Math Test has brought out some mixed feelings.
There are some who scream the word, "f***!!!!!" after wards, there were some who were like complaining how they could have gotten 5 marsk but did not thanks to their cock-eyes, and there were some who liked didn't manage to do some questions.
Of course some = me.
But anyway ya there are many schoolmates of mine thinking the same, but what's over is over.
There isn't really much to blog about today, and it gets really boring here when no one ever tags except for Sungming, who is equivalent to a virus spamming your tagboard to go to some site.
Meng Siew complained of the same thing, that no one ever tags, but for me I don't even know IF THERE'S ANYONE VISITING at all, even though I post almost everyday.
Come on guys, just tag.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
After Chinese New Year
After 3 years, the tap is still not fixed in the main toilet. And it remains there with the top off, (no pun intended) and the long part sticking out (no pun intended) and no liquid leaking out from it (no pun intended) And its already 3 years. When the hell can we use it to fill the cups to brush our teeth? (Don't think sick here.)
When?
Anyway a blog needs picures to be interesting and interactive. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera up from my car to download the pictures, so there you guys don't have any pictures to see, and of course no visual pleasure ultinately. (no pun intended).
I've told this story to my class and some of my friends, and it may seem a little unbelievable, but it happened.
So me and my huge family went to Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year with my grandmother, and in 2005 my uncle passed away, so that was kind of long forgotten.
You know they always say, this Chinese superstitution, that a big brown moth is actually a reincarnation of someone. So when our whole family was in the living room, and that time was about 6.45 -7.00pm, and all of us were ready to sit down and eat dinner. You could see my cousins all watching TV, and the adults talking about latest stuff, and my late uncle's daughter playing my Gameboy which I gave to her.
Then suddenly without any warning, as if it was the heavens who had a stopwatch and timed the whole thing carefully, a big moth came flying it, and all who saw it knew it.
And the house was entirely quiet, except for the small cousion age 10 screaming: "Ahhh!! Jiu4 Ming4 ah! Kill it! Kill it!" and the entire house was all quiet except for some who did not see the big moth.
Then my ignorant cousin was told, and he too kept his mouth shut. Then my grandma started crying, for we all knew what was happening as we watch the big moth flying around. At first I didn't know what was happening until my dad told me about the superstitition, which apparently I had forgotten about.
I think my uncle knew my mum was afraid of moths, and so he/it started to flying around my mum and my mum was like damn freaked out and all, because she thinks they are dirty, both literally and figuratively, because I think their wings give out those dirty dusts then can stir up any allergy.
My uncle came and went, the moth flew away, and the house was back to normal again. But for the rest of the evening until now, I still ponder about what happened that day a week ago, and was it really my uncle?
Its been a week already, and things are back to normal.
However, let me tell you how complicated a Rafflesian's life can be.
Yesterday, a Saturday, I had my cello lesson. So it was timed at 1pm, and I suddenly remembered I need a replacement for my Math tuition, otherwise it had to be forfeited, so of course I smsed my Math tuition teacher, and he said can't. Then I bugged him again, because I seriously needed it, then he said 1pm. (Of course the whole process of bugging was terribly long)
And my cello lesson was like 1pm. So the mother was extremely perplexed. Curret time 11.20am. So I smsed my Cello teacher and asked whether I could come at 12pm or after 5, for my tuition was 2 hours long. And he replied back and he said "11.30pm."
And what was the current time?
11.20am.
So we like rushed everything, stuffed everything, packed everything, and arrived there at 12.00. 12.00 - one hour lesson for cello - 1pm.
Oh shucks, what time was my tuition? 1pm? Oh ****!
So then I rushed there, and on the way my tuition teacher smsed - you must leave at 3pm.
And I reached there at 1.30pm...
Part 2 after my piano lesson.
Be sure to catch it!
When?
Anyway a blog needs picures to be interesting and interactive. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera up from my car to download the pictures, so there you guys don't have any pictures to see, and of course no visual pleasure ultinately. (no pun intended).
I've told this story to my class and some of my friends, and it may seem a little unbelievable, but it happened.
So me and my huge family went to Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year with my grandmother, and in 2005 my uncle passed away, so that was kind of long forgotten.
You know they always say, this Chinese superstitution, that a big brown moth is actually a reincarnation of someone. So when our whole family was in the living room, and that time was about 6.45 -7.00pm, and all of us were ready to sit down and eat dinner. You could see my cousins all watching TV, and the adults talking about latest stuff, and my late uncle's daughter playing my Gameboy which I gave to her.
Then suddenly without any warning, as if it was the heavens who had a stopwatch and timed the whole thing carefully, a big moth came flying it, and all who saw it knew it.
And the house was entirely quiet, except for the small cousion age 10 screaming: "Ahhh!! Jiu4 Ming4 ah! Kill it! Kill it!" and the entire house was all quiet except for some who did not see the big moth.
Then my ignorant cousin was told, and he too kept his mouth shut. Then my grandma started crying, for we all knew what was happening as we watch the big moth flying around. At first I didn't know what was happening until my dad told me about the superstitition, which apparently I had forgotten about.
I think my uncle knew my mum was afraid of moths, and so he/it started to flying around my mum and my mum was like damn freaked out and all, because she thinks they are dirty, both literally and figuratively, because I think their wings give out those dirty dusts then can stir up any allergy.
My uncle came and went, the moth flew away, and the house was back to normal again. But for the rest of the evening until now, I still ponder about what happened that day a week ago, and was it really my uncle?
Its been a week already, and things are back to normal.
However, let me tell you how complicated a Rafflesian's life can be.
Yesterday, a Saturday, I had my cello lesson. So it was timed at 1pm, and I suddenly remembered I need a replacement for my Math tuition, otherwise it had to be forfeited, so of course I smsed my Math tuition teacher, and he said can't. Then I bugged him again, because I seriously needed it, then he said 1pm. (Of course the whole process of bugging was terribly long)
And my cello lesson was like 1pm. So the mother was extremely perplexed. Curret time 11.20am. So I smsed my Cello teacher and asked whether I could come at 12pm or after 5, for my tuition was 2 hours long. And he replied back and he said "11.30pm."
And what was the current time?
11.20am.
So we like rushed everything, stuffed everything, packed everything, and arrived there at 12.00. 12.00 - one hour lesson for cello - 1pm.
Oh shucks, what time was my tuition? 1pm? Oh ****!
So then I rushed there, and on the way my tuition teacher smsed - you must leave at 3pm.
And I reached there at 1.30pm...
Part 2 after my piano lesson.
Be sure to catch it!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Fengshui and prediction of the Year of the Pig
We talked about whether Astrology was considered a Science in Philosophy lesson today. Nonetheless, this question was never solved, as all philosophical questions end.
The year of the Pig doesn't sound really good, and most of it were what my dad had predicted. My dad has these strange ability of being able to predict political stuff, and he says its all thanks to reading the newspapers and being updated with the latest information daily.
Seriously, its fun to do these things, and when such events turn out the way you say it, the glory you get is fantastic.
This was an article I got from Channel News Asia:
_________________________________________________
Year of Pig signals conflicts before new world order: soothsayers
Posted: 15 February 2007 1815 hrs
HONG KONG : The world can expect a roller coaster ride of conflict and unrest, natural disasters and a plunge in global stock markets once the Year of the Pig begins, Chinese soothsayers say.
As the world says farewell to the Year of the Dog on Sunday, believers in Chinese superstitions have been busy consulting fortune tellers, feng shui geomancers and a wealth of new books for the year's fortunes.
Chinese fortunes are based on a belief that events are dictated by the different balances in the elements that make up the earth -- gold, wood, water, fire and earth.
Feng shui expert Raymond Lo said that according to ancient Chinese belief, the Year of the Pig is symbolised by two elements -- fire sitting on top of water.
"Fire sitting on water is a symbol of conflict and skirmish, and this may bring a relatively less peaceful year with more international conflicts and struggles," he said.
Lo said the last time such an arrangement appeared was in 2002, the year that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks.
"It is anticipated that there will be more international conflicts and disharmony, which will even lead to regional warfare, uprising and unrest, or the overthrow of governments in certain countries," he said.
The elemental arrangement for 2007, with fire standing on top, could represent openness, optimism and warmth, but it can also bring fire disasters and huge explosions, Lo said.
The Chinese calendar moves in 60-year cycles, meaning the world will experience in the new year events similar to those that took place in 1947.
In that turbulent year, the Cold War began in earnest when then US president Truman declared his anti-communist doctrine and the Soviet Union rejected a US plan for atomic weapons control, sparking the nuclear arms race.
That year saw the same elemental arrangement with yin fire dominant in the Year of the Pig.
"So it will not be surprising that there will be more gun battles, murder with guns, bombing attacks in the year 2007," Lo added.
-- World faces unrest and disharmony but all ends well --
The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and associates each of the 12 years forming a partial cycle with an animal. The pig is the last in the zodiac sequence that begins with the rat, followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster and dog.
Fortune-tellers base their predictions on the relationship between the zodiac animals and the characteristics of each animal year.
They also take into account the changing balance over the years in the five spiritual elements that Chinese philosophy believes form the core of the universe -- gold, wood, water, fire and earth.
Feng shui expert Lee Sing-tong predicts serious conflict in the Middle East this coming year.
"Religious wars will turn intense. There will be large-scale warfare or explosions," said Lee, a third-generation feng shui master.
He also expects serious diplomatic conflicts in the East, for instance between China and Japan, and says the problem will be most acute until May 5.
Fortune teller Alion Yeo, who predicted nuclear testing in North Korea last year, said there is a chance that the power of Pyongyang's leader, Kim Jong-il, will weaken.
"This will most likely happen between June and July. I can see their leader is in bad luck during the period. This means something will be changed: someone might replace him or he might fall ill," Yeo said.
"There might be a chance that he would leave his position or hand over his duty to someone else," he added.
The Year of the Pig will largely be a smooth one for the United States, although Yeo predicts an interest rate hike in the third quarter and a big accident between June and July.
"It could be a big fire or an explosion. It would be something that draws the world's attention and causes the stock market to fall," he said, adding however that the market would quickly recover.
Yeo also predicts a strong earthquake, at least 7.0 on the Richter scale, in a Japanese city between March and April. But the number of wounded would be limited by the earthquake resistance of the country's architecture.
Although Yeo anticipates global unrest, he expects a mediator will come in to balance the tense situation between conflicting countries.
"I don't think it will be that bad this year. Although there will be a lot of unrest and disharmony, problems will be solved in the end," he said.
Lo agreed. The pig belongs to the water element and is the birth month of wood. The pig symbolises the germination of plants and when new life is born.
"The pig year can bring a new beginning of international relationships and social orders, this could bring new regimes with new governments in some countries," he said.
And Lee predicts the birth of someone of national importance to China.
He said this person will be born on June 30 between 5.00-6.59 am Hong Kong time (21.00-22.59 GMT) somewhere in the east or south of the country.
"This date of birth is very rare. It only happens once every 60 years. It is very difficult to see such a good fate," he said.
Lee said he did not publish this prediction in his latest feng shui book for fear of inciting mothers to plan their pregnancies to occur at that time.
"I don't want to ruin the natural order. I don't want someone planning their pregnancy artificially. Heaven might not allow it," he said.
"But this child would be a prodigy, very intelligent and talented. This person would have the quality to become China's leader or a prime minister," he added.
_____________________________________________________
Cool right? These things are really interesting, I mean its quite amazing how you can predict the future. If you should pause for one moment, and think about the term 'predicting the future', it sounds crazy enough already. Just think. How is it possible, us being humans and only have mechanical tools, predict what is going to happen next? Then we have the primary school joke, "I predict you are going to breathe in the next 3 seconds."
So what is a prediction? I've just thought of it while writing the previous passage, and I think that the 'joke' I mentioned is not really a joke, its actually a prediction, but an easy one.
You see, you do breathe in the next 3 seconds, only that it is supported by many facts that a human has to breathe in order to survive. So that is predicting, because it does happen in the future, and it was stated a time before it happened.
Or not?
So how long must be the 'time' before the actual event happens for you to state ur claim and for it to be considered predicting?
These questions are quite hard, but of course in our daily life we know when it is considered 'predicting'. We JUST KNOW. We don't really have to go into depth, because if we did, then it would be a complete waste of time, and you realised you're just going to in circles.
The problem with philosophy is that there is a lack of universal consensus, which is impossible to attain. God created everyone to be different, so of course there are different views.
Maybe one day the world will end because it has reached its maximum differentiated point where there is no more agreement and chaos ensues and KAPOOM! A new world begins.
Far thinking, Jonathan, far thinking. You're one far-fetched guy.
But its ok, since I'm really just doodling about and writing my thoughts at a completely random (mathematically) point of time.
I would not be updating this blog in a few days, because I would be away to Johor for about 4 days, which means another round of mosquito bites, Chinese New Year sweets. And I'm bring my cello, my scores, tons of manuscript paper and foolscalp paer, and math assesment papers, to do and practise.
I'm got many assignments, one of which include trying to write a song imitating the style of the Golden Oldies. I remebered asking to form a band for such a purpose, but no one seems to be interested. If you are just tag on my blog saying so. I would be glad!
The year of the Pig doesn't sound really good, and most of it were what my dad had predicted. My dad has these strange ability of being able to predict political stuff, and he says its all thanks to reading the newspapers and being updated with the latest information daily.
Seriously, its fun to do these things, and when such events turn out the way you say it, the glory you get is fantastic.
This was an article I got from Channel News Asia:
_________________________________________________
Year of Pig signals conflicts before new world order: soothsayers
Posted: 15 February 2007 1815 hrs
HONG KONG : The world can expect a roller coaster ride of conflict and unrest, natural disasters and a plunge in global stock markets once the Year of the Pig begins, Chinese soothsayers say.
As the world says farewell to the Year of the Dog on Sunday, believers in Chinese superstitions have been busy consulting fortune tellers, feng shui geomancers and a wealth of new books for the year's fortunes.
Chinese fortunes are based on a belief that events are dictated by the different balances in the elements that make up the earth -- gold, wood, water, fire and earth.
Feng shui expert Raymond Lo said that according to ancient Chinese belief, the Year of the Pig is symbolised by two elements -- fire sitting on top of water.
"Fire sitting on water is a symbol of conflict and skirmish, and this may bring a relatively less peaceful year with more international conflicts and struggles," he said.
Lo said the last time such an arrangement appeared was in 2002, the year that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks.
"It is anticipated that there will be more international conflicts and disharmony, which will even lead to regional warfare, uprising and unrest, or the overthrow of governments in certain countries," he said.
The elemental arrangement for 2007, with fire standing on top, could represent openness, optimism and warmth, but it can also bring fire disasters and huge explosions, Lo said.
The Chinese calendar moves in 60-year cycles, meaning the world will experience in the new year events similar to those that took place in 1947.
In that turbulent year, the Cold War began in earnest when then US president Truman declared his anti-communist doctrine and the Soviet Union rejected a US plan for atomic weapons control, sparking the nuclear arms race.
That year saw the same elemental arrangement with yin fire dominant in the Year of the Pig.
"So it will not be surprising that there will be more gun battles, murder with guns, bombing attacks in the year 2007," Lo added.
-- World faces unrest and disharmony but all ends well --
The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and associates each of the 12 years forming a partial cycle with an animal. The pig is the last in the zodiac sequence that begins with the rat, followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster and dog.
Fortune-tellers base their predictions on the relationship between the zodiac animals and the characteristics of each animal year.
They also take into account the changing balance over the years in the five spiritual elements that Chinese philosophy believes form the core of the universe -- gold, wood, water, fire and earth.
Feng shui expert Lee Sing-tong predicts serious conflict in the Middle East this coming year.
"Religious wars will turn intense. There will be large-scale warfare or explosions," said Lee, a third-generation feng shui master.
He also expects serious diplomatic conflicts in the East, for instance between China and Japan, and says the problem will be most acute until May 5.
Fortune teller Alion Yeo, who predicted nuclear testing in North Korea last year, said there is a chance that the power of Pyongyang's leader, Kim Jong-il, will weaken.
"This will most likely happen between June and July. I can see their leader is in bad luck during the period. This means something will be changed: someone might replace him or he might fall ill," Yeo said.
"There might be a chance that he would leave his position or hand over his duty to someone else," he added.
The Year of the Pig will largely be a smooth one for the United States, although Yeo predicts an interest rate hike in the third quarter and a big accident between June and July.
"It could be a big fire or an explosion. It would be something that draws the world's attention and causes the stock market to fall," he said, adding however that the market would quickly recover.
Yeo also predicts a strong earthquake, at least 7.0 on the Richter scale, in a Japanese city between March and April. But the number of wounded would be limited by the earthquake resistance of the country's architecture.
Although Yeo anticipates global unrest, he expects a mediator will come in to balance the tense situation between conflicting countries.
"I don't think it will be that bad this year. Although there will be a lot of unrest and disharmony, problems will be solved in the end," he said.
Lo agreed. The pig belongs to the water element and is the birth month of wood. The pig symbolises the germination of plants and when new life is born.
"The pig year can bring a new beginning of international relationships and social orders, this could bring new regimes with new governments in some countries," he said.
And Lee predicts the birth of someone of national importance to China.
He said this person will be born on June 30 between 5.00-6.59 am Hong Kong time (21.00-22.59 GMT) somewhere in the east or south of the country.
"This date of birth is very rare. It only happens once every 60 years. It is very difficult to see such a good fate," he said.
Lee said he did not publish this prediction in his latest feng shui book for fear of inciting mothers to plan their pregnancies to occur at that time.
"I don't want to ruin the natural order. I don't want someone planning their pregnancy artificially. Heaven might not allow it," he said.
"But this child would be a prodigy, very intelligent and talented. This person would have the quality to become China's leader or a prime minister," he added.
_____________________________________________________
Cool right? These things are really interesting, I mean its quite amazing how you can predict the future. If you should pause for one moment, and think about the term 'predicting the future', it sounds crazy enough already. Just think. How is it possible, us being humans and only have mechanical tools, predict what is going to happen next? Then we have the primary school joke, "I predict you are going to breathe in the next 3 seconds."
So what is a prediction? I've just thought of it while writing the previous passage, and I think that the 'joke' I mentioned is not really a joke, its actually a prediction, but an easy one.
You see, you do breathe in the next 3 seconds, only that it is supported by many facts that a human has to breathe in order to survive. So that is predicting, because it does happen in the future, and it was stated a time before it happened.
Or not?
So how long must be the 'time' before the actual event happens for you to state ur claim and for it to be considered predicting?
These questions are quite hard, but of course in our daily life we know when it is considered 'predicting'. We JUST KNOW. We don't really have to go into depth, because if we did, then it would be a complete waste of time, and you realised you're just going to in circles.
The problem with philosophy is that there is a lack of universal consensus, which is impossible to attain. God created everyone to be different, so of course there are different views.
Maybe one day the world will end because it has reached its maximum differentiated point where there is no more agreement and chaos ensues and KAPOOM! A new world begins.
Far thinking, Jonathan, far thinking. You're one far-fetched guy.
But its ok, since I'm really just doodling about and writing my thoughts at a completely random (mathematically) point of time.
I would not be updating this blog in a few days, because I would be away to Johor for about 4 days, which means another round of mosquito bites, Chinese New Year sweets. And I'm bring my cello, my scores, tons of manuscript paper and foolscalp paer, and math assesment papers, to do and practise.
I'm got many assignments, one of which include trying to write a song imitating the style of the Golden Oldies. I remebered asking to form a band for such a purpose, but no one seems to be interested. If you are just tag on my blog saying so. I would be glad!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Oh so that's our Chemisry teacher's name
I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know your name! So you were called Glenn, and I never knew. -.-
Every Chemistry lesson is very lame but extremely fun to have a teacher like us, and actually jokes like us!!
If you had read my post on Monday, which was on the issue of the three countries - Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, I hope you readers have been thinking about it.
Many thoughts going in my head now. Today's Valentine's Day, and of course I'm still single. I can remember extremely vividly what happened three years ago, and it seemed like yesterday that it happened! I'm not going into details because its very embarrasing, but the consequences were disastrous, and I'll never forget it. I shall express my apologies and regrets to the girl I did wrong here.
On Valentine's Day, many things can happen. Of course positive and negative things.
We see roses everywhere, signs of affection, and 'interpersonal relations'. You see many smiling faces, and I know of some of my friends who have gone out for a date. My cousin is one fine example, (i think), and my sec 4 senior Adriel is another.
And then of course there are the loners, those who are complaining they don't have a date and how sad it is, and blah. Ok I am one of them, but of course life still has to go on, two men can't share a woman, only one team wins a football match, and a toothbrush can't be shared by two. No this isn't a hint or anything, its just a passing thought!
I wonder how everyone passed their Valentine's Day. I'm going to pass it by playing piano till 11. :)
Every Chemistry lesson is very lame but extremely fun to have a teacher like us, and actually jokes like us!!
If you had read my post on Monday, which was on the issue of the three countries - Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, I hope you readers have been thinking about it.
Many thoughts going in my head now. Today's Valentine's Day, and of course I'm still single. I can remember extremely vividly what happened three years ago, and it seemed like yesterday that it happened! I'm not going into details because its very embarrasing, but the consequences were disastrous, and I'll never forget it. I shall express my apologies and regrets to the girl I did wrong here.
On Valentine's Day, many things can happen. Of course positive and negative things.
We see roses everywhere, signs of affection, and 'interpersonal relations'. You see many smiling faces, and I know of some of my friends who have gone out for a date. My cousin is one fine example, (i think), and my sec 4 senior Adriel is another.
And then of course there are the loners, those who are complaining they don't have a date and how sad it is, and blah. Ok I am one of them, but of course life still has to go on, two men can't share a woman, only one team wins a football match, and a toothbrush can't be shared by two. No this isn't a hint or anything, its just a passing thought!
I wonder how everyone passed their Valentine's Day. I'm going to pass it by playing piano till 11. :)
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
String Ensemble - Better days, Better rehearsals, Better soccer!
I totally agree with him. My schoolmate from class 3M (i think) says that everyone reads a scandal (referring to Paul's) , but ignores logic. Which is what is happening to my blog! But no one ever tags...only I talk and you'll listen.
Anyway I sent to Jaren 'New York Mining Disaster 1941', and he started changing the lyrics upon hearing it.
'Have you seen my prick, Mr. Jones?
Do you know what its like in the INSIDE?'
I keep straining my ears to hear a sound,
maybe someone's DIGGING underground.
Or have they all GONE HOME TO BED,
thinking those who once existed must be dead.'
This was a song composed by the BeeGees, rather macabre if you can see from the lyrics. (I mean the real one).
Ok then we had English ASSESSED COMPREHENSION, which basically means comprehension test, and yep, Raffles Institution distorts words.
Pop Quiz!!! - Topical Assessments.
Exams! - Common Tests
Projects (which takes up lots of time) - Performance Tasks
This was a comic strip I drew a few days ago. I gave it to SungMing, and he commented - said that it was a little sketchy and it wasn't funny enough for people to Roll On The Floor Laughing Out Loud.
CCA - Raffles Institution String Ensemble.
It's not the same compared to when I first entered it in Sec 1. The camaradie was brilliant, and all of us cramped into one small blue room (the one underground beside the library, the one with a dark corridor leading to it) We would eat chips, peanuts, and a small group of us would be reading New Paper, and some of us would be playing our instruments, and Sec 1s 2005 (us) would run around and like play catch?
Then, everyone was happy and joyful! Such good times lol. Then I was Sec 2 the next year, and still Mr. Sze (our conductor) was the same, and we shifted to RJC, where we played soccer during breaks. The camaradie was still fantastic, and we would have camps, waking up at 7am and walking to J8 together, brushing teeth, drinking Ice Milo with McChicken and talking about latest gossips.
Now I'm Secondary 3, and the friendship bonds are still there. But it's still not enough. Mr. Sze talked about friendship between each and everyone of us, and how they still can be improved. You know, I've checked HCISO, and they're bonds are much stronger than ours. Maybe its because the way we'r taught and the way they're taught.
Hwa Chong emphasizes on Chinese traditions, have respecting your elders and helping your friends whenever, wherever. Raffles does different; being a Thinker, a Leader, a Pioneer, already start to show the signs of 'One man for himself.'
Back to RISE! I'm not afraid to say there has been much politics surrouding the Secondary 4 of this year. But I can safely say that the leadership positions are all suitable, except that we need to bring back the camaradie we all shared when RISE was a few years younger.
We all show concern, but the feeling is not strong enough. We share frienship bonds, but not all of us do. We all know each other, but not too well enough.
String Ensemble is all about getting together to make music! Why so much tension in the air nowadays? What's more, we'll just in secondary school, and we get to have fun every break! Why should there be any arguments, any finger-pointing (literally and figuratively ;)?
Simple. We need these: 1) Everyone does his part! Don't talk during rehearsals, don't waste time by interrupting. By doing your part, you read your scores, practise hard, and if you need help, just ask your seniors! And don't be late for rehearsal!
(sorry 'George' and John, I wasn't clear about the rehearsal but I manage to get a definite answer in the end, right? :) )
Thats all, so easy! We can have more breaks thus, and rehearsals can flow more quickly, with more time for soccer.
Sections shouldn't be against each other! How is an orchestra to function together when, for example, the 1st violins are against the 2nd violins?
I thought of this upon seeing Adriel's private message: where's the joy in RISE?
We NEED TO BRING BACK THIS JOY! I hope any string ensemble member who stumbles across this knows what my dream RISE is; one that has every rehearsal bring fresh memories, one that has every note in it filled with purpose and practise!
THis year's Secondary 1s are brilliant, John and Xinmin are in the right track, 'George' and Samuel are willing to learn, Sec 2s - John Yu and Yunfei are improving, and WenHong has always been consistent. In the violins we have very strong Secondary 1s and Secondary 2s, and the viola section has RenHao, Ben, and MingJian, all three of them are quite proficient at the viola, and Adi has always been hardworking and good in the bass, with Darren always with a cheerful smile.
Let's look forward to better days ahead, better rehearsals, better soccer!
Plus, a Gold with Honours!
(P.S. This is totally written by me, so if you'll have any errors to point to put in on the tagboard, and no one is to take responsibility to this. And blah!)
Anyway I sent to Jaren 'New York Mining Disaster 1941', and he started changing the lyrics upon hearing it.
'Have you seen my prick, Mr. Jones?
Do you know what its like in the INSIDE?'
I keep straining my ears to hear a sound,
maybe someone's DIGGING underground.
Or have they all GONE HOME TO BED,
thinking those who once existed must be dead.'
This was a song composed by the BeeGees, rather macabre if you can see from the lyrics. (I mean the real one).
Ok then we had English ASSESSED COMPREHENSION, which basically means comprehension test, and yep, Raffles Institution distorts words.
Pop Quiz!!! - Topical Assessments.
Exams! - Common Tests
Projects (which takes up lots of time) - Performance Tasks
This was a comic strip I drew a few days ago. I gave it to SungMing, and he commented - said that it was a little sketchy and it wasn't funny enough for people to Roll On The Floor Laughing Out Loud.
CCA - Raffles Institution String Ensemble.
It's not the same compared to when I first entered it in Sec 1. The camaradie was brilliant, and all of us cramped into one small blue room (the one underground beside the library, the one with a dark corridor leading to it) We would eat chips, peanuts, and a small group of us would be reading New Paper, and some of us would be playing our instruments, and Sec 1s 2005 (us) would run around and like play catch?
Then, everyone was happy and joyful! Such good times lol. Then I was Sec 2 the next year, and still Mr. Sze (our conductor) was the same, and we shifted to RJC, where we played soccer during breaks. The camaradie was still fantastic, and we would have camps, waking up at 7am and walking to J8 together, brushing teeth, drinking Ice Milo with McChicken and talking about latest gossips.
Now I'm Secondary 3, and the friendship bonds are still there. But it's still not enough. Mr. Sze talked about friendship between each and everyone of us, and how they still can be improved. You know, I've checked HCISO, and they're bonds are much stronger than ours. Maybe its because the way we'r taught and the way they're taught.
Hwa Chong emphasizes on Chinese traditions, have respecting your elders and helping your friends whenever, wherever. Raffles does different; being a Thinker, a Leader, a Pioneer, already start to show the signs of 'One man for himself.'
Back to RISE! I'm not afraid to say there has been much politics surrouding the Secondary 4 of this year. But I can safely say that the leadership positions are all suitable, except that we need to bring back the camaradie we all shared when RISE was a few years younger.
We all show concern, but the feeling is not strong enough. We share frienship bonds, but not all of us do. We all know each other, but not too well enough.
String Ensemble is all about getting together to make music! Why so much tension in the air nowadays? What's more, we'll just in secondary school, and we get to have fun every break! Why should there be any arguments, any finger-pointing (literally and figuratively ;)?
Simple. We need these: 1) Everyone does his part! Don't talk during rehearsals, don't waste time by interrupting. By doing your part, you read your scores, practise hard, and if you need help, just ask your seniors! And don't be late for rehearsal!
(sorry 'George' and John, I wasn't clear about the rehearsal but I manage to get a definite answer in the end, right? :) )
Thats all, so easy! We can have more breaks thus, and rehearsals can flow more quickly, with more time for soccer.
Sections shouldn't be against each other! How is an orchestra to function together when, for example, the 1st violins are against the 2nd violins?
I thought of this upon seeing Adriel's private message: where's the joy in RISE?
We NEED TO BRING BACK THIS JOY! I hope any string ensemble member who stumbles across this knows what my dream RISE is; one that has every rehearsal bring fresh memories, one that has every note in it filled with purpose and practise!
THis year's Secondary 1s are brilliant, John and Xinmin are in the right track, 'George' and Samuel are willing to learn, Sec 2s - John Yu and Yunfei are improving, and WenHong has always been consistent. In the violins we have very strong Secondary 1s and Secondary 2s, and the viola section has RenHao, Ben, and MingJian, all three of them are quite proficient at the viola, and Adi has always been hardworking and good in the bass, with Darren always with a cheerful smile.
Let's look forward to better days ahead, better rehearsals, better soccer!
Plus, a Gold with Honours!
(P.S. This is totally written by me, so if you'll have any errors to point to put in on the tagboard, and no one is to take responsibility to this. And blah!)
Monday, February 12, 2007
Muslim - Asean
_____________________________________________________
Thursday February 1, 8:17 PM
Johor minister says Singapore land reclamation cause of recent floods
JOHOR: The Chief Minister of Malaysia's Johor state has cited land reclamation by neighbouring Singapore as a cause of the recent massive recent flooding.
17 people died and 100,000 were evacuated from their homes during the floods.
According to Malaysian daily, the New Straits Times, Mr Abdul Ghani Othman said the floods were due to the narrowing of the Johor River mouth caused by reclamation on Singapore's Tekong island located opposite the waterway.
He said the river burst its banks after excess rain water could not flow out to the sea fast enough.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, however, said it was too early to tell if the flooding was linked to the reclamation.
"There are all sorts of allegations but we can't come to a conclusion unless a thorough technical study is done on the cause of Johor's floods. The real cause is the exceptionally heavy rainfall," he said. ADVERTISEMENT
A spokesperson from Singapore's Ministry of National Development says these comments are unfounded and this is confirmed by the results from technical studies that were commissioned separately by both Malaysia and Singapore.
The studies were part of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea dispute settlement proceedings on Singapore's land reclamation works at Pulau Tekong and Tuas View Extension.
Singapore said a coastal hydraulic study undertaken by Malaysia's Department of Irrigation and Drainage in 2002 found that there were no appreciable changes to water levels within the Straits of Johor under projected worst case flood scenarios which could happen once in 100 years.
The study concluded that there was no increased flooding caused by Singapore's reclamation works.
Separately, an environmental impact assessment report prepared by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and commissioned by the Malaysian government also reported similar findings.
So too, did technical studies commissioned separately by the Singapore government in 2003.
The Ministry added that based on the results of these studies, the Group of Experts, which both governments appointed to study the impact of the reclamation works, had recommended that it would not be necessary for the flood impact to be further assessed by the technical consultant appointed for the Joint Study.
This was accepted by both governments. - CNA /dt
_______________________________________________________
Muslim country.
_______________________________________________________
Thursday January 25, 6:17 PM
Indonesia bans sand exports
ADVERTISEMENT
SINGAPORE: Indonesia has announced a ban on land sand exports. Land sand is used in the construction industry to produce cement.
Singapore says it is disappointed but it believes the ban is unlikely to have a significant impact on the construction industry.
Indonesia says the ban on the export of sand is due to environmental reasons and to protect Indonesia's borders.
Singapore had earlier said it was prepared to work with Indonesia to address these concerns.
It has conducted regular checks to ensure the sand imported is supplied by licensed firms, which have environmental control measures in place, according to Indonesia's laws.
The Indonesian firms exporting sand have to pay a reclamation tax to the government and this tax is reflected in the price of sand.
Much of the sand mining also takes place on islands further inland, hence it is unlikely to affect outlying islands and Indonesia's borders.
Singapore has recognised Indonesia's border islands neighbouring Singapore, and a maritime boundary between the 2 countries has been fixed in a treaty signed in 1973.
Singapore says it is disappointed with Indonesia's decision but the government believes the ban is unlikely to slow the construction sector. Singapore currently spends $120m to $160m a year importing sand from Indonesia.
Singapore has been diversifying its supply source and is in talks with some regional countries to import sand.
"At the same time, we also have quite a sizeable sand stockpile, and we are prepared to release the stockpile to meet the immediate needs of the industry. It is very important for us to move away from such high dependency on sand import in construction work. We've been discussing with the industry trying to persuade them to move towards a more sustainable form of construction like the use of steel structure, the use of dry construction," said Dr John Keung, Chief Executive Officer, Building and Construction Authority.
Such sustainable construction is likely to cost developers 8 percent more but it also produces better quality construction, with cleaner sites.
Malaysia banned the export of sand in 1997, and since then, all of Singapore's sand supply has been coming from Indonesia.
Currently, 90 percent of construction in Singapore uses concrete as their main material.
0.8 tons of sand is needed for every cubic metre of concrete made.
Therefore, 6 to 8 million tons of sand costing $20 per ton is required every year.
If Singapore switches to sustainable construction, the Building and Construction Authority believes sand consumption can be cut by 60 to 70 percent.
Countries like UK employ sustainable construction in about 70 percent of its building projects. In the US, this figure is 50 percent.
Examples of projects built using the sustainable construction method in Singapore include the National Library, Capitol Tower, Ang Mo Kio Hub Mall, the New Supreme Court and Fusionpolis.
The Building and Construction Authority says projects currently at a design stage may need to think of using this method in construction.
The ban on exporting sand takes effect from the 23rd of February and the Indonesian government has given exporters up to 5 February 2007 to honour its existing sand export contracts. - CNA /dt
_____________________________________________________
Muslim country again.
_____________________________________________________
Jan 16, 2007, 14:00 GMT
Bangkok - Thailand on Tuesday cancelled a visit by Singapore's foreign minister later this month in retaliation against the city-state's 'inappropriate' stance towards ousted former premier, Thaksin Shinawtara.
The announcement was made after the Thai Foreign Ministry summoned Singaporean Ambassador Peter Chan Tuesday morning to express the government's concerns over a meeting last week between Thaksin and Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister, S Jayakumar.
The meeting took place while the ousted premier was visiting the city-state.
The government's decision to retract an invitation for Singaporean Foreign Minister Georges Yeo to visit Thailand, and to cancel civil aviation cooperation talks, was made before the meeting with Chan, foreign ministry officials said.
'At first we thought our friends would be understanding, but they insisted the meeting between Thaksin and Jayakumar was a private matter,' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Kitti Wasinondh.
'The meeting, even though it was low-key affair, sends the wrong signal to the Thai public,' said Kitti.
Thai-Singaporean relations have been strained since January last year when Temasek Holdings, an investment arm of the Singapore government, bought the Shinawatra's 49 per cent holding in Shin Corp, Thaksin's business empire, for 1.9 billion dollars in a tax free deal.
The purchase, which many Thais saw as selling off national assets to a foreign company, arguably sparked an anti-Thaksin that eventually led to his downfall via a military coup staged on September 19.
Thaksin, who was in New York at the time of the coup, has been in exile since andis currently in Singapore where on Monday conducted an interview with CNN that was blocked in Thailand.
Thailand's military-appointed government has expressed fears that Thaksin's return would spark further unrest in the country, that was arguably sharply divided by the populist premier.
'There are still some people who love ex-premier Thaksin, so we are worried about his movements and messages from abroad,' said Thaksin's successor, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont.
'We have asked the Singaporeans to consider our concerns,' said Surayud, explaining that although Thaksin has been abroad, he is considered an 'internal affair.'
Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon who was prime minister between 2001 to 2006, has been living in exile since, travelling between London, where his daughter is studying, and various Asian cities, such as Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Thaksin is reportedly planning to leave Singapore for Japan soon, said Kitti.
Thailand's military-appointed government last week revoked Thaksin's diplomatic passport, making it impossible for him to travel without visas.
The government also last week asked Thai television and radio stations to practise self-censorship on Thaksin-related news for the sake of national security.
As most Thai television and radio stations are government- or military-owned, such requests are normally obeyed.
The self-censorship has extended to local broadcasts of CNN, which Monday night carried an interview with Thaksin that was conducted in Singapore. UBC, the local provider of CNN, blocked the airing of the interview for the Thai audience, industry sources said.
In the interview, Thaksin vowed he would stay away from Thai politics in the future and also denied any involvement in the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok that killed three people and injured 40.
Political observers said Thaksin's use of the international media and his contacts abroad have left the government looking flat-footed.
'He has outfoxed them,' said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
'There is a domestic media gag, so Thaksin took the initiative and went on CNN, and now all the local media have to report on the CNN interview, so the gag is irrelevant,' Thitinan said. 'He's outmanoeuvred the military.'
Like many Thai academics, Thitinan was staunchly anti-Thaksin and welcomed the coup as a means of disposing him, but he faulted the junta for not acting more decisively in seizing Thaksin's assets and bringing corruption cases against him and his family.
Thkasin has yet to be brought to court for corruption, which the junta cited as one of the main reasons for the coup.
'They didn't disgrace him but gave him room to manoeuvre and he's been manoeuvring, and now they are trying to close the channels to him, but they are have having a difficult time,' Thitinan said.
___________________________________________
Muslim again. -.-
And they call themselves ASEAN. Will elaborate more next time.
Thursday February 1, 8:17 PM
Johor minister says Singapore land reclamation cause of recent floods
JOHOR: The Chief Minister of Malaysia's Johor state has cited land reclamation by neighbouring Singapore as a cause of the recent massive recent flooding.
17 people died and 100,000 were evacuated from their homes during the floods.
According to Malaysian daily, the New Straits Times, Mr Abdul Ghani Othman said the floods were due to the narrowing of the Johor River mouth caused by reclamation on Singapore's Tekong island located opposite the waterway.
He said the river burst its banks after excess rain water could not flow out to the sea fast enough.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, however, said it was too early to tell if the flooding was linked to the reclamation.
"There are all sorts of allegations but we can't come to a conclusion unless a thorough technical study is done on the cause of Johor's floods. The real cause is the exceptionally heavy rainfall," he said. ADVERTISEMENT
A spokesperson from Singapore's Ministry of National Development says these comments are unfounded and this is confirmed by the results from technical studies that were commissioned separately by both Malaysia and Singapore.
The studies were part of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea dispute settlement proceedings on Singapore's land reclamation works at Pulau Tekong and Tuas View Extension.
Singapore said a coastal hydraulic study undertaken by Malaysia's Department of Irrigation and Drainage in 2002 found that there were no appreciable changes to water levels within the Straits of Johor under projected worst case flood scenarios which could happen once in 100 years.
The study concluded that there was no increased flooding caused by Singapore's reclamation works.
Separately, an environmental impact assessment report prepared by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and commissioned by the Malaysian government also reported similar findings.
So too, did technical studies commissioned separately by the Singapore government in 2003.
The Ministry added that based on the results of these studies, the Group of Experts, which both governments appointed to study the impact of the reclamation works, had recommended that it would not be necessary for the flood impact to be further assessed by the technical consultant appointed for the Joint Study.
This was accepted by both governments. - CNA /dt
_______________________________________________________
Muslim country.
_______________________________________________________
Thursday January 25, 6:17 PM
Indonesia bans sand exports
ADVERTISEMENT
SINGAPORE: Indonesia has announced a ban on land sand exports. Land sand is used in the construction industry to produce cement.
Singapore says it is disappointed but it believes the ban is unlikely to have a significant impact on the construction industry.
Indonesia says the ban on the export of sand is due to environmental reasons and to protect Indonesia's borders.
Singapore had earlier said it was prepared to work with Indonesia to address these concerns.
It has conducted regular checks to ensure the sand imported is supplied by licensed firms, which have environmental control measures in place, according to Indonesia's laws.
The Indonesian firms exporting sand have to pay a reclamation tax to the government and this tax is reflected in the price of sand.
Much of the sand mining also takes place on islands further inland, hence it is unlikely to affect outlying islands and Indonesia's borders.
Singapore has recognised Indonesia's border islands neighbouring Singapore, and a maritime boundary between the 2 countries has been fixed in a treaty signed in 1973.
Singapore says it is disappointed with Indonesia's decision but the government believes the ban is unlikely to slow the construction sector. Singapore currently spends $120m to $160m a year importing sand from Indonesia.
Singapore has been diversifying its supply source and is in talks with some regional countries to import sand.
"At the same time, we also have quite a sizeable sand stockpile, and we are prepared to release the stockpile to meet the immediate needs of the industry. It is very important for us to move away from such high dependency on sand import in construction work. We've been discussing with the industry trying to persuade them to move towards a more sustainable form of construction like the use of steel structure, the use of dry construction," said Dr John Keung, Chief Executive Officer, Building and Construction Authority.
Such sustainable construction is likely to cost developers 8 percent more but it also produces better quality construction, with cleaner sites.
Malaysia banned the export of sand in 1997, and since then, all of Singapore's sand supply has been coming from Indonesia.
Currently, 90 percent of construction in Singapore uses concrete as their main material.
0.8 tons of sand is needed for every cubic metre of concrete made.
Therefore, 6 to 8 million tons of sand costing $20 per ton is required every year.
If Singapore switches to sustainable construction, the Building and Construction Authority believes sand consumption can be cut by 60 to 70 percent.
Countries like UK employ sustainable construction in about 70 percent of its building projects. In the US, this figure is 50 percent.
Examples of projects built using the sustainable construction method in Singapore include the National Library, Capitol Tower, Ang Mo Kio Hub Mall, the New Supreme Court and Fusionpolis.
The Building and Construction Authority says projects currently at a design stage may need to think of using this method in construction.
The ban on exporting sand takes effect from the 23rd of February and the Indonesian government has given exporters up to 5 February 2007 to honour its existing sand export contracts. - CNA /dt
_____________________________________________________
Muslim country again.
_____________________________________________________
Jan 16, 2007, 14:00 GMT
Bangkok - Thailand on Tuesday cancelled a visit by Singapore's foreign minister later this month in retaliation against the city-state's 'inappropriate' stance towards ousted former premier, Thaksin Shinawtara.
The announcement was made after the Thai Foreign Ministry summoned Singaporean Ambassador Peter Chan Tuesday morning to express the government's concerns over a meeting last week between Thaksin and Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister, S Jayakumar.
The meeting took place while the ousted premier was visiting the city-state.
The government's decision to retract an invitation for Singaporean Foreign Minister Georges Yeo to visit Thailand, and to cancel civil aviation cooperation talks, was made before the meeting with Chan, foreign ministry officials said.
'At first we thought our friends would be understanding, but they insisted the meeting between Thaksin and Jayakumar was a private matter,' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Kitti Wasinondh.
'The meeting, even though it was low-key affair, sends the wrong signal to the Thai public,' said Kitti.
Thai-Singaporean relations have been strained since January last year when Temasek Holdings, an investment arm of the Singapore government, bought the Shinawatra's 49 per cent holding in Shin Corp, Thaksin's business empire, for 1.9 billion dollars in a tax free deal.
The purchase, which many Thais saw as selling off national assets to a foreign company, arguably sparked an anti-Thaksin that eventually led to his downfall via a military coup staged on September 19.
Thaksin, who was in New York at the time of the coup, has been in exile since andis currently in Singapore where on Monday conducted an interview with CNN that was blocked in Thailand.
Thailand's military-appointed government has expressed fears that Thaksin's return would spark further unrest in the country, that was arguably sharply divided by the populist premier.
'There are still some people who love ex-premier Thaksin, so we are worried about his movements and messages from abroad,' said Thaksin's successor, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont.
'We have asked the Singaporeans to consider our concerns,' said Surayud, explaining that although Thaksin has been abroad, he is considered an 'internal affair.'
Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon who was prime minister between 2001 to 2006, has been living in exile since, travelling between London, where his daughter is studying, and various Asian cities, such as Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Thaksin is reportedly planning to leave Singapore for Japan soon, said Kitti.
Thailand's military-appointed government last week revoked Thaksin's diplomatic passport, making it impossible for him to travel without visas.
The government also last week asked Thai television and radio stations to practise self-censorship on Thaksin-related news for the sake of national security.
As most Thai television and radio stations are government- or military-owned, such requests are normally obeyed.
The self-censorship has extended to local broadcasts of CNN, which Monday night carried an interview with Thaksin that was conducted in Singapore. UBC, the local provider of CNN, blocked the airing of the interview for the Thai audience, industry sources said.
In the interview, Thaksin vowed he would stay away from Thai politics in the future and also denied any involvement in the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok that killed three people and injured 40.
Political observers said Thaksin's use of the international media and his contacts abroad have left the government looking flat-footed.
'He has outfoxed them,' said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
'There is a domestic media gag, so Thaksin took the initiative and went on CNN, and now all the local media have to report on the CNN interview, so the gag is irrelevant,' Thitinan said. 'He's outmanoeuvred the military.'
Like many Thai academics, Thitinan was staunchly anti-Thaksin and welcomed the coup as a means of disposing him, but he faulted the junta for not acting more decisively in seizing Thaksin's assets and bringing corruption cases against him and his family.
Thkasin has yet to be brought to court for corruption, which the junta cited as one of the main reasons for the coup.
'They didn't disgrace him but gave him room to manoeuvre and he's been manoeuvring, and now they are trying to close the channels to him, but they are have having a difficult time,' Thitinan said.
___________________________________________
Muslim again. -.-
And they call themselves ASEAN. Will elaborate more next time.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Masterclass, Music, and Blanks
I've been trying to update but I failed because I was too busy.
Ok yesterday I played for a masterclass with Miss Eleanor Wong, who is I heard the best piano teacher in HongKong, and she has taught many students, most of them have won prizes in international competition, nd oe of them Rachel Cheung, actually won the Gina Bachauer Competition. wtf.
I watched Rachel's concert at 8pm yesterday, and came back about 11pm, so I was unable to practise Beethoven's Tempest, and thus I have cancelled today's lesson.
Then later today I would have to perform in another masterclass, this time informal, with Professor Yu, and have my cello lesson with Mr. Song in the late afternoon.
Extremely tight schedule but what to do? I haven't even started discussing with Jun Sean the Chinese presentation which is due tomorrow. Gone.
Yesterday's masterclass was good, I performed Chopin's Scherzo in B flat minor, and screwed up the last note, which jumps to the highest F on the keyboard, (you can go find it now), I played a G-G sharp, so the harmony was entirely screwed. The venue was damn good, The Arts House, which was once the Parliament House, where they sat to discuss nation issues.
Quite European, the smell of wood, carpet, and the chandeliers hanging above, and the leather seats, with the Steinway piano in the middle of it all, under this spotlight. About 15 people attneded the masterclass, sad case for the rest of the 4 499 985 people in Singapore who didn't attend it. (Don't reach out for your calculators now, or start staring at the number and counting whether its 4.5million - 15, and don't tag on my blog telling me Singapore's population at its current point of time)
Shawn Neo played too, performing Lizst, and another girl from Yong Siew Toh, name's Hannah Lim, I sweared I never heard contrapuntal music so wonderfully played before.
Dr. Chang Tou Liang was there, and he was watching the masterclass. In case you're wondering who is he, he's the music review writer for the Straits Times, and he's my doctor, which means I visit him when I get sick. His clinic is at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre. I think.
Then Miss Abigail Sin was there, and she actually said, "Hi!" to me. Ok fine "Hi." to me, but I was too ___ to speak anything. (Fill in whatever you want to, and tag on my tagboard the missing word. The best description wins. Or I'll give you something.) And then after that she actually said, "Well done." at the end of the performance and I was like _____, and I said, "Thanks!"
My only word to her the whole 2 half hours.
What a lousy person I am.
Then 8pm was Rachel Cheung's concert, and for the first half me and Shawn Neo were talking about girls and which is his favourite girl's school, and for the second half Shawn Neo, Jonathan Lim and I was talking crap again, comments about the pianist, (including some sick ones).
But her playing was wonderful, and she never missed a single note, unlike me, missing a note seems to be tradition already.
Ok preparing for masterclass already.
Bye!
Ok yesterday I played for a masterclass with Miss Eleanor Wong, who is I heard the best piano teacher in HongKong, and she has taught many students, most of them have won prizes in international competition, nd oe of them Rachel Cheung, actually won the Gina Bachauer Competition. wtf.
I watched Rachel's concert at 8pm yesterday, and came back about 11pm, so I was unable to practise Beethoven's Tempest, and thus I have cancelled today's lesson.
Then later today I would have to perform in another masterclass, this time informal, with Professor Yu, and have my cello lesson with Mr. Song in the late afternoon.
Extremely tight schedule but what to do? I haven't even started discussing with Jun Sean the Chinese presentation which is due tomorrow. Gone.
Yesterday's masterclass was good, I performed Chopin's Scherzo in B flat minor, and screwed up the last note, which jumps to the highest F on the keyboard, (you can go find it now), I played a G-G sharp, so the harmony was entirely screwed. The venue was damn good, The Arts House, which was once the Parliament House, where they sat to discuss nation issues.
Quite European, the smell of wood, carpet, and the chandeliers hanging above, and the leather seats, with the Steinway piano in the middle of it all, under this spotlight. About 15 people attneded the masterclass, sad case for the rest of the 4 499 985 people in Singapore who didn't attend it. (Don't reach out for your calculators now, or start staring at the number and counting whether its 4.5million - 15, and don't tag on my blog telling me Singapore's population at its current point of time)
Shawn Neo played too, performing Lizst, and another girl from Yong Siew Toh, name's Hannah Lim, I sweared I never heard contrapuntal music so wonderfully played before.
Dr. Chang Tou Liang was there, and he was watching the masterclass. In case you're wondering who is he, he's the music review writer for the Straits Times, and he's my doctor, which means I visit him when I get sick. His clinic is at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre. I think.
Then Miss Abigail Sin was there, and she actually said, "Hi!" to me. Ok fine "Hi." to me, but I was too ___ to speak anything. (Fill in whatever you want to, and tag on my tagboard the missing word. The best description wins. Or I'll give you something.) And then after that she actually said, "Well done." at the end of the performance and I was like _____, and I said, "Thanks!"
My only word to her the whole 2 half hours.
What a lousy person I am.
Then 8pm was Rachel Cheung's concert, and for the first half me and Shawn Neo were talking about girls and which is his favourite girl's school, and for the second half Shawn Neo, Jonathan Lim and I was talking crap again, comments about the pianist, (including some sick ones).
But her playing was wonderful, and she never missed a single note, unlike me, missing a note seems to be tradition already.
Ok preparing for masterclass already.
Bye!
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
National Day recording
So I had my National Day recording today and it didn't really go well for me. I went there and I met the SSO, SCO, and all the soloists who were going to perform later. This would be the Singapore EXPO, and I was in one of the conference halls.
The atmosphere was quite fantastic, seeing everyone there, musicians. But I could safely bet that I was the youngest there. I think.
There was an issue between me and the SSO harpist, because she needed the piano bench, and she took it from me, and I had to sit on the normal chair. Then I realised it was too low, much too low for my comfort, and so I stood up. Then the admin saw me, and they took the piano bench back from the harpist lady, and she was like complaining and saying that she needed one too.
How political music can be. But that's life in the music circle.
In the end I was a little concern because I didn't want my relationship with a fellow musician and stranger to be ruined over such a small thing, but they managed to solve the problem by bring another chair and placing this huge mat on it so that it was tall enough for her to play on the harp.
They were recording the song "Starlight Troopers", and mine was "Eternal Sun", so I had to sit on the piano bench for about one hour. And Mr. Shane Thio was like, "recordings go like this, they would drag on for sometime, and then the whole thing would end about 1-2 hours later".
Those brass players who were mostly Eurasians were quite funny. So Ye Cong (the conductor of SCO and this orchestra) was like, "This part, rreeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzz, violins, bar 284" Then the angmohs were like imitating his voice and trying to learn some Chinese words, at the same time making fun of him.
Then Ye Cong kept calling for play at bar 69, and everyone in the room definitely knew what the number symbolised, and all of them were like trying not to let others know they KNOW about the number. Except for the brass ensemble, and one fat french hornist actually said, "Ooooh, 69!" You could almost feel the stifle of the laughter which was aboout to burst out. They were quite talkative, talking crap and copying Ye Cong at many points of the rehearsal.
Then my solo came, and I actually screwed up the first time I played it, because I didn't expect the orchestra to be playing so slowly, and the composer himself, Law Wai Lun, had to rush over but before he managed to come from half of the hall to my side, I managed to recover. That wasn't recording yet. Then after that the second try was better. And the third time was the recording. So at first I thought he was going at the normal speed again, but then Ye Cong slowed the whole orchestra down and I was like rushing the whole first page. He said, "Jonathan, watch me whenever you're playing the first beat." And that I did, but the playing was so not in sync with the orchestra that he had to retry that part just for me again.
Damn Paiseh.
But otherwise the musicians I realised some of them really quite dao. Maybe I was also quite dao towards them. But, whou, rubbing shoulders with adult musicians are really something.
I rate my day 7/10
The atmosphere was quite fantastic, seeing everyone there, musicians. But I could safely bet that I was the youngest there. I think.
There was an issue between me and the SSO harpist, because she needed the piano bench, and she took it from me, and I had to sit on the normal chair. Then I realised it was too low, much too low for my comfort, and so I stood up. Then the admin saw me, and they took the piano bench back from the harpist lady, and she was like complaining and saying that she needed one too.
How political music can be. But that's life in the music circle.
In the end I was a little concern because I didn't want my relationship with a fellow musician and stranger to be ruined over such a small thing, but they managed to solve the problem by bring another chair and placing this huge mat on it so that it was tall enough for her to play on the harp.
They were recording the song "Starlight Troopers", and mine was "Eternal Sun", so I had to sit on the piano bench for about one hour. And Mr. Shane Thio was like, "recordings go like this, they would drag on for sometime, and then the whole thing would end about 1-2 hours later".
Those brass players who were mostly Eurasians were quite funny. So Ye Cong (the conductor of SCO and this orchestra) was like, "This part, rreeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzz, violins, bar 284" Then the angmohs were like imitating his voice and trying to learn some Chinese words, at the same time making fun of him.
Then Ye Cong kept calling for play at bar 69, and everyone in the room definitely knew what the number symbolised, and all of them were like trying not to let others know they KNOW about the number. Except for the brass ensemble, and one fat french hornist actually said, "Ooooh, 69!" You could almost feel the stifle of the laughter which was aboout to burst out. They were quite talkative, talking crap and copying Ye Cong at many points of the rehearsal.
Then my solo came, and I actually screwed up the first time I played it, because I didn't expect the orchestra to be playing so slowly, and the composer himself, Law Wai Lun, had to rush over but before he managed to come from half of the hall to my side, I managed to recover. That wasn't recording yet. Then after that the second try was better. And the third time was the recording. So at first I thought he was going at the normal speed again, but then Ye Cong slowed the whole orchestra down and I was like rushing the whole first page. He said, "Jonathan, watch me whenever you're playing the first beat." And that I did, but the playing was so not in sync with the orchestra that he had to retry that part just for me again.
Damn Paiseh.
But otherwise the musicians I realised some of them really quite dao. Maybe I was also quite dao towards them. But, whou, rubbing shoulders with adult musicians are really something.
I rate my day 7/10
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Virus?
I posted an extremely long post on wednesday but unfortunately lost it due to my computer restarting. So, I bet most of us have heard about the MSN trojan horse virus that has been going around at an extremely quickly.
Quote from Jaren: may the sonofabitch who created this fucking virus rot in hell.
So if we looked closer, this "sonofabitch" targeted our curiousity. Actually most of it is targeted at our curiousity, lah. Especially if it goes www.improfile.com.
When I first saw it I immediately (and I supposed everyone thought the same) thought, "Why the hell is my email profile on this website, and without second thought I clicked on it and the rest was history.
So ya, I hope he doesn't rot in hell, I hope he starts rotting now while walking upon the face of this earth. Maybe he just got knocked down by a car. Fancy wasting our time.
But anyway I wonder I would want to do that, sending people this virus. Would it be more for fun or for sadism? If the cyber investigators ever get him or her, what would be the first he would say?
I don't think it would be student, we don't have much time to do that. Or maybe it was a kicked-out student who's good in technology and computers and decided to take revenge on his school and start sending this virus.
Or maybe it was really just for sadism, to see how everyone reacted to it, and laugh over it. Boliao.
__________________________________________________________________________
I'm currently on a BeeGees searching spree. I'm trying to get a vinyl record of the BeeGees, or buy a gramaphone from erm...is it Sungei Road? I can't remember the spelling. But it definitely starts with S. My dad says that road sells 2nd hand objects like yep, gramaphones, rocking chairs, sofas.
Thinking about it, these things might be cursed. Like haunted?
:X
Quote from Jaren: may the sonofabitch who created this fucking virus rot in hell.
So if we looked closer, this "sonofabitch" targeted our curiousity. Actually most of it is targeted at our curiousity, lah. Especially if it goes www.improfile.com.
When I first saw it I immediately (and I supposed everyone thought the same) thought, "Why the hell is my email profile on this website, and without second thought I clicked on it and the rest was history.
So ya, I hope he doesn't rot in hell, I hope he starts rotting now while walking upon the face of this earth. Maybe he just got knocked down by a car. Fancy wasting our time.
But anyway I wonder I would want to do that, sending people this virus. Would it be more for fun or for sadism? If the cyber investigators ever get him or her, what would be the first he would say?
I don't think it would be student, we don't have much time to do that. Or maybe it was a kicked-out student who's good in technology and computers and decided to take revenge on his school and start sending this virus.
Or maybe it was really just for sadism, to see how everyone reacted to it, and laugh over it. Boliao.
__________________________________________________________________________
I'm currently on a BeeGees searching spree. I'm trying to get a vinyl record of the BeeGees, or buy a gramaphone from erm...is it Sungei Road? I can't remember the spelling. But it definitely starts with S. My dad says that road sells 2nd hand objects like yep, gramaphones, rocking chairs, sofas.
Thinking about it, these things might be cursed. Like haunted?
:X
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