Publicity

I like it when I see band-related stuff on the papers.

Today my dad came home this morning and showed me today's mypaper (my 冤家 newspaper).

I have a feeling he drove back specially to show me -_-

Anyway, on p. 2 was a picture of a conductor and his band with a heading 'Music at mall enthralls shoppers'. HAHA. Then you see concentrated crowds of people at the atrium of the mall.


It's Leonard Tan! With PhilWinds at VivoCity. The SPH Gift of Music programme.

Am missing out on...*updated*

While I'll be away at LA in summer, there are a couple of events that I'll be missing out and I wanna go badly. =(

• Late June: My birthday. -_- OKOK more like I won't be able to celebrate at home

• July: Mus'art Wind Orchestra's concert featuring Derek Bourgeios Symphony No. 41 - I heard that it's a 75 minute piece. (May be) World premiere. Long-winded symphonies seem to be the 'in' thing nowadays isn't it? And it's his 41st symphony!!! So many many
  

• Late June or early July: Tentatively there are plans for a (1st) Tertiary Band Festival (the poly + uni version of JC Band Fest) organised by Republic Polytechnic's band

• July: Tentative NUSWS Alumni Dinner
  

• July: 2nd National Band Competition

• July: 1st Singapore International Band Festival

• July: Aichi Meiden High School's band from Japan will be coming over to Singapore probably for the NBC like two years ago, and to have an exchange with Meridian *NEW*
  

• July 18: Jing Yi's birthday (but I am not THAT bothered la. =P)

Why do they like to hold events in July??? June is such a good time =( And I'll be missing festivals in Singapore, and by the time I go to LA, I'd have missed the interesting events and festivals there. Why don't I have a balance of both?! This sucks!!! Hahaha. I'm so unlucky I better not buy any kind of lottery.

A letter for the smoker upstairs

Dear neighbour-who-lives-upstairs

If you choose to smoke at your kitchen window, and whack the ash from your cigarette out of your window, then you should be damned.

Other than the pungent smoke from your hazardous tool, the by-product wants to visit my home too.

But the wind has been good to us today. Instead of ashes flying into my kitchen, they rested on my laundry.

How nice.

Thank you very much.

I love loathe a neighbour like you.

I advise you to watch your fingers, our dear MP Ms. Irene Ng could be knocking at your door.

Regards
Your pissed-neighbour-who-lives-downstairs

InTempo 2008 photos

Finally got the official photos of InTempo 2008.

Some photos were so funny. The photographers took so many 'candid' photos. I'll probably talk more about them, maybe not.

I found one to do with me that made me -_-


At first, when I saw the photo, I was like, oh I like this photo. Then I noticed something amiss and when I zoomed in, I saw scribblings in my score that the photographer shouldn't have caught. Blow up the picture if you can't see.


So much for exploding.

Olympics, protests, face, boycott

There has been riots from Tibetans all over the world protesting China as host of the Olympic Games (from what I read) because the Tibetans want to be free from China. And so on.

And I think they've well succeeded in making China 'lose face' since there are some countries which hinted at boycotting the event. Most recently was French President N. Sarkozy (who brought his new wife to visit the Queen in UK and the British press now love Carla). And the EU is supposedly still in a dilemma about boycotting the opening of the Games.

Here's something I got from the Torch Relay website.

The cities along the route are:

Beijing; Almaty; Istanbul; St.Petersburg; London; Paris; San Francisco; Buenos Aires; Dar Es Salaam; Muscat; Islamabad; New Delhi; Bangkok; Kuala Lumpur; Jakarta; Canberra; Nagano; Seoul; Pyongyang; Ho Chi Minh City; Hong Kong; Macao; Hainan Province (Sanya, Wuzhishan, Wanning, Haikou); Guangdong Province (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Shantou); Fujian Province (Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Longyan); Jiangxi Province (Ruijin, Jinggangshan, Nanchang); Zhejiang Province (Wenzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Jiaxing); Shanghai; Jiangsu Province (Suzhou, Nantong, Taizhou, Yangzhou, Nanjing); An'hui Province (Hefei, Huainan, Wuhu, Jixi, Huangshan); Hubei Province (Wuhan, Yichang, Jingzhou); Hunan Province (Yueyang, Changsha, Shaoshan); Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Guilin, Nanning, Baise); Yunnan Province (Kunming, Lijiang, Xamgyi' nyilha); Guizhou Province (Guiyang, Kaili, Zunyi); Chongqing; Sichuang Province (Guang'an, Mianyang, Guanghan, Leshan, Zigong, Yibin, Chengdu); Tibet Autonomous Region (Shannan Diqu, Lhasa); Qinghai Province (Golmud, Qinghai Hu, Xining); Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Urumqi, Kashi, Shihezi, Changji); Gansu Province (Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Tianshui, Lanzhou); Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Zhongwei, Wuzhong, Yinchuan); Shaanxi Province (Yan'an, Yangling, Xianyang, Xi'an); Shanxi Province (Yuncheng, Pingyao, Taiyuan, Datong); Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Hohhot, Ordos, Baotou, Chifeng); Heilongjiang Province (Qiqihar, Daqing, Harbin); Jilin Province (Songyuan, Changchun, Jilin, Yanji); Liaoning Province (Shenyang, Benxi, Liaoyang, Anshan, Dalian); Shandong Province (Yantai, Weihai, Qingdao, Rizhao, Linyi, Qufu, Tai'an, Jinan); Henan Province (Shangqiu, Kaifeng, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Anyang); Hebei Province (Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan); Tianjin; and Beijing.

One of the highlights of this leg will be the attempt to bring the Olympic Flame to the highest peak in the world Mt. Qomolangma. During the arrival ceremony for the flame into China on March 31, 2008, one of the lanterns with the Olympic Flame will be kept aside. The torchbearer team will then attempt to take the Flame to the highest peak on a day in May that presents the best climatic conditions for the ascent.

I saw on a Taiwanese news programme just now, there are debates about whether the torch relay will still go to Lhasa in Tibet. That'll be in May. However the International Olympic Committee stated that it'll still go to Lhasa.

This is horrifying.

With the current situation in Tibet ongoing, and there still isn't any kind of solution to this except to kill and kill and kill - just like the U.S. This is atrocious! They're undermining the safety of their torch relay team and let them go to Lhasa (that's the location in Tibet where most of the protests are taking place). Hope everything will be peaceful by April. And Mt. Qomolangma is in Tibet -_- Looks like they're gonna plan to stay for quite some time in Tibet. *shudders*

You can check out the planned route for the torch relay here. It's interactive.

They're not coming to Singapore.

Of aspirations and long-time wishes

Firstly, I'm bothered by the world clock above this post because you can't see Singapore at all. Whatever.

Anyway.

I'm very disappointed todaaay.

After all that I've been looking forward to, NUSWS is not going for the World Music Contest at all.

In the first place, the WMC mattered to me. It's some mentality stuck into my head that I can't really change.

For me, to go to a competition overseas will be a totally different act from what I've been doing all these years. It's not like I'm a sick in the mind and I love competitions or anything like that, but the entire experience there will still be a milestone in my life. Or at least I think so.

I totally enjoyed my trip to Besana last summer. Experienced living the Italian way. The welcome from the Italians. Many many superb memories that I look back on. And still miss. But going there for the festival again is a big no-no. Unless I'm going there like, at least fifteen years later. I don't see the point of spending so much to go there again for the same things and I don't think I'll appreciate my debut there as much.

I want to go for other festivals too! But WMC comes once every four years. And this is the only chance that I'll get to participate in WMC in university. I don't see the point of going with bands that I don't feel comfortable in. If I miss this, I can only hope for another chance in 2013. Mind you, I've been waiting since 2001. 12 years. Why is it so hard to fulfill? I know I shouldn't be picky. But nothing can be perfect.

It isn't healthy to compete music, I agree. But it's not as if we do it all the time! Have I done it before? Yes, SYF. Have I done it internationally? No. Then that's my problem right.

Oh yes oh yes. I've been to an 'international' competition. In Genting Highlands. There were many bands in our division but if I remembered correctly only two were Malaysian bands and the others Singaporean.

WMC matters to me. It's a platform that I want to get to since like, secondary 2? When Mrs. Chua brought Soka Wind Ensemble there and I went to sent them off at the airport. Then the idea of going for WMC kicked in. I waited 7 years for this. And nooo moreeee.

So what if the purpose of us going WMC is to build up NUSWS' reputation? And there were ideas that if we don't do well there, then that's it for us. In the first place, why do we have so low confidence of ourselves even before we start doing something about it? Look at what we've achieved till this date! We definitely can 凯旋归来。

That was not nice at all, if you get what I'm referring to.

I am sure the point of the existence of WMC is not to look forward to cultural or social exchanges with bands from other countries. It's so obvious that the point of going there is to compete, and see where you stand on the international stage. And who says there won't be international exposure while we're there? There's so much to look out for whenever you are out of home.

I'm not very interested in going to music festivals in cosmopolitan locations. Sigh. But what to do.

Tonight my hopes were dashed. Never mind.

Sigh.

Whatever you think.

By the way,

though there were no promises made.

I'm done believing you.

Meet my new love

Meet Michael Johns. An American Idol contestant. *hearts*



Other than the accidental scream.

I'm so unhappy

Found out some news that I don't want to know but still did. 活该。

Then when I thought it's a low time of my life for a while. And guess what.

I ordered a shirt that I'm longing for (haha) and by the time the spree organizer went to place the order from the website, the shirt was sold out.

Thanks ah.

T_T

I'm aching because it's a lion-printed shirt.


And my alternative choice is sold out also. I like both but decided to get only one. But both are out of stock.


The reason why I'm dying to get one is because threadless.com is having their spring-cleaning sale now so plus postage it'll cost me (only) SGD15.76 for one shirt. Usually it'll be way above SGD20.

And I reckon they have my size. Unlike other tees in Singapore which are expensive and they don't carry my size. Hmmph.

Tees are good for school and I need (want) a new top.

But nothing's gonna come =(

There's nothing else that I really like - even if there is, it's sold out. Everything is sold out sold out sold out.

不自在

Lately I've been feeling uncomfortable with myself.

I think probably I have to consider many many things that I feel I'm not myself most of the time.

Zzzzz. It is quite tiring.

And I feel sooooooooooo fake when I have to. =(

Review of InTempo 2008 in ST

Ah finally the review has been published in the Straits Times Life! today.

COMING OF AGE: The orchestra, which was formed in 1968, now has close to 100 members. -- PHOTO: NUS WIND SYMPHONY

A band on the march

The NUS Wind Symphony marks its 40th year with flag-waving fervour and blaring sound effects

By Chang Tou Liang

concert IN TEMPO 2008 National University of Singapore Wind Symphony Leonard Tan, Conductor University Cultural Centre/Last Saturday FOR its 40th anniversary celebration, the National University of Singapore Wind Symphony went back to its roots as a marching military band. Beginning with two marches, Gerry Soliano's patriotic and Sousa-inspired Crescent And Stars and Vaughan Williams' folksong Seventeen On Sunday, the general upbeat tone of the evening was set. The orchestra, now close to 100 strong, responded with gusto and confidence under budding conductors Ian Lum and Martin Lim respectively, before its music director Leonard Tan took centrestage. For the 'serious' items requiring more of an interpretation, the young outfit did not disappoint. Sibelius' Finlandia had more blare than usual in its all-wind guise, and voices otherwise sung by the strings were lost but its nationalistic, flag-waving fervour came through. The big work of the programme was Dutch wind band-meister Johan de Meij's Third Symphony, also titled Planet Earth. At 50 minutes, it is overblown to say the least. A solid five minutes of sound effects - the Big Bang and whizzing planets - began the work, and it meandered from the sound world of Holst's Neptune The Mystic before unfolding like some long-winded Richard Strauss tone poem. More cliches abound, from the chugging of Adams and Glass' minimalism to the inevitable big melodies from a quasi-John Williams celestial score. Those more accustomed to Mahler and Bruckner's longeurs might have been bored, but conductor Tan's youthful exuberance kept the ensemble from flagging, ensuring a highly spirited reading that lurched from one climax to another. The band alumni - now in their 60s - accorded the performance a standing ovation. And rightly so, from its humble beginnings at Bukit Timah campus to the spanking new home at Kent Ridge, the band had indeed come of age. stlife@sph.com.sg

Quite a number of mistakes in there, I wonder if Dr. Chang kept the programme booklet. Or if he referred to it haha. Seventeen ON Sunday. It's Seventeen Come Sunday! InTempo is one word. Stars and Crescent or Crescent and Stars??? Hahaha I am confused myself.

Dr. Chang had to review another concert after ours and he rushed off when our concert ended a bit past 7 p.m. so I guess it must be really far. But in the end there's another review he wrote today and......the other concert was actually just next door, at Yong Siew Toh. -_- Haha!

I'll take a closer read when I come back from school tonight.

Across the Universe

I love the lyrics of this Beatles' hit.



Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,
They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind,
Possessing and caressing me.
Jai guru de va om
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes,
That call me on and on across the universe,
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box they
Tumble blindly as they make their way
Across the universe
Jai guru de va om
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.

Sounds of laughter shades of earth are ringing
Through my open views inviting and inciting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a
million suns, it calls me on and on
Across the universe
Jai guru de va om
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.

This song is influenced by a kind of Indian meditation that the Beatles were interested in for a while.

Across the Universe!! Planet Earth!!

~~~~~

哎呀呀，又感到一阵心酸。

Sometimes I wonder what is wrong with me that I face situations like this not once but twice? Maybe even more? Or more to come?

I can wait, I am not bothered by not having none but I am bothered by almost being able to have and in the end...false hopes.

Ah, so sick of my life.

没关系，一下子就过了，又不是第一次。

An addiction

Planet Earth. Along with the memories of the past four decades. I'm still suffering from post-concert-withdrawal, if that's what my friends call it. I have two tests over the next two days, a project review and many other things to prepare and do but I have no mood for anything.

Throughout Sunday and Monday recollections of the concert kept coming back. The Hymn to Gaia kept ringing in my head. Singing it to myself brought bouts of goosebumps and tears. Just thinking about it pained my heart a little. I don't know why.

Usually after a concert I'll be over it the next morning. Sometimes I don't even feel anything at all for any performances.

This time it was so different. So different. My heart still yearns for that hour. Why is it so influential not only to me, but to so many other performers as well? There is a certain power to the piece that no other piece can bring to you. There is a certain connection among the performers that I've never really experienced.

I'd love to relive those moments.

But to play Symphony No. 3 all over again could be an insult to its memory...the first time it was played in Singapore, the first time for many of us to present a breathtaking and astounding piece, many first times. I'd want to keep it to only once. To do it again a second time...I won't really consider unless we have all the things we need - choir, a real church organ, many percussion instruments that we didn't manage to get, so on so forth.

The piece is so powerful, the feeling is like...I can't get enough of it. Like I want to keep doing it. Planet-Earth-addiction. It really is an addiction. Obsession with the memories.

It could also be due to the journey all the way to performing the piece that made us appreciate the result more. Everyone worked really hard to get to where we are today. We made a difference.

O Gaia.

Close your eyes and hold the memories dear.

Aftermath

Here's to Planet Earth.


Blow up the picture, you can read how most performers felt. (Though for some I'm not sure what they're referring to but oh well haha)

However, dear people, please remember the four pieces we played prior to Symphony No. 3. Haha.

I'm proud of where we are. We're on Planet Earth! =D

Cranes are toppling

Since late February to today, there were already two construction site accidents in Singapore due to cranes that collapsed.

In February when a crane collapsed in NUS. Two died. If I remember correctly.


On March 15 when a crane collapsed in Holland. No one was hurt I think.


And another crane collapsed in New York today. What you're looking at in the picture below is a green wall of a room. The crane collapsed through a building. At least 4 died, more than 17 hurt.


Why?

We're finally back to Earth

A spectacular night for many. It probably is the best and the most well-received concert I've ever had.

It made the entire journey to the concert a period of my life that I don't wanna forget. And the effort put in was so worthwhile.

At the end of Symphony No. 3 I was overwhelmed. The emotions, the applause, everything. Ah, I want to go back to that moment.

Some feelings can't be put in words.

But the memory in mind portrayed everything. Just that you can't see.

Ahhh.

Thanks to a whole load of people who made last night possible!

InTempo 2008

National University of Singapore Wind Symphony
presents

InTempo 2008

Celebrating our 40th anniversary with the Singapore premiere of
Johan de Meij's Symphony No. 3 - Planet Earth

March 15, 2008
5 p.m.
University Cultural Centre Hall
S$12 (excluding S$1 ticketing charges)

Join us in an occasion not to be missed!

Contact me for ticketing details!

COME COME COME!!!!!

I got A+!! You too!!!

Yeay!!! Look what we've got!

S'poreans get A+ for response on Mas Selamat's escape: Swee Say
By Clarissa Oon

THE response of Singaporeans to the escape of Mas Selamat Kastari, a Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader, received an A+ on Tuesday.

Minister Lim Swee Say, who described the escape as a test in inter-racial cohesion, said Singaporeans passed it 'with flying colours'.

He said people worked as one, without any finger-pointing, to search for the former chief of the Singapore JI cell.

'Did they take a position based on their racial or religious groups and draw the line? They did not,' he pointed out.

Mr Lim, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, was speaking to about 250 grassroots and community leaders at an event hat underlines Singapore's unrelenting effort to maintain racial harmony.

We shall expect an increase to our CAP this semester!! Hurrah! This is module code JI1234.

My favourite book in the mid-90's

I was introduced to this series of books by my English teacher in Primary 2. I had the feeling she had all the books so she read it to us quite frequently - though I can't remember how frequent.

If you remember, in primary school we had this occasional book fair where we can buy storybooks etc. (I can imagine the book fairs now, if there still are, filled with Harry Potter books) I am not well-off, and last time my allowance was quite puny and I felt quite guilty to ask my parents to give me money for some books. So I never really bought any. But there was this book that I really wanted.



MR. WORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So cute! Hahaha.

I bought it, read it, and chucked it aside for many many years already. It is only recently that I want Ethan to look at words and pictures more frequently (kiasu aunt) that this is the perfect book!!! So I dug it out and ta-daaaaaa.

I've always thought that this book is darn expensive, till I saw the price tag (which miraculously stayed there for years) - $2.90. OMG! So cheappppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahaha I should have asked my parents to buy me one or two more. Hahahahhahahaa. OK la my family was rather low-income at that time.

I think by the time Ethan can read, I should've started working....probably will buy him picture books as gifts =D And bring him to the library!

I reread Mr. Worry. SOOOO CUTEEEEE. Hahahahhaa.

Showed Ethan the book and he was looking at the side with brilliant colours, not the side with words. =S Never mind, this is a good start!

Finlandia

This piece was composed by Jean Sibelius in 1899-1900 and some of you may have heard of it before. Many different versions of lyrics were put into the melody and they become very meaningful songs.

If you just want to hear the choir just fast forward to 05:26. And check out the actual size of the choir!



What made me think should be the first version is actually Finland's 2nd national anthem, though many insist that it's the first. The reason why they couldn't make it their national anthem is because sooooo many different versions of it have appeared and it's so hard to eradicate it.

I think that's fine, because the lyrics are really beautiful. They talk about the world, they talk about peace, they talk about homes. Such selflessness in the lyrics.

1. Finlandia (literal translation, so may not be close to the melody)

Finland, behold, thy daylight now is dawning,
the threat of night has now been driven away.
The skylark calls across the light of morning,
the blue of heaven lets it have its way,
and now the day the powers of night is scorning:
thy daylight dawns, O Finland of ours!

Finland, arise, and raise towards the highest
thy head now crowned with mighty memory.
Finland, arise, for to the world thou criest
that thou hast thrown off thy slavery,
beneath oppression´s yoke thou never liest.
Thy morning´s come, O Finland of ours!

2. This is written in 1934

This is my song, Oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh hear my song, oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

3. Another verse

When nations rage, and fears erupt coercive,
The drumbeats sound, invoking pious cause.
My neighbors rise, their stalwart hearts they offer,
The gavels drop, suspending rights and laws.
While others wield their swords with blind devotion;
For peace I'll stand, my true and steadfast cause.

4. And another

May truth and freedom come to every nation;
May peace abound where strife has raged so long;
That each may seek to love and build together,
A world united, righting every wrong;
A world united in its love for freedom,
Proclaiming peace together in one song.




Psst. NUSWS is going to play Finlandia at InTempo 2008, on the 15th of this month! Come come! =D

It hurts so much

Ethan fell off my parents' bed today by accident while my mum went to get his milk.

It's no one's fault, really, Ethan is just fond of flipping and flipping.

But it pains me to see him cry so hard.

=(

Sob.

New blog

No no, I'm not changing blogs haha.

I merely added a new blog to trace a route towards the coming summer. Nothing much now, but still feel free to have a look.

I love the skin. Muahaha.

Sigh.

It was easy to trust people.

Till the things they do to you take away your trust.

Like...at first they wanted, now they put their initial plans off.

I'm telling all of you, don't say things that you don't feel strongly for, or don't mean it, in case you cheat people of their feelings.

I'm telling you two, don't say things that you eventually won't do.
Because I'm hurt.