well, these few days have been full of thoughts and activities

well, quite some time since i posted.

lemme see.. quite a lot have happened.. the holidays have come and will be gone soon. quite a lot on my mind though.

hMm.. first.. band. tp band and shaw/shwo band. both bands will probably be taking up more of my time when sch starts. mon fri tp. sat shaw. and i wanna go back see shwo which wld most prob on wed. therefore meaning mon wed fri sat band. :D talk about making music ur life.

and then when sch starts, the assignments and projects come along too. hope my grp will be understanding enough though but sometimes i feel perhaps your project group shouldnt be a clique cause thogugh you can get along well with each other, it is also very easy to be distracted and digress.

went out with the butts and a few others. watched narnia for the SECOND time. and i really really think the slaying of aslan part is conducted in 4/4. anyway, yah lor. watch e whole thing again and it kindof gets a bit boring. furthermore we were seating in row C and i seriously think cinemas should start increasing the length within each row. no space to stretch my legs. and BT sat beside me laughing and talking and asking nonsensical questions like whether the potion that edmund drank was sweet or bitter. Kids these days.. [sigh]

my sis is rather weird though. but at least im spending good time with her. spent it with her ytd. lol. glanced through her diary. and the perfume does smell like alcohol. anyway clarinets are sortof improving. despite the absence of their SL ytd. but. there is a gap showing itself between the sec twos and the sec ones. those tt can play and those tt cannot play. hope it dissolves.

shwo gg japan, osaka to be exact in june. hopefully shaw can go. and on that point im quite confident we can. though there is the cost factor involved. and the job idea im having can only take place in march after e release of the Os cause i must wait for one of my friends. i mean, thinking about it now, its practical but i still need permission and approval from several other parties. i need a high paying job.

anyway, if all goes well with the butts in their aspirations, looks like i'll be having a doctor, a nurse and a nafa graduate in ten years or so. imagine if it takes two years for each narnia chronicle film to be made. seven stories. 14 years. woahz! i'll be 31 then. it'll be even cooler if when im 31 and the butts are.. 29 and we are still in contact and we watch narnia together. hehe. dots manz. lotz of it.

daydreaming.

had lunch with a few shwo juniors on erm wed. no thurs. yah. 29th. last shwo pract of e yr. kimberly desiree alex bendix jeck ann darren and another sec one-er. forgot his name. kindof weird talking to kimberly in real life. despite knowing her for like.. a year plus? probably the face. as in, u cant get bedazzled or stunned when speaking thru sms or msn. she definitely has the looks.

heard a song e other day and i thought about u. but bygones should be bygones. all water under the bridge. though my sec four classmates can be particularly nosey.
had my class 4C of 2004 bbq on the 27th. attendance wasn't that bad. around half the class went which is rather good though. philip lee and ng song seng went. they came like way early when the fire was being started. and we played dai dee with ng. hee. stoopid doofus. used maths to play against us. one thing's for sure, ng definitely has an analytical mind and good memory. tan yen lin came rather late though, like around nine. after half of the food were eaten, after the rain. oh yes. the rain. it came. down. it wasn't that heavy. a kind soul actually passed us his two groundsheets so we held the sheets at an angle to prevent the rain from extinguishing the fire and sogging the food. so there we stood. the groundsheet on our back. the bbq in front of us. we breathed smoke. quite an experience. a much heated face and a very wet back. and then, hehe, we went to play in the maze. lol. seven guys, all aged seventeen, playing in the maze. it was fun. of course it was at night so nobody around to laugh at us or anything. we plat hide and seek inside. and it is actually very fun, especially at night. and the lights aren't on switched on so the only light u have is the sunlight that reflects upon the surface of the moon which can actually be simplified to mean moonlight.


so there. a few days of wonderful memories and intriguing experiences.

Merry Christmas!

First of all, Merry Christmas!

Soon, 2005 will be over. But first. To matters at hand. Christmas!

I am grateful to those who gave me a christmas present/card. I thank thee for your well-wishes. Alas! It is with great strength to inform you that unless you've received a card from me, you won't be receiving anything from me. Fear not! It doesnt mean I've forgotten you, it simply means that [hesitates] you're kept in my prayers.

Therefore, to all those who patronise this monkey's blog, I wish you a joyous Merry Christmas!

May we not forget the true meaning of Christ! It is rather sad that most Christmas cards nowadays do not include the true meaning of Christ. All that is written there is just 'Season's Greetings!' Whatever happened to the word 'Christ'?

Do YOU know who Christ is?

[Jesus] Christ is the Son of God that was sent down to die for our sins [wrongdoings].

How civilisation views christianity now and a century ago has changed. Nowadays, there ain't no such thing as a boring service. Christian music has evolved to a trendier and hip-pier kind. Bibles? So many versions available. From hard copy to soft copy to electronic to handphone to pocket-sized.

If you ever thought Christianity was boring, fact-less and simply propaganda, take a step into the nearest church. You might have to change your opinion about christianity again.

We aren't just a religion. Christianity is but a relationship between us and God. Wouldn't you want to meet the One that created YOU?

You've had WOW. Now meet MOM!

Welcome! to yet another post of.. (drum roll) WA! (cymbal crash) WA! (cymbal crash again) also known as.. (cue: timpani) Wacky Acronyms! (gong clash) By.... Yours truly.. (snare roll).. Randy! (crash cymbals)


Today's Acronym: MOM!

Are YOU a mom?

MOM: verb or adjective or adverb or noun.
Mind Over Matter.
A characteristic of some people who can control their mind better than matter.

How to know if you are a MOM??
Option 1: Eat a plate of Char Siew Rice while watching liver being blended in CSI. If you do not puke or turn away from the television set, YOU are certified.. MOM! (hi, mom)

Option 2: Devour a bowl of curry while watching decomposed body remains on CSI that strangely look similar to the bowl of whats-it-called that you are holding. If you can continue eating at a steady pace, YOU are.. MOM! (yo, mom)



Are you MOM??


(cue: closing credits) And that's all for... (drum roll)WA! (cymbal crash) WA! Wacky Acronyms by.. (snare roll) yours truly (gong!) Randy!!
See you again.. next time.. for.. (drum roll) WA! (cymbal crash) WA! Wacky Acronyms by.. (snare roll) yours truly (gong!) Randy!

welcome..

Welcome.. (snare roll) to the premiere post of.. (cymbals crash) WOW.. also known as.. Words of Wisdom.. by.. (cue:gong) Randy.. Yours truly!!!
(cue: Opening credits)



Today's Words of Wisdom:

"Rest. One can never have too much of it, and too little. Rest."



(cue: Closing credits)


And that's all today for (drum roll) (crash cymbals) Words of Wisdom.. by.. (cue: gong) Randy.. Yours truly!!!

well. shwo slpover.

well. with immediate effect, shwo comes into action. no more shss band now it's shwo. St Hilda's Wind Orchestra.
Which is rather cool.
Then again so is Shaw. Not your SHAW towers. It stands for St Hilda's Alumni Winds. of course the slightly annoying thing is the ' St Hilda's' but then again without it, we wouldnt have an identity would we? not that we're all saints and our concert uniform all has a halo enclosed.
pardon my lameness. must be the lack of slp that i have.
i enjoyed yesterday a lot. well, yesterday and today. the slpover was cool. think I garnered.. an hour of slp?? i rmb (forcing) waking up occasionally when the door opened or closed or when the numerous alarms started ringing. only to be switched off and ring five minutes later again. i never realised why some people could wake up late despite switching on their alarm clocks till now. Honestly, some people need to realise that alarm clocks should be placed at the other side of the room. :)
and it was fun, spending time with my sis. now that i've graduated, not much opportunities to do that liao.. so it was good. strengthen 'family' bonds. :D
next chance wld B in march lor. and that wld B more interesting i feel. higher risk of getting bullied.
and no. im not with her. just siblings. may ye mind wander not.
and the discussion session. quite nice. make me feel.. so aged when compared to them little ones. since i've been thru what they been thru, conflicts and all.
i think it was quite fair. missing photog lecture and not doing the hundred marks quiz.. tt's ten percent of my total grade. as compared to what i've learnt/experienced/seen/heard/felt during the slpover.
and it was fun. i used digital prosumer camera today. loaned frm sch de. it wasn't that bad. could see thru the lcd screen that it was totally underexposed when i switched to manual or shutter-speed priority mood so i was stuck with aperture-priority mood which aint that bad. didnt use program mode cause there's no point learning about photography in school and using program mode to take photos.
the games were fun. though it was interesting to see the effects of lack of slp on the sec threes. one day and most cannot survive. makes me wonder about band camp in march. four nights. i must bring camera sia. lol. :D
k la. enough of all this. wanna go edit e photos. put some humourous captions on them. :D
take care

well if you want the miss saigon soundtrack

well, mjc came in second.
anyway, if you want the miss saigon soundtrack, here're the links to download it:

(warning: there are quite a lot of songs, and the files will be there for only 30 days)

Unfortunately they're all in mp4 format. But they should be able to be listened to using itunes. However, should you want a file converter for mp4 to mp3, lemme know.

Disc 1

Track 1 (Overture)

Track 2 (The Heat Is On In Saigon)

Track 3 (The Movie In My Mind)

Track 4 (The Dance)

Track 5 (Why God, Why)

Track 6 (This Money's Yours)

Track 7 (Sun And Moon)

Track 8 (The Telephone Song)

Track 9 (The Deal)

Track 10 (The Ceremony)

Track 11 (What's This I Find)

Track 12 (The Last Night Of The World)

Track 13 (The Morning Of The Dragon)

Track 14 (I Still Believe)

Track 15 (This Is The Hour)

Disc 2

Track 1 (If You Want To Die In Bed)

Track 2 (Let Me See His Western Nose)

Track 3 (I'll Give My Life For You)

Track 4 (Bui Doi)

Track 5 (The Revelation)

Track 6 (What A Waste)

Track 7 (Please)

Track 8 (The Fall Of Saigon)

Track 9 (Room 317)

Track 10 (Now That I've Seen Her)

Track 11 (The Confrontation)

Track 12 (The American Dream)

Track 13 (The Sacred Bird)

Track 14 (The Finale)

well. interesting day.

MJC'll be playing Noah's Ark in a competition in M'sia.. so I thought I'll put it as my blog song to support them. they'll be the only JC band from Singapore other than the other primary and secondary school bands. Hope they win. It aint an easy piece.

Noah's Ark by Bert Appermont.

Went for philwinds concert today. It was totally cool.. though the trombone mispitched a little when he played Can't Take My Eyes Off You. But he managed to hit it off the next few bars when he repeated that phrase, so kudos to him!

Any of you need the Miss Saigon soundtrack, lemme know. I have.

Going out with my peeps from SHSS Band, I can't help but be reminded about why I joined band and my passion for band.

I remember walking around during CCA orientation in sec one and falling in love with the drumset. When I saw the drumset, I knew I wanted to be in band, simply to learn how ta play the drumset. But God had other plans for me. My cohort being a huge number, it was of little surprise that many people joined band and there were actually seven people who wanted to join percussion, me inclusive. Alas! the others had musical background so Mr Sim chose them and rejected me. I was instrument-less till he assigned me to the tuba section.

While most people would appeal not to play the tuba since it was like, the biggest and supposedly the heaviest brass instrument, I was content enough to be in band. Besides, tubas are rather near to the percussion section. From that day, I became a tubist.

It wasn't easy. My sec four seniors took tlc of us (me and hannah). when they graduated, we were sortof thrown aside by the rest of our seniors. one played soccer before and after band pract while the other was always with the double-bassist. hannah wasn't that faithful in coming cause she was in council. So usually it was just me and no-communication with my seniors.

time flew by and one by one they graduated. I do miss a few of them, not all la . Then before I knew it, after much havoc and events happening, I became the tuba SL. it wasn't easy. Compare me with the ex-SL and the current SL and I'll be the one that is the least musically-talented. Yet the end result of a well-bonded tribe compensated my lack of musical knowledge. For this, I have to thank my section who were sporting and loving. They were rather patient with me. Above all, my section was covered with prayers. There were times when I really feared for their unity and playing and resorted to praying to calm my fears. Thank God!

Now, having already graduated from SHSS band, I do still worry about them. About their survival. And I fear that cliques would lead to their downfall.

Individually each member is wonderful. Yet, when put as a whole, the flaws can be clearly seen. The numerous cliques are good in ensuring that every person has an identity yet this would be a problem when the band leaders are chosen. Jealousy and friction between cliques might be thrust into the limelight.

Meetings between leaders are actually speech times where everybody listens to one person talk. The band leaders are concerned about the band but i believe they need to do some thing and not plan stuff. sometimes, being impromptu is the best. Fuelled by a fiery passion, the things u do and the things u say are most true.

Indeed it can be rather stressful for a band leader since most band graduands worry about the band too. Yet, what the band leaders seem to forget is the music formeth the band and wouldnt music bondeth the band too?

I think most of the section leaders know not the full extent of their authority and i dotn want them to be like me, only realising the full authority that leaders are bestowed upon when it reach the graduation period.

Doesnt matter if you dont have the necessary musical background. Your family can learn as you learn. What matters is you have to be bold. to try out new things. to accept failures. to acknowledge faults and seek to rectify them. to believe in yourself cause when graduation day comes, your juniors will go up and thank you from the heart, mind and soul. Above all, know that your seniors believe in you and doesnt matter how many times u fall, seek God's guidance and help and He'll see you through.

One Band, One Sound!
Just some thoughts. band means a lot to me..

well. today was nice. Band makes me feel so honoured..

well. another song. another mood. if u dont know what song i meant in my earlier post, forget it la

Had arts app then photgraphy lecture today. then went back to sec sch band. they had sectionals.. and.. i saw the clarinets.. and went to help them a little bit. well, my section was safe in nelson's hands. and i did help e trumpets a little.. not that it did any good.. but.. i do believe clarinets need more help than trumpets. anyway, clarinets really made my day manz. they helped me realize that there stil exists juniors that respect their seniors. which is good though. gives me hope that the band still has a chance of survival after the current batch of leaders leave.

HW wasnt there and a few other sec ones too. total of about 9 clarinetists if im not wrong. can ya believe only 18 out of 40 sec ones turned up today. outrageous! anyway, i helped B.C. a little.. i guess.. this batch of leaders still have quite a bit to learn about technicality and some musical stuff.. like emphasis on cresendos and all.. anyway.. it was fun la. helping e clarinet section.. they had eight girls. but that's besides the point. BC's quite chio.. but i'm digressing. Well, lemme see.. there was this incident that made my day. it was when i was talking to the section advising them what they should or should not do.. and.. cause a stand was blocking me frm one of the girls.. joeline i think.. i ait sure manz.. maybe next time i'll go one round.. they say their names first.. anyway.. i think she has an older sis in sec four this yr. but.. nvm about that.. er.. she turned the stand such that she could see me. and this pleased me. i mean, this batch of sec ones that i dont hear greeting their seniors or mingling much with their seniors and she turning the stand to 'see me better' so as to speak.. which is why. im falling in like with the clarinet section.. lol.. they're quite interesting.. sec threes.. sec twos.. sec ones.. sometimes i pity poor bendix.. he aint short.. and his E flat clarinet aint long.. if ya get my drift.. its like a tall guy wearing a very very very short tie.. anyway, i hope there's sectionals next wed when i go back band.. it'll be fun.. helping sections.. i mean. i know tuba section can de. percussion has shawn so not so bad. i think flutes are quite alright i trust my little sis.. yups.. the clarinets.. and probably saxophones.. but.. i dont really like the sec two sax players.. a bit.. dao-ish.. a bit. thats how i feel la. lol. anyway.. hee all to the best to the clarinet section.. and to shss band.. i hope the sec ones slowly drift back to band.. if all come back at one short, the band sound will crumble again.
one band, one sound. =D