Taxi drivers are really amazing. They are the drivers of Singapore, literally, the eyes and ears of the people. They are constantly seeing, listening, sharing about Singapore and its progress.
Today while coming back home from University I waited half an hour in vain for a taxi driver. I was so frustrated that I kinda walked on the road frontwards and backwards as much as Imma asked me whether I was planning to end my life.
[The second time of the day someone asked me whether I was - first time was when I showed Nigel my seventh-storey SR Block photo shot, and he asked me whether I was having any funny ideas when I went up there. Ur, hurhurhur. ]
Anyway when a taxi finally came along I put on a long face and stepped into the car. I was panicking, because of MEP and Chinese (which I don't give a shit about) that was being held tomorrow. The only reason why I'm blogging now is because I finished learning already.
The taxi driver soon realises that I'm a part-time NUS student and a RI student (after questioning about the badge and the uniform, and the venue he picked me up at). Then he realises that I'm a music student and I'm a piano major. We soon engage in a lively discussion about instruments (even though I was tired, and at first I was just trying to sorta sleep).
Then the question hit while we were reaching Bukit Panjang.
"What makes a good musician?"
Never has anyone (much less a taxi driver) asked me that except on the Internet, but someone asking me right in my face about 'what makes a good musician" was serious business. I was at a lost for some time, trying to put together all my thoughts and all my guts. To give my best shot at this question that I hardly ponder about.
Was I a good musician?
Well I proceeded to tell him that a good musician must be a good communicator, to be able to communicate with everyone around him to produce good music. So basically humans are good musicians (what a stupid way to avoid the question) - and then I used a philosophically-fallacied question by saying that no animals were musicians - only humans were capable of it(which I know is false to quite a degree).
But Mr. Taxi Driver said there's no such thing as a good musician. But there's such a thing called good music - and all good music comes from Mother Nature herself.
Well for most of the conversation he was talking about Mother Nature and the Chinese instrument (which I think is non-existent) called Guqin. Is there such an instrument? Please help me check if you're free.
Ok, Mr. Taxi Driver was partly/wholly avoiding the question, but his talk about all good music coming from Mother Nature is partly/wholly true also.
I managed to counter him back by saying humans were all part of Mother Nature, but he told me that he didn't mean that. He meant the rustling of leaves when they fall, the sound of rain when it hits the ground, the insects, the birds and everything.
Well, it's true. Look at what Messien did. Look at what Beethoven did. Look at what Mozart did. All walks in the parks and collecting and researching. Mozart, talking to people around him, making joy, music.
Yadayadayadayada. Point of the day is, Mr Taxi Driver is awesome.
When the trip ended, he wished me good luck and all the success possible in life, looking deep into my jaded eyes. Freaking rhyme not intended. And I bid him good-bye after that, profusely thanking him lorh. But after that I was pretty inspired again. I'll keep in mind about what he said.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
My Week. Again.
I decided to delete my fantasy blog and write it in my own free time.
Like you know, in a book form. Ok, like in a book. A novel. A novellette.
There's Mathematics, Chinese, and MEP left. And I taught Bryan yesterday! Didn't know teaching could be so fun. Basically he played his ABRSM pieces and I only touched on the List A piece and assigned him a scale. And taught him a scale method. Probably coming around again next week.
I came to his house at around 4pm yesterday, taught him till 5.30, then after that did Mathematics before giving up because I didn't know a single shit. I missed the entire chapter of 'Vectors' while I was in Ibiza, which prompted LiYoung to say,
"Yeah, did you know we went to the Moon while you were away?"
KaKiong: "Yeah yeah!!"
Baskets...
Was originally supposed to play soccer today at 5.30 but totally didn't see Adriel's sms to meet at CCAB. I'll look like a noob in front of all his soccer pals, but heck. Maybe I'll play after Tuesday. After Tuesday, there'll be MEP soccer! Who the hell can't wait for that.
With played together for 4 years, since Sec 1 in the Junior Block, and now in RJC. We've used so many different kinds of balls - actual soccer ball, bottle cap (which would be crushed so much it looked nearly like a ball), bottle, tennis ball, floor ball, bowling ball. Yeah, right. Hurhur. 5 people play 1 person come out alive.
Anyway yeah anything that could be kicked and could pass through under 2 metres of space would be played. Yeah, so we didn't touch those balls.
This Tuesday we're playing again at the basketball court, so any MEPpers who see this, please bring thy PE T-shirts and your PE shorts and come play.
To sum up my bad week:
1) I have very bad time management.
2) I am constantly tired or yawning, but I don't like to complain.
3) My dad asked whether it's cos I'm short so I have very low self-esteem.
4) I screwed up for Chemistry but did better in Physics.
5) Literature was a total blank and mess.
6) Thursday was burn-out day after having a bad lesson of piano - what's the use of lesson if you play all the same mistakes you played last week?
7) Friday after that was fast heartbeat day, with trepiditions and twitches and constant yawning.
8) Saturday was Ear-Training with Dr Makarome and Music Technology with Dr Hess. And Dr Makarome showed us a Harry Potter replica wand he bought from 100 plus dollars. We pretended to be wizards for a bit, before going on a slow jazz jam. Dr Hess's class was great, did everything quickly and Finale is starting to become easy to use.
9) After that we went for Dr Hecht's Four Hand class again, playing Rachmaninov's Polka. Played the six-hands Rachmaninov Romance with Dr Hecht and Aidi ( I was in the middle). Dr Hecht says he plans to play it with us in the concert, after which he would leave the stage to allow us to play the 4-hands Polka.
The Romance entirely inspired me to write a Romance for Violin, Viola and Piano, which I was trying to conjure up a melody for while eating lunch.
10) Went to Bryan's house to teach and be taught. Met Bryan's tutor/cousin Norman (not Musclewari) and he taught us Mathematics. For once, Math was fun as Bryan and I rushed to complete a question, which took us half an hour, and never was solved. Constantly distracted by the Romance I was thinking about.
11) Bryan's brother Ben, who was 6, gave me a punch to the back, which I never recovered from.
12) I stabbed myself at one of the desk corners literally. Note: Not scratch. There's a hole with blood in my hand now. And it hit an acupunture point linked to my fifth finger. (I'm sure of that because that was where I have been acupunctured before.)
13) Typed out MEP Notes, and then walked to taxi stand while talking about GTA 4 to Choong. Met a gangster smoker who told us to 'queue up'. Well he wasn't standing at the taxi stand in the first place, he was standing ON the road.
Basically sums up my week.
Cool, 13 points, unlucky week. Lol, definitely a coincedence and not planned. I hope next week will be a better week...
Like you know, in a book form. Ok, like in a book. A novel. A novellette.
There's Mathematics, Chinese, and MEP left. And I taught Bryan yesterday! Didn't know teaching could be so fun. Basically he played his ABRSM pieces and I only touched on the List A piece and assigned him a scale. And taught him a scale method. Probably coming around again next week.
I came to his house at around 4pm yesterday, taught him till 5.30, then after that did Mathematics before giving up because I didn't know a single shit. I missed the entire chapter of 'Vectors' while I was in Ibiza, which prompted LiYoung to say,
"Yeah, did you know we went to the Moon while you were away?"
KaKiong: "Yeah yeah!!"
Baskets...
Was originally supposed to play soccer today at 5.30 but totally didn't see Adriel's sms to meet at CCAB. I'll look like a noob in front of all his soccer pals, but heck. Maybe I'll play after Tuesday. After Tuesday, there'll be MEP soccer! Who the hell can't wait for that.
With played together for 4 years, since Sec 1 in the Junior Block, and now in RJC. We've used so many different kinds of balls - actual soccer ball, bottle cap (which would be crushed so much it looked nearly like a ball), bottle, tennis ball, floor ball, bowling ball. Yeah, right. Hurhur. 5 people play 1 person come out alive.
Anyway yeah anything that could be kicked and could pass through under 2 metres of space would be played. Yeah, so we didn't touch those balls.
This Tuesday we're playing again at the basketball court, so any MEPpers who see this, please bring thy PE T-shirts and your PE shorts and come play.
To sum up my bad week:
1) I have very bad time management.
2) I am constantly tired or yawning, but I don't like to complain.
3) My dad asked whether it's cos I'm short so I have very low self-esteem.
4) I screwed up for Chemistry but did better in Physics.
5) Literature was a total blank and mess.
6) Thursday was burn-out day after having a bad lesson of piano - what's the use of lesson if you play all the same mistakes you played last week?
7) Friday after that was fast heartbeat day, with trepiditions and twitches and constant yawning.
8) Saturday was Ear-Training with Dr Makarome and Music Technology with Dr Hess. And Dr Makarome showed us a Harry Potter replica wand he bought from 100 plus dollars. We pretended to be wizards for a bit, before going on a slow jazz jam. Dr Hess's class was great, did everything quickly and Finale is starting to become easy to use.
9) After that we went for Dr Hecht's Four Hand class again, playing Rachmaninov's Polka. Played the six-hands Rachmaninov Romance with Dr Hecht and Aidi ( I was in the middle). Dr Hecht says he plans to play it with us in the concert, after which he would leave the stage to allow us to play the 4-hands Polka.
The Romance entirely inspired me to write a Romance for Violin, Viola and Piano, which I was trying to conjure up a melody for while eating lunch.
10) Went to Bryan's house to teach and be taught. Met Bryan's tutor/cousin Norman (not Musclewari) and he taught us Mathematics. For once, Math was fun as Bryan and I rushed to complete a question, which took us half an hour, and never was solved. Constantly distracted by the Romance I was thinking about.
11) Bryan's brother Ben, who was 6, gave me a punch to the back, which I never recovered from.
12) I stabbed myself at one of the desk corners literally. Note: Not scratch. There's a hole with blood in my hand now. And it hit an acupunture point linked to my fifth finger. (I'm sure of that because that was where I have been acupunctured before.)
13) Typed out MEP Notes, and then walked to taxi stand while talking about GTA 4 to Choong. Met a gangster smoker who told us to 'queue up'. Well he wasn't standing at the taxi stand in the first place, he was standing ON the road.
Basically sums up my week.
Cool, 13 points, unlucky week. Lol, definitely a coincedence and not planned. I hope next week will be a better week...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
For all the confusion
Ok just to clear things up the fantasy blog I created contains a concept and an alternate reality where selfishly I wake to find only ME and ME in it.
And what I will do if there's only ME in it.
And how lonely I will feel if there's only ME in it.
And who I'll miss if there's only ME in it.
And when will everyone be back if there's only ME in it.
And why there's only ME in it.
The idea itself is pretty scary, and I'm writing EXACTLY what I would do if the world suddenly disappears and I'm the only person left in it. Well basically I'm writing it from a blogpoint of view, which means like, how it happens in real life. Something happens and I blog about it. Yeap.
I find the concept REALLY APPEALING, and I'm very sure I can hold out till next year and years to come.
Yes, if there's only ME in it. Watch me degenerate.
Anyway I'm at the Conservatory now, 4 more hours to go before my lesson. Someone took/I lost the Ravel Sonatine book, which cost $22. Anyone who took it/or picked it up please retuuurn, all my details and notes are in there.
Secondly, someone took/I lost my Gulliver's Travels book. Ok I'm pretty sure someone stole this book this time, directly after I started dog-earing and annotating the book. Tomorrow's the test, will you please return it to me? Will greatly appreciate.
You guessed it, Tuesday was the concert, and Wednesday was the Chemistry Test.
Let's do some math. Let's say I get home at around...put it to 11pm. And my Chemistry is like, GPA 0.8. If I study and get full marks for the test, I'll still get GPA 1.2.
That's a huge difference! I should have studied so that I wouldn't fail. Oh wait, GPA 1.2 is PHAIL!!!
Well I did study in the end, but I slept with my glasses on at 1.
The next day, ho-ho-ho, 5 pages blank.
Called my dad after the test.
"Hello Dad?"
"Yeah boy just finish Chem Test?"
"Yeah"
"ah...ha, HA, HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA"
"..."
"bad right?"
"yeah 5 pages blank"
I forgot his response, but he minded little.
Physics was better than expected. Expected WASN'T 80/80, damn it. If not I would have gotten 85. I really hope my expected was 35. Maybe I'll get 40. That's a pass. My expectations are super low - what do you expect from a guy like me? You can get me to write a novel, or even better, make me practise for a full day, but get full marks for a Chemistry/Physics/Math paper? Forget it.
Ok, I'm typing quite loudly in the Computer Lab now. You should see how loud I can manage to type. But the important thing is how FAST. ahhh....
Currently in a song-writing collaboration with Kwek. I'm really hoping my mind doesn't pop up with oldie melodies again, because that's probably all I can think of. So I'm listening to more modern and contemporary music now. Check out like, 1990s radio adult music. Yeah, that kind.
He finished the lyrics already, and it's really good. Good enough for me to think whether I should compose a piano fantasy of it or just stick to lyrics. I'll stick to the latter I think.
Ok, back to practising Ravel. Cya guys later. And wish me luck for my Literature and Chinese tomorrow. I'll be back at 10.30 tonight, so if I die for them tomorrow, just blame it a little on the Conservatory.
:X
And what I will do if there's only ME in it.
And how lonely I will feel if there's only ME in it.
And who I'll miss if there's only ME in it.
And when will everyone be back if there's only ME in it.
And why there's only ME in it.
The idea itself is pretty scary, and I'm writing EXACTLY what I would do if the world suddenly disappears and I'm the only person left in it. Well basically I'm writing it from a blogpoint of view, which means like, how it happens in real life. Something happens and I blog about it. Yeap.
I find the concept REALLY APPEALING, and I'm very sure I can hold out till next year and years to come.
Yes, if there's only ME in it. Watch me degenerate.
Anyway I'm at the Conservatory now, 4 more hours to go before my lesson. Someone took/I lost the Ravel Sonatine book, which cost $22. Anyone who took it/or picked it up please retuuurn, all my details and notes are in there.
Secondly, someone took/I lost my Gulliver's Travels book. Ok I'm pretty sure someone stole this book this time, directly after I started dog-earing and annotating the book. Tomorrow's the test, will you please return it to me? Will greatly appreciate.
You guessed it, Tuesday was the concert, and Wednesday was the Chemistry Test.
Let's do some math. Let's say I get home at around...put it to 11pm. And my Chemistry is like, GPA 0.8. If I study and get full marks for the test, I'll still get GPA 1.2.
That's a huge difference! I should have studied so that I wouldn't fail. Oh wait, GPA 1.2 is PHAIL!!!
Well I did study in the end, but I slept with my glasses on at 1.
The next day, ho-ho-ho, 5 pages blank.
Called my dad after the test.
"Hello Dad?"
"Yeah boy just finish Chem Test?"
"Yeah"
"ah...ha, HA, HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA"
"..."
"bad right?"
"yeah 5 pages blank"
I forgot his response, but he minded little.
Physics was better than expected. Expected WASN'T 80/80, damn it. If not I would have gotten 85. I really hope my expected was 35. Maybe I'll get 40. That's a pass. My expectations are super low - what do you expect from a guy like me? You can get me to write a novel, or even better, make me practise for a full day, but get full marks for a Chemistry/Physics/Math paper? Forget it.
Ok, I'm typing quite loudly in the Computer Lab now. You should see how loud I can manage to type. But the important thing is how FAST. ahhh....
Currently in a song-writing collaboration with Kwek. I'm really hoping my mind doesn't pop up with oldie melodies again, because that's probably all I can think of. So I'm listening to more modern and contemporary music now. Check out like, 1990s radio adult music. Yeah, that kind.
He finished the lyrics already, and it's really good. Good enough for me to think whether I should compose a piano fantasy of it or just stick to lyrics. I'll stick to the latter I think.
Ok, back to practising Ravel. Cya guys later. And wish me luck for my Literature and Chinese tomorrow. I'll be back at 10.30 tonight, so if I die for them tomorrow, just blame it a little on the Conservatory.
:X
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Concerto Extra Avangan Za
Yes, I can't believe I didn't blog for 3 days already. The unearthly hour of 1.38am and I'm blogging here.
Tomorrow there will be the Concerto Extravaganza, which ZAD will be performing Chopin's Fantasie in and I'll be accompanying her on orchestral reduction. I would also like to mention that I will be disappointing you guys with this blog post, because there isn't much to post and I don't have anything to post.
If you are wondering what kept me up so late, it was Jackie Chan's Rob-B-Hood, which I suddenly felt the urge to catch probably because it was one of the movies that my mum and I watched TOGETHER, and we were laughing out loud. Rare moments, but treasured indeed. So I decided to watch them again.
Am I too sensitive or what? I teared when I listened to Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto 3rd Movement 2nd subject. I hope it's nothing too scary, and I hope it's normal.
It wasn't even just swooning of the head, I was TEARING!!!
1) Rachmaninov is really a genius.
2) Tarin and Clarence play it so freaking well.
To see whether you're sensitive or not, why not just come down to watch us play tomorrow man. Apparently tomorrow's works are really big and powerful, and even Dr Hecht and Mr Tiu suggested that next time they should split it into two nights, because 'the audience wouldn't be able to take it.'
It's true. With all its glory and power.
I heard this rumor - apparently if you sleep late you get pimples cos of stress and you grow in your sleep so if you sleep less you don't grow. Ah, see, one hand up to deny that already.
Oh, look, that's another one. Alright alright, I know what you guys mean, it's NOT TRUE!
To a certain extent. I'm just kinda finding an excuse for my current predicament.
Fact of the Day: I'm hungry. I want to go IKEA to eat the spaghetti and meatballs now. Right now. I am going to take a taxi to IKEA, demand they open, and eat their spaghetti. All of them. Talking about interesting things to blog, I can only blogged that I went with Akkra and his family to Clarke Quay to have dinner and sorts.
You know, the way I look at Clarence, the way he presents himself on first impression, is really great. Like, check it out, I walk into his parents' hotel room where they're resting (and his 14yo sister is there) and I'm like,
Heck, put on a sullen face and look serious. That's it, that's it, look so freaking serious and hope they smile at you.
No wonder the parents smile at me (count all the years of experience in PR) and the sister doesn't.
Scenario 2:
Clarence walks up with all his perfume and all and gelled-up hair, gives a 1000-watt smile and the whole world smiles at him :)
No wonder I have to learn from Clarence. Heck, he taught me so many things in Germany. Good guy, good guy.
I hope you guys don't mind my titanium-plastic tooth when I smile,
Or the sound of nitrogen-popping when I flex my wrist,
Blah blah blah blah blah blah -ile,
blah blah yada-yada-yada-yada piss.
How's that for a poem, eh? Never know when they might call me up to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.
But then again, I should not start on the self-pitying crap and proceed to post emo messages on MSN. After all, the last time I did it was the last time I had a close-enough friend/girlfriend/fwen/gerlfwen (check Scotland, Ireland), which was in 2006.
Why not, let's go for this later in life and bother about having a stable financial income in this financial crunch NOW?
It's the best alternative plan.
Hope to see you people tomorrow!!!
Tomorrow there will be the Concerto Extravaganza, which ZAD will be performing Chopin's Fantasie in and I'll be accompanying her on orchestral reduction. I would also like to mention that I will be disappointing you guys with this blog post, because there isn't much to post and I don't have anything to post.
If you are wondering what kept me up so late, it was Jackie Chan's Rob-B-Hood, which I suddenly felt the urge to catch probably because it was one of the movies that my mum and I watched TOGETHER, and we were laughing out loud. Rare moments, but treasured indeed. So I decided to watch them again.
Am I too sensitive or what? I teared when I listened to Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto 3rd Movement 2nd subject. I hope it's nothing too scary, and I hope it's normal.
It wasn't even just swooning of the head, I was TEARING!!!
1) Rachmaninov is really a genius.
2) Tarin and Clarence play it so freaking well.
To see whether you're sensitive or not, why not just come down to watch us play tomorrow man. Apparently tomorrow's works are really big and powerful, and even Dr Hecht and Mr Tiu suggested that next time they should split it into two nights, because 'the audience wouldn't be able to take it.'
It's true. With all its glory and power.
I heard this rumor - apparently if you sleep late you get pimples cos of stress and you grow in your sleep so if you sleep less you don't grow. Ah, see, one hand up to deny that already.
Oh, look, that's another one. Alright alright, I know what you guys mean, it's NOT TRUE!
To a certain extent. I'm just kinda finding an excuse for my current predicament.
Fact of the Day: I'm hungry. I want to go IKEA to eat the spaghetti and meatballs now. Right now. I am going to take a taxi to IKEA, demand they open, and eat their spaghetti. All of them. Talking about interesting things to blog, I can only blogged that I went with Akkra and his family to Clarke Quay to have dinner and sorts.
You know, the way I look at Clarence, the way he presents himself on first impression, is really great. Like, check it out, I walk into his parents' hotel room where they're resting (and his 14yo sister is there) and I'm like,
Heck, put on a sullen face and look serious. That's it, that's it, look so freaking serious and hope they smile at you.
No wonder the parents smile at me (count all the years of experience in PR) and the sister doesn't.
Scenario 2:
Clarence walks up with all his perfume and all and gelled-up hair, gives a 1000-watt smile and the whole world smiles at him :)
No wonder I have to learn from Clarence. Heck, he taught me so many things in Germany. Good guy, good guy.
I hope you guys don't mind my titanium-plastic tooth when I smile,
Or the sound of nitrogen-popping when I flex my wrist,
Blah blah blah blah blah blah -ile,
blah blah yada-yada-yada-yada piss.
How's that for a poem, eh? Never know when they might call me up to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.
But then again, I should not start on the self-pitying crap and proceed to post emo messages on MSN. After all, the last time I did it was the last time I had a close-enough friend/girlfriend/fwen/gerlfwen (check Scotland, Ireland), which was in 2006.
Why not, let's go for this later in life and bother about having a stable financial income in this financial crunch NOW?
It's the best alternative plan.
Hope to see you people tomorrow!!!
Friday, October 10, 2008
tiramisu
No, in case you're thinking, there're no pictures or anything above the text. It's a scanning error. It's really a blank space.
Seriously.
Yes, this article caught my eye because of 'SOURCE OF STEM CELLS'. Do you know how helpful that can be to the human race, or even to animals? Damn, we'll be all healthy and no longer diseased!
No, we still need it. Please don't take it away from us.
Yeah, the stem cells part.
Absolutely.
And if I sound really like, sarcastic and smarting.
I'm a little drunk now (:O) because I took a huge chunk of alcoholic tiramisu while at a wine-tasting session with my dad and Dr. Hecht, of which I failed to taste any wine because I don't touch alcohol. Let's say I didn't, because I ATE SOME OF IT.
Damn. It's a sin to me you know, consuming alcohol. I feel damn dumb now because I never should have taken the tiramisu. Never...now I'm stained. Now I can't proudly say I have never consumed alcohol before to anyone.
Now, I'm a little dizzy. And nearly on the verge of letting you see what I had for dinner just a few hours ago.
Today's English and S.S were good. Near-good, near-very good. I felt good after that, which is good because I don't want to be bugged the whole of next week, when I really die. I'm the worst at Math, Physics, and Chemistry, which kinda you know, like, kinda tell you how I don't like the Sciences?
Yeah.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Dedicated to the prefects in our class
10.52pm, dirty, not showered yet, just back from piano lesson.
My dad is in the living room entertaining some guests, while I stay here and do a little blogpost before the EOYs begins. Tomorrow, we'll be having English and Social Studies! I'm pretty confident for SS, although I need some more practice on English and more familiarity with the essay sequence. I know I can do it.
Probably like how I did Ravel today.
Today started with lots of trepedition, because on the second period we were going to have our last PE lesson - and we were going to have our last organized soccer game.
We played two games, my team lost the first game 2-0, but my team won the second game 1-0, goal courteous of blogger. The first game was really a give-away, because Shang (our goalkeeper), while clearing the ball, passed it straight to Joseph, erm, the opposing striker.
If logic rules, I think the opposing striker would attempt to score straight from within 5 metres, which was what Joseph did. And he scored.
Couple of nice volleys,you know, nice moves and all that, nice things that girls will never be interested in reading. To cater to thy mixed-gender readers, I shall move on.
Well, interesting thing was that I broke my right ring toe-nail. Think I ripped it off when LiYoung used me as a pivot when he tried to tackle me. Which he succeeded. Suay.
I was feeling despaired for most of the day, because I thought I was going to die when I played Ravel later. I really feel great for the transformation that I went through - when I was young every minute at the piano felt like an hour. And every practice session (8pm-10pm) felt like years...especially when the clock was directly in front of me.
While practising at the Conservatory today I was feeling depressed how time passed by so quickly. It's not often that one gets to enjoy the sounds of the piano, and I think I took lots of time trying to listen and savour each note.
Cheers to Ravel.
Not much before that - when I read Zhongren's blog yesterday, I spotted this segment -
"out of the goodness of my heart.WARNING TO ALL. if you're not a judoka, please for your sake don't hit me unexpectedly.coz i WILL hit back and i found out i usually can't control it =(means it's already reflexive for meso take care around me =D "
I think it was for me, cos I jumped him while in class and he did some judo move on me which I tried to counter, but failed obviously. Not like professional ninjutsu student Chua Li Young (seriously. like, he goes for ninjutsu training every weekend). So basically he turned me upside down and nearly broke my ribs until I gave a shout. He stopped, luckily.
While, about the ninjutsu thing I saw it with my own eyes when Zhongren attempted to jump Li Young. Zhongren managed to bring Li Young down, but the ninjutsu guy dragged judo guy down and flipped over him, before nearly bringing down on free hand on his adam's apple/sternum. Can't remember.
All of us watching that day were really shocked, cos hell, who takes on a judoka student?
Today's last period was free for me, so I walked to the printing room with Leon and Benjamin Low, spoke to Enzhao and Theophilus for nearly an hour.
I had time to spare anyway, lesson was at 7.30.
Kwek! The heck about the meme quiz - obviously it isn't ZAD or Andrea. Yeah, just like to make it a point to all of you who have done the meme quiz and have the questions;
Question 26 DOES NOT refer to ZAD or Andrea. I'm talking about the freshmen and sophomore girls. Count third-year students in also.
For you people who are lazy, Question 26 is:
Someone you think you could seduce.
Ah-hah! Noobs. Oh no, I just revealed a question to those who haven't done the meme yet. Will I be cursed? Will I be ruined? No.
I would like to end this post by talking about our class prefects - Jun Sean and Matthias. Throughout these 2 years with them, I realised they're maybe a little different from other prefects. Like, they manage to keep discipline and enforce the rules through their working relationships with us, which is really good because they don't like, 'change face'.
As in, they don't like, be one person and be another in the next lah.
I feel great to have them as our class prefects. Taking Jun Sean for example, who allowed me to change my PE T-Shirt in class when I told him I had a broken toe nail and I couldn't walk to the toilet.
Yeah. Like he said, "The law is fair. If it's reasonable, then...(something something which I forgot)." Maybe he said then it's alright. Really understanding.
And Matthias also. For all the freaking times we eat in class. Well at least he understood we were lazy and I don't think he booked us that much. But he did book me once though. :)
Anyway the thing is that, they're nice and understanding people, ok? This post is dedicated to them, as I had promised Jun Sean earlier in the morning.
Good Luck to all people taking EOYs.
See you'll tomorrow.
My dad is in the living room entertaining some guests, while I stay here and do a little blogpost before the EOYs begins. Tomorrow, we'll be having English and Social Studies! I'm pretty confident for SS, although I need some more practice on English and more familiarity with the essay sequence. I know I can do it.
Probably like how I did Ravel today.
Today started with lots of trepedition, because on the second period we were going to have our last PE lesson - and we were going to have our last organized soccer game.
We played two games, my team lost the first game 2-0, but my team won the second game 1-0, goal courteous of blogger. The first game was really a give-away, because Shang (our goalkeeper), while clearing the ball, passed it straight to Joseph, erm, the opposing striker.
If logic rules, I think the opposing striker would attempt to score straight from within 5 metres, which was what Joseph did. And he scored.
Couple of nice volleys,you know, nice moves and all that, nice things that girls will never be interested in reading. To cater to thy mixed-gender readers, I shall move on.
Well, interesting thing was that I broke my right ring toe-nail. Think I ripped it off when LiYoung used me as a pivot when he tried to tackle me. Which he succeeded. Suay.
I was feeling despaired for most of the day, because I thought I was going to die when I played Ravel later. I really feel great for the transformation that I went through - when I was young every minute at the piano felt like an hour. And every practice session (8pm-10pm) felt like years...especially when the clock was directly in front of me.
While practising at the Conservatory today I was feeling depressed how time passed by so quickly. It's not often that one gets to enjoy the sounds of the piano, and I think I took lots of time trying to listen and savour each note.
Cheers to Ravel.
Not much before that - when I read Zhongren's blog yesterday, I spotted this segment -
"out of the goodness of my heart.WARNING TO ALL. if you're not a judoka, please for your sake don't hit me unexpectedly.coz i WILL hit back and i found out i usually can't control it =(means it's already reflexive for meso take care around me =D "
I think it was for me, cos I jumped him while in class and he did some judo move on me which I tried to counter, but failed obviously. Not like professional ninjutsu student Chua Li Young (seriously. like, he goes for ninjutsu training every weekend). So basically he turned me upside down and nearly broke my ribs until I gave a shout. He stopped, luckily.
While, about the ninjutsu thing I saw it with my own eyes when Zhongren attempted to jump Li Young. Zhongren managed to bring Li Young down, but the ninjutsu guy dragged judo guy down and flipped over him, before nearly bringing down on free hand on his adam's apple/sternum. Can't remember.
All of us watching that day were really shocked, cos hell, who takes on a judoka student?
Today's last period was free for me, so I walked to the printing room with Leon and Benjamin Low, spoke to Enzhao and Theophilus for nearly an hour.
I had time to spare anyway, lesson was at 7.30.
Kwek! The heck about the meme quiz - obviously it isn't ZAD or Andrea. Yeah, just like to make it a point to all of you who have done the meme quiz and have the questions;
Question 26 DOES NOT refer to ZAD or Andrea. I'm talking about the freshmen and sophomore girls. Count third-year students in also.
For you people who are lazy, Question 26 is:
Someone you think you could seduce.
Ah-hah! Noobs. Oh no, I just revealed a question to those who haven't done the meme yet. Will I be cursed? Will I be ruined? No.
I would like to end this post by talking about our class prefects - Jun Sean and Matthias. Throughout these 2 years with them, I realised they're maybe a little different from other prefects. Like, they manage to keep discipline and enforce the rules through their working relationships with us, which is really good because they don't like, 'change face'.
As in, they don't like, be one person and be another in the next lah.
I feel great to have them as our class prefects. Taking Jun Sean for example, who allowed me to change my PE T-Shirt in class when I told him I had a broken toe nail and I couldn't walk to the toilet.
Yeah. Like he said, "The law is fair. If it's reasonable, then...(something something which I forgot)." Maybe he said then it's alright. Really understanding.
And Matthias also. For all the freaking times we eat in class. Well at least he understood we were lazy and I don't think he booked us that much. But he did book me once though. :)
Anyway the thing is that, they're nice and understanding people, ok? This post is dedicated to them, as I had promised Jun Sean earlier in the morning.
Good Luck to all people taking EOYs.
See you'll tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Greenwave 2
I pricked myself with the RJC badge that I normally wear to school which hardly anyone notices unless they stare and scrutinize at...what! What are you staring at, man! Shoo, shoo!
I can't believe I got back to work on the first movement again. Recently I was clearing my desk when I saw the manuscript book with my drafts for my piano concerto in it, different themes and subjects. I'm currently at the third original melody, which is pretty weird because I prefer just two motives and then I keep using them.
Taking a point from Joseph Haydn, when he mention that amateurs usually look for new materials in the creation of a piece and do not make use of motives that appear in the earlier part of the piece.
I wanted to do a review of the Quintessential concert I attended yesterday night but unfortunately was too tired to do anything, just read KS Bull and some music book before sleeping. That's different from FALLING ASLEEP.
I want to do it now, but I got to continue practising my Ravel Sonatine, so no review.
But I am totally sure that it's either one of the best, or the best concert I've ever been to watched in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. In the first half we heard Tan Dun's Eight Colours for String Quartet, and then Mozart's Quintet in E flat major. In the second half we heard Schubert's Quintet for Cello and Strings.
No, it was really crazily nice. Although Tan Dun's Quartet was quite modern (with no sense of harmony), it really imitated Cantonese opera so well, that it looked like we were watching a dark and sombre Peking opera. The Quintet following that lived up to its expectations and Mozart's stated best composition he had ever written - the master mentioned that himself! All the best people in their respective field's of their instruments played - Head of Oboe, Head of Bassoon, Head of Horn, and Head of Clarinet - all of them principals in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. And of course, Head of Piano! Yay...
The Quintet by Schubert was such a refreshing experience - I've never heard a Quintet for Cello and Strings before, but it was so well-coordinated and engineered. Well, that's not the point. We're not even talking about the technical parts here...we're already talking about the human spirit in the piece that was evidently present throughout. Gave me goosebumps at time. Anyway, Qin Li-Wei was playing it also, kudos to him and Leslie for making my evening experience full - I play the piano and cello too in case you'll don't know.
I got down to some revision, so much so that I'm alright already for Social Studies. I've got a 3.6 for Social Studies! (which is good.) And a 3.6 in MEP also! (which is not good. because I'm a music student and I should be better at it.)
Many big things happening: it's confirmed that I will be performing along with a band that I've set up for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the 31st October, which is also my Rafflesian Spotlight performance, which is also Dr. YKH's birthday!!!
Yeah, there's this Clean-and-Green thing that some big government organizers organized, and apparently they sent a formal letter to the school asking for:
Mr Jonathan Shin
Mr Yong Zhiyi
Mr Lee Jinghui
Mr Chu Benwee
to perform the Green Crotchets: Songs for the Environment. The Guest-of-Honour is Prime Minister Lee. (resonates in the head) At which point Choong exclaims, "No big deal!"
Lol. So we're singing 5 songs, all of them originally composed as a group last year.
http://i-talk-you-listen.blogspot.com/2008/01/studio-recording-pictures.html
We've got a deal to re-record the songs so that they can be distributed to all primary schools next year, but I have to settle recording Flame of Youth (our national day song that apparently the RI teachers say are even better than the current lot written by the adults. hehe.) before recording the Greenwave songs.
Cheers.
On the new list of priorities -
1. To rehearse the Greenwave songs to a purfect state. Like, how professional bands do it. People doing it are:
Jonathan Shin - voice/keyboard/backup voice
Marcus Lee - voice
Benjamin Low - voice/keyboard/backup voice
Ian Yee - backup voice
Jonathan Lim - acoustic guitar
Yong Zhi Yi - keyboard, voic...no, just keyboard.
David Ng - electric bass
Daniel Lim - drums
Hell of a superband.
2. Record Flame of Youth of EOYs
3. Finish my piano concerto by the end of JC1. So I can submit in JC2 for free composition.
I'm just again of the old and new styles that I can merge in the concerto. Thinking of traditional melodies or things that make up a traditional Singapore melody.
4. Write a song that Choong suggested - "(This Love) Is Too Easy".
Oh wait.
5. EOYs.
I can't believe I got back to work on the first movement again. Recently I was clearing my desk when I saw the manuscript book with my drafts for my piano concerto in it, different themes and subjects. I'm currently at the third original melody, which is pretty weird because I prefer just two motives and then I keep using them.
Taking a point from Joseph Haydn, when he mention that amateurs usually look for new materials in the creation of a piece and do not make use of motives that appear in the earlier part of the piece.
I wanted to do a review of the Quintessential concert I attended yesterday night but unfortunately was too tired to do anything, just read KS Bull and some music book before sleeping. That's different from FALLING ASLEEP.
I want to do it now, but I got to continue practising my Ravel Sonatine, so no review.
But I am totally sure that it's either one of the best, or the best concert I've ever been to watched in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. In the first half we heard Tan Dun's Eight Colours for String Quartet, and then Mozart's Quintet in E flat major. In the second half we heard Schubert's Quintet for Cello and Strings.
No, it was really crazily nice. Although Tan Dun's Quartet was quite modern (with no sense of harmony), it really imitated Cantonese opera so well, that it looked like we were watching a dark and sombre Peking opera. The Quintet following that lived up to its expectations and Mozart's stated best composition he had ever written - the master mentioned that himself! All the best people in their respective field's of their instruments played - Head of Oboe, Head of Bassoon, Head of Horn, and Head of Clarinet - all of them principals in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. And of course, Head of Piano! Yay...
The Quintet by Schubert was such a refreshing experience - I've never heard a Quintet for Cello and Strings before, but it was so well-coordinated and engineered. Well, that's not the point. We're not even talking about the technical parts here...we're already talking about the human spirit in the piece that was evidently present throughout. Gave me goosebumps at time. Anyway, Qin Li-Wei was playing it also, kudos to him and Leslie for making my evening experience full - I play the piano and cello too in case you'll don't know.
I got down to some revision, so much so that I'm alright already for Social Studies. I've got a 3.6 for Social Studies! (which is good.) And a 3.6 in MEP also! (which is not good. because I'm a music student and I should be better at it.)
Many big things happening: it's confirmed that I will be performing along with a band that I've set up for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the 31st October, which is also my Rafflesian Spotlight performance, which is also Dr. YKH's birthday!!!
Yeah, there's this Clean-and-Green thing that some big government organizers organized, and apparently they sent a formal letter to the school asking for:
Mr Jonathan Shin
Mr Yong Zhiyi
Mr Lee Jinghui
Mr Chu Benwee
to perform the Green Crotchets: Songs for the Environment. The Guest-of-Honour is Prime Minister Lee. (resonates in the head) At which point Choong exclaims, "No big deal!"
Lol. So we're singing 5 songs, all of them originally composed as a group last year.
http://i-talk-you-listen.blogspot.com/2008/01/studio-recording-pictures.html
We've got a deal to re-record the songs so that they can be distributed to all primary schools next year, but I have to settle recording Flame of Youth (our national day song that apparently the RI teachers say are even better than the current lot written by the adults. hehe.) before recording the Greenwave songs.
Cheers.
On the new list of priorities -
1. To rehearse the Greenwave songs to a purfect state. Like, how professional bands do it. People doing it are:
Jonathan Shin - voice/keyboard/backup voice
Marcus Lee - voice
Benjamin Low - voice/keyboard/backup voice
Ian Yee - backup voice
Jonathan Lim - acoustic guitar
Yong Zhi Yi - keyboard, voic...no, just keyboard.
David Ng - electric bass
Daniel Lim - drums
Hell of a superband.
2. Record Flame of Youth of EOYs
3. Finish my piano concerto by the end of JC1. So I can submit in JC2 for free composition.
I'm just again of the old and new styles that I can merge in the concerto. Thinking of traditional melodies or things that make up a traditional Singapore melody.
4. Write a song that Choong suggested - "(This Love) Is Too Easy".
Oh wait.
5. EOYs.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Relieved..
Relieved.
Made it back home at 10.35pm. I was absolutely nearly right when I told Liyoung my day was going to end at 10.30pm. Unfortunately I've decided to stay on for two more hours just to watch some stupid ninjutsu videos and revise my notebook aptly called "Notes to get me into RJC".
I'm supposed to do my comprehension. Objective word being supposed. This time, I have no excuses. The last place I went to was Bukit Timah Hawker Centre, you know the one with two stories, and the 2nd storey basically is the hawker centre itself, and the 1st storey would be the wet market, where all the morning aunties gather to buy fish for the day.
I hit the stalls there at around 9.30 with my dad, after I finished my Studio Class from 7-9.
Why am I going backwards.
Let's take the above as a flashback, and let's go straight to the start of the day.
The start of day got me crossing the same zebra crossing again, with the same security guard there who doesn't do anything at all by the road, other than staring at cars and boys in tight pants like us. Thanks, sir. Well, you never know, some of us might be terrorists carrying 2kg loads of TNT in our pants, WATCH OUT!
I walked straight to the Raffles Square, and then today being Monday we had school anthem, blah blah blah. Talking about ties.
Yeah, on Monday we have to wear ties. I thought I didn't bring mine, because I couldn't find it in my bag. I did bring mine though, I found it in the end. And poor Clinton, he was begging around for one and I along with him at the beginning. But then I realised I brought my tie, so I was laughing heartily while I placed that tie around my neck.
Sorry Clinton.
First period was Chinese. Don't ask - Chinese sucked again. What with having to stand up every lesson, like 8 of us standing up again because we didn't do stuff. For me, I didn't hand in my Chinese file, so the sentence is really really unfair because the rest didn't do more things than me. At which point I should bawl like a baby but I cannot because I'm not a baby.
The rest of school was a blur, but we did talk alot during Literature and I did write down lots of things during Literature on 'Notes to get me into RJC'. Good job Jonathan.
I never fail to address myself in third-person in my blogposts.
Yeah, rest of school was a blur until I took 156 heading for my university. Guess what? The Bishan Gay was on the bus! I realised that when ALL the RI guys all crowded to the back of the car and I was the last person to get on the bus. Everyone blinking eyes. The bus driver waited for me super long because I was running down the overhead bridge, and everyone was already sitted right at the back of the bus, like all cramped there.
No wonder. I stepped into the bus and my skin could almost feel the burns of a dozen stares. Thanks, fellow Rafflesians. Fine, so I clambered to the back also. At least I was nice to offer my seat to a RJC girl but she refused (cos she was talking to a RJC guy hehe so much for being a raspberry). Many thanks for letting me keep the seat!
There was company on the bus though - sitting behind me was Yuxin from Choir and my Literature Class, and beside him was Tuck Wai, a guy who's in Rafflesian Spotlight and who beat-boxes.
Yeah so he nearly started beat-boxing in the bus but we stopped him, although I also nearly started joining him in improvising lyrics in the bus. Wanted Yuxin to do the bass but he refused. Why cannot? Three people enough already lah.
Guess the unluckiest thing.
THE BISHAN GAY was going to get of the same bus stop as me. So I was like, fingers crossed, some RI guy come along with me please I need to prepare myself for Chopin orchestral reduction no time for distractions blah blah blah.
Even Chopin had George Sand. Although he had some guy called Titus (which reminds me of 'What is Titus without Us? Tits! Tits!' - the utterly famous line chanted by his supporters).
Thankfully, Yuxin went down at the same bus stop as me - no. Look I didn't force him to alright? He had to reach home as soon as possible and his next bus came along at that bus stop so not guilty. Not guilty.
RI guys 1 Bishan Gay 0
I hate how all of us get so freaked out by the Bishan Gay. If we exterminate him, we exterminate this vermin, this pest that goes around terrorizing our students, even from RJC and schools that are along the 156 route. Look, it wasn't even coincedental! He memorises our timetables and goes on the bus EXACTLY when we get dismissed. Why are you doing this? Why are you like, making all my fellow comrades squeeze to the back of the bus like sardines in a can or rats in a river or lemmings down the cliff?
I foresee a day though that we'll all not be afriad anymore, we can walk at Junction 8 with freedom and no fear. That however, unfortunately, wouldn't be in my Rafflesian lifetime.
Some bad news: ON 31st October, there's going to be some environmental thingy that PM Lee might come to be the GOH, but...what! Ok fine.
There's goin gto be some environmental thingy that PM Lee might come to be the Guest-of-Honour, and it's going to be held on the 31st October. The thing is that, they have invited our Greenwave group (remember last year when we had the Greenwave album?) to sing some songs from our original band album, in front of the PM.
Thing is....thing is...Rafflesian Spotlight '08 is also going to be on 31st October. What am I going to do? Both shows are going to be held in the evening - my choice? I'll be going for the PM thing, after they confirm that the PM is going to be there. Otherwise, my school's ahead. I'll go for the Rafflesian Spotlight.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that PM Lee wouldn't be there on the 31st October, so I can sing at Rafflesian Spotlight...but that means I wouldn't be able to sing for the PM anymore because 1st and 2nd November he might not be there...and we might sing then also.
Look, I know it's complicated, but it's my blog so I'm going to type whatever confusing thing I want.
:).
Sorry for the sudden outburst. Anyway the relief was that the first time ZAD and I played Chopin for the Studio Class was good, but we'll improve. Yeah - the key to success is to keep improving and never stop practising.
I realised one thing while I was on stage today - as Dr Hecht came up on stage to give comments to ZAD, I was like stoning. Basically while stonning I was thinking how enjoyable this was - to listen to really good music nearly every single day of my current life, and how disgusting school has suddenly become. All the sickening homework and everything - I would rather listen to ALL of the Mozart piano sonatas and Beethoven sonatas and memorise everything for Dr. Frank DeMeglio's keyboard literature class.
Practise solfege every single day, do a thousand BMPs. (Which reminds me of DMP. Debussy Modified Project, lol.) Anything. Just to avoid this current predicament I'm in, mired in homework muck.
Homework muck.
Homework muck.
Disgusting, disgusting, homework muck. Dragging you down, slowing your tempo, not giving you momentum. The experience at the piano while stoning was one of estacy, of pure joy, to be able to sit there and listen to the freaking Steinway beside you give some of the best music you would dream to conceive.
Relieved.
Made it back home at 10.35pm. I was absolutely nearly right when I told Liyoung my day was going to end at 10.30pm. Unfortunately I've decided to stay on for two more hours just to watch some stupid ninjutsu videos and revise my notebook aptly called "Notes to get me into RJC".
I'm supposed to do my comprehension. Objective word being supposed. This time, I have no excuses. The last place I went to was Bukit Timah Hawker Centre, you know the one with two stories, and the 2nd storey basically is the hawker centre itself, and the 1st storey would be the wet market, where all the morning aunties gather to buy fish for the day.
I hit the stalls there at around 9.30 with my dad, after I finished my Studio Class from 7-9.
Why am I going backwards.
Let's take the above as a flashback, and let's go straight to the start of the day.
The start of day got me crossing the same zebra crossing again, with the same security guard there who doesn't do anything at all by the road, other than staring at cars and boys in tight pants like us. Thanks, sir. Well, you never know, some of us might be terrorists carrying 2kg loads of TNT in our pants, WATCH OUT!
I walked straight to the Raffles Square, and then today being Monday we had school anthem, blah blah blah. Talking about ties.
Yeah, on Monday we have to wear ties. I thought I didn't bring mine, because I couldn't find it in my bag. I did bring mine though, I found it in the end. And poor Clinton, he was begging around for one and I along with him at the beginning. But then I realised I brought my tie, so I was laughing heartily while I placed that tie around my neck.
Sorry Clinton.
First period was Chinese. Don't ask - Chinese sucked again. What with having to stand up every lesson, like 8 of us standing up again because we didn't do stuff. For me, I didn't hand in my Chinese file, so the sentence is really really unfair because the rest didn't do more things than me. At which point I should bawl like a baby but I cannot because I'm not a baby.
The rest of school was a blur, but we did talk alot during Literature and I did write down lots of things during Literature on 'Notes to get me into RJC'. Good job Jonathan.
I never fail to address myself in third-person in my blogposts.
Yeah, rest of school was a blur until I took 156 heading for my university. Guess what? The Bishan Gay was on the bus! I realised that when ALL the RI guys all crowded to the back of the car and I was the last person to get on the bus. Everyone blinking eyes. The bus driver waited for me super long because I was running down the overhead bridge, and everyone was already sitted right at the back of the bus, like all cramped there.
No wonder. I stepped into the bus and my skin could almost feel the burns of a dozen stares. Thanks, fellow Rafflesians. Fine, so I clambered to the back also. At least I was nice to offer my seat to a RJC girl but she refused (cos she was talking to a RJC guy hehe so much for being a raspberry). Many thanks for letting me keep the seat!
There was company on the bus though - sitting behind me was Yuxin from Choir and my Literature Class, and beside him was Tuck Wai, a guy who's in Rafflesian Spotlight and who beat-boxes.
Yeah so he nearly started beat-boxing in the bus but we stopped him, although I also nearly started joining him in improvising lyrics in the bus. Wanted Yuxin to do the bass but he refused. Why cannot? Three people enough already lah.
Guess the unluckiest thing.
THE BISHAN GAY was going to get of the same bus stop as me. So I was like, fingers crossed, some RI guy come along with me please I need to prepare myself for Chopin orchestral reduction no time for distractions blah blah blah.
Even Chopin had George Sand. Although he had some guy called Titus (which reminds me of 'What is Titus without Us? Tits! Tits!' - the utterly famous line chanted by his supporters).
Thankfully, Yuxin went down at the same bus stop as me - no. Look I didn't force him to alright? He had to reach home as soon as possible and his next bus came along at that bus stop so not guilty. Not guilty.
RI guys 1 Bishan Gay 0
I hate how all of us get so freaked out by the Bishan Gay. If we exterminate him, we exterminate this vermin, this pest that goes around terrorizing our students, even from RJC and schools that are along the 156 route. Look, it wasn't even coincedental! He memorises our timetables and goes on the bus EXACTLY when we get dismissed. Why are you doing this? Why are you like, making all my fellow comrades squeeze to the back of the bus like sardines in a can or rats in a river or lemmings down the cliff?
I foresee a day though that we'll all not be afriad anymore, we can walk at Junction 8 with freedom and no fear. That however, unfortunately, wouldn't be in my Rafflesian lifetime.
Some bad news: ON 31st October, there's going to be some environmental thingy that PM Lee might come to be the GOH, but...what! Ok fine.
There's goin gto be some environmental thingy that PM Lee might come to be the Guest-of-Honour, and it's going to be held on the 31st October. The thing is that, they have invited our Greenwave group (remember last year when we had the Greenwave album?) to sing some songs from our original band album, in front of the PM.
Thing is....thing is...Rafflesian Spotlight '08 is also going to be on 31st October. What am I going to do? Both shows are going to be held in the evening - my choice? I'll be going for the PM thing, after they confirm that the PM is going to be there. Otherwise, my school's ahead. I'll go for the Rafflesian Spotlight.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that PM Lee wouldn't be there on the 31st October, so I can sing at Rafflesian Spotlight...but that means I wouldn't be able to sing for the PM anymore because 1st and 2nd November he might not be there...and we might sing then also.
Look, I know it's complicated, but it's my blog so I'm going to type whatever confusing thing I want.
:).
Sorry for the sudden outburst. Anyway the relief was that the first time ZAD and I played Chopin for the Studio Class was good, but we'll improve. Yeah - the key to success is to keep improving and never stop practising.
I realised one thing while I was on stage today - as Dr Hecht came up on stage to give comments to ZAD, I was like stoning. Basically while stonning I was thinking how enjoyable this was - to listen to really good music nearly every single day of my current life, and how disgusting school has suddenly become. All the sickening homework and everything - I would rather listen to ALL of the Mozart piano sonatas and Beethoven sonatas and memorise everything for Dr. Frank DeMeglio's keyboard literature class.
Practise solfege every single day, do a thousand BMPs. (Which reminds me of DMP. Debussy Modified Project, lol.) Anything. Just to avoid this current predicament I'm in, mired in homework muck.
Homework muck.
Homework muck.
Disgusting, disgusting, homework muck. Dragging you down, slowing your tempo, not giving you momentum. The experience at the piano while stoning was one of estacy, of pure joy, to be able to sit there and listen to the freaking Steinway beside you give some of the best music you would dream to conceive.
Relieved.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
(This title will be left blank)
I nurse a painful ulcer that follows me wherever I go - it's not going to leave anytime soon, although I hope it would. I really hope so - talking while feeling spasms of pain going through my body, not good. It's located on my lower lip, so no thanks, no kissing this week, thank you.
Not good.
We're going to continue with Bach BMP next week! So that means that they didn't play my piece yesterday, they're playing it next week. In a logical sequence.
I'd like to mention today about the power of holy water - holy water is water that has been 'exorcised' or blessed by a priest, usually in the faiths of Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Old Catholic. Yeah, blah, you know them. Don't think they use it in Christianity though.
The thing is, every single Sunday, without fail, I'll wake up with a cold, and a sinus problem. So I'll be sneezing for the first few hours of the morning (which goes into church time), and my nose would be running, and at the same time, clogged up. Call it a hangover from Saturday nights which I often spend till late or what, but it happens.
And no, prayer hardly works for this case. I haven't tried it yet but I might.
This Sunday morning was a little different though - I was sleeping at the living room sofa bare-chested, with the fan on full-blast. But anyway I woke up all bleary-eyed and leaky-tapped. Dragged my feet to the showers, and then onward to morning Mass.
This Sunday morning was a little different though - there was the scooping and sprinkling of Holy Water around the entire Church, presumably because it's the first Sunday of the month, and the entire congregation was splattered with Holy Water. Now the difference starts here.
You see, usually throughout the entire Mass, I was incapacitated, unable to sing or breathe properly. But today, yeah, you guessed it, I think the Holy Water really worked wonders. I think it's coincidence, but many a-times when there's the Lord in it and things work, we call it coincidence. Might be.
Heck, it wasn't even the Placebo effect:
1) I didn't realise there was water being splattered on our books and our bodies because I was simply too knocked-out to realize anything. I was just following the notes and the words on the hymn book.
2) I didn't realise the water was holy water because I was simply too knocked-out to realize anything. I was just following the notes and the words on the hymn book.
3) I didn't realise I was still nursing the cold because I was simply too knocked-out to realize anything. I was just following the notes and the words on the hymn book.
Moments later I was feeling much better. Like much better, and that was when I realized the priest was scooping and sprinkling loads of Holy Water on us when he walked over a second time.
The Father in question was super enthusiastic because he was like, scooping a full scoop of water and whipping it on us, so much so that 10.45am Mass was nearly renamed 10.45am Water-Scooping Party Fun. It wasn't, we were Blessed, and we settled down for Mass.
Thank the Holy Water. Today's Mass was also made more interesting because the Father was using sign language together with his sermons, which made it more accessible for the deaf and for the non-deaf who wanted to use sign language to communicate. Seriously. I think I would like to be in the latter too, just that I'll have to take like, 3 Eclipses before I start speaking. Closing your mouth for an extended period of time causes major bad breath.
What happened the day before:
I'll be honest, but I was feeling a little under normal and tired too. Firstly because I didn't get to pass a present and secondly because...because...there's no secondly. Don't ask me why I was feeling down just because of not passing a present but it's just the Jonathan instinct.
Make it the human instinct. I don't want to make myself sound so special. Got home, changed, down on the sofa. No big deal. The black sofa in the living room has been my sleeping area of late - I think I'm getting too lazy to walk all the way to the bedroom.
You, however, can look at it in two ways:
1) I'm too lazy.
2) My house is damn big.
I prefer the latter. Self-criticism is bad for health, ain't no good babe.
Talking about self-criticism, do they have a phobia for talking to girls on the phone? Talkofemaleonphonophobia. I don't know. I'm pretty sure I do have a phobia. Or look, even talking to girls face-to-face, I'll get nervous. Talkofemalefacetofacophobia. Do any guys even have that problem? Don't think so. Yeah, I have low self-esteem then. Certified a piece of useless junk.
I'm not surprised if this one has the vibes around me: Please don't mate with me, I have very lousy genes that make me look short, which is bad for the human gene pool and not good for the evolution of the human race. You must follow the nature of human and not proceed to mate with me, thank you.
Not good.
We're going to continue with Bach BMP next week! So that means that they didn't play my piece yesterday, they're playing it next week. In a logical sequence.
I'd like to mention today about the power of holy water - holy water is water that has been 'exorcised' or blessed by a priest, usually in the faiths of Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Old Catholic. Yeah, blah, you know them. Don't think they use it in Christianity though.
The thing is, every single Sunday, without fail, I'll wake up with a cold, and a sinus problem. So I'll be sneezing for the first few hours of the morning (which goes into church time), and my nose would be running, and at the same time, clogged up. Call it a hangover from Saturday nights which I often spend till late or what, but it happens.
And no, prayer hardly works for this case. I haven't tried it yet but I might.
This Sunday morning was a little different though - I was sleeping at the living room sofa bare-chested, with the fan on full-blast. But anyway I woke up all bleary-eyed and leaky-tapped. Dragged my feet to the showers, and then onward to morning Mass.
This Sunday morning was a little different though - there was the scooping and sprinkling of Holy Water around the entire Church, presumably because it's the first Sunday of the month, and the entire congregation was splattered with Holy Water. Now the difference starts here.
You see, usually throughout the entire Mass, I was incapacitated, unable to sing or breathe properly. But today, yeah, you guessed it, I think the Holy Water really worked wonders. I think it's coincidence, but many a-times when there's the Lord in it and things work, we call it coincidence. Might be.
Heck, it wasn't even the Placebo effect:
1) I didn't realise there was water being splattered on our books and our bodies because I was simply too knocked-out to realize anything. I was just following the notes and the words on the hymn book.
2) I didn't realise the water was holy water because I was simply too knocked-out to realize anything. I was just following the notes and the words on the hymn book.
3) I didn't realise I was still nursing the cold because I was simply too knocked-out to realize anything. I was just following the notes and the words on the hymn book.
Moments later I was feeling much better. Like much better, and that was when I realized the priest was scooping and sprinkling loads of Holy Water on us when he walked over a second time.
The Father in question was super enthusiastic because he was like, scooping a full scoop of water and whipping it on us, so much so that 10.45am Mass was nearly renamed 10.45am Water-Scooping Party Fun. It wasn't, we were Blessed, and we settled down for Mass.
Thank the Holy Water. Today's Mass was also made more interesting because the Father was using sign language together with his sermons, which made it more accessible for the deaf and for the non-deaf who wanted to use sign language to communicate. Seriously. I think I would like to be in the latter too, just that I'll have to take like, 3 Eclipses before I start speaking. Closing your mouth for an extended period of time causes major bad breath.
What happened the day before:
I'll be honest, but I was feeling a little under normal and tired too. Firstly because I didn't get to pass a present and secondly because...because...there's no secondly. Don't ask me why I was feeling down just because of not passing a present but it's just the Jonathan instinct.
Make it the human instinct. I don't want to make myself sound so special. Got home, changed, down on the sofa. No big deal. The black sofa in the living room has been my sleeping area of late - I think I'm getting too lazy to walk all the way to the bedroom.
You, however, can look at it in two ways:
1) I'm too lazy.
2) My house is damn big.
I prefer the latter. Self-criticism is bad for health, ain't no good babe.
Talking about self-criticism, do they have a phobia for talking to girls on the phone? Talkofemaleonphonophobia. I don't know. I'm pretty sure I do have a phobia. Or look, even talking to girls face-to-face, I'll get nervous. Talkofemalefacetofacophobia. Do any guys even have that problem? Don't think so. Yeah, I have low self-esteem then. Certified a piece of useless junk.
I'm not surprised if this one has the vibes around me: Please don't mate with me, I have very lousy genes that make me look short, which is bad for the human gene pool and not good for the evolution of the human race. You must follow the nature of human and not proceed to mate with me, thank you.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Meme - Interview Answers
1. Kwek
2. Hongrui
3. No one. I’m my own man.
4. Fiona
5. Jon Shin
6. Adriel
7. Marcus
8. (NA)
9. (NA) – need sleep. I’m more musically active at night.
10. Yiyang
11. Bryan Kum
12. Selina/Jiale
13. Adriel
14. Leave blank
15. Douglas
16. Liyoung
17. Shanghai
18. Shide
19. Kwek
20. Jon Shin
21. Norman
22. Bryan Choong
23. Mum
24. PM Lee
25. Can’t think of anyone. No one seems to be bothered
26. Girls at YST. Although I can’t be bothered
27. Me
28. Shanghai again
29. Laura
30. Live a life that’s full. Anything that’s worth doing is worth overdoing
I slept from 5-10. A little dazed now, but I showered cold and ate a little dinner so I'm alright now.
Started this morning with someone slamming both hands heavily on my shoulder I thought I was going to sink through the floor. Literally a huge bang - Andrew Chua, brother of Matthew Chua.
The rest of the day, RE Congress, which we hardly noticed because we simply wandered around. And had lots of fun in the classrooms on the 4th floor with Hongrui and some GEPs. Even I was a little surprised at times.
After that I followed Hongrui to help him page-turn for his higher performance. Initially I thought I signed up for higher composition but apparently Miss Goh assumed again I was taking performance, which made me kind of, yeah, get a headache because I worked pretty hard for composition.
Check this out - for an impromptu stylistic imitation test which I didn't study at all for, I got 38/50! I think I was one of the top-three, if not, topped the composition class. That's...ok because I expected just a little higher.
Well, why do you ask, we're just hungry kids.
I suspect a newspaper article on me tomorrow, so go check it out. I'm going to post my interview answers here after a reporter - Deepika - asked me some questions.
Dear Deepika,
Thanks! Well basically I've competed in 2 local competitions already (National Piano and Violin Competition 2005 - 3rd prize and National Piano and Violin Competition 2007 - 2nd prize) so I wasn't that nervous. Having said that, this Ibiza competition is my second one overseas - my first one took place in Ettlingen, Germany a few weeks before the Ibiza one. I didn't win anything then.
You could say I was disappointed but yeah I worked hard enough and voila! Anyway if you are prepared all you have to do is to worry about your own music, your own performance - and to stay true to the music.
I have had these pieces for less than a year, say, eight months, and I recovered some of them along the way. The prize did come as a little surprise, being my second overseas competition, but when you're young I guess you're just a little hungrier, so after the whole competition I was thinking, "If only I had won second...". But well I'll definitely work harder!
I played three pieces -
1) Bach's D major Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
2) Mozart's Sonata in C major K.330 [all of the movements]
3) Charles Tomlimson Griffes's Scherzo from Fantasy Pieces Op. 6 No. 3 - a really exotic piece that gives lots of room for colours
I started out at Yamaha JMC when I was about 4, and then moved on to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts at around 6, studied under three teachers, the last one being Mdm Fang Yuan, and finally was accepted in 2007 as a Young Artist in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music under Dr Hecht. (Pardon my long sentences. This one is short.) Erm at first it was all blood and sweat on the piano, going so much as to have an abacus beside me to count the number of Hanon piano exercises I had completed.
Then in primary school it became really tough because it bordered the "freak" sector and the "ok-let's-accept-him-into-our-society" thing. Luckily it was the latter. After that it's all about integrating it into one's life and doing the balancing act. I'm pretty surprised I've been into music for more than half of my life. (redundant part)
Yes I do play another music instruments - I play the cello in my secondary school string ensemble and I used to sing in my primary school choir. Now I still sing except in the bathroom. Occasionally I play the bass guitar but I do that by tuning the bass guitar to cello tuning, which means now I can completely jam with my friends and even perform.
Question 7 is a killer, Deepika. When I was Secondary 1-3 I balanced my academics and music pretty well, but now that music has increased in terms of portion in my life, I've really concentrated on my music. Which means my studies are now basically lagging behind so much, and it's really dangerous. I know there are other kids out there who balance their time much better than me, but me being a 16-year old bordering 'immature' and 'disorganized', I can hardly concentrate on both studies and music. [Realistically speaking though, I'll still need my A-levels so I'll just walk on and on] Ans to Question 7: Badly. But I totally enjoy what I'm doing, (already I can see nearly all the parents in Singapore shaking their heads) and granted, there'll be a way through.
Someday, somehow.
I enjoy playing the bass as previously mentioned, I do composing sometimes (which definitely hasn't reached a substantial level in terms of quality yet), and also learnt a teeny-weeny bit of conducting from my string ensemble conductor. My hobbies also include writing reviews, and I'm learning lots of tips from Dr Chang from Life! too. :) Of course, life's not all about music, so I do engage in some computer gaming (come on give me a break!). Let's put it to a few hours a month. I do play soccer too, so I'm pretty much a normal guy. Oh, and I'm your Number 1 Beatles fan. Got all of their albums and songs and have memorised every single lyric of their songs. Yes, when 90.5FM plays Beatles, I'll scream!!! like a teenage girl. You know, like, Beatlemania? I'm born half a century late.
:)
Question 9 is another killer. Anything to do with academics is. No, I'm not a straight-As student, I hope I clear the stereotype that musicians are all intellectuals with straight-As. Sometimes you can't get the best of both worlds. I'm just stupid.
I love the piano because firstly it can be a solo or an ensemble instrument. You can play it with two people, three people, or make it a piano quintet, or even two pianos, even put it in an orchestra! It's a pretty social instrument. But in detail, I find it the most beautiful instrument of all instruments - it can make the sounds of a thousand tinkling bells, the roar of the flowing river into the sea, the chirps of all the birds you can find - even Messien himself proved it was possible, him being the master of birdsong. So many composers have composed pieces with the piano imitating water, rain, fountains, seas, rivers. On the other extreme, you see Liszt composing the Dante Sonata about Dante's journey into Hell itself. Just lurrve(sp?) the piano.
My training under Dr Hecht has been one of the most inspirational periods of my life - it's really hard to start somewhere about him. Well he's a teacher who really really has no problem of trying to communicate ideas and information to you...and once you can hear what he hears, voila! That's when you experience the magic of music yourself. Sometimes I truthfully regret many people around the world never get to hear these beautiful things in their years on Earth. That's why we're here! To spread good music like a disease...
And lastly my dad works at DHL and my mum a housewife, but she passed away this year in May, so it's really been a trying time for both of us. I live in Bukit Panjang so it's 40 mins on public transport and 15 mins on private car. I have no siblings, which is good because I don't have to argue with anyone over the noise level, and bad because when I'm down and my dad's working I talk to the walls. Just kidding.
My private life's on this blog - www.i-talk-you-listen.blogspot.com . Oh wait, it's not private anymore when it's a blog! :O Post it on the papers (your choice, larh) - 16-year olds never fail to be happy when their blog hits increase.
Thanks and regards to you too!
Jonathan
2. Hongrui
3. No one. I’m my own man.
4. Fiona
5. Jon Shin
6. Adriel
7. Marcus
8. (NA)
9. (NA) – need sleep. I’m more musically active at night.
10. Yiyang
11. Bryan Kum
12. Selina/Jiale
13. Adriel
14. Leave blank
15. Douglas
16. Liyoung
17. Shanghai
18. Shide
19. Kwek
20. Jon Shin
21. Norman
22. Bryan Choong
23. Mum
24. PM Lee
25. Can’t think of anyone. No one seems to be bothered
26. Girls at YST. Although I can’t be bothered
27. Me
28. Shanghai again
29. Laura
30. Live a life that’s full. Anything that’s worth doing is worth overdoing
I slept from 5-10. A little dazed now, but I showered cold and ate a little dinner so I'm alright now.
Started this morning with someone slamming both hands heavily on my shoulder I thought I was going to sink through the floor. Literally a huge bang - Andrew Chua, brother of Matthew Chua.
The rest of the day, RE Congress, which we hardly noticed because we simply wandered around. And had lots of fun in the classrooms on the 4th floor with Hongrui and some GEPs. Even I was a little surprised at times.
After that I followed Hongrui to help him page-turn for his higher performance. Initially I thought I signed up for higher composition but apparently Miss Goh assumed again I was taking performance, which made me kind of, yeah, get a headache because I worked pretty hard for composition.
Check this out - for an impromptu stylistic imitation test which I didn't study at all for, I got 38/50! I think I was one of the top-three, if not, topped the composition class. That's...ok because I expected just a little higher.
Well, why do you ask, we're just hungry kids.
I suspect a newspaper article on me tomorrow, so go check it out. I'm going to post my interview answers here after a reporter - Deepika - asked me some questions.
Dear Deepika,
Thanks! Well basically I've competed in 2 local competitions already (National Piano and Violin Competition 2005 - 3rd prize and National Piano and Violin Competition 2007 - 2nd prize) so I wasn't that nervous. Having said that, this Ibiza competition is my second one overseas - my first one took place in Ettlingen, Germany a few weeks before the Ibiza one. I didn't win anything then.
You could say I was disappointed but yeah I worked hard enough and voila! Anyway if you are prepared all you have to do is to worry about your own music, your own performance - and to stay true to the music.
I have had these pieces for less than a year, say, eight months, and I recovered some of them along the way. The prize did come as a little surprise, being my second overseas competition, but when you're young I guess you're just a little hungrier, so after the whole competition I was thinking, "If only I had won second...". But well I'll definitely work harder!
I played three pieces -
1) Bach's D major Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1
2) Mozart's Sonata in C major K.330 [all of the movements]
3) Charles Tomlimson Griffes's Scherzo from Fantasy Pieces Op. 6 No. 3 - a really exotic piece that gives lots of room for colours
I started out at Yamaha JMC when I was about 4, and then moved on to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts at around 6, studied under three teachers, the last one being Mdm Fang Yuan, and finally was accepted in 2007 as a Young Artist in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music under Dr Hecht. (Pardon my long sentences. This one is short.) Erm at first it was all blood and sweat on the piano, going so much as to have an abacus beside me to count the number of Hanon piano exercises I had completed.
Then in primary school it became really tough because it bordered the "freak" sector and the "ok-let's-accept-him-into-our-society" thing. Luckily it was the latter. After that it's all about integrating it into one's life and doing the balancing act. I'm pretty surprised I've been into music for more than half of my life. (redundant part)
Yes I do play another music instruments - I play the cello in my secondary school string ensemble and I used to sing in my primary school choir. Now I still sing except in the bathroom. Occasionally I play the bass guitar but I do that by tuning the bass guitar to cello tuning, which means now I can completely jam with my friends and even perform.
Question 7 is a killer, Deepika. When I was Secondary 1-3 I balanced my academics and music pretty well, but now that music has increased in terms of portion in my life, I've really concentrated on my music. Which means my studies are now basically lagging behind so much, and it's really dangerous. I know there are other kids out there who balance their time much better than me, but me being a 16-year old bordering 'immature' and 'disorganized', I can hardly concentrate on both studies and music. [Realistically speaking though, I'll still need my A-levels so I'll just walk on and on] Ans to Question 7: Badly. But I totally enjoy what I'm doing, (already I can see nearly all the parents in Singapore shaking their heads) and granted, there'll be a way through.
Someday, somehow.
I enjoy playing the bass as previously mentioned, I do composing sometimes (which definitely hasn't reached a substantial level in terms of quality yet), and also learnt a teeny-weeny bit of conducting from my string ensemble conductor. My hobbies also include writing reviews, and I'm learning lots of tips from Dr Chang from Life! too. :) Of course, life's not all about music, so I do engage in some computer gaming (come on give me a break!). Let's put it to a few hours a month. I do play soccer too, so I'm pretty much a normal guy. Oh, and I'm your Number 1 Beatles fan. Got all of their albums and songs and have memorised every single lyric of their songs. Yes, when 90.5FM plays Beatles, I'll scream!!! like a teenage girl. You know, like, Beatlemania? I'm born half a century late.
:)
Question 9 is another killer. Anything to do with academics is. No, I'm not a straight-As student, I hope I clear the stereotype that musicians are all intellectuals with straight-As. Sometimes you can't get the best of both worlds. I'm just stupid.
I love the piano because firstly it can be a solo or an ensemble instrument. You can play it with two people, three people, or make it a piano quintet, or even two pianos, even put it in an orchestra! It's a pretty social instrument. But in detail, I find it the most beautiful instrument of all instruments - it can make the sounds of a thousand tinkling bells, the roar of the flowing river into the sea, the chirps of all the birds you can find - even Messien himself proved it was possible, him being the master of birdsong. So many composers have composed pieces with the piano imitating water, rain, fountains, seas, rivers. On the other extreme, you see Liszt composing the Dante Sonata about Dante's journey into Hell itself. Just lurrve(sp?) the piano.
My training under Dr Hecht has been one of the most inspirational periods of my life - it's really hard to start somewhere about him. Well he's a teacher who really really has no problem of trying to communicate ideas and information to you...and once you can hear what he hears, voila! That's when you experience the magic of music yourself. Sometimes I truthfully regret many people around the world never get to hear these beautiful things in their years on Earth. That's why we're here! To spread good music like a disease...
And lastly my dad works at DHL and my mum a housewife, but she passed away this year in May, so it's really been a trying time for both of us. I live in Bukit Panjang so it's 40 mins on public transport and 15 mins on private car. I have no siblings, which is good because I don't have to argue with anyone over the noise level, and bad because when I'm down and my dad's working I talk to the walls. Just kidding.
My private life's on this blog - www.i-talk-you-listen.blogspot.com . Oh wait, it's not private anymore when it's a blog! :O Post it on the papers (your choice, larh) - 16-year olds never fail to be happy when their blog hits increase.
Thanks and regards to you too!
Jonathan
some sontata - MEP guys!
An atonal work I decided to work on. Maybe not entirely atonal.
Of course, not good at all yet, lots of things to think about. I based it mostly on Ravel's Sonatine, the first movement. But the style's distinctly different. Veering on Prokofiev maybe and touching a little bit on Debussy.
On the Debussy part, yeah, I haven't posted the second page.
Sorry, I didn't do the MEME. :)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
My desk.
While everyone's mugging for EOY, you stay put here and start blogging. Life can sometimes be a bitch, really. I shall start with the most emo sentence you can ever ever start a blogpost with.
Today is a bad day. When has a day never been today? Tomorrow? The day after the next? They will all become todays. More bad days ahead. :) Which doesn't prove anything about my mood currently. It is become, er, sort of non-chalant.
I'm currently depending on Jean Hsieh's notes to survive in physics, still mugging those same worksheets. I can't stand it though. Why can't I be practising piano, doing music now...I need to practise my Beethoven Op. 10 No. 3, but to be honest I know I can't make it in time for tomorrow. Ravel's Sonatine is a definite though. I know I can get that done, because I've been practising that. Wonder whether Dr. Hecht will mind.
Let's do a slight description of my desk, as I had done a few months ago if you readers can still remember: On my right, a calender. At my elbow, my mugging book.
Couple of pencils. A mechanical one I accidently borrowed/took/never returned/don't-call-it-steal from Paul/JonLim. Sorry. It's white in colour.
Above me on the protruded ledge a huge speaker that weights around 10kg at most, a stack of CDs in one box cover that says: Ultimate Piano Concertos, the essential masterpieces - 5CDs. For the record, I'm listening to Tchaikovsky's First Concerto now. On the most left on the ledge, a defunct scanner which I found was defunct after attempting to scan my air tickets and stubs to Jenny, an officer at the Conservatory.
Stuck on pieces of paper at the edge of the ledge that hangs down reads - "Jonathan - practise maths, physics, and chemistry" My pop.
Directly on my left, an entire stack of pure music. Ok maybe not, on top of the stack lies by 10-years-old pencil box that's all about Tweety Bird. Yes, Tweety Bird. Got it in kindergarten. Below it, the empty jewel case of the Tchaikovsky No. 1 and Rachmaninov No. 2. (Heavyweights)
Oh, shit. Ok below it is another library book I borrowed, which isn't related to music at all. But here's a section of it that does relate to music.
"What you are about to hear, comrade, is a Mozart sonata,' Luo announced, as coolly as before.
I was dumbfounded. Had he gone mad? All music by Mozart or indeed by any other Western composer had been banned years ago. In my sodden shoes my feet turned to ice. I shivered as the cold tightened its grip on me.
'What's a sonata?' the headman asked warily.
'I don't know,' I faltered. 'It's Western.'
'Is it a song?'
'More or less,' I replied evasively.
At that instant the glint of the vigilant Communist reappeared in the headman's eyes, and his voice turned hostile.
'What's the name of this song of yours?'
'Well,it's like a song, but actually it's a sonata.'
'I'm asking you what it's called!' he snapped, fixing me with his gaze.
Again I was alarmed by the three spots of blood in his left eye.
'Mozart...' I muttered.
'Mozart what?'
'Mozart is Thinking of Chairman Mao,' Luo broke in.
The audacity! But it worked: as if he had heard something miraculous, the headman's menacing look softened. He crinkled up his eyes in a wide, beatific smile.
'Mozart thinks of Mao all the time,' he said.
'Indeed, all the time,' agreed Luo.
As soon as I had tightened my bow there was a burst of applause, but I was still nervous. However, as I ran my swollen fingers over the strings, Mozart's phrases came flooding back to me like so many faithful friends. The peasants' faces, so grim a moment before, softened under the influence of Mozart's limpid music like parched earth under a shower, and then in the dancing light of the oil lamp, they blurred into one.
I played for some time. Luo lit a cigarette and smoked quietly, like a man.
This was our first taste of re-education. Luo was eight years old, I was seventeen.
Alrighty guys. There's the section - see, something about China and music. Below is a book sent to me as a gift by billionaire Eric Lim (seriously, you heard it, billionaire - he opened a South African factory with S.R Nathan last year)
It's called The Rest is Noise, and Uncle Eric if you're reading this, I'm not done reading the book yet. But it's really great. Which has really drawn me into the world of Mahler, Prokofiev, Strauss, Bartok, Copland. Yeah, it's all about 20th Century music, and it's really cleverly written. Super witty. Isn't really about the history though. Don't know how to describe it.
By the way, I think I typed the entire passage from the story in less than 3 minutes. Or maybe even 2. I'm fast. :)
Alright below the book is the manuscript paper I got from Germany - it's really super precious to me, simply because it is engineered differently. Manuscript paper that works like foolscalp? Forget finding it in Singapore. Come on, import it to Singapore please...we already have F1...
Underneath the manuscript pile is another manuscript book that I got in 2002, and in fact all my knowledge of music can be found inside these book - what I've written there can seriously be what I've been taught in Sec 4 MEP. Yeah, check it out, transposing instruments, chords and blah blah blah, thank you.
The later pages contain my sketches for the piano concerto I was mentioning about of creating, and it's still going pretty strong, except I realised yesterday in the library that one of my passages came DIRECTLY DIRECTLY from Tchaikovsky No. 1's Second Movement - the first motive.
Akkra, if you're reading this, you'll know what I mean. I played it for him once, and he said, "Hey! That part sounds like, Rachmaninov or Tchaikovsky, it's, rreeeally familiar?"
Yeap. That's the part.
What. Stop staring! I didn't mean for it to come out this way!
I'll take out the part soon enough.
The freaking scanner can't scan a sketch I had of my sonatina, because, yeap, it's dead.
Below it is Britten's Orchestral Anthology, published by Boosey and Hawkes. I got it from the Music Teachers' library last year in order to write a transcript for simply bass and piano in order for us to practise the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.
Never got around to doing it. Sorry Mr Sze.
After that is the Schumann score that I accompanied Jinghui with - his Violin Sonata in A minor. Really fun, except I screwed up the last movement. I should go stick my head in some mud.
Below that is the famous yellow book that contains my Shostakovich and last year's music assignments, including the C major sonata by Mozart, Faure, Liszt, Debussy.
Below that, my original Mozart score, now torn and tattered, with freaking tonnes of detail in it. Don't touch it.
Ok underneath it is my Griffes score, yellow-covered Schirmer one. And finally, at the bottom-most of the stack, is my trusty ringed-manuscript book, which has been reduced to a couple of pages because of all the pages I've torn out of it in my entire life. Let's put it to 6 years of tearing.
In front of me on the green-painted wall sticks the EOY schedule, and the contact list of 3L'07. Oh, you asking me for the difference? The difference is that Ben Liu isn't on the 4L' 08 list. Ben, you reading this? Please do CLE poster.
On the left of the freaking stack, is a container that contains another container. Yeah, trust me on that. Nothing much in it, except a metronome, and a Sistic packet that contains 6 Sistic tickets - including this Saturday's one, and at the end of the year, an ENTIRE FEATURE OF YELLOW RIVER WITH THE ORIGINAL COMPOSER PERFORMING.
Yes, you heard that babes, the objective word being ORIGINAL COMPOSER PERFORMING. Hardly believable.
On the left of the container, a new printer me dad just bought. And on the left, the entire speaker that weighs 10kg, as mentioned. And the book about Ibiza that Dr Hecht sent me. Reading it really gives me a huge sense of nostalgia.
Wait. Nostalgia? Isn't Singapore my home? Oops.
Check it out.
My entire desk. And if you refer back to paragraph 1, I'm sorry about the 'slight description' part. Really my mistake.
Cya.
Today is a bad day. When has a day never been today? Tomorrow? The day after the next? They will all become todays. More bad days ahead. :) Which doesn't prove anything about my mood currently. It is become, er, sort of non-chalant.
I'm currently depending on Jean Hsieh's notes to survive in physics, still mugging those same worksheets. I can't stand it though. Why can't I be practising piano, doing music now...I need to practise my Beethoven Op. 10 No. 3, but to be honest I know I can't make it in time for tomorrow. Ravel's Sonatine is a definite though. I know I can get that done, because I've been practising that. Wonder whether Dr. Hecht will mind.
Let's do a slight description of my desk, as I had done a few months ago if you readers can still remember: On my right, a calender. At my elbow, my mugging book.
Couple of pencils. A mechanical one I accidently borrowed/took/never returned/don't-call-it-steal from Paul/JonLim. Sorry. It's white in colour.
Above me on the protruded ledge a huge speaker that weights around 10kg at most, a stack of CDs in one box cover that says: Ultimate Piano Concertos, the essential masterpieces - 5CDs. For the record, I'm listening to Tchaikovsky's First Concerto now. On the most left on the ledge, a defunct scanner which I found was defunct after attempting to scan my air tickets and stubs to Jenny, an officer at the Conservatory.
Stuck on pieces of paper at the edge of the ledge that hangs down reads - "Jonathan - practise maths, physics, and chemistry" My pop.
Directly on my left, an entire stack of pure music. Ok maybe not, on top of the stack lies by 10-years-old pencil box that's all about Tweety Bird. Yes, Tweety Bird. Got it in kindergarten. Below it, the empty jewel case of the Tchaikovsky No. 1 and Rachmaninov No. 2. (Heavyweights)
Oh, shit. Ok below it is another library book I borrowed, which isn't related to music at all. But here's a section of it that does relate to music.
"What you are about to hear, comrade, is a Mozart sonata,' Luo announced, as coolly as before.
I was dumbfounded. Had he gone mad? All music by Mozart or indeed by any other Western composer had been banned years ago. In my sodden shoes my feet turned to ice. I shivered as the cold tightened its grip on me.
'What's a sonata?' the headman asked warily.
'I don't know,' I faltered. 'It's Western.'
'Is it a song?'
'More or less,' I replied evasively.
At that instant the glint of the vigilant Communist reappeared in the headman's eyes, and his voice turned hostile.
'What's the name of this song of yours?'
'Well,it's like a song, but actually it's a sonata.'
'I'm asking you what it's called!' he snapped, fixing me with his gaze.
Again I was alarmed by the three spots of blood in his left eye.
'Mozart...' I muttered.
'Mozart what?'
'Mozart is Thinking of Chairman Mao,' Luo broke in.
The audacity! But it worked: as if he had heard something miraculous, the headman's menacing look softened. He crinkled up his eyes in a wide, beatific smile.
'Mozart thinks of Mao all the time,' he said.
'Indeed, all the time,' agreed Luo.
As soon as I had tightened my bow there was a burst of applause, but I was still nervous. However, as I ran my swollen fingers over the strings, Mozart's phrases came flooding back to me like so many faithful friends. The peasants' faces, so grim a moment before, softened under the influence of Mozart's limpid music like parched earth under a shower, and then in the dancing light of the oil lamp, they blurred into one.
I played for some time. Luo lit a cigarette and smoked quietly, like a man.
This was our first taste of re-education. Luo was eight years old, I was seventeen.
Alrighty guys. There's the section - see, something about China and music. Below is a book sent to me as a gift by billionaire Eric Lim (seriously, you heard it, billionaire - he opened a South African factory with S.R Nathan last year)
It's called The Rest is Noise, and Uncle Eric if you're reading this, I'm not done reading the book yet. But it's really great. Which has really drawn me into the world of Mahler, Prokofiev, Strauss, Bartok, Copland. Yeah, it's all about 20th Century music, and it's really cleverly written. Super witty. Isn't really about the history though. Don't know how to describe it.
By the way, I think I typed the entire passage from the story in less than 3 minutes. Or maybe even 2. I'm fast. :)
Alright below the book is the manuscript paper I got from Germany - it's really super precious to me, simply because it is engineered differently. Manuscript paper that works like foolscalp? Forget finding it in Singapore. Come on, import it to Singapore please...we already have F1...
Underneath the manuscript pile is another manuscript book that I got in 2002, and in fact all my knowledge of music can be found inside these book - what I've written there can seriously be what I've been taught in Sec 4 MEP. Yeah, check it out, transposing instruments, chords and blah blah blah, thank you.
The later pages contain my sketches for the piano concerto I was mentioning about of creating, and it's still going pretty strong, except I realised yesterday in the library that one of my passages came DIRECTLY DIRECTLY from Tchaikovsky No. 1's Second Movement - the first motive.
Akkra, if you're reading this, you'll know what I mean. I played it for him once, and he said, "Hey! That part sounds like, Rachmaninov or Tchaikovsky, it's, rreeeally familiar?"
Yeap. That's the part.
What. Stop staring! I didn't mean for it to come out this way!
I'll take out the part soon enough.
The freaking scanner can't scan a sketch I had of my sonatina, because, yeap, it's dead.
Below it is Britten's Orchestral Anthology, published by Boosey and Hawkes. I got it from the Music Teachers' library last year in order to write a transcript for simply bass and piano in order for us to practise the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.
Never got around to doing it. Sorry Mr Sze.
After that is the Schumann score that I accompanied Jinghui with - his Violin Sonata in A minor. Really fun, except I screwed up the last movement. I should go stick my head in some mud.
Below that is the famous yellow book that contains my Shostakovich and last year's music assignments, including the C major sonata by Mozart, Faure, Liszt, Debussy.
Below that, my original Mozart score, now torn and tattered, with freaking tonnes of detail in it. Don't touch it.
Ok underneath it is my Griffes score, yellow-covered Schirmer one. And finally, at the bottom-most of the stack, is my trusty ringed-manuscript book, which has been reduced to a couple of pages because of all the pages I've torn out of it in my entire life. Let's put it to 6 years of tearing.
In front of me on the green-painted wall sticks the EOY schedule, and the contact list of 3L'07. Oh, you asking me for the difference? The difference is that Ben Liu isn't on the 4L' 08 list. Ben, you reading this? Please do CLE poster.
On the left of the freaking stack, is a container that contains another container. Yeah, trust me on that. Nothing much in it, except a metronome, and a Sistic packet that contains 6 Sistic tickets - including this Saturday's one, and at the end of the year, an ENTIRE FEATURE OF YELLOW RIVER WITH THE ORIGINAL COMPOSER PERFORMING.
Yes, you heard that babes, the objective word being ORIGINAL COMPOSER PERFORMING. Hardly believable.
On the left of the container, a new printer me dad just bought. And on the left, the entire speaker that weighs 10kg, as mentioned. And the book about Ibiza that Dr Hecht sent me. Reading it really gives me a huge sense of nostalgia.
Wait. Nostalgia? Isn't Singapore my home? Oops.
Check it out.
My entire desk. And if you refer back to paragraph 1, I'm sorry about the 'slight description' part. Really my mistake.
Cya.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Onwards!
Here I am, half an hour before Studio Class in the Keyboard Lab watching Tarin and Clarence practise together. I've been at the Conservatory since 10am, started out at the library and then to lunch, and then finally to practise. I swear I didn't do any composition today, simply because I didn't feel like and that I was mugging at the same time.
Believe it or not, I have started mugging physics. Amazing - something that is really unheard of me. Ok right in front of me now we have two amazing pianists practising in front of me Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto.
Let's not talk about music for the time being. It has started boring out my readers. Let's talk about my visit to Bukit Panjang Plaza.
I figured out that some salespeople have started using those metal bells to get customers attention already. But I realised the pitch of those metal bells were B-flat (specifically those bells that I heard) and then I found out, quite some years ago, that G-sharp was the best frequecy to be comfortable with because it vibrates at nearly the same frequency as the liquid in our inner ears, which makes it feel pleasing. Something for the salesmen to think about - to get customers by tinkling these G-sharp bells.
Ok, I already said, nothing about music please.
Anyway on my way out of BP I saw this 2 year toddler sitting in a pram, with his legs placed exactly the Ah-beng way, one leg in the pram, and the other relaxed, feet placed near the ground. Which really made me start thinking - one more Ah-Beng in our society. Lol. Which is really kinda stupid.
Ok to be honest I'm super uncomfortable with MacBook, because of its sharp edges that make my wrist hurt. Really un-ergonomic. Sucks. No wonder I always stick to Microsoft.
The sound of Rachmaninov run thicks and thin in my ears and goes through my blood and veins and my arteries, only to strike pangs of agony and pleasure in my heart. It is powerful. Everlasting.
If only I could write music like that. I will someday. Someday I'll look back at this blogpost, and see that I've succeeded.
Get a collection, a portfolio of works, and show them to a teacher. I'm teaching myself along the way, experimenting. I'm currently into Prokofiev.
Ok thinking about end of this year, I honestly think I'll miss all my friends in RI. But let us look forward to the future. Onwards!
Believe it or not, I have started mugging physics. Amazing - something that is really unheard of me. Ok right in front of me now we have two amazing pianists practising in front of me Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto.
Let's not talk about music for the time being. It has started boring out my readers. Let's talk about my visit to Bukit Panjang Plaza.
I figured out that some salespeople have started using those metal bells to get customers attention already. But I realised the pitch of those metal bells were B-flat (specifically those bells that I heard) and then I found out, quite some years ago, that G-sharp was the best frequecy to be comfortable with because it vibrates at nearly the same frequency as the liquid in our inner ears, which makes it feel pleasing. Something for the salesmen to think about - to get customers by tinkling these G-sharp bells.
Ok, I already said, nothing about music please.
Anyway on my way out of BP I saw this 2 year toddler sitting in a pram, with his legs placed exactly the Ah-beng way, one leg in the pram, and the other relaxed, feet placed near the ground. Which really made me start thinking - one more Ah-Beng in our society. Lol. Which is really kinda stupid.
Ok to be honest I'm super uncomfortable with MacBook, because of its sharp edges that make my wrist hurt. Really un-ergonomic. Sucks. No wonder I always stick to Microsoft.
The sound of Rachmaninov run thicks and thin in my ears and goes through my blood and veins and my arteries, only to strike pangs of agony and pleasure in my heart. It is powerful. Everlasting.
If only I could write music like that. I will someday. Someday I'll look back at this blogpost, and see that I've succeeded.
Get a collection, a portfolio of works, and show them to a teacher. I'm teaching myself along the way, experimenting. I'm currently into Prokofiev.
Ok thinking about end of this year, I honestly think I'll miss all my friends in RI. But let us look forward to the future. Onwards!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Alright kids here's Bach Chorale Modified (after hearing it a thousand times) on Finale. Created, edited, printed, and blogged. As in, blogged, not blogg-ed.
I'll be putting up the recording of it after next Saturday. And I think there will be a Strait Times interview in Life! next Saturday too with me in it.
Do catch it!
I'll be putting up the recording of it after next Saturday. And I think there will be a Strait Times interview in Life! next Saturday too with me in it.
Do catch it!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Bach Chorale Modified Full Score
Alright. Here's what's been going on with me for the past few days. Including all the snacking and stuff. Bach Chorale Modified has been so much fun!
The whole thing is scored for 4 violins, 1 cello, and 1 piano. If you can see clearly, there are four sections, each with a different rhythm, and probably in dance styles that stretch centuries. And if you look closely, you can see lyrics and some percussion too!
The whole thing is scored for 4 violins, 1 cello, and 1 piano. If you can see clearly, there are four sections, each with a different rhythm, and probably in dance styles that stretch centuries. And if you look closely, you can see lyrics and some percussion too!
Monday, September 22, 2008
What a week.
Such a loser at blogging, after not posting for a week and leaving my readers bitterly disappointed. Ok here were the day's events.
The day started at 5pm on Saturday, where we were supposed to meet at Little India. Liyoung, Kakiong, Zhongren were there to greet me cos I was the last to arrive (came from my cousin's house at Serangoon after spending time with Finale). Our objective? To buy props for the up-coming Literature play that would be on Tuesday.
Pardon my English if you do spot any grammar mistakes, because I've not slept a wink for approximately 22 hours.
Ok here is the prop list:
Watches
Hourglasses
Calender
Fake Arm
Fake Blood
.
.
.
.
Just realised there are other groups reading. But heck. Well we managed to get 4 of the items we needed from Little India, then after that we went to Dhoby Ghaut to buy some cloth from Spotlight, and some more prop materials.
We only need one item now, and that is Fake Blood. Any ideas?
We headed for Dhoby Ghaut station and we met up with Clinton, and 5/7 of the group was finally together. Headed off for Serangoon, where we were going to meet up with Shide (6/7 of the group) at his house. Reached his house at around 8pm and started work.
We did a reading of the script, then KFC delivery came and we ate for half an hour, locked some people in the basement, switched off the lights and had a huge laugh all about. Oh, in case I forget to type it here, Shide's house is a gazillion storeys high. Well, what do you expect, a Shide-ish house for someone like Shide. huge.
After the dinner, we went up to his room and rehearsed from 9-12am, and then we were planning on how to leave. Unfortunately taxis were at their peak hour, and MRTs and buses were all like, gone?
So everyone decided we should stay over, and decided to play with the Wii for probably an hour before sleeping. Which didn't really happened because everyone spammed the Wii for an hour and a half, and someone then discovered that Shide actually had Grand Theft Auto IV, which was based super-heavily on New York City.
Ok here are the facts: GTA IV has a rating of 10/10 from almost every game magazine, and it is wholly reserved, because we got a freaking shock at the graphics and how freaking realistic everything was. Sparkling waters, wispy clouds, things that actually immediately move when we hit them.
Anyway memorable moments included the part where Zhongren revved the helicopter all the way over Brooklin Bridge and landed on one of the suspension columns, before disembarking. He then proceeds to fire at everything below him, flinging grenades, firing bazookas, and continuously sniping.
It's really addictive, and no one got a sleep that night, but all memorised our scripts anyway :)
But it was so inspiring that Clinton Zhongren and I, on our way back home, had to imitate a bank-robbery escape. Imagine three people in the drizzle running, shoes pounding hard on the cold pavements, and shouting, "How much have you got there?!"
"Seven...seven hundred!" "Great, I've six fifty here, let's find a place to divide them later!"
Ok whatever we looked like a bunch of madmen. I think we were.
THe rest of the week? Well basically Thursday was the day I allocated to finish up my Bach Chorale Modified, which means no more dragging. I finished 1/6 of it that day, so I decided to spend the whole of Friday doing it, and I finally finished the whole thing at around 2.30am in the morning.
My diet's really terrible I realised.
Mcdonalds, instant noodles, KFC. Everything needs to be fast, to be quick, to be handed it on time. No delays, quick quick quick and more quick.
I'm thinking whether I should join the singing contest for my church. Actually maybe no, because I've NO TIME.
Ok now, on to engraving.
Will post my entire Bach Chorale Modified here tomorrow or some other day.
Love you girls.
The day started at 5pm on Saturday, where we were supposed to meet at Little India. Liyoung, Kakiong, Zhongren were there to greet me cos I was the last to arrive (came from my cousin's house at Serangoon after spending time with Finale). Our objective? To buy props for the up-coming Literature play that would be on Tuesday.
Pardon my English if you do spot any grammar mistakes, because I've not slept a wink for approximately 22 hours.
Ok here is the prop list:
Watches
Hourglasses
Calender
Fake Arm
Fake Blood
.
.
.
.
Just realised there are other groups reading. But heck. Well we managed to get 4 of the items we needed from Little India, then after that we went to Dhoby Ghaut to buy some cloth from Spotlight, and some more prop materials.
We only need one item now, and that is Fake Blood. Any ideas?
We headed for Dhoby Ghaut station and we met up with Clinton, and 5/7 of the group was finally together. Headed off for Serangoon, where we were going to meet up with Shide (6/7 of the group) at his house. Reached his house at around 8pm and started work.
We did a reading of the script, then KFC delivery came and we ate for half an hour, locked some people in the basement, switched off the lights and had a huge laugh all about. Oh, in case I forget to type it here, Shide's house is a gazillion storeys high. Well, what do you expect, a Shide-ish house for someone like Shide. huge.
After the dinner, we went up to his room and rehearsed from 9-12am, and then we were planning on how to leave. Unfortunately taxis were at their peak hour, and MRTs and buses were all like, gone?
So everyone decided we should stay over, and decided to play with the Wii for probably an hour before sleeping. Which didn't really happened because everyone spammed the Wii for an hour and a half, and someone then discovered that Shide actually had Grand Theft Auto IV, which was based super-heavily on New York City.
Ok here are the facts: GTA IV has a rating of 10/10 from almost every game magazine, and it is wholly reserved, because we got a freaking shock at the graphics and how freaking realistic everything was. Sparkling waters, wispy clouds, things that actually immediately move when we hit them.
Anyway memorable moments included the part where Zhongren revved the helicopter all the way over Brooklin Bridge and landed on one of the suspension columns, before disembarking. He then proceeds to fire at everything below him, flinging grenades, firing bazookas, and continuously sniping.
It's really addictive, and no one got a sleep that night, but all memorised our scripts anyway :)
But it was so inspiring that Clinton Zhongren and I, on our way back home, had to imitate a bank-robbery escape. Imagine three people in the drizzle running, shoes pounding hard on the cold pavements, and shouting, "How much have you got there?!"
"Seven...seven hundred!" "Great, I've six fifty here, let's find a place to divide them later!"
Ok whatever we looked like a bunch of madmen. I think we were.
THe rest of the week? Well basically Thursday was the day I allocated to finish up my Bach Chorale Modified, which means no more dragging. I finished 1/6 of it that day, so I decided to spend the whole of Friday doing it, and I finally finished the whole thing at around 2.30am in the morning.
My diet's really terrible I realised.
Mcdonalds, instant noodles, KFC. Everything needs to be fast, to be quick, to be handed it on time. No delays, quick quick quick and more quick.
I'm thinking whether I should join the singing contest for my church. Actually maybe no, because I've NO TIME.
Ok now, on to engraving.
Will post my entire Bach Chorale Modified here tomorrow or some other day.
Love you girls.
Monday, September 15, 2008
This Week in this post
Instead of talking about EOYs, I will be talking about some assignments (really fun ones) I have for this week.
1) Dr Edwards's Bach Chorale MODIFIED: Ok what we're supposed to do here is we are given a Bach Chorale written on piano. And we're writing it for 4 violins, 1 cello, and 1 piano!
We're allowed to change the rhythm, the register, the note value, the articulation, the dynamics and anything but the pitch.
Great. (something evil up my mind)
2) No other assignments except I've been creating them my own. Well of course ever on-going is my work on a piano concerto in a late Romantic form. Hopefully by the time I finish JC 1 I'm done with it. And it would by then have been revised over and over.
3) Yesterday in the shower I thought how easy it would be to write a string quartet but then I decided to put it in the recesses of my mind because I got too many things.
4) BUT IT'll be much easier to write a violin sonata why not? Because I have no good lack of melodies in my head and with thematic organization, NP!
And then now EOYs.
I'll be honest with all of you.
Ever since I started working on moles in Chemistry, I've never understood a SINGLE THING AFTER THAT. I've never understood anything at all after we started moles. I've been lost in oblivion.
Just like, poof, ok now I'm at a blank. So everytime I'm at Chemistry lesson I would just sit at my chair and look at what's happening around me - all the symbols and shit passing by while everyone seems to be getting it and writing it all down.
Don't blame me for not studying - no matter how many times I've studied it's all hopeless. In Secondary 3 everytime I mugged Chemistry I just can't link anything together.
It's this, you know...
like...indescribable phenomenom.
I know I can study Mathematics, but yes, that I'm too plain lazy. But I'll study them (luckily) during the break before the EOYs.
I think everyone takes it too heavily. Like, "EOYs EOYs".
To which all my classmates will say, "Johnny you piece of s---" Haha, love you guys.
Ok anyway I really have to talk about the day that we had a winning streak. Or at least I had a winning streak. It all started when we were having an English lesson after school ended.
And I was supposed to present my English Oral Defence, together with Bryan Choong and Benjamin Low. (who were coincedentally my RE group in my class - Hongrui was in another). Maybe we were too busy hm. Anyway yeah, in the Oral Defence you're supposed to defend the Raffles Programme and how good it is.
The thing was, I haven't done anything on the Powerpoint at all, I've not started, not put any thoughts to it. All I had was my thumbdrive.
So I was like, "Ok Mdm, I need to set up first. " Alright, so I get to "set up" but apparently I took too long, so she decided to get out of the class for a while to go show her face in some Literature seminar.
And that was when I started doing my presentation. As in like, seriously doing it, creating new slides blah blah blah. Ok not something to be proud of but the problem was that there was no problem! Which really reminds me of a song I would like to put here to thank all my friends who were there along the long long way of ten minutes.
Thank you guys! I managed to complete the whole thing and with the thumbdrive I got the pictures!
The thing was, it was a successful presentation if you were asking.
Second one of the same day was the Dick Lee Biography Presentation/ Trailer that we did the day before until around 8.30pm.
Ms Chew kept asking questions and we all defended them really well, plus she went on with our RE project, the one on the National Day song.
And the last item of the day was Nigel, Joseph and me. We decided to walk in for Rafflesian Spotlight, which we did at around 4.30pm. Our little act was to let the audience select any body of text, and we would sing it.
And we did. Harmonized so perfectly, Nigel's melody was great, and Joseph's guitar instincts were at their best. Judges laughed till they literally hit the ground. "Other groups spend so many years trying to harmonize, but you guys...you guys just did it perfectly in less than, what?"
Well, we've got the class to thank!
Oh and before I go, I have to announce a Primarily Piano concert I'll be performing in tomorrow at 7.30 at YST Concert Hall! I'll be playing the Griffes Scherzo so do come down and support me if you guys want to.
1) Dr Edwards's Bach Chorale MODIFIED: Ok what we're supposed to do here is we are given a Bach Chorale written on piano. And we're writing it for 4 violins, 1 cello, and 1 piano!
We're allowed to change the rhythm, the register, the note value, the articulation, the dynamics and anything but the pitch.
Great. (something evil up my mind)
2) No other assignments except I've been creating them my own. Well of course ever on-going is my work on a piano concerto in a late Romantic form. Hopefully by the time I finish JC 1 I'm done with it. And it would by then have been revised over and over.
3) Yesterday in the shower I thought how easy it would be to write a string quartet but then I decided to put it in the recesses of my mind because I got too many things.
4) BUT IT'll be much easier to write a violin sonata why not? Because I have no good lack of melodies in my head and with thematic organization, NP!
And then now EOYs.
I'll be honest with all of you.
Ever since I started working on moles in Chemistry, I've never understood a SINGLE THING AFTER THAT. I've never understood anything at all after we started moles. I've been lost in oblivion.
Just like, poof, ok now I'm at a blank. So everytime I'm at Chemistry lesson I would just sit at my chair and look at what's happening around me - all the symbols and shit passing by while everyone seems to be getting it and writing it all down.
Don't blame me for not studying - no matter how many times I've studied it's all hopeless. In Secondary 3 everytime I mugged Chemistry I just can't link anything together.
It's this, you know...
like...indescribable phenomenom.
I know I can study Mathematics, but yes, that I'm too plain lazy. But I'll study them (luckily) during the break before the EOYs.
I think everyone takes it too heavily. Like, "EOYs EOYs".
To which all my classmates will say, "Johnny you piece of s---" Haha, love you guys.
Ok anyway I really have to talk about the day that we had a winning streak. Or at least I had a winning streak. It all started when we were having an English lesson after school ended.
And I was supposed to present my English Oral Defence, together with Bryan Choong and Benjamin Low. (who were coincedentally my RE group in my class - Hongrui was in another). Maybe we were too busy hm. Anyway yeah, in the Oral Defence you're supposed to defend the Raffles Programme and how good it is.
The thing was, I haven't done anything on the Powerpoint at all, I've not started, not put any thoughts to it. All I had was my thumbdrive.
So I was like, "Ok Mdm, I need to set up first. " Alright, so I get to "set up" but apparently I took too long, so she decided to get out of the class for a while to go show her face in some Literature seminar.
And that was when I started doing my presentation. As in like, seriously doing it, creating new slides blah blah blah. Ok not something to be proud of but the problem was that there was no problem! Which really reminds me of a song I would like to put here to thank all my friends who were there along the long long way of ten minutes.
Thank you guys! I managed to complete the whole thing and with the thumbdrive I got the pictures!
The thing was, it was a successful presentation if you were asking.
Second one of the same day was the Dick Lee Biography Presentation/ Trailer that we did the day before until around 8.30pm.
Ms Chew kept asking questions and we all defended them really well, plus she went on with our RE project, the one on the National Day song.
And the last item of the day was Nigel, Joseph and me. We decided to walk in for Rafflesian Spotlight, which we did at around 4.30pm. Our little act was to let the audience select any body of text, and we would sing it.
And we did. Harmonized so perfectly, Nigel's melody was great, and Joseph's guitar instincts were at their best. Judges laughed till they literally hit the ground. "Other groups spend so many years trying to harmonize, but you guys...you guys just did it perfectly in less than, what?"
Well, we've got the class to thank!
Oh and before I go, I have to announce a Primarily Piano concert I'll be performing in tomorrow at 7.30 at YST Concert Hall! I'll be playing the Griffes Scherzo so do come down and support me if you guys want to.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
settled in ibiza after coming from frankfurt
I just realised my posts are rather sparse. They don't give any actual detail, any actual meat, any thing. Let me give you real detail about the Spain trip.
Alright I'm very accustomed to traveling actually, and if I'm going to have to pack things for a trip myself and go travelling myself, I'm pretty sure I can do it.
3-collared T-shirts (should have gotten 4), three white plain collarless shirts to be worn for sleeping or the most casual wear, three boxers, three packets of underwear (disposables are freaking useful on a overseas trip - don't have to wash just throw away) and 4 Levi jeans, 2 performance clothings, one performance pants, and finally 2 pairs of shoes (performance shoes and outside shoes)
For girls it definitely will be more difficult, with all the neccesities and whatsoever - makeup, performance gowns, blah blah blah.
So I didn't have to check in any luggage at all, just having a hand-carry luggage and a slingbag with me. One pair of shoes amazingly stuffed inside the luggage, snuggled nicely.
Alright here's what to watch out for when travelling - don't bring any liquids, just drink from the airport. But for domestic flights it's really easy to smuggle water bottles through because they don't screen you at all. Otherwise, big airports like Frankfurt, Singapore, New York, yeah just don't even buy water bottles before you get in.
And when you do buy from the duty-free shops after passing the check-point, remember you have to drink it all up before you can board the plane.
While on the plane, act coy with the stewardess and get favour from them. Just kidding. Be polite and add-in some wit in your words, and when you do have to go for toilet breaks do strike up some conversation with them while waiting outside the toilet. They will be super friendly, and I'm serious most of them are quite genuine and kind and willing to help, lah.
There's definitely no need to press for the 'steward help' button if you can just wait for them (I never did since I turned 12.) ...but when you do press it they come immediately.
I took lots of peanuts and bread on the plane, and washed them all down with water. Really great stuff. Watched two different set of movies already, because I left on SIA on 29th August, which means they showed a set of movies and shows (more than a hundred), and I came back on the 8th September (an entirely new set of movies). And great, no pictures of the planes.
I've recently been talking to my classmates about the turbulence, and about the mini-orgasms that possibly could have occured for some of my friends. I've told Dr Hecht that I rather wait to perform than sit through a turbulence. I'm wrong, I think. Sitting here in the comfort of my chair I think I rather sit through a turbulence than perform.
But I guess when you survive more turbulence and realised you were never going to go unconscious or explode into pieces, you get less worried. But sometimes I do have an image that God is holding the plane in his hands, and once when I travelled from Majorca to Ibiza I thought of that, and surprisingly I slept through the turbulence and all the way till landing.
Nice, huh?
Ok my flight plan was this - First to Frankfurt (3rd time in a month, after Ettlingen competition), then after that to Majorca (where Chopin took his break to write his Preludes, he went there with George Sand - it looks really dusty and windy to have a nice, cosy winter there.) And then finally to Ibiza - of course, buses will be provided when you travel between the terminal to the aeroplanes in the smaller airports, because there's not enough space for all the planes to be beside the terminal itself so we can walk via a duct.
If you realised most times when you do go out travelling probably the only way of getting into the aeroplane was through a huge duct which we would walk through, this long cuboid tube that twists and turns and leads to the plane itself. And has a distinctively nice smell.
Well in domestic travelling you'll have to take a bus to the plane itself, and then board up a staircase. Watch out for your luggages then! Everyone will be climbing up the staircase then so yeah just don't bowl over, because the winds from the turbines can get really strong. But you feel great once you're at the top of the staircase beside the plane, 'cos the wind is blowing in thy hair and thy hand is on thy luggage, proud and standeth tall.
No major food will be provided on the domestic flights, as I had from Majorca to Ibiza. Just had a piece of bread, and watched Mr Bean from well, a shared TV-screen by 6 people.
Skip the major boring parts.
Reached Ibiza, and we were received by one of the organizer's mum, and another guy who was part of the organization team. But first, a map of Ibiza.
Ok, three important places to note. Click on the map - San Antonio, where the contestants' hotel is, Santa Eulalia, where the judges' hotel is, and finally San Carlos, which is located in small print. If you draw a straight line from San Juan to Santa Eulalia, and look right of it, where you see a crossroad, you can see San Carlos exactly there.
For the first two days in Ibiza I stayed with Dr Hecht at Santa Eulalia, before we went to San Carlos (the competition venue itself) and then I joined up with the contestants.
Of course, some pictures of San Carlos and the places I have dwelled around in San Carlos.
Lots more pictures to blog - including the places I blog, the benches at sit at to compose outside the concert hall, and wonderful beaches.
Alright I'm very accustomed to traveling actually, and if I'm going to have to pack things for a trip myself and go travelling myself, I'm pretty sure I can do it.
3-collared T-shirts (should have gotten 4), three white plain collarless shirts to be worn for sleeping or the most casual wear, three boxers, three packets of underwear (disposables are freaking useful on a overseas trip - don't have to wash just throw away) and 4 Levi jeans, 2 performance clothings, one performance pants, and finally 2 pairs of shoes (performance shoes and outside shoes)
For girls it definitely will be more difficult, with all the neccesities and whatsoever - makeup, performance gowns, blah blah blah.
So I didn't have to check in any luggage at all, just having a hand-carry luggage and a slingbag with me. One pair of shoes amazingly stuffed inside the luggage, snuggled nicely.
Alright here's what to watch out for when travelling - don't bring any liquids, just drink from the airport. But for domestic flights it's really easy to smuggle water bottles through because they don't screen you at all. Otherwise, big airports like Frankfurt, Singapore, New York, yeah just don't even buy water bottles before you get in.
And when you do buy from the duty-free shops after passing the check-point, remember you have to drink it all up before you can board the plane.
While on the plane, act coy with the stewardess and get favour from them. Just kidding. Be polite and add-in some wit in your words, and when you do have to go for toilet breaks do strike up some conversation with them while waiting outside the toilet. They will be super friendly, and I'm serious most of them are quite genuine and kind and willing to help, lah.
There's definitely no need to press for the 'steward help' button if you can just wait for them (I never did since I turned 12.) ...but when you do press it they come immediately.
I took lots of peanuts and bread on the plane, and washed them all down with water. Really great stuff. Watched two different set of movies already, because I left on SIA on 29th August, which means they showed a set of movies and shows (more than a hundred), and I came back on the 8th September (an entirely new set of movies). And great, no pictures of the planes.
I've recently been talking to my classmates about the turbulence, and about the mini-orgasms that possibly could have occured for some of my friends. I've told Dr Hecht that I rather wait to perform than sit through a turbulence. I'm wrong, I think. Sitting here in the comfort of my chair I think I rather sit through a turbulence than perform.
But I guess when you survive more turbulence and realised you were never going to go unconscious or explode into pieces, you get less worried. But sometimes I do have an image that God is holding the plane in his hands, and once when I travelled from Majorca to Ibiza I thought of that, and surprisingly I slept through the turbulence and all the way till landing.
Nice, huh?
Ok my flight plan was this - First to Frankfurt (3rd time in a month, after Ettlingen competition), then after that to Majorca (where Chopin took his break to write his Preludes, he went there with George Sand - it looks really dusty and windy to have a nice, cosy winter there.) And then finally to Ibiza - of course, buses will be provided when you travel between the terminal to the aeroplanes in the smaller airports, because there's not enough space for all the planes to be beside the terminal itself so we can walk via a duct.
If you realised most times when you do go out travelling probably the only way of getting into the aeroplane was through a huge duct which we would walk through, this long cuboid tube that twists and turns and leads to the plane itself. And has a distinctively nice smell.
Well in domestic travelling you'll have to take a bus to the plane itself, and then board up a staircase. Watch out for your luggages then! Everyone will be climbing up the staircase then so yeah just don't bowl over, because the winds from the turbines can get really strong. But you feel great once you're at the top of the staircase beside the plane, 'cos the wind is blowing in thy hair and thy hand is on thy luggage, proud and standeth tall.
No major food will be provided on the domestic flights, as I had from Majorca to Ibiza. Just had a piece of bread, and watched Mr Bean from well, a shared TV-screen by 6 people.
Skip the major boring parts.
Reached Ibiza, and we were received by one of the organizer's mum, and another guy who was part of the organization team. But first, a map of Ibiza.
Ok, three important places to note. Click on the map - San Antonio, where the contestants' hotel is, Santa Eulalia, where the judges' hotel is, and finally San Carlos, which is located in small print. If you draw a straight line from San Juan to Santa Eulalia, and look right of it, where you see a crossroad, you can see San Carlos exactly there.
For the first two days in Ibiza I stayed with Dr Hecht at Santa Eulalia, before we went to San Carlos (the competition venue itself) and then I joined up with the contestants.
Of course, some pictures of San Carlos and the places I have dwelled around in San Carlos.
Lots more pictures to blog - including the places I blog, the benches at sit at to compose outside the concert hall, and wonderful beaches.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
First days again
Ok I owe you guys a freaking update on everything. EVERYTHING.
So we started off on Friday, the day after I attended MEP and the concert featuring the young talents of Singapore. Great. Fantastic hit to my ego, ego points currently at 0.
Ok pardon me if I get typo errors, but I would just like to say I'm having a little problem trying to negotiate this keyboard because I still feel a little woozy from the 12-hour flight from Frankfurt all the way to Singapore.
For all the hype and stuff, there were only 5 contestants in my category. A visually-handicapped girl who was 10 years old beat me to second, and a reasonable good guy got first.
Well, welcome to the crazy world of music.
And Spain was really freaking memorable. On the first few days I was staying in the judges hotel.
Ok update you later.
So we started off on Friday, the day after I attended MEP and the concert featuring the young talents of Singapore. Great. Fantastic hit to my ego, ego points currently at 0.
Ok pardon me if I get typo errors, but I would just like to say I'm having a little problem trying to negotiate this keyboard because I still feel a little woozy from the 12-hour flight from Frankfurt all the way to Singapore.
For all the hype and stuff, there were only 5 contestants in my category. A visually-handicapped girl who was 10 years old beat me to second, and a reasonable good guy got first.
Well, welcome to the crazy world of music.
And Spain was really freaking memorable. On the first few days I was staying in the judges hotel.
Ok update you later.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
SPAIN SPAIN
Fine. SOmeone asked for an update so I will update you guys a little about Spain. Firstly, I would like to announce that I didn´t bring a camera there so I don´t get to share the sights with you! THE FREAKING SIGHTS ARE WONDERFUL!!! Ok, so half of you should have already clicked and left this blog. (reverse psychology)
Secondly I need to explain how I got this computer - it´s eight Euros for one hour, so that means altogether 20 dollars for one hour. That´s how I got it.
Ok some updates on the Competition - for my category there are only five people competing. So if I don´t win something (the results are tomorrow), I will really really quit performing and spend the rest of my years in recluse.
Actually I felt I did EVERYTHING that I was supposed to do, all the nuances and all the pedalling. And I listened to the acoustics around me, and it worked fine. But the only problem was I made some stupid slips that were totally unnessecary. Like, you know, the left hand working fine and the right hand suddenly slipping.
I hate my composure sometimes. On the performance stage.
I have the hotel room to myself, entirely, so I spend most of my days journeying to the competition centre itself by a free bus that takes everyone along. On somedays though I stay in the hotel room composing, and on that side I do have good news.
Unfortunately (Fortunately) you guys wouldn´t get to be hearing another improvisation from me because there are only 5 pianos around this whole city and everyone really takes turns to go to them.
The environment here is freaking nice also because everyone has breakfast together, and I have made some really good friends from my category already. One from Porto, and the other from Mallorca. :)
I came here with Dr Hecht (as already mentioned previously) but he´s staying in the judge hotel, which of course we can´t access because we are contestants.
To be honest I haven´t even touched any beaches or swam yet because I simply don´t feel like exposing my body to the freaking sun. Í´m tanned enough thank you, if I want to get more tanned no one can see me anymore.
Tomorrow is results day, and I can hard-hard-hardly wait lah...my first international break. No, seriously, if I´m not going to get anything I´ll be feeling depressed. Like seriously depressed. Capital D Depressed...The beaches are beautiful, there´s a wonderful Sun here, and a really cool breeze that floats across the island.
The only thing I´m not looking forward to are the flights. They really are turbulence-attractors. Nearly shit in my pants the last time I was on the plane.
I´m looking forward to Singapore too - Rafflesian Spotlight! Of course I´ll be hoping to come back with my first international break. Wouldn´t disappoint you guys!!!
Off to play Grand Theft Auto now, originally was supposed to be, but saw Fiona´s tag on blogging. Just had to.
Love you girls.
Secondly I need to explain how I got this computer - it´s eight Euros for one hour, so that means altogether 20 dollars for one hour. That´s how I got it.
Ok some updates on the Competition - for my category there are only five people competing. So if I don´t win something (the results are tomorrow), I will really really quit performing and spend the rest of my years in recluse.
Actually I felt I did EVERYTHING that I was supposed to do, all the nuances and all the pedalling. And I listened to the acoustics around me, and it worked fine. But the only problem was I made some stupid slips that were totally unnessecary. Like, you know, the left hand working fine and the right hand suddenly slipping.
I hate my composure sometimes. On the performance stage.
I have the hotel room to myself, entirely, so I spend most of my days journeying to the competition centre itself by a free bus that takes everyone along. On somedays though I stay in the hotel room composing, and on that side I do have good news.
Unfortunately (Fortunately) you guys wouldn´t get to be hearing another improvisation from me because there are only 5 pianos around this whole city and everyone really takes turns to go to them.
The environment here is freaking nice also because everyone has breakfast together, and I have made some really good friends from my category already. One from Porto, and the other from Mallorca. :)
I came here with Dr Hecht (as already mentioned previously) but he´s staying in the judge hotel, which of course we can´t access because we are contestants.
To be honest I haven´t even touched any beaches or swam yet because I simply don´t feel like exposing my body to the freaking sun. Í´m tanned enough thank you, if I want to get more tanned no one can see me anymore.
Tomorrow is results day, and I can hard-hard-hardly wait lah...my first international break. No, seriously, if I´m not going to get anything I´ll be feeling depressed. Like seriously depressed. Capital D Depressed...The beaches are beautiful, there´s a wonderful Sun here, and a really cool breeze that floats across the island.
The only thing I´m not looking forward to are the flights. They really are turbulence-attractors. Nearly shit in my pants the last time I was on the plane.
I´m looking forward to Singapore too - Rafflesian Spotlight! Of course I´ll be hoping to come back with my first international break. Wouldn´t disappoint you guys!!!
Off to play Grand Theft Auto now, originally was supposed to be, but saw Fiona´s tag on blogging. Just had to.
Love you girls.
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