 10am-10pm.
Costs can be off-setted too, by members paying royalties to SHC for any event organised, particularly on the fees charged upon non-members, thus, which means paid-guests are
welcomed too, to participate in any SHC event.
Any member can organised a seminar/talk. and share a honest proportion of the event’s proceeds with SHC. Likewise, this principle apply, if and when a member is allowed to promote saleable goods/ideas to other club members.
A last suggestion is, members whom have been with SHC for 20yrs from its inception year with a club premises, stop paying his/her subscription from the 21st year membership and with the same previlege for members attaining the age of 80, but conditionally he/she has been a SHC member for 12years.
Regards
Abel Tan
PS. Apology, cannot take up any position if above proposition materialises.
Hi Terence,
Further to my earlier suggestions, additional revenue for SHC can be gleaned from allowing members to play mahjong, etc in the club’s premises, with each member paying a “tax”, say $2 for a shorter game-duration of 3hours and more “tax” payable for a longer duration. Members will be
warned upon official expulsion from SHC, for indulging in high-stakes gambling.
High-stakes gambling is a perrenial problem in nearly all clubs, but if the ruling prohibition is strictly enforced,
die-hards will be significantly obliterated, thus propagating social-gambling where maximum stakes-loss per gaming-session should not exceed $50.
The Management Commitee of the club must not hesitate to ban outright any form of so-called social gambling in disguise of high-stakes, if there is suspicion that participated members are too clever enough on “camourflaging”
Allow only mahjong and gin-rummy for otherwise, the club premises may at times turn into a mini-casion with, bang-luck, poker, etc. Each member is permitted at the gaming table on not more than 4days weekly. All participants must ink their names in the “Social games” register.
The volunteer SHCian caretaker must not compromised his/her position for similar penalties befall on him too.
Thanks
Abel
Hi Terence,
My wish list for your prospective lounge :
A dim lighted room complete with soft furnishing, scented cool air and an overall peaceful ambience for enjoyment of chit chat over drinks and finger food. Light soothing music from a small live band (own SHC members) adds to the overall enjoyment.
Who knows what talent we may find among our SHC performers?
Here is a 47yo lady who has dream..enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk
Your Chinese paintings, artifacts and antiques can create a wonderful fusion décor for
such a lounge. I saw such a décor in a well-known Pub in S’pore.
http://www.indochine.com.sg/
HC
Terence,
I may be interested in your rare stone carvings if they are portable and do not need a trolley or fork-lift to move them around. Please send the pictures. Thank you.
Hi Hou Chong #7,
Yes, and I am very much along your thoughts. I think the idea is still far away, but like you, I think a arts them would be nice. And I like the IndoChine decor too.
Hi Abel #5,
I appreciate your writing your thoughts on how a SHC club venue can be run. While I dont have any solid idea as yet, I must admit we would not go along the mechanism you propose. As I have mentioned before, collecting membership fees is out. At this moment, we do not have the resources, although I see from time to time, SHCians do talk about this.
Terence Seah
Jacky Chan has promised to donate and erect his collection of Antique Chinese houses in Singapore NUS.
Likewise Terence would like hia personal collection of
80 Shanghainese vases to be exhibited in our SHC lounge.
Excellent Idea indeed!
helo Terence..
I can ‘adopt’ temporarily your treasures..I love vases.
Can i house them at my kampong?..better lah..cos nobody around most times hehe..
If i got guests, i will tie with rubberbands so that it wont jatuh(fall) & break!..alamak must insure!
Abel @5/6
While your thoughts & ideas are brilliant..i think awak(you) too ambitious lah …tak ada sakit kepala jangan di cari (no headache, don fine one!)..oopps!..maaf (sori) :)
Hi Terence, yes, i’d like to adopt a poster, if it can fit into my bedroom. Btw, i believe you still have that piece of artwork that we did at Hans last year, during one of the SHC meetings. IF you don’t want that anymore, may i have it, please?
Thanks & best regards.
Hi Terence
With regard to the proposal that SHC obtain a rented premises to serve as a clubhouse for SHCians, allow me to clarify on the practical mechanism of overseeing a new “era”, which the present “fluidility” where members have the freedon and choice to form and create their respective individual activities, be stll operationally maintained, unlike in most other social clubs which the rigid and traditional norm is, the clubs’
management-committees set the agendas/directions on events organised, albeit sub-committees are usually set up to overseee the particular event.
With due respect to all current SHCians, my personal view, perhaps conservatively dogmatic, is that by introducing a clubhouse with registered members will immediately established the loyalty of SHCians whom sincerely want to become a faithful SHCian, as mirrored by my Baba & Nyonya Association’s experience, whereby from a grouping of about eleven hundred persons a few months before official registration, but from 1st March, 1995, just 417 members signed up.
Dozens were automatically eliminated from registration due to not being full-blooded Peranakans(though several were later co-opted as non-voting members due to a change in the association’s constitution in 1999)), but scores were being undeniably churlish for not signing-up due to personal bias “if John sign up, I will not join”.
Pardon me, as my take is to distinguish the “committed” from the “uncommitted” in Silverhairsclub “till death do us part”
Regards
Abel Tan
Hi Abel,
When I put up this post, I had intented to find a temporary home for the Chinese arts and crafts which I had bought. At a later date, if we ever can find a lounge for SHCians, we can place the decor there. It may be an office, or a cafe, or something. Then we can immediately put up a theme.
I was not thinking of a clubhouse for SHC. We had dwelled on this subject before, but felt this would not be the direction we would take, for numerous reasons of costs, resource, practicality, oprganisation, etc. From responses, I felt many SHCians like the format we are currently adopting. Simple to join, easy to meet new friends, cost effective, minimal resources, etc. It’s membership for life. Maybe we are busy today, but definitely, we can be free tomorrow. Ideal for the active ones, but equally ideal for those who are watching too.
Keep your thoughts coming, we can also hear from others. I have allocated two years for new blood to think about club issues. Perhaps, Dolly and Yew Kwong have their thoughts. Other members too.
Terence Seah
Oh, oh!
I missed this one… what are my thoughts?
Terence: I got idea! Why not assign your figurines, vases, etc. to the pasar malam antique dealer? He has the place to store and display them… just make sure you pay the rent otherwise he’ll just sell them off!
Worse, he’ll change his business into a “tikam-tikam” stall or “shoot the vases for 50 cents a try”…
Seriously, storage is a problem and not many Singaporeans will have the space to put such a large collection. Have you considered one of the many storage hubs set up to keep our personal/business items?
Hi YK, Nor, Ivan and Lydia,
The shipment arrives during the May Day holidays. I shall send you some pictures after that. Thank you for keeping them at your place, and appreciating them.
Kenneth, the items are single piece items, and I won’t have the nerve to send them to a pasar malam dealer. They are intended for a lounge of some sorts. You have place in your house?
Terence Seah
Hi Yew Kwong, IvanL, Norlinda, LydiaC, KennethT,
Thank you for supporting me in hosting some of the most beautiful art pieces, vases, jade and stone carvings, etc in your home or office.
Many of them are one piece only items, and they have arrived and cleared Singapore customs. I shall be in touch with you over email over the next one to two weeks, and send you some pictures. Please take care of them, as I plan to use these Chinese art decor pieces in our own lounge, if we can get one within the next two years.
Terence Seah
Good morning Terence,
I am interested in your beautiful art pieces collection from Shanghai too.
Paya Lebar Kovan CC is going to launch the “Heritage Gallery” soon, at one of their premises at Kovan Hub. This “Heritage Gallery” is open to the public for viewing. Last evening, I met Michael Tan (Kovan CC’s chairman), and during our conversation, he expressed his interest in having your art pieces collection to be put up at the gallery.
Terence, you can put your art pieces collection as long as you wish. This is a good opportunity and it serve 2 purposes: 1) for the public to appreciate; and 2) your collections is in good hand (under protection & save keeping). You may want to discuss further with myself and Michael if you need to. Looking forward to view your collections, Cheers! :)
Ah Nee
Hi Ah Nee,
Thank you for the tip. Glad I will be able to find a temporary home for the chinese arts. Shall be in touch with Kovan when I am back nex week.
Terence Seah