Monday, July 28, 2008

SIBF 2008 Top Band!!

Ok, today I'll blog about the Singapore International Band Festival 2008 performance. In summary, we won the Top Band =) Look at the trophy =)


The whole day was a bit xianed, the attendace wasn't so good at 2:30pm, and apparently we sounded quite bad. The percussion arrangement was screwed up with the timpani in the middle, and everything was so chaotic. I didn't expect anything at all, in fact I would be happy even if we got 4th. Getting into the finals is already very good, so ya. On the competition stage, we got scammed, percussion is not 2 rows, but only 1 row. As a result, those playing the cymbals and bass drum were like stuck in one small spot. And the snare drum broke. So Fredy told Sean to use the snare drum provided by SIBF.


March: I played ok. Lost focus and played about 2 counts wrongly, wrong rhythm wrong note, but sounded correct. Becuz the wrong note is F instead of Bflat, which actually sounds nice together.


Chosen: I forgot to dampen bells again, and when everyone was quiet, got this ringing sound from the bells, xian diaoz... I forgot to bring the score from the bells to xylo again! So I had to walk back and take it. Xylo's runs were all over the place and messy, and my semisolo upbeat was totally shit.


Air: I only have 6 counts to play in the song, and I can actually forget to change the note of 1 timpani so there was this weird sound.


Hymn: Tuning was shit as usual, since I only have like 2 beats to change a note throughout the song. So ya, played really weird.


Overall, I played better than the semifinals, but still no good. The band? I was too busy listening to myself to listen to the band, but from the recording, WOW!! I can't believe MSSBA can reach such high standards, and I'm really happy. This whole month of hard work has not gone to waste at all.


So ya, for T3A under the music category, I can add Gold Award for 2008 National Band Competition, and Top Band for Singapore International Band Festival 2008!!! And we won $10,000 in cash yay! Can buy new timpani =)


So I thought I could rest on sunday after like 2 whole months of piaing band. I was wrong, there was pw. And apprently we didn't do much work so I have to complete the whole thing tmr.


H3 bio is weird, sorta easy so far, but I think there is much more to come.


OCIP is ... 13 ppl accepted only. I think my class already has around 10 ppl signing up, so maybe the whole school about 300+? Wow... I better start preparing for the bio olympiad...


Bio is getting more intersting, can't stand it it's so cute.
I told Aloy I'm sleeping at 10 but look at the time, I think 11 bah... Stupid bio e-assessment...

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Top Band for SIBF!!

Yay! As the title mentioned above, we got top band!! Now it's like 1am so I'm a bit tired so I'll talk about it when I have the time. It was just wow=) And now I can write more for my T3A under band category.

Btw, OCIP clashes with bio olympiad. Hmmm I think I'll go for OCIP though. Becuz firstly, I can't win the bio olympiad. VJ's bio olympiad program is seriously laughable. My friends in HCJC and RJC trained since sec 4, and they have proper notes and lectures and stuff. But VJC? Lol.. Don't even have notes. "Just mug the campbell book from cover to cover" As said by some VJ bio teacher. Excuse me? Well, I'm trying to do that, but there are just some stuff that needs teacher to teach. The book's 1300 pages btw. I only did like 200 pages, and 200 pages are in the H2 syllabus. So ya. And anyway, even if I do win the bio olympiad, so what? I think it's the experience that counts anyway, reading stuff about bio which is so interesting. So ya, I'll sign up for OCIP. If I get accepted, then too bad for bio olympaid lor. If I don't then I'll just go.

And about OCIP, gross, my friends said that there's like spiders in the toilet, bath nude in public, and dunno what lah... No proper electricity, no clean water, and I heard they sleep on the floor. No fan I guess, not to mention air-con. But!! This is something I'll never ever experience again, I hope... So maybe I should go... Oh well...

Anyway, yay!! We got top band!! We beat ACSI, 2 foreign powerful bands! And in the semi-finals, we beat RJC, AJC and Musart. But, I think we're really really lucky becuz seriously, ACSI sounded really really good. They had good rhythm and very clean sound.

The stage arrangement for percussion is screwed la today... Somemore the snare drum spoil b4 the performance on stage!! Oh well, we still got top band yay!!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Yay

I'm so happy, we got into the finals. At first, like a few days ago, I was like quite sure that we would get into the finals. Then after hearing our playing on stage, I was like we 99% can't go finals.

I tell u, the performance was my worst performance ever in my life. I never play 1 whole bar of bells, I think becuz I was blur or something. Then I never play 1 whole bar of xylophone for the same song becuz the snare drum was too far from the xylophone. Screw the arrangement lah... That was for Chosen.

Then for Singapore River, my SOLO never play for 2 counts becuz I was just blur lor. Then my last note supposed to be a high G, which is super high for a timpani, but I dunno y I never tune it, so it's like a low B or something, so the whole percussion solo sounded like shit. And ya, it's a SOLO. There was like 1-2 secs of silence which is like a lot.

For hymn to the sun, I think I never screw up. Just that it was like a bit weird becuz I couldn't hear the band when I played ff.

Then after seeing all the open division bands getting like 80%+, I was like xian... then maris stella, I saw a few 80s, a few 90s and a stupid 75. Ended we got 89.14%, which is like 0.87% from a Gold!!! Argh... Oh well nvm, this is like my first silver in my life for band. Ended up we tied for 3rd and 4th place with some Hong Kong band.

So ya, can't wait for saturday, 3rd time playing in the esplanade!!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

NBC Honors Band Concert!!

Today was a hiong day. In fact, the past 2-3 weeks have been hell for me. In school, lecture notes and tutorials are like piling up in addition to last semester's stuff. In MSHS Alumni Band, practices are like 3-4 times a week. And today was NBC Honors Band Concert!! We performed at about 9pm + lor then came back. This thursday have SIBF Semi-finals competition, hope can get into finals haha. And so happy then leave GP early becuz GP ends so late la like 4+.. But so sad, cannot go for bio after GP. But nvm, competition more fun =)

This is MSHS Alumni's Percussion Section for the 2008 NBC and SIBF competition!! WOOT!! I love u guys, u guys are great percussionists! It was so fun working with all of u la. Slacking, crapping and clowning around, poking one another. But what the hell, my 2 juniors are like taller than me. Saw is like 172? As u can see from the picture I'm only taller than Fredy... Yes thanks Caile for playing for us even though you're not a Marist. Really appreciate it =)


And when I went home and on my phone, I was so happy and sorta glad. Matthew told me not to worry about college day. Becuz VJ band is playing Machu Picchu for college day, the day of the SIBF finals. And not only that, my Timpani part is abit exposed and is part of the percussion solo. There's no way I can make it unless I go to esplanade directly from VJ. But that's so last minute and hectic. He said he will sort it out. Yay, what a nice section leader =) Becuz I've really been worried sick about this. I mean I'm the new section leader and I do this kind of thing, not playing for college day and then causing other ppl to learn the part... Well I hope everything goes well.

So yes, next week is hell. But after that is more hell. Next week Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday got practice from 7-10pm, and Thursday, Friday and Saturday( Hopefully ) have performances or competitions. That's how hellish it can be. But then after that... Is mugging for promos liao... Yes, I do have to study. People think I nv study one, lol crazy shit... If I never study then still get this kind of results I can go mensa or whatever shit.

So ya, must jia you for SIBF semi-finals!!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Ugh, irritating...

Today got some science carnival thingy, then I saw Hwee Young haha yay. Anyway, our class participated in some library quiz thingy. At first I thought it was a quiz on general knowledge or something like worthy of having a quiz, ended up it was on the library rules and organisation. Ugh.. But nvm, the 6 of us still went anyway. Suni, Jacq, Collin, Ying Ying, Fang Fang and me =) It was quite fun actually, running around the library putting books back, finding information and bla bla. Poor Ying Ying, she got sat on like 3 times in the musical chairs game. In the end we got 2nd haha.. It was like the first time I ran in the library and shouting cheers across the library.

But what disgusted me was bio Ya I know, what's disgusting about bio right? Well, those who love bio so much, would obviously take H3 Bio and participate in the Bio Olympiad rite? Like Glen and me. But now the thing is that guess what? Bio Olympiad is at 3:40 on monday, and H3 Bio is on 4:15 on monday! Great! So what? Am I supposed to pon half of Bio Olympiad? Actually I don't mind ponning if they don't kick me out of Bio Olympiad since I actually learn more by myself than listening to the teacher rant on and on and nothing is absorbed because it's like 3:40?

Like seriously la. Now I dunno what to do. H3 Bio or Bio Olympiad? I know that H3 is like more important, but I was really keen on winning the Bio Olympiad thingy. Today Collin made me realise that T3A has to be planned like now. And that's what I'm already doing.

1) I Love Band!!!
- VJ Band Section Leader
- VJ Band New York Gold Award
- VJ Band 2009 SYF ??? Award ( Hoping for GWH of course)
- VJ Concert 2008 in Esplanade
- MSHS Alumni 2008 NBC Gold Award
- MSHS Alumni 2008 SIBF ??? Award ( Just 1 more week!!)
- MSHS Alumni Concert 2008 in Esplanade
- Grade 8 Piano Pass
- Grade 8 Percussion Distinction

2) I Love Bio!!!
- Enrichment Science Research Programme ( I'm seriously giving up hope on this, I dunno y they never organise stuff for us!! )
- 2008 Singapore Biology Olympiad ??? Award
- Attachment Programmes ( Die die must get it in november/december )

3) ????

Haiz... I dunno what to put for my third T3A lah... My friend was like telling me to seperate VJ band and MSHS Alumni band, but then that's like so cheapskate. And this year I want to pia the bio part le.. Then maybe put CIP stuff as my third T3A? But I dunno whether I can do decent CIP stuff lah....

Stress stress stress... Thanks Collin for making me realise that my T3A sux like shit... Have to sign up for more stuff liaoz...

What a long post bb.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Yay

yay, today was chinese listening comprehension, and if I'm not wrong, I got 10/10 full marks! =) Yay!! This is like the first time? I got 8/10 and 7/10 for practice and mid-years respectively. And now for A levels I get 10/10 yay =)!

Oral:
Reading: 5/10 ( It was really really bad...)
Discussion: 12/20 ( I think it was quite ok.)

Listening: 10/10 ( YAY )

So it's 27/40 for the 20% of my A level marks for chinese. Since I'm aiming for at least an E, 50%, I would need 73/160 for paper 1. I think I should be able to get it if I bother to study, yes JC study 15% must study the textbook one. So I think I'll get either an E or a D. If I tyco then C lor ha ha. Now my chinese is like quite over le yay =)

Apparently, many ppl gave up bio olympiad le.. Gavin told me only like 6 ppl went, zzz la. I shall not give up, anyway I like bio so ya. But my life now is so hectic la, got like alumni band practices 3 times a week from like 7-10pm. So basically Monday, Wednesday, Saturday whole day cannot do homework at all. Sigh... SIBF quickly over leh, then I can start studying properly liao. I aim to finish Animal Physio by end august. Plant and ecology was done long time ago, need to read up again haiz... I wonder if my time spent in bio olympiad is worth it.

Anyway, yes, PW is like getting more stressed up now because the written report has to be done in like 12 days. And my competition ends in 9 days. And from now to my competition it is very hiong for me. I'm basically sleeping at like 11+ for the past week. Yesterday was shit, I slept at midnight. As a result, I woke up at 7:10am today!! Luckily I bathe in 5 mins and quickly chiong by car to VJ.

Now I'm so tired everyday during lectures, tutorials and whatever. I'm falling asleep every now and then. Can't wait for SIBF to be over, but at the same time, get good results for the competition. It's our last chance!!

Rather disappointed by today's attendance. It was pathetic. I hope that everyone knows that SIBF is our last chance to prove to Singapore's band scene that Maris Stella Alumni Band is good! So ya. Yay =)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

La la la

Today was a day with mixed emotions, 2nd National Band Competition 2008!! Well, to cut a long story short, we got 5th position out of 11 bands, but hey, we still got a Gold Award, and yup this is the open division, where there are uni bands and other good bands too. So nvm, we all know what happened and as long as we know that we're still good, that's enough to chiong for the Singapore International Band Festival!! =)

Lol today it's like so comical and funny and at the same time ridiculous la... There's this OBJECT who is so fucked up. Ya, I know what you're thinking. Becuz it's just so funny la can? Since I can't like say some stuff just in case I get sued becuz IT bought this weird program that can trace stuff, it's like I take 1000 free chocolate samples from a candy shop and someone takes 10 free chocolate samples and I complain and bitch about that someone. Funny isn't it? The thing is that taking chocolate samples is legal. Oh Gee, I guess some THINGS aint bright at all. In fact, to the extent of being ridiculous, making a fool out of ITSELF.

And yes, I agree with Mr Lin. The evaluation is weird. I'm not being a sore loser seriously. I don't expect 1st, but it's like so weird when some ppl who is like duh won't get top few gets top few and some body ( not us, quite a few ppl ) who is duh won't get last few get like last few?

And of course, everything I said are metaphors. Go figure what it means if u want. But if u don't understand, then u shudn't know anyway.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Sigh

This few days and weeks have been quite busy, haiz... Needing to go back to MSHS band 3 times a week, from like 7-10pm. No time to do homework or revise..

BAAAD, what I got for mid-years. I think I'm quite lucky to get quite ok results. Now I take H3 Bio whee =) Dunno y GP is so dam bloody slow la, so inefficient lah the teachers, mark so slow one... Zzz...

Tmr's NBC and I hope we can get top band, otherwise I can't write it in my list of Top 3 Achiements, becuz 2nd is like so unglam can? And after NBC there's WASBE, haiz... It all ends on 26th July, after that I can chiong my studies and bio liao. Meanwhile, I still have to do PW rubbish. Haiz... So depressing. All my holidays so far are like so not fun la...

Xian.. Must tahan on for about 14 more days.. Haiz... Sometimes when I think about my life, haiz it's so depressing... Oh well, just continue to live on, what choice do I have.

Friday, July 04, 2008

Yay

Yay. Lol today was so funny. Anyway, it was the first time the J1s were playing the national and college anthem alone. Wow I was scared. So long never touch snare drum le, my roll like shit. Oh well, no need comfort me Matthew. I can tell a good roll from a bad roll. Anyway, it was fun haha. And I dunno y our instruments are like getting koped... first it was the shaker.. the teachers want it I dunno y. Then the bells, TSD took it. Then the bass drum hahaha...

Then b4 chem, I told bong that if I got A for chem I'll slap myself. Then zzz I got A so I slapped myself. Then maths e-learning was fun, and retarded... everyone kept spamming messages. Then after econs tutorial got like 2 hours break b4 3rd period PE, so I went out with my classmates to eat at cafe cartel or whatever... So funny la, I tot I didn't want to eat much so I shared with Suni. In the end I was so full la...

Then rushed to PE and me Glen and Collin were like OMG... Can feel the food coming out from our throats aka reverse peristalsis... So we did PE slowly... OMG 10 rounds la, 40 push ups, 40 sit ups, 40 dips and 40 step up and down... I was like DYING..... In the end I managed to did all of it ha ha... Then played foosball with Zhe Mian, bong and glen's friend. Omg, I lost like shit la... Oh well, then I went home...

Thursday, July 03, 2008

I LOVE MY SECTION!!

Yeah! I love my section! Without them, I dunno how I would have made in this far without quitting hahaha... These are my 5 seniors, yay. I love all of u guys =)



Even though it's only like 7 months, I sure learned a lot from all of u. And it really has been a great time talking, crapping and just mingling with all of u. I'll really miss all of u haiz... Dunno y but Matthew looks so innocent and angel like in this photo. Oh well, thanks for everything J2s =)

And here's the whole percussion section of VJCSB 2008!!
J2 + J1=OWNAGE!!


Well, there's still another year to go, SYF, NSSN, maybe more competitions, Majestia, haha I look forward to these events with u guys J1s!!

And Lol.. I always look so toot and retarded in photos.. That's y I don't like taking photos of myself ha ha...

Lol

Today's XX lesson was so wdf and LOL la. OMG I miss Miss Tan and Mr Ng la... I tot yesterday was a warm up lesson since it was XX first lesson so I didn't really care, but today confirmed my suspicions of a XXX teacher...

Ask anyone what themes were covered during lesson...

Well, let's see.. There was a compo qn about how science helps us appreciate life. " Viagra is science and it helps appreciate sex during old age" " Is sex important in a marriage?" " If you're over 40 and still a Miss it is very.... oops there's a teacher in XX who .... nvm I cannot mention names" " If ur spouse becomes impotent will u divorce him/her?" Like ZOMG... The topics discussed were no doubt controversial. Homosexuality, abortion, single parenting bla bla but a different approach could be taken. Instead, XX just talk and talk and talk.. When we talk XX say listen to me la... When we don't talk XX say y we all so quiet...

Then XX tries to suan us as if we're all a bunch of nerds... Wah!! u all dunno what is this and that? Wah u all study too hard la. Wah!! u all never watch this and that? Wah u all study too hard la. Wah!! u never heard of who is this and that? Wah u all study too hard la.

In fact we're just lazy to respond to those questions la... And when my friend was like answering qns and giving a complete answer, like,

Friend: " because I feel that under these conditions..."
XX: " NO! NO! NO! Answer my question, yes or no?"
Friend: " but I think that..."
XX: " NO! you're not listening! answer my question!"
Me: "heck la just say no."
Friend: " uh.. no?"
XX: " ok. ( continues to talk about other stuff)"

Hmmm..... And what's up with changing teachers every term? This subject is not like maths or chem where trainee teachers can teach as good as trained teachers if the trainee teachers are good. Somemore this is like the most important subject... And what... We get a new teacher every term?

Ok. Everything I said above happened in my imaginery world ok? So no need to go and tell the whole world what I'm talking about. only 08S38 will know.. It's our imaginery world rite? Ya rite. U guys shud know y I'm saying it's our imaginery world becuz some places u can't just say the facts.

Lol hey I dreamed this whole post up and I just woke up.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

HUH!?

Lol today was quite sad... Had the handover of J2s to J1s for VJ band. But I guess history repeated itself somewhat.. Let's see, it all happened 2.5 years ago on december something when I was sec 2. 10 of us were like in a squad, waiting for the announcement of post. Someone told me I 100% get post so I was quite happy. I was hoping for like the secretary or treasurer. Then in the end, I got Drum Major. I dunno y, becuz I was somewhat a let down I guess... But I think it's becuz of my mentality that I can't do it or sth... Oh well, when I see Xing Hao leading the band to such great heights I just feel happy, that at least someone managed to salvage my destruction. James too! He's doing a wonderful job, jiayou!! Make sure MSSB becomes the most popular CCA in MSHS!!

Then today, there was the announcement of the TAE club( The Anti Exco Club) of VJ band. These ppl are all cool, enthu in band and very active la. So when I was called out I was like HUH!? And I shouted that so loudly, LOL so funny... But I was in shock. I know Matthew had something to do with this, BUT I guess I'll just have to do my best ha ha... I guess from now on I must be more enthu and active in band le, haiz... Never mind, I'll just do my best. But if u know me in VJ band u will know y I'm shocked ha ha becuz I hardly talk to the ppl there.. I know it's partly my fault, but then ha ha dunno y, I can't seem to find time to go band during sch hours.

And OMG I think we're not playing a certain song for alumni competition anymore so I'm quite happy becuz I have a xylo solo in that song and I can only play it like 50% of the time. PLS PLS PLS like take away that song ha ha...

And the hectic month has started! As u can see, it's already nearly 11pm lah.... So late can? And I just got home from alumni band!! How to do tutorial and bla bla by tmr?

Also, I have this weird feeling that I'm pissing ppl off in my class. I dunno y, but maybe it's because my friends in 4B know that when I show off results, it's really only for fun. Becuz they know me well, that I'm not the kind who will u know... Be a bitch la... But somehow I get this feeling in my VJ class. Well, I just want u all to know that I don't mean anything at all!! It's just my character I guess.. Sry if I offeneded anyone or whatever, I really don't mean to =) So yes, I'm going to keep my mouth shut about whatever results I get already. I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression of me.

All I can say is that I'm happy with whatever results I got.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Yay no more chinese!!

Ha ha today was my A level chinese oral, and I think I should be able to pass even though I don't know how to read like 10 words in the passage. The first 3 words I already dunno haiz... Was so dam demoralised.. I tot it would be easy since my friend smiled after he finished oral. His standard is slightly higher than mine so I tot it was really easy.. Ended up he said he wasn't smiling, but giving a fk face...

So Lol... I think I pronounced over 10 words wrongly, read too soft, paused in between hard words and I paused for 5 secs when there's like 5 words more to the end of the passage!!

Then the oral topic was about y singaporeans go overseas for tourism when singapore has tourist attractions. Lol quite easy, I said singapore is xiao guo jia, then very little tourist attractions. But I mean like duh... Tourism = travel to other countries rite? Zzz... Who wants to tour in singapore lolz...

Then after that I heck already becuz I was too happy that CHINESE IS OVER!! After 11 long years, I no need to speak chinese anymore yay. Of course there's the A level paper chinese, but that one can't really study and no need speak chinese so yay!

Another good news, I got 57.5% for chinese, which is a high E. I'm quite happy already haha.. I know my expectations are dam low la...

With a major obstacle gone, I can concentrate on Alumni Band and studies and PW and Bio Olympiad and... OMG SO Much shit.... Oh well, it's gonna be a super hectic month but I dare u to win me u bloody events. I can handle it. I hope.