Muichoo's Vital Information

Muichoo's Vital Information

1) Time Period - 1960s, Singapore.
In the 1960s, Singapore was a third world country with a GNP per capita of less than US$320. Infrastructure was poor, there was little capital; the handful of industries produced only for domestic consumption. Low-end commerce was the mainstay of the economy, and there was little or no direct foreign investment. There was massive unemployment and labour unrest following the withdrawal of the British troops. Creating jobs was the priority, and this meant attracting labour-intensive industries.
See more from: "http://www.sedb.com/edb/sg/en_uk/index/about_edb/our_history/the_1960s.html"

The year was 1967, and Singapore started to print its own currency and made national service a compulsory thing for all young Singaporean men of lawful age. It was the year where fake eyelashes were rented out for S$4 per day; and prices of eggs plummeted to a new low that drove Singaporeans to form a lobby group on “chicken butchery” in order to reduce the supply of eggs. In the same year, “Vietnamese Rose” - a form of syphilis – came into Singapore and men who called on prostitutes shuddered at the mere mention of the name; It was also the year when Sakura and Rita Chao’s “New Peach-blossom River” was all the rage in the streets of Singapore.

See more from: "http://together.mediacorptv.sg/channel_8_drama_together_about.htm"

2) Role in the society - Disgraced outcast
All performers at that time is considered as low-status jobs. People were conservative at that time and find that performers often need to provide special services to people to get famous. Hence, many have the perception that they're ''dirty workers'', especially for the female. No matter how unpopular the job is, the pay is still good enough for people to want that job.
Muichoo is a Chinese Opera performer who provides sexual services to bosses so that she can be a performer. She came from an extremely poor family so she had to resort to that. She's a social outcast and doesn't have friends except for her other team members in her Chinese Opera group. She's well recognized due to her frequent street performances.

BEFORE STORY:
She's born as the eldest daughter of the family on 1930. When she was 12 (1942), her father left the family for another woman. It was during world war 2 and her father was attracted to that woman's wealth and ability to protect him so he left for her. [1st case that portrayed that there isn't true love in this world]
She started working small jobs with her mother, along with her younger brother, 8, and younger sister, 4. At that time, her mother was pregnant with her 4th child. Life was tough for Muichoo as she's the eldest. Her mum was tortured and abused by the Japanese soldiers during that time when she was pregnant, hence losing her 4th child. Muichoo sees her mum goes through the agony of losing her child. (ADDS ON TO HER REGRET) After that, they were under the care of a Malay family so that Japanese soldiers do not come after them. After a while, Muichoo's mum is pregnant with Japanese soldier's baby. Mum is demented and therefore, couldn't work. Left with Muichoo to work.
When she was 15, she got recruited as a backstage helper for a Chinese Opera troupe. When she was 18, she slept with the boss of the Chinese Opera troupe so that she was get into the troupe and earn more money. When she was 20, she got more fame as she performed more frequently. She gained more attention from other big shots around and were asked to accompany them. Soon, she resorted to giving them sexual services so that she can get hold of more money to give her sibilings money for education.
At 25, she fell in love with one of her regular audience member. He wasn't much older, about 27, and was from a wealthy family. Soon, they got together. After a year or two, he disappears with a note saying that he have to be married to another woman because his parents said so and that that woman was richer. [2nd case of no true love]
After seeing so much cruelty in this world, she began to question if there's true love in this world. At 33, she fell in love again with a customer that resembles her first love (the one that went away). They got together and everything was smooth. However, things began to change after a year. Whenever he was drunk, he'll hit her and abuse her. When she became 35, she was pregnant with his child. He was so frustrated with her that he tied her up with ropes and hit her furiously with his belt. That day, she couldn't take it anymore and went to drown herself in Singapore River (HAHA). She wore red because she wanted revenge.

3)Relate to modern society today - Yes
Today, there are less Chinese opera performers in Singapore. However, if you ask any of the elderly now, they'll still consider an entertainer a bad job. Their perception never changes! If you put Chinese opera performer into the same group as singers and actresses, it's evident in modern society that there are still people who believe that they got famous because they provided sexual services to the big bosses. But now, majority doesn't have that perception being held on so tightly unlike the past.

4)Irony
Even though I've always wanted to find true love, I wasn't able to give true love to any of my customers because I didn't trust them to give me true love. And if I wanted true love so much, I should have given my baby and I more love. I wasn't loving myself because I gave my body away.

5)
i) Constant voice
(?) My part isn't really edited. No much difference from Ng Yi Sheng's original script. I guess I need to show more oppression of women. (Women being abused by men, women being looked down because they're performers unlike men who doesn't get that treatment, women at disadvantages like rape)


ii)Realization caused by Sarah
... This is difficult because she doesn't have much interaction with her. Well, it can be said that it's indirectly. Muichoo will look and Sarah and think about her child. Her child can be as old as Sarah if she allowed herself to live and not die. Her child can be as smart as Sarah. She will think of Sarah as her child if she didn't drown herself. (So it kinda motivated her to want to live again to see her child all so grown up and educated)

iii) Mystery of life - If there is true love in this world
Yes. I die without knowing if there is true love in this world or not so that question remains in me even after I'm dead. Baby helped me realized that I wasn't even loving myself and my baby so how can i even find true love? There is true love which is found between family members. I got reminded of my mother's love for me. So I move on with the aim to love my family.

iv)Regret shown in all scenes?
1st - Yes.
2nd - Indirectly. From the part where Muichoo asked Sarah to teach Baby because she didn't live. She regret not giving the love her baby should get by killing herself and not allowing her baby to live.
3rd (Muichoo and Baby) - YEA. Baby questions her about her baby. She shows a lot of regret killing herself and her baby. She realizes that all this while, on the search for true love, she actually didn't love herself and her baby. So her motivation for living again is to love herself truly and to give true love.