the biggest scam in the world
Sunday, December 31, 2006, 09:38 a.m. #1256

Finished watching the second season of "Green Wing" yesterday. Like I've probably said before, this is the most wacky and hilarious British comedy series ever made. Hope there is going to be a third season.

The topic of ageing and skincare popped up when my friends and I were chatting two days ago. When I confessed that I have never used skincare products in my whole life besides the facial cleanser, I was immediately greeted by torrents of "advice" (even from the guys) that people of my age have to start taking care of my skin before it's too late - and they pointed out my wrinkles and eyebags, and briefed me the procedures that I should undergo every day to prevent the ageing effects. They even dragged me to Sasa and suggested the various eyecream, night-cream and masks that I should consider getting. I was quite sceptical the whole time, but I was starting to be taken in as my other groups of friends have also commented that I've aged a lot over these few years. Luckily a friend was also on my side. She pulled me to one side and told me she has done a research before and found that almost all the skincare regimes and products are really scams, she didn't voice it out as the advertisers have already successfully brainwashed the whole world and she didn't want to be disillusionise them (wow, sounds like a huge conspiracy) - all I need is just a cheap moisturiser - all expensive skincare products are really just variants of the same stuff, which are actually dirt cheap. In the end, I didn't buy anything. Went home, did some internet search, and found that the "effects" of all those creams are indeed not scientifically proven. Sis also attested that eyecreams are the most useless (but expensive) skincare products ever. But my vanity has been aroused by the crowd nonetheless. Borrowed a moisturizer from Sis to use before I went to sleep last night. :)

the last of all
Saturday, December 30, 2006, 01:32 a.m. #1255

Watched "Death Note 2: The Last Name" with Mav and HC. I thought it isn't as good as the first part, although it still isn't too bad. I have to give credit to the scriptwriters who masterfully compressed the last three quarters of the series into a two-hour film. While this second part of the duology deviates from the original so much that it's almost totally different, the rearranged plot is still intriguing enough to sustain the interest of the audience and retain the essence of the Death Note saga. But that is done by leaving out some very important and interesting characters like Near, Mello, Mikami and Higuchi. Without them, the ending just isn't as exciting and fulfilling for me.

Then went for keyboard lesson. Surprised the teacher by telling her that I want to change my performance piece. I like Damien Rice's "Amie" so much that I decided to replace the Jay Chou song with it - think it's more expressive and less commercial. Problem is, "Amie" is guitar-accompanied. So I downloaded the guitar chords and hoped for my teacher to improvise and arrange the piano parts for me, when she hasn't heard the song before. A bit bad hor? But she was really nice and said she'd try her best after I send her the MP3. Hee.

Celebrated the last of the holidays with Ed, ZL and EL at Imperial Treasure and Changing Appetites. While we lamented about the end of freedom, we're excited about the upcoming challenges too.

amie
Friday, December 29, 2006, 11:04 a.m. #1254

Amie
Damien Rice

Nothing unusual, nothing strange
Close to nothing at all
The same old scenario, the same old rain
And there's no explosions here

Then something unusual, something strange
Come from nothing at all
I saw a spaceship fly by your window
Did you see it disappear?

Amie, come sit on my wall
And read me a story of old
Tell it like you still believe
That the end of the century
Brings a change for you and me

Nothing unusual, nothing's changed
Just a little older, that's all
You know when you've found it - there's something I've learned
'Cause you feel it when they take it away

Then something unusual, something strange
Come from nothing at all
But I'm not a miracle and you're not a saint
Just another soldier on a road to nowhere

Amie, come sit on my wall
And read me the story of O
Tell it like you still believe
That the end of the century
Brings a change for you and me

pay it forward
Thursday, December 28, 2006, 07:01 p.m. #1253

Started going back to school for meetings, exchanging lesson resources and preparing for next week. We had a new teacher with us today who didn't speak a word and looked extremely puzzled throughout the meeting. Some of us even attested that she was trembling. Could understand what she's feeling as I was equally clueless during meetings when I first came into teaching (the acronyms alone can be overwhelmingly intimidating), so I sat down with her, tried to clear her doubts, and also brought her on a little tour around the school. Her brows finally relaxed after that - they were so tensed the whole morning.

Met up with an ex-student who wanted to pass me some things. The things turned out to be a Wallace & Gromit calendar and cards that were filled with words of gratitude (and I meant it literally - FILLED). Touched.

youth decode
Tuesday, December 26, 2006, 10:18 p.m. #1252

今晚的《青春游走》讲述的是两个选择了艺术道路的青年：一个是画家，另一个则从事制作舞台剧与动画。他们都坦然表示这条路不好走。两人从小便热爱画画，而父母都不支持，一人甚至得在晚上才能偷偷作画。后来选择了把爱好转为职业，两人开始时仍抱有许多热忱，但不久后还是发觉现实总令他们不能随心所欲地发挥。一个为了接订单必须几个月下来重复地画同样的画，一个必须在理工学院教书来维持生计。但两人过得很开心。那画家一个月平均赚600新元，与女友住在一间如同一房式三分之一的房子里，平日他在厨房作画，女友帮忙摆摊卖画；他们过得很快乐，而他希望有一天能当老板。

能够从事自己所爱的，是一种福气。即使现实中有许多束缚与阻碍，那两位青年都欣然面对、坚持不屈。我大概没有他们那样的勇气与执著 - 虽然我热爱音乐，但我到底还是“随波逐流”了。庆幸的是，虽然我的工作与音乐毫无瓜葛，但我却也像他们一样，热衷于自己的工作。我觉得能享受自己的工作是很难得的，所以我也算是幸运、幸福的吧！新的学年又即将开始，希望我会继续享受工作 - 希望大家也一样！

a pharmaceutical christmas
Monday, December 25, 2006, 12:51 a.m. #1251

Spent the Christmas eve watching "Love Actually" and sorting out our huge drawer of medicine. After preparing the wondrous chicken rice for our Christmas dinner, Mum had a very bad diarrhoea and an almost paralysing stomachache, and when Sis and I were looking for the right medication for her amongst the heaps of tablets and capsules, we decided to take up the great task of rearranging them. (We found Dhacopan, Imodium and charcoal tablets for Mum eventually, and she's sleeping soundly now.)



So we poured out all the medicine, and with Sis's knowledge as the dispenser at a clinic, we spent hours throwing away medicine which have expired, labelling each of the rest with its function and dosage instructions at the back, and grouping all of them into broad categories of Nose, Throat, Stomach, Antibiotics and Painkillers (some of which are to be taken togther with Gastric). Realised that we already have a lifetime supply of Mobic (painkillers). Also learnt a few interesting and handy facts about some common medicine. For example, medicine for runny nose is also generally used to curb itch - the yellow ones cause drowsiness (doesn't matter which manufacturer) and the white ones don't.

Not exactly a conventional way of spending Christmas eve. But it was nice, doing something together with Sis, and I've always loved to categorise things. :)

P.S. Wow. Entry #1251 written at exactly 12:51 a.m. If that's not coincidence, I wonder what is.

death note
Sunday, December 24, 2006, 12:45 p.m. #1250

Watched "Death Note". Delayed watching it as I wanted to read the original comics first (this first part of the movie duology only covers the first quarter of the entire 108-issue comics series). While the original comics draws up many details to make the story more convincing and sophisticated, the movie is much more concise and well-paced. Naturally, some changes have been made to the original to make the movie more entertaining and dramatic to watch. One of the more important changes is the introduction of a new character, Shiori - Light's girlfriend, who only makes a brief appearance and is nameless in the original. Her character indeed adds a lot of dramatic effect especially towards the end, but I feel it sort of distorts the personality of Light, who's a self-proclaimed messiah who doesn't kill innocent people (at least not unnecessarily). On the other hand, the movie pays attention to some little details that will inevitably please the fans of the original comics - from the Misa ad on the bus, to the way L scratches his leg and plays with the sugarcubes... and the actor who portrays L in the movie (Ken'ichi Matsuyama) has an uncanny resemblance to L in his appearance and demeanor! Am looking forward to watching the second part of this duology.

the beat that my heart skipped
Saturday, December 23, 2006, 04:29 p.m. #1249

Watched "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" (De Battre Mon Coeur S'Est Arrete) not because of its critical acclaim, but because of its peculiar title. This is a French remake (2005) of the American "Fingers" (1978), and it's about a man (Thomas Seyr, acted by Romain Duris) trying to seek inner peace and redeem himself from his violent lifestyle as a gangster (like his father), by regaining his piano skills to become a concert pianist (like his mother). Rather than being overly gory or melodramatic (the film could have easily gone both ways), this film chooses to be a quiet character study which details the man's frustrated struggles with himself. Romain Duris is perfect as the morally ambiguous protagonist - a little devilish, and very intense, and his performance is the driving soul of the whole film. One minor complaint though. It's quite obvious that his piano teacher (Miao Lin, acted by Linh-Dan Pham, who won an award for her supporting role) is a Vietnamese - she spoke in fluent Vietnamese most of the time, and when she spoke Mandarin in some scenes, it was almost unintelligible - but the movie, liner notes and reviews all suggested that she is Chinese. Hey, not all non-English/French speaking Asians are Chinese!

the lady with a louis vuitton
Friday, December 22, 2006, 11:18 p.m. #1248

Sec 1 Registration Day. Everything went smoothly except for one unhappy parent (a well-dressed lady) who complained that the principal should have given a speech to all the parents to welcome them and to give them information about the school and other matters like CCAs, and she asked why our school didn't do that when all the other schools are doing it. Although I don't think the principal's speech is a common thing on Sec 1 Registration Day (since all the parents may come to register at different times), what she'd said could have been a perfectly valid point, if not for the way that she put her message across. Her tone was uncompromising, repugnant and condescending. When I told her that today was just for registration and there's going to be an orientation week when more information will be disseminated, she grumbled that she's a very busy person and our school cannot assume that all parents are very free... Hmm. Of course I smiled and explained to her politely, and tried to pacify her by assuring her that I'd surface her feedback, but she apparently didn't appreciate it and continued to make a fuss in front of the other parents and children. I couldn't help but notice her flashing her Louis Vuitton handbag (probably on purpose) as she moved her contorted lips. And then I looked at the boy, and secretly hoped that he doesn't take after his mother.

bbq at pasir ris beach
Wednesday, December 20, 2006, 11:22 p.m. #1247

Just back from the BBQ of 4E2 - my form class which graduated in 2005. Happy that someone organised this to get everyone together again. Most of us haven't met since their graduation. Glad to see that most of them have not changed much, except for a few who changed the colour of their hair, or picked up smoking. In general, everyone is still the same - down-to-earth and fun-loving, and they're all doing well in their own areas, whether in studies or work. One of them is even taking a course to be a kindergarten teacher! Seeing my own student becoming a teacher - that's really something. :)

the turkey dinner
Tuesday, December 19, 2006, 11:42 p.m. #1246

Went to the polyclinic with Mum as both of us are sick - my sore throat still hasn't recovered after two weeks. Very amazed by how she could just start a conversation with any stranger at the clinic, on the bus, at the hawker centre... and ask them about their family and other personal stuff. Not only am I incapable of doing that, I don't usually respond to such overly friendly people. Guess I'm just anti-social.

Just two days ago when I was almost dozing off on the MRT, a guy sat down beside me and started talking to me. As I was listening to my iPod nano, I took out my earphones and asked him to repeat what he'd said. He asked, "Are you working or studying?" I didn't know how to answer as I couldn't understand why a total stranger would want to talk to me when I obviously looked like I didn't want to be disturbed. But I figured it's all right for me to give the answer, "Working." And he continued to ask, "So how long have you been working?" By then I'd awakened from my half-sleep. He wasn't holding any pen and paper, so he wasn't doing a survey. Then why was he asking me these questions? "Sorry, I'm not in the mood to talk," was my answer and I pushed the earphones back into my ears. "Oh, okay," that guy turned away from me, and started mumbling stuff to himself. Hmm - I gathered he's a lonely guy who was probably mentally challenged. How would you react if you were me? Would you talk to him?

Anyway, I've gone too far off. Today has been a great day. Thanks to Mich who agreed to shift my violin lesson to the afternoon, I made it to the annual turkey dinner just now. Really. All it takes to make a gathering fun is the right company. (And turkey. And sushi. And an Awfully Chocolate cake. And tahu goreng.) No need for expensive food. Nor ambience. Nor fanciful party decorations. The jokes were still as corny as ever, and most of the time our conversation did not make much sense. But we had fun. I ate as much turkey as I could as I'm not sure whether we're going to have this dinner again next year. I hope we are. If not, I may just make another indecent proposal to secure my yearly supply of delicious sushi and turkey. :)

early christmas presents from mum
Monday, December 18, 2006, 08:20 p.m. #1245

Just shared part of my bonus with my family members a few days ago, then this afternoon there was a huge delivery from a furniture shop. Mum spent about a thousand dollars on new furniture for all of us. Wow! I'm not complaining about how she's using the money, after all she's spending it for all of us, which is very thoughtful of her. But I'm really, really amazed at the speed at which she did it. I mean, I don't usually feel the urge to spend money immediately after I receive it. If I'm buying anything that is in terms of hundreds, I'll usually think about it for quite some time.

Conclusion: Never underestimate the buying instinct of women! :)

thanks to the friends
Monday, December 18, 2006, 12:58 p.m. #1244

Another instalment of year-end thanks. This entry is dedicated to some of my friends who have been closer to my heart in 2006:

Thanks, Zew, for being such a great friend since my secondary school days (which are like, eons ago). You always take the initiative to keep in touch and share the good stuff that you come across. Thanks for your invaluable lessons on money management - I'm such a complete idiot in it. Thanks for the innumerable rides that you've given me (saved me a lot of cab fare). You're a constant reminder for me, to not forget my roots in CO.

Thanks, Jon, for being the gelling factor that keeps all of us (seniors and juniors) together over the years, organising gatherings for us to catch up on each other. Thanks for being such a great "nanny" who nags and gives advices and shares your life experiences. Thanks for showing me what it means to be a strong person.

Thanks, Ed and ZL. Friday nights would not be the same without the two of you. Thanks for confiding in me and listening to my woes. While the both of you are new to teaching (as compared to me), I have learnt many things from you. Your passion in teaching is a reminder for me to keep my own fire burning. And I'm really looking forward to our trip next year!

Thanks, Bax, for being the tech guru whom I always pester whenever I have problems with my computer. You're always so patient and helpful even when I'm asking for the obvious. That aside, as a person, you're the epitome of goodness, and you're an inspiration to me.

Thanks, JY, for being my companion during guitar lessons. We may not have spoken much face-to-face, but we seem to have known quite a lot about each other through our blogs. You're such a sensitive girl - sensitive to music and the people around you. Your love for Chinese novels reminds me of myself when I was much younger, haha. Thanks for remembering my birthday every year! You're also part of the reason why I'm still holding on to guitar lessons after all these years. How can I leave a fellow music-lover alone? ;)

Thanks to everyone at BH, for the wonderful Sunday mornings that relieved me of whatever kind of stress that might be bothering me. (I have said my thanks to each of you a few year ago, so I shall not repeat them here.) Thanks for showing your concern whenever I'm feeling down, and making me feel part of this big family. It's a pity that we've all grown distant due to our disparate lives and aspirations, but I believe our friendships will always remain. I will try to make it for our annual party tomorrow! :)

Thanks to all my army buddies! Reservist would have been a bore without all of you. Thanks for showing me the power of teamwork, optimism and perserverance. Two more years, and we'll be relieved of our NS responsibilities. We'll have to keep in touch!

Lastly, thanks to all my students. You're the people who keep me going, and make everything worthwhile.

if only...
Saturday, December 16, 2006, 11:02 p.m. #1243



If only the order of events could be rearranged, I probably wouldn't need to travel to and fro so much:

1. Theory lesson at music school in early morning.
2. Guitar lesson at Yamaha in extreme east at noon. Bought violin strings there.
3. Went home and tried changing the violin strings (since they haven't been changed for years), but the strings were too thick to go into slots of fine tuners.
4. Went back to music school at late afternoon and sought help from Mich and Mr F. Didn't know string-changing requires so much skill and tools.
5. Went back to extreme east in the evening for a mini-celebration at XB's house. His newborn baby is cute.
6. Sis's relapse was so bad that she couldn't walk and she had to be sent to the hospital just before I went to the celebration.

If only fates could be mutually switched, I would probably feel better experiencing the pain than watching it.

is that alright?
Saturday, December 16, 2006, 08:21 a.m. #1242

Watch the music video, to fully understand this haunting and heartbreaking song...

9 Crimes
Damien Rice & Lisa Hannigan

Leave me out with the waste - this is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you
It's the wrong time for somebody new
It's a small crime and I got no excuse

And is that alright yeah?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright yeah?
If you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it?
Is that alright yeah?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright yeah, with you?

Leave me out with the waste - this is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place to be cheating on you
It's the wrong time she's pulling me through
It's a small crime and I got no excuse

And is that alright yeah?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright yeah?
If you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it?
Is that alright yeah?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?

Is that alright?
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?
No?

the boy who changed
Thursday, December 14, 2006, 11:18 p.m. #1241

Just back from the BBQ of 3E2. That's my third BBQ within a month - there's still a few more in the weeks to come - certainly hope my sore throat gets better despite the BBQs. Anyway 3E2 is a lovely class - very humble, very hardworking, but some of them are really quite weak. Next year will be their true test - I really hope they'll do well.

Regular readers of my blog will surely remember D - the boy from my first form class 2E1 (2004), the one whom I couldn't save from being laterally transferred from Express to the Normal stream, the boy who later slashed a classmate and got into the boys' home, and still got into more trouble after he's released... In fact he's still on probation now. He's one of the students whom I'm most concerned about, and we haven't spoken for quite some time. Then yesterday, he said he wants to see the form class again, and he volunteered to do the calling-up and organising. I was almost overjoyed with tears when I read his message on MSN - the boy has finally matured. I don't think many people will be able to understand my joy - it's just a boy wanting a gathering, what's the big deal? But this boy is different. He's taken a more difficult path of life compared to his peers - some of you may think that he deserved it for the things that he'd done - but hey, he's just a boy! And I'm glad he still remembers those good old times and good old friends in 2E1. When he called me just now to settle some details, he sounded so polite and composed. Years ago in my form class, he was a good-natured boy who was misunderstood by everyone. Then when he went to Normal, he let himself loose, gave himself up and got into a whole lot of trouble. Now he has settled down again. It's like he's gone one big round and he's back again. I hope he remains this way. I pray that he does.

thanks to the teachers
Wednesday, December 13, 2006, 11:51 a.m. #1240

Once again, it's the time of the year to say thanks. This time I shall do this early and in parts, so that the entries won't be too long for you to read (and for me to write). This entry is dedicated to all my teachers (who may not read this entry anyway):

Firstly, I want to thank all the teachers in my violin music school, for your unselfish commitment in teaching, sometimes even sacrificing your own free time when you didn't need to. (Mr F, you're so lucky to have them teaching in your school!)

Mich, thanks for your patience and encouragements. Despite your tumultuous life outside school, you're always composed and professional during lessons, and you've always pushed me further to attain your high standards. Your generosity in sharing your own experiences in the musical journey is greatly appreciated, and your optimism and perserverance in life are valuable attributes that I have seen in you and hope to acquire, outside the context of violin-playing.

Haw, although you've only taught me for a brief while, I'm glad that I met you, for you're such a talented and amiable person with so much passion in music. You are one of the most graceful person I've ever met (in personality and mannerism), and your sensitivity in pitch, rhythm and feel is extraordinarily acute. You may not know just what an inspirational person you are, but you truly inspire me in your own quiet way.

Mr F, I admire your mastery in various string instruments and the efforts that you've put in to drive the music school forward. This must have been a frustrating year for you. Getting amateurish (and mostly very young) people like me from all over Singapore to gather and practise in an orchestra is no mean feat, given the constraints in time, space and technicality. And it seems you did that single-handedly. That's quite amazing. While I may have commented about your conducting, I have to say that conducting is a skill that has to be consciously and conscientiously learnt, through lessons and books; and I'm sure given your experience in music, you'll become an excellent conductor if you commit yourself to it.

Wend, you've only taught me for a few lessons, but your lessons taught me to look at violin-playing from other perspectives. There isn't just one way of playing. I searched the web and looked through books to un-learn and re-learn my basics, and I am still researching presently, remoulding my basics, with the help of Mich.

Reg, you've been strict and encouraging at the same time during theory lessons. I like the way you summarise everything nicely such that we don't have to read those thick and "deep" theory books. Well, I still read them out of curiosity, but I always realise after reading, that you've already given us the gist for the purpose of the examinations. And I'm thankful for that.

Ang, I have only attended two of your lessons, but those were enough to reveal your outgoing personalities as a caring teacher who pays attention to students' needs and level of understanding. It takes a teacher to truly appreciate a good teacher. :)

Ken, you've never taught me before. Yet you selflessly spent time to listen in at our rehearsals and gave valuable comments. Through our private online conversations, I see you as a passionate music-lover who feels a lot of zest in life, yet equally burdened by the flipsides of life - the mundane and worldly aspects of it. I heard you've quit recently. I certainly hope that you'll continue to spread your passion in music, and you'll be happy. Best wishes.

Next, I want to thank my guitar teacher, Lil, for being the wonderful teacher that she is for the past six years. She is largely the reason why I'm still taking guitar lessons when most of the others have dropped out from class. Always sincere and patient, always exposing us to all genres of guitar music, changing our general perception that guitars are just for casual strumming and street performances. Thanks for being so forgiving, even when I always didn't practise. Haha.

Lastly, Jan! My keyboard teacher. You're the most humble and personable teacher I've ever met. We always look so tired when we go for your lessons after work, and you're always trying to make the atmosphere more lively and relaxed. Always even-tempered and understanding when we confess that we've forgotten what we've learnt in the previous lesson (we're such bad students). And always telling us, "you can do it!" when we doubt ourselves as overaged beginners. Thanks for being so accommodating and encouraging!

That's all for today! Hope I didn't miss out anyone. And paiseh cos, hmm, the entry is still quite long. Haha.

the new stuff
Tuesday, December 12, 2006, 03:34 p.m. #1239

Here's showing off the new stuff in my room.



The new toilet! Very spacious, and the layout (of towel racks, hooks and shelves) is more thoughtful. Most proud of the mirror - which took a bit of time to find. Wanted something simple and special, and I couldn't find any nice ones at Ikea or any other major furniture shops, until my sister found this at a nameless store near Beach Road. It's round but the circumference is wavy and tapered - like a splash of water on the wall.

The new keyboard! It looks really nice in my room, and I've been practising on it every day (the excitement of having a new toy). Very pleased with the purchase because even sister (who gave up on guitar and violin when I introduced them to her) started to play beautiful tunes on it. When she's having a relapse last week, the keyboard became a great companion which helped to ease her pain and kill her boredom. My colleagues are also planning to book timeslots to come over to my house to practise. It's nice to have something which can be shared and brings people together.

singing live!
Monday, December 11, 2006, 07:57 p.m. #1238

Next year is going to be a very exciting year for me - musically, at least. Will be sitting for theory and guitar exams in March, and the violin exam in September. Ambitious, I know, but I have been preparing for the exams since this year - which is why this has been a rather quiet year for me. And I'll be performing at a live cafe bar in January! Only confirmed this today during my keyboard lesson, and I have only got about one more month to prepare for it! Will be playing a Jay Chou song on the keyboard and singing it - that's going to be quite a challenge for me, having to control my high notes while playing the accompaniment. It's also going to be my first time singing and playing at the same time on stage - have never been able to do two things at the same time until recently. And frankly, I am not so confident about the performance. But I guess it's just one song, even if I screw up, I can just quickly cover my face and get off the stage after four minutes. Hope the audience won't be throwing eggs at me! :)

faith
Sunday, December 10, 2006, 02:25 p.m. #1237

我离开我自己
杨乃文（陈晓娟词）

因为明天还剩一寸记忆 泪水染红眼睛
所有的过往还灿烂无比 却不可及
对世间的离别深信不疑 因此才会相依
没等看见年华流失散尽 就变灰烬

你问我发生了什么 无光的夜不动声色
心似淬火不能触摸 温柔无因果
一霎风雨我爱过你 几度雨停我爱自己
如何结束一身冷清 梦来了又去

用天真换一根烟的光阴 我离开我自己
像倦鸟归去留下的空寂 安安静静

shuffled
Sunday, December 10, 2006, 01:00 a.m. #1236

My iPod Nano is usually on 'shuffle' mode. When I was on my way to Zhiz's wedding dinner this evening, "Reminiscenes of Yunnan" was played. How appropriate - the piece which brought some of us closer, and tore some of us apart when we were teenagers. That has been a long while ago, hasn't it? The old gang of Rongh, Jon, Zhenx, Zew and I turned up at the dinner. Besides Zew and I, the rest are no longer in the CO circle. Not that Zew and I are very active in the circle anyway - on our way back, we talked about how different it feels now, making music in the orchestra. Well, I guess priorities and feelings change as we age - it's good to see that all of us are still happy with our lives. But I secretly hope that my teenage dream will come true - the dream that all of us gather to make music again when we're all old and dying. :)

thirteen
Thursday, December 7, 2006, 11:24 p.m. #1235

He was crippled
But only his body was cracked
It's not simple
Nor is it an easy matter to explain
"Let's just leave it at that," she says
And closes the holy book of lies
She covers her eyes
Denying to herself
What she thought happened
Eliza Smith

Wouldn't have bought the "Thirteen" DVD if not for the sale at MJ. The film was recommended by one of the lecturers during a workshop about today's youths - while Royston Tan's "15" dealt with Singaporean ah bengs, Catherine Hardwicke's "Thirteen" dealt with American ah lians. At first, I thought "Thirteen" was just another film about bad peer influence, teen angst, sex and drugs, but as the story developed, it became much darker and more intense. Holly Hunter was brilliant as the wounded mother of the self-mutilating child (Evan Rachel Wood), who changed from being a straight-A student to an uncontrollable rebel when she started to get close to the coolest girl in school (Nikki Reed). The film is based on Nikki Reed's own life story by the way, and it has won many awards and nominations. While the film brings up many questions, it does not offer as many answers. If you can look beyond the pretty faces, and neglect the lack of depth (which may be limiting), the film is a noteworthy cautionary tale about the much needed attention that our youths deserve.

typhoon durian
Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 07:19 p.m. #1234

Typhoon Durian hit Vietnam yesterday, one day after I left. How freaky is that? I'd still be in Vietnam if I didn't shift my tour a day earlier for the NAC competition. According to the news, Vung Tau and Mekong Delta were badly hit. Those serene pictures which I took at the delta two days before the storm seem so ironic now.

the pointless investigation
Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 01:45 a.m. #1233

Was reminded of my age again when I was chatting with Yunf just now (wow, think we talked for longer than we did in real life). We were trying to remember whether I attended a concert which he attended - it was a random passing topic - but I just couldn't REMEMBER and I couldn't stomach that. I knew about the concert but I wasn't sure whether I attended it. He asked a friend who attended the concert as well, but that friend also couldn't remember, and we also consulted our blogs. After some investigation, and after referring to my blog, I confirmed that I didn't attend the concert at all.

Blogs are for old people like me to keep track of where we keep our money memories.

a loss and an addition
Tuesday, December 5, 2006, 11:21 p.m. #1232

The competition is over for us. We didn't get through to the finals. To be brutally frank, I wasn't holding my hopes up too high. This was after all our most ill-prepared competition ever. In the past, we'd have intensive training sessions right before the competition, but this time, we only managed to get the notes and basic dynamics right. We never had full attendance in any of the practices due to our personal and work commitments (I, for one, didn't turn up for the last two rehearsals). Actually our two pieces were played out rather smoothly - in fact I felt our music during the competition - but they were probably not impressive enough for the judges. There were also a few glaring glitches, and I was one of the contributors. For the second piece, the cellist and I were the soloists for the opening passage. And I screwed it up. My first note didn't come out. Thinking that the bow wasn't touching the strings, I pressed harder - TOO hard apparently. The second note squeaked from the pressure. Subsequent notes of the passage were a mess as I was trying to figure out what's wrong. First impression counts! And I screwed it up. Managed to play normally (but still stiff) after the solo part, but I guess that's too late already.

In any case, the competition is over. While our music may not be "polished" enough to impress, I thought all of us did well in spirit. We were happy throughout the competition and during the practices. And that is what matters. We were happy making our music. And I hope we brought joy to our listeners. I had fun. I hope everyone had fun too. :)

Bought a Yamaha portable keyboard to "celebrate" my exit from the NAC competitions. That's the sixth instrument in my room, after my two liuqins (one of them I'd lent to someone, who didn't return it), two violins, guitar, zhongruan (a gift from Mie) and erhu (a gift from Yanx). That's not counting the woodwind instruments, which I never learnt. Have been contemplating the purchase until the recent Yamaha sale. A touch-sensitive basic keyboard with a fantastic grand piano sound (and other sounds) and recording features at only 8! Who could have resisted the offer? Especially when the year-end bonus is coming? Not me. :)

fingers crossed
Tuesday, December 5, 2006, 09:54 a.m. #1231

Will be at SCH for the NAC National Chinese Music Competition several hours later. It's the first time I'm playing a string instrument for CO on stage, and it's also the last time I'm taking part in NAC competitions (due to the age limit). Quite excited. Last night was the final rehearsal but I didn't attend it as I was having a high fever and very severe headache (I don't remember a worse headache than that, my head felt like it was going to burst) - started feeling the symptoms on the last day of my Vietnam trip, and it got very bad on the plane... I really hope I don't screw up later.

vietnam
Monday, December 4, 2006, 09:05 p.m. #1230

Back from Vietnam.

Every family in Vietnam runs a stall of their own and works from home, so there are shophouses everywhere while office buildings and shopping malls are not so common. And I came across this stall which sold...


My Dung???

The main form of transport in Vietnam is the motorbike, and roads are full of them - everyone owns a motorbike, and Vietnamese use the motorbike even for short distances as they don't like to walk. There are no traffic lights at junctions, and you'll usually find a roundabout at junctions such that vehicles are free to go on to any of the branches. If you want to cross such junctions, you'll basically have to do that slowly while the bikes skilfully go around you (the motorists are really good) - the best way to cross the road is to follow the locals. Road dividers are very beautiful in Vietnam with colourful flowers and plants that are trimmed into shapes. A magestic statue can be found in the center of almost every roundabout too.

Ho Chi Minh City looks very much like Singapore in the eighties in terms of its architecture, culture and fashion. The City Hall is breathtaking at night, and you can find nice and cheap made-in-Singapore Adidas climacool shirts at the Ben Thanh Market. You can watch a performance by a sexy fire dancer on the floating restaurant along Saigon River. The Cu Chi Tunnel is one of the landmarks in Ho Chi Minh City, but I find the Underground Great Wall Tunnel in Beijing more impressive. Climbing to the hilltop to the Jesus Monument in the city of Vung Tau is a must-do in Vietnam. So are the boat rides along Mekong River and on the scenic island of My Tho. You can't miss the authentic Vietnamese coffee too!