261210 1337 local time (GMT +8)
Hong Kong, China
I am in heaven. Spotting heaven that is.
We woke up to clear skies, and decided to seize the chance to go spotting at the far side of the airport. Breakfast was had near the hotel, some beef satay noodles which I quite enjoyed.
We headed to our favourite MTR station, Tung Chung. That name sure brings back memories, doesn't it. Anyway we split up when we were there. Shuotian, Jeremy and Paul hit the outlet mall while we proceeded to catch a bus. Unfortunately we caught the wrong one. Looks like our old friend Murphy's caught up with us.
Anyway that was a minor setback and we did eventually make it to where we are now, a small beach near the aircraft maintenance building. The spotting opportunities are endless, I've seen many interesting airliners (and one or two less interesting ones). The highlight was the return of 9V-SWG, our old friend who brought us here yesterday.
Now we're just waiting for the guys to call us and let us know when they're done. We're also hoping to do some whale watching while we're here.
2200 local time (GMT +8)
Hong Kong, China
Well in the end we did manage the whale watching, then headed back to Tung Chung to join the others. Lunch was at the ICC, some nice noodles and xiao long bao. We then tried to get up the ICC, but sadly it wasn't opened, so we decided to head up to the peak.
On the way to the peak, we were debating over whether the bus or the tram was faster. We didn't reach a conclusion, so we decided to settle it in traditional manner with one of our First Gear races. Jinjun, Calvin and Jeremy would take the bus, while Shuotian, Paul and myself would take the Peak Tram.
The race flagged off at Hong Kong station, from which the three of us immediately rushed out to find the Peak Tram. We were rushing to wait though, as we got there and saw an enormous queue. This effectively cost us the race, as we stood around waiting for our turn in line while the others' bus had already reached the top.
We did make it, eventually, although sadly it was dark by the time. We admired the views of the harbour and a nearby forest fire, then got dinner at a nearby fries place. We all took the bus down after that, which was more fun than it sounds.
We tried to pull off another race after that, me, Jeremy and Jinjun MTRing across the harbour while the rest took the Star Ferry. In the end, we gave up on this and just headed back to the Rai Lei.
Today's been quite tiring, though enjoyable. Still miffed at not seeing the Peak by day though. Disney tomorrow should be fun.
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Monday, December 27, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Hong Kong 2010 Day 1
251210 1039 local time (GMT +8)
9V-SWG over the South China Sea
Merry Christmas to all, and this is the first time I'm spending Christmas in the sky.
Woke up early this morning at 5:30, then woke Jinjun up (he was staying overnight at my place). Had a quick breakfast and did some last minute packing, then made for Changi Airport.
We met Calvin there, and I saw his parents for the first time. We also ran into Hafiz and chatted a while, before bidding him farewell and clearing immigration.
For once we actually had a bit of time after clearing customs, so we relaxed and took a leisurely walk to A12, where we found a beautiful 777-312ER, 9V-SWG waiting for us.
We boarded and took our seats. Sadly it was impossible for us to get 3 seats together, but we made do with 50A, where I am now, 50B and 35A. I feel quite bad for Calvin though, maybe I should swap with him later?
Takeoff was a bit late at 0846, but the plane made up for the lateness with a typical GE90 start up and takeoff, in short, a tremendous surge of power befitting the most powerful turbofans in the world. We had brunch soon after, I took the char siew noodles while Jinjun had the omelette. The noodles were good, if a little dry, and I enjoyed them. I'm disappointed with the IFE though, two of my staple programs for SQ, Merry Widow and Top Gear, are gone. Oh well, I've always got my own. As is tradition on flights, I'm listening to the Yagisawa trilogy. The difference this time is that now two of the three feature yours truly, and I appreciate having played them.
Just an hour or so out from Hong Kong now, really fast flight.
1405 local time (GMT +8)
Hong Kong International Airport, China
Finally, we've arrived. Landed early at 1155 and taxied over to gate 21, passing by many interesting airliners in the process, and some less so (i.e a Tiger Airways A320).
We did some spotting, then headed for lunch at the good old T2 food court. After dropping our bags off at the lockers and enjoying a good Japanese lunch (pity they ran out of Calpis though), we left the airport by bus. We're now on the way to our favourite MTR station, Tung Chung. Why do I feel a strong sense of Deja vu
2300 local time (GMT +8)
Hong Kong, China
It sure is nice to see all these familiar places again. Basically what we did was go to Citygate so that Jinjun could buy shoes, then head back to the airport to camp. We decided to camp at our old camping ground near the end of the airport. Once there we also realised that we were wearing the same clothes we did on the first day of the first trip. Really Deja vu here.
Eventually the others showed up, and we caught an airport express and a cab to the Rai Lei, where we ran into Yanlong. Dinner was at a KFC, then we walked around for a bit, visiting a Fortress and buying some cool mango drinks and XO conch, before calling it a night.
My memories of the place are still crystal clear... It's good to be back.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
9V-SWG over the South China Sea
Merry Christmas to all, and this is the first time I'm spending Christmas in the sky.
Woke up early this morning at 5:30, then woke Jinjun up (he was staying overnight at my place). Had a quick breakfast and did some last minute packing, then made for Changi Airport.
We met Calvin there, and I saw his parents for the first time. We also ran into Hafiz and chatted a while, before bidding him farewell and clearing immigration.
For once we actually had a bit of time after clearing customs, so we relaxed and took a leisurely walk to A12, where we found a beautiful 777-312ER, 9V-SWG waiting for us.
We boarded and took our seats. Sadly it was impossible for us to get 3 seats together, but we made do with 50A, where I am now, 50B and 35A. I feel quite bad for Calvin though, maybe I should swap with him later?
Takeoff was a bit late at 0846, but the plane made up for the lateness with a typical GE90 start up and takeoff, in short, a tremendous surge of power befitting the most powerful turbofans in the world. We had brunch soon after, I took the char siew noodles while Jinjun had the omelette. The noodles were good, if a little dry, and I enjoyed them. I'm disappointed with the IFE though, two of my staple programs for SQ, Merry Widow and Top Gear, are gone. Oh well, I've always got my own. As is tradition on flights, I'm listening to the Yagisawa trilogy. The difference this time is that now two of the three feature yours truly, and I appreciate having played them.
Just an hour or so out from Hong Kong now, really fast flight.
1405 local time (GMT +8)
Hong Kong International Airport, China
Finally, we've arrived. Landed early at 1155 and taxied over to gate 21, passing by many interesting airliners in the process, and some less so (i.e a Tiger Airways A320).
We did some spotting, then headed for lunch at the good old T2 food court. After dropping our bags off at the lockers and enjoying a good Japanese lunch (pity they ran out of Calpis though), we left the airport by bus. We're now on the way to our favourite MTR station, Tung Chung. Why do I feel a strong sense of Deja vu
2300 local time (GMT +8)
Hong Kong, China
It sure is nice to see all these familiar places again. Basically what we did was go to Citygate so that Jinjun could buy shoes, then head back to the airport to camp. We decided to camp at our old camping ground near the end of the airport. Once there we also realised that we were wearing the same clothes we did on the first day of the first trip. Really Deja vu here.
Eventually the others showed up, and we caught an airport express and a cab to the Rai Lei, where we ran into Yanlong. Dinner was at a KFC, then we walked around for a bit, visiting a Fortress and buying some cool mango drinks and XO conch, before calling it a night.
My memories of the place are still crystal clear... It's good to be back.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, December 24, 2010
Coda VI
Chairperson's Message
This concert marks my 5th with RWinds, and so far the previous four have been really fun, though some more than others. Personally, though, this has to be the best one so far. Sure, the run-up was a lot shorter and a lot more hectic than the previous ones, but to me, the gains in both musical standard and friendship were much greater than before. Sure, I was dying of exhaustion by the time it ended, but it was well worth it.
Conductors
I have to give special mention to Quanhui this year, we have improved tremendously musically and it's probably thanks to him and his increasing standards for the band. To keep at it the way he does is really impressive.
Special mention also goes to the assistant conductor, Yunsong, as well as Jinjun for his brass sectionals. Especially leading up to the concert, they played a huge role in pushing the band up to where it was.
Committee
Well as a librarian this year, I'm quite happy that most things went according to plan. Still room for improvement in the way we do things though.
About the concert
As with most nights the previous week, the saxophones were out until early in the morning either folding Totoros or getting drunk, the details of which I shall not go into here. As a result, I slept pretty late, at about 2 or 3. Woke up the next morning and drove out to J8, as usual, to do some ultra-last minute concert note writing, which I took a bit more literally this time around.
Went back to school for the usual instrument moving fest, which was done in good time, before setting off on the bus. Instead of VCH though, we ended up getting sent to SCH... Still, setting up of the stage went real smooth and we actually managed to start rehearsal on time. Rehearsal went pretty well, I think, and soundchecks aside the saxes definitely had some good photos taken of ourselves.
Dinner was (again) spicy, but at least this time there was chocolate (courtesy of the boss). This year, I found I had more time to give out concert notes, at least it didn't feel rushed. Pity I didn't really have time to find gifts, other than our signature drink.
At around 7:15, we walked on stage and the concert began. An annoyance of mine during the concert was that my glasses kept sliding off. Minor, I guess.
Intermission was spent mingling, then prepping for ensembles. We walked on stage, did our thing, walked off, and walked on again for the full band's second half.
After the concert ended, with the usual photos and all, we wasted no time in packing up, collecting scores and engaging in a bit more mingling befo re taking the bus back to RI. Supper was spent at McDonalds in nearby Ang Mo Kio, listening to the recordings along the way. I then dragged myself home and got ready to work a few hours later, feeling extremely tired, but satisfied.
Visions of Flight was quite possibly our best piece that evening. Listening to the recording feels extremely inspiring, and I'm quite happy with it. I've grown to really love this song, about as much as the mainstay pieces of the repertoire.
Oregon wasn't as good as Visions of Flight, could have been better, but overall OK. Enjoyable piece to play, I suppose.
Romance for Band caused a lot of worry running up to the concert, but I'm glad we didn't have to highlight the advancements made recently in MIDI technology the way we did for Berceuse. Decently played, I think.
I always think Enka Medley wasn't really worth 11 minutes of time, but overall it was decent. My friend really likes it, for some reason.
Ensuring that every concert I play in has at least one repeated piece, El Camino Real hails from the honour band days of JCBF 2007. I think we did better here than then, although we were a bit less energetic than then. Overall was pretty happy with this one though.
Can't say much about Four Hits for Five, by George, because I didn't play for it, it being a brass quintet item. Apparently it was better than at OVW, so kudos to the brass quintet.
For a last minute addition to the repertoire, we did this one pretty well. I was pretty satisfied with my playing here, but always room for improvement of course.
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, cute song, played decently, but we really slowed it down near the end. Actually one of the main issues with our ensemble overall was tempo control, something that we can work on in future.
My Neighbour Totoro is fast becoming our signature tune. I hope the audience appreciated the hard work we put in to make the Totoros, as well as the amount of Calpis consumed as a result.
Japanese Graffiti XII, featuring GE999 and of course, Space Battleship Yamato, wasn't that well played I think, in fact I'd say there's a long way to go with this one. Amusingly, while playing Yamato, I couldn't help but hear "Uchuu Senkan.... TO-MA-TO" in my mind.
Riverdance was pretty good, I think. Quite enjoyable to play, and even my friend who knows nothing of band music finds it fun. Choo Wee's solos were good, as was most of the rest of the piece.
Well for 2 practices, I think it sounded really good. Quite fun, I think, marches usually are. We ought to do more marches, really.
Nice Easter Egg at the end by the trumpets. Rather fail ending though.
Acknowledgements
Well I think this has to be the best Coda ever. Although of course, the performances could be improved a bit more, we definitely outshone last year's performance. The disappointing thing I suppose is that we definitely could have done better too. Hopefully next year, we can execute what we've learnt this time and make Coda VII the best Coda ever.
However, standard aside, I really enjoyed playing this repertoire. Most of the pieces either started out having great meaning to me, or developed it as we went by. Of course, I don't really need to identify my two favourites here, and to play them really made my year, along with Perseus last Tuesday.
Personally I think this cycle was really too short, or at least it felt so. It's definitely been much more enjoyable than any before, in no small part due to the fact that we are now mobile. The saxophone section has been really crazy, practically living with each other the week before the concert, and enjoying good food and Calpis in the process. I'm really happy to have worked with this section, and gotten to know Joanne and Yixian. Really hope they hang around.
I certainly look forward to performing with the section again in OVW2, and the rest of the band in future. Definitely one of the main things I want to take away now are increased bonds with the rest of the band, getting to know each other better. Of course, I'd love to see the music we make soar to new heights too, especially as it's our anniversary. If we work as hard for the whole cycle as we did for the last two weeks for this one, then I am really looking forward to hearing ourselves at our 10th anniversary concert.
Player List
To close off, I would like to thank a number of people who really made this concert what it was, I have to say probably the best concert in my life to date.
Quanhui and Yunsong: Thanks for pushing the band up, never accepting anything less than perfection in the drive to improve, and yet having patience, especially under such trying circumstances. We couldn't have done it without you.
Audience Members: There would be no performance without someone to perform too, so I have to thank all friends and family members (eg 2^7) for coming down to support and watch. I hope you enjoyed the concert as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you.
Committee: Thanks for the hard work, as usual, in making sure this concert went smoothly. Look forward to working with you all again for Coda VII.
Calvin: Thanks for the help filming the concert, hopefully we take less than 3 years to do the video. Good to see your close-ups on the right track this time :)
Batchmates who performed i.e. Jinjun, Jeremy, Paul, Shuotian and Yuhyiing: For most of you guys this will have been our last performance in a concert together, hopefully not for all. It's been fun, and I hope we keep the batch spirit alive in future.
Shelley Chan: Special mention since I received a note from you and failed to reciprocate, for which I feel quite bad. Thanks for that, and for being so outgoing and friendly!
Finally, my section, especially the ensemble. Amir, Joseph, Yixian, Choo Wee, Joanne and Jeremy (again): You guys really made this concert for me, especially the last couple of weeks. I felt like dying, but somehow the drive to do well for ensemble and full band kept me awake and alive. OVW2 and Coda VII beckon, let's carry on the good name of the saxophone section!
See you next year!
This concert marks my 5th with RWinds, and so far the previous four have been really fun, though some more than others. Personally, though, this has to be the best one so far. Sure, the run-up was a lot shorter and a lot more hectic than the previous ones, but to me, the gains in both musical standard and friendship were much greater than before. Sure, I was dying of exhaustion by the time it ended, but it was well worth it.
Conductors
I have to give special mention to Quanhui this year, we have improved tremendously musically and it's probably thanks to him and his increasing standards for the band. To keep at it the way he does is really impressive.
Special mention also goes to the assistant conductor, Yunsong, as well as Jinjun for his brass sectionals. Especially leading up to the concert, they played a huge role in pushing the band up to where it was.
Committee
Well as a librarian this year, I'm quite happy that most things went according to plan. Still room for improvement in the way we do things though.
About the concert
As with most nights the previous week, the saxophones were out until early in the morning either folding Totoros or getting drunk, the details of which I shall not go into here. As a result, I slept pretty late, at about 2 or 3. Woke up the next morning and drove out to J8, as usual, to do some ultra-last minute concert note writing, which I took a bit more literally this time around.
Went back to school for the usual instrument moving fest, which was done in good time, before setting off on the bus. Instead of VCH though, we ended up getting sent to SCH... Still, setting up of the stage went real smooth and we actually managed to start rehearsal on time. Rehearsal went pretty well, I think, and soundchecks aside the saxes definitely had some good photos taken of ourselves.
Dinner was (again) spicy, but at least this time there was chocolate (courtesy of the boss). This year, I found I had more time to give out concert notes, at least it didn't feel rushed. Pity I didn't really have time to find gifts, other than our signature drink.
At around 7:15, we walked on stage and the concert began. An annoyance of mine during the concert was that my glasses kept sliding off. Minor, I guess.
Intermission was spent mingling, then prepping for ensembles. We walked on stage, did our thing, walked off, and walked on again for the full band's second half.
After the concert ended, with the usual photos and all, we wasted no time in packing up, collecting scores and engaging in a bit more mingling befo re taking the bus back to RI. Supper was spent at McDonalds in nearby Ang Mo Kio, listening to the recordings along the way. I then dragged myself home and got ready to work a few hours later, feeling extremely tired, but satisfied.
Visions of Flight was quite possibly our best piece that evening. Listening to the recording feels extremely inspiring, and I'm quite happy with it. I've grown to really love this song, about as much as the mainstay pieces of the repertoire.
Oregon wasn't as good as Visions of Flight, could have been better, but overall OK. Enjoyable piece to play, I suppose.
Romance for Band caused a lot of worry running up to the concert, but I'm glad we didn't have to highlight the advancements made recently in MIDI technology the way we did for Berceuse. Decently played, I think.
I always think Enka Medley wasn't really worth 11 minutes of time, but overall it was decent. My friend really likes it, for some reason.
Ensuring that every concert I play in has at least one repeated piece, El Camino Real hails from the honour band days of JCBF 2007. I think we did better here than then, although we were a bit less energetic than then. Overall was pretty happy with this one though.
Can't say much about Four Hits for Five, by George, because I didn't play for it, it being a brass quintet item. Apparently it was better than at OVW, so kudos to the brass quintet.
For a last minute addition to the repertoire, we did this one pretty well. I was pretty satisfied with my playing here, but always room for improvement of course.
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, cute song, played decently, but we really slowed it down near the end. Actually one of the main issues with our ensemble overall was tempo control, something that we can work on in future.
My Neighbour Totoro is fast becoming our signature tune. I hope the audience appreciated the hard work we put in to make the Totoros, as well as the amount of Calpis consumed as a result.
Japanese Graffiti XII, featuring GE999 and of course, Space Battleship Yamato, wasn't that well played I think, in fact I'd say there's a long way to go with this one. Amusingly, while playing Yamato, I couldn't help but hear "Uchuu Senkan.... TO-MA-TO" in my mind.
Riverdance was pretty good, I think. Quite enjoyable to play, and even my friend who knows nothing of band music finds it fun. Choo Wee's solos were good, as was most of the rest of the piece.
Well for 2 practices, I think it sounded really good. Quite fun, I think, marches usually are. We ought to do more marches, really.
Nice Easter Egg at the end by the trumpets. Rather fail ending though.Acknowledgements
Well I think this has to be the best Coda ever. Although of course, the performances could be improved a bit more, we definitely outshone last year's performance. The disappointing thing I suppose is that we definitely could have done better too. Hopefully next year, we can execute what we've learnt this time and make Coda VII the best Coda ever.
However, standard aside, I really enjoyed playing this repertoire. Most of the pieces either started out having great meaning to me, or developed it as we went by. Of course, I don't really need to identify my two favourites here, and to play them really made my year, along with Perseus last Tuesday.
Personally I think this cycle was really too short, or at least it felt so. It's definitely been much more enjoyable than any before, in no small part due to the fact that we are now mobile. The saxophone section has been really crazy, practically living with each other the week before the concert, and enjoying good food and Calpis in the process. I'm really happy to have worked with this section, and gotten to know Joanne and Yixian. Really hope they hang around.
I certainly look forward to performing with the section again in OVW2, and the rest of the band in future. Definitely one of the main things I want to take away now are increased bonds with the rest of the band, getting to know each other better. Of course, I'd love to see the music we make soar to new heights too, especially as it's our anniversary. If we work as hard for the whole cycle as we did for the last two weeks for this one, then I am really looking forward to hearing ourselves at our 10th anniversary concert.
Player List
To close off, I would like to thank a number of people who really made this concert what it was, I have to say probably the best concert in my life to date.
Quanhui and Yunsong: Thanks for pushing the band up, never accepting anything less than perfection in the drive to improve, and yet having patience, especially under such trying circumstances. We couldn't have done it without you.
Audience Members: There would be no performance without someone to perform too, so I have to thank all friends and family members (eg 2^7) for coming down to support and watch. I hope you enjoyed the concert as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you.
Committee: Thanks for the hard work, as usual, in making sure this concert went smoothly. Look forward to working with you all again for Coda VII.
Calvin: Thanks for the help filming the concert, hopefully we take less than 3 years to do the video. Good to see your close-ups on the right track this time :)
Batchmates who performed i.e. Jinjun, Jeremy, Paul, Shuotian and Yuhyiing: For most of you guys this will have been our last performance in a concert together, hopefully not for all. It's been fun, and I hope we keep the batch spirit alive in future.
Shelley Chan: Special mention since I received a note from you and failed to reciprocate, for which I feel quite bad. Thanks for that, and for being so outgoing and friendly!
Finally, my section, especially the ensemble. Amir, Joseph, Yixian, Choo Wee, Joanne and Jeremy (again): You guys really made this concert for me, especially the last couple of weeks. I felt like dying, but somehow the drive to do well for ensemble and full band kept me awake and alive. OVW2 and Coda VII beckon, let's carry on the good name of the saxophone section!
See you next year!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Junior College & Polytechnic Band Festival 2010 Concert
Back at the Esplanade once more, something I didn't really see coming at the start of the year.
Headed off to the Esplanade after that for the usual soundcheck and dinner, which was... passable, I suppose. Then followed a really long wait until the performance. We were to be the last item after intermission, so we had a long time.
Walking on stage for the first time since Limelight, I savoured the moment. The hall seemed fuller than I had expected, not that I expected much. Mr Seville walked onto the stage and lifted his baton for...
Ride, a piece that reminds me of Choo Wee's driving. This was fast, with changing key and time signatures left right center and justified. Still, we did manage to keep relatively together and I suppose it sounded good.
Suite on Celtic Folk Songs was next, a piece I'd played in Coda II 4 years ago, keeping up my traditions of always having repeated pieces. Pretty well done too, I suppose, we managed to sort out a lot of problems that were evident in the practices.
After that piece, the moment I was waiting for arrived. Mr Oura walked onto the stage, I stood, preparing myself for...
After the concert, I quickly packed up and rushed to RWinds, where I joined the others for supper. Ended up at Adam Road Food Center till about 2am, as seems to be usual these days.
Well, this has definitely been a tiring week, especially jugging work, RWinds and JCBF, and with JCBF pracs extending till 10+ at night. Still, I think the experience was definitely worth it, met a few people, improved myself and learnt some things. Of course, the main reason I went was well worth it, and more. Onward to Coda!
Went to work super early in the morning, not really something I wanted, but sadly unavoidable. Following work, I headed for lunch with Jinjun and Shuotian, to Ippudo at Mandarin Gallery. While we were there, we bumped into Shelley, though not entirely by accident, and enjoyed some excellent Ramen.
Headed off to the Esplanade after that for the usual soundcheck and dinner, which was... passable, I suppose. Then followed a really long wait until the performance. We were to be the last item after intermission, so we had a long time.
Walking on stage for the first time since Limelight, I savoured the moment. The hall seemed fuller than I had expected, not that I expected much. Mr Seville walked onto the stage and lifted his baton for...
Ride, a piece that reminds me of Choo Wee's driving. This was fast, with changing key and time signatures left right center and justified. Still, we did manage to keep relatively together and I suppose it sounded good.
Suite on Celtic Folk Songs was next, a piece I'd played in Coda II 4 years ago, keeping up my traditions of always having repeated pieces. Pretty well done too, I suppose, we managed to sort out a lot of problems that were evident in the practices.
After that piece, the moment I was waiting for arrived. Mr Oura walked onto the stage, I stood, preparing myself for...
After the concert, I quickly packed up and rushed to RWinds, where I joined the others for supper. Ended up at Adam Road Food Center till about 2am, as seems to be usual these days.
Well, this has definitely been a tiring week, especially jugging work, RWinds and JCBF, and with JCBF pracs extending till 10+ at night. Still, I think the experience was definitely worth it, met a few people, improved myself and learnt some things. Of course, the main reason I went was well worth it, and more. Onward to Coda!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
JCPBF 2010
For the past 5 days or so, I've been juggling Rwinds with a new activity: JCBF's alumni band. So far it's been short, but rather fulfilling. I'm looking forward to the concert immensely, especially the last piece. I'm sure it's obvious why.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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