RIMB Japan Trip: Days 0-1

Although the trip was advertised as starting on the 9^th, our flight actually departed Changi Airport at 1am on the 10^th of June. Nevertheless, we assembled in school at 6pm to move instruments, although I left the house at 6.15…


Our dear Raffles Institution/Raffles Junior College

When I got there, most of the moving had already been done, and I quickly made sure my stuff was in order, then joined in the waiting for the lorry. The lorry came, was loaded, and went, and we then waited an hour for the buses to the airport.

The band room


Same


Clocktower by night


The three J2s


Bertrand


The lorry


Bertrand and Samuel during our camera flash war


Me during same


Camwhore!

We arrived at the new Terminal 3 at about 9, and found that Mr Oura had checked in already. I was assigned 52K, a right side window seat. After checking in and taking photos, we had some time before we had to enter the airside zone. Paul, Shuotian, Bertrand and I took the opportunity to have some dinner at Swensens, and to cut a long story short, this left me with SG$80 more and Y10000 less than I would have liked. A quick visit to the viewing mall produced only my reflection and a glimpse of 9V-SKA, so I gave up.

The icon of Changi Airport


Our instruments


The three of us friends in Terminal 3


I have no idea what this is, I think it's a ventilation unit.


With our teacher, Mr Takehiro Oura


Paul just after meeting his family at the airport


The Topless 5 from Swensens, 5 scoops for $8.20


Bertrand and Paul happily enjoying their ice-cream


Our flight

At about 11, we cleared customs, then proceeded to gate A19, which is at the south end of the terminal. We made quite good use of the intra-T3 Skytrain, arriving there before the gate had even opened. We passed the time with a game of Munchkin Fu, as well as some spotting, although everything there was a 777-200

T3 Airside


A concourse


Paul and Mr Oura


Feels like the USA


A game of Munchkin Fu


Gate A19

Boarding was called at 12:40. We boarded and swapped seats around so as to sit with our friends. Sadly Bertrand did not get his window seat, but it was night, so there wasn’t much to see. We pushed back a little late, then taxied over the south cross, then up taxiway EP for a runway 20C departure.

Our aircraft, a Boeing 777-212ER, 9V-SRL

The cabin interior (economy class obviously)

The view from my mirror seat

Another cabin view

After pushback and engine start - gotta love those Trent 892s

The takeoff represented the end of 3 years of waiting, and a culmination of our efforts to make a trip happen. We passed over the chalet where we had our RJC band chalet a while back, then over the Meaning of Life, before climbing up to FL380.

As it was an early morning flight, no dinner was served. There was a snack service consisting of either a mango and shrimp sandwich or a chicken roll. I had the sandwich, which I enjoyed a lot. After attempting (and failing) to find anything nice on Krisworld, I then caught some shut-eye somewhere near Sarawak. I think this is the first flight I didn’t even bother unwrapping the headphones, even on a SIN-KUL flight I took I watched a bit of Pirates.

Dimmed cabin lights

The obligatory aircraft toilet shot for A.NET

Dinner

Unboxed dinner

Light on the horizon

I woke up to a beautiful dawn over Manila. Most of the cabin was asleep, however, so I just relaxed and read Sherman’s Lagoon to pass the time. About 1 and a half hours later, breakfast was served. They had run out of the western selection, which was a classic omelette/hashbrown/sausage thing, so I was left with the saba (mackerel) and rice. I liked the saba, and the bread and muffins, but that was about it. The vegetables left a lot to be desired.

Daylight cabin

And then the ocean glows

Shuotian

Later on during the flight

Rather substandard for SIA

Our flight

3 J2s aboard our 777

Unfortunately contrary to my predictions, we landed on runway 6R, not 24L, which means that all I saw during the landing were the sea and the big letters KANSAI. We touched down on the massive aircraft carrier at about 7:30am local time, before taxiing off the runway. There was quite a bit of good stuff to spot even at this early hour, especially since we taxied around the entire terminal to get to the last gate on the opposite side, gate 41.

Spoilers up


Flaps 20, gear down, autobrake 3, continuous ignition on, landing lights on... what are we waiting for?


Runway vacated


RJBB's taxiways


Overview of the longest terminal in the world


ANA's 737-781ER Gold Jet


ANA 767-381ER


Viva Italia


Vive La France


Air China 737


Japan Airlines 767-346ER JA601J

After deplaning, we took the shuttle train to the arrivals counters. Although there was a short queue, we passed through quickly as more counters were being opened. We collected bags and instruments, then passed through customs.

Stylish air vents


China Eastern A319-112


RJBB_TWR


Our bird, Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-212ER 9V-SRL


And again

We assembled outside arrivals, performed some checks, then boarded 2 buses to take us around. Our guide, Akiko-san, greeted us warmly. Curiously, we never saw her for the rest of the trip, until the flight home. We passed over the bridge connecting the aircraft carrier to the mainland, and entered Osaka.

Baggage claim

The arrival hall


Big screen TV


Mr Jee and his SLR


We have truly entered the land of the rising sun


Osaka-shi


An array of unconscious people including Paul...


Samuel...


Bertrand (semi-conscious)


and Shuotian

I fell asleep around this point, and woke up as we were nearing the town of Nara, famed for its Deer Park, as well as Todaijin temple, with the largest bronze Buddha in the world. I found the place to be a very interesting one, with its intricate sculptures and cute deer. Unfortunately we did not have much time, but I found the experience to be an interesting one.

Parallel parking of buses


Nara Deer Park


Doe, a deer...


A large wooden gate to Todaijin


Closeup


3 of us at the gate


There are two huge wooden statues in the gatehouse


Another gatehouse


The actual temple itself


Same


Again


Paul and Shuotian


The architecture of classical Japan is amazing. The temple was apparently burned down twice and rebuilt, this one's more than 300-400 years old


Various RI kids playing with incense


Paul and Shuotian


This is the biggest bronze Buddha in the world


One of his disciples


Paul, Shuotian and a monk


A model of the first version of the temple. By this point Shuotian was commenting on the similarities to Jade Empire


This hole is apparently the same size as Buddha's nostril (or at least the statue). If you can crawl through it you get good luck and health. Most people tried, I posed but didn't, seeing as how it took 4 people to push and pull Shuotian through


Myself next to the hole


Paul went through


Apparently this monk never finished his training, he was too lazy, so he's made to sit outside


The lawn outside the temple


Paul and the lawn


The lake


Oh deer

My camera died at this point, so hopefully I get Paul's photos

We headed for lunch, which was a quick buffet in Nara. I love Japanese food, even if it’s not the completely traditional variety. We then headed back to Osaka to find the Osaka Toin Senior High School for an exchange.

The city area of Nara

This was a good place for lunch, buffet-style with rice, soba (which was to become common during our trip), meats, omelette, saba, ice kachang etc

The band is very large, with 175 members , 5 of whom were baritone saxophonists. Japanese bands do live up to their reputations of being good, they certainly did not disappoint, even when sight-reading The Merry Widow. One of the baritone saxophonists was, as he himself put it, crazy. We were also conducted by the principal clarinetist of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra.

This is one out of two of the main rehearsal rooms of the symphony hall

Old Glory, as it were

Nice welcome

My best friend and I

2 horny guys

You can clearly see the effort put in by the band to welcome us. Apparently my fellow "crazy Japanese comedian" baritone saxophonist was responsible for this

3 Japanese band girls

The sign for the band building

After the exchange, we had dinner, meeting an ex-RJC Japanese teacher on the way to the university where we had dinner. We did a nice, loud, Singapore-style Yam Seng for the Japanese band, then proceeded for dinner. I served as an amateur translator for some people, and even managed to crack a few jokes (about Samuel) in Japanese. Bertrand went one step further and started flirting with one of the girls.

We presented the saxophones with an RI polo T-shirt as a parting gift. On it, we wrote the Chinese words for Singapore and Japan on it, with a large heart. We then headed for our hotel in Osaka, the New Hankyu Hotel.

Paul and I with the principal clarinetist of Osaka Philharmonic

Night view of Osaka

Our bus

Osaka by night

My impression of Japanese students has not changed. For some reason they seem to regard anyone who can speak the most basic of Japanese as wonderful people, and I was a little embarrassed. They are also friendly and courteous, and I think Singaporeans do have a lot to learn. So far, I am enjoying the time I’ve spent with RIMB, especially the 3 of us from my batch. I think tomorrow, in Universal Studios Japan, will prove to be a fun-filled day as well.

Another thing, our hotel is opposite an 8-story high electronics superstore. I hope we get the chance to go there, Mr Oura did mention the place to me a while back.

The End Of All Things

Wednesday was the (official, I intend to play for SIBF) conclusion of my school band life. The investiture was pretty expected, and I went for Rwinds comm meeting after that. I wish our section were more bonded, but it's too late now.

The band chalet was quite fun. I spotted Korean Air Cargo's BCF, United's 747-400 and 777-200, a JAL 777-200 and of course our dear SIA, among others. Activities included mahjong, multiplayer Guitar Hero III and taboo.

I also attended the Lord of the Rings Symphony, I rather enjoyed it, and the orchestra was better than what I was told to expect. I think that the first half could be shorter and the second longer, but that's personal preference.

I'm finally, after 3 years, flying to Japan tonight, with the RIMB! This should be very fun, and I look forward to it. See you all in a week, with lots of photos I hope.

A Tempo XIX

Well, the big event of the year, probably my last concert in the Esplanade, unless we get into the SIBF finals or I get into SAF band. I'm not going to lie and say that this was the most meaningful day of my life, or that this was the most satisfying concert I've played in, because that honour still belongs to Prometheum XI. However, it was still a good night. I won't go into too much details about the moving process, since they're relatively similar to the usual, except for a few interesting details.

1. I managed to leave my notes to people at home. Then I bought new ones at J8. Then I left those in the varese -.-. Luckily I managed to source some spares from Ziluo to use.

2. The truck devolved into one without a lift, although that may have decreased loading time a little.

3. I never knew there was a stage door near the bus stop/mall side of the Esplanade, first floor near the library

So we did the usual, lunch and dinner both had chili sadly. It was ok though, lunch was mild and I swiped a vegetarian dinner, which was pretty nice. Met Calvin too, who would be filming us.

Of course, before the concert, there was a mad exchange of giving gifts and notes and receiving them. I gave out stuff ranging from a DVD to a box of "Chicken McNuggets", and received... absolutely nothing, other than notes I mean. Not totally unexpected though.

During the tuning session, we had a short prayer session, as well as a few "inspirational speeches", including one by Shuotian reminding us all not to worry, as "all our mistakes will be recorded in HD" Not, I think, the best way to soothe the nerves.

One thing I noticed about the Esplanade stage is that you can't hear the balance properly from wherever you are. In my case everything else was drowned out by the trombones.

Our first piece was Army of the Nile, with Mr Oura walking in halfway. I think we did pretty well, and the song brought back fond memories of RIMB 2006.

St Anthony's Variations was next. Apparently this song was well-liked. Personally I find it quite strange, but to each his own, and I guess if the audience liked it and it was well-played, it was a success.

American Salute, some say, was the worst song of the concert. However that is not to say that it was not played well, and personally I found it good. Which means that the concert as a whole must have been good.

I find Romanza a nice song to listen to, and quite emotional, but, in a word, boring. For me, anyway, the score consists of about 8 notes with a time value of less than 2 seconds. Still, it does provide a welcome break from the first 3 blasting songs.

Saga Maligna was arguably one of our two best songs of the evening. I love the piece itself, it epitomises the sound of the band and it is majestic, light and grand all at once. I almost cried during God in Heaven. However, the key word here is almost. When I listen to the recording it sounds great, and there was no real problem, I just felt kind of unsatisfied. Maybe I set my expectations too high, or maybe Mr Oura's interpretation of it differed from mine. Nevertheless, it seems to have impressed people.

The intermission was a boring one, nothing much to say here.

Jinjun must have enjoyed Florentiner Marsch, seeing as how he was the conductor. Nice of him to let me play the tenor horn melody parts. I think we did this one well, and it must have been good for Jinjun too, to be conducting at the Esplanade, and conducting well. I think we all owe him something for his musical guidance.

I love Monument. It ties with Saga and Titanic Medley as my favourite piece of the concert. Again, though, I still felt something missing from the climax at 198. But yet again, my expectations for this part were, I think, too high, considering we had about 1/5 of the horns that would have been ideal. Besides that, Monument was, as a certain junior of mine put it, Monumental.

Titanic Medley... I really can't describe how it felt playing this song. Memories of my batch, my time in RIMB welled up and in the end, during the saxophone soli, where my first solo was played during Investiture 2006, I couldn't hold it in. I just let go completely and let my emotions and tears run. They kept running too, all the way until the end, as I just played my heart out. After the song, I couldn't turn the page to the next song, I just stared at it, until Mr Oura raised his baton for the next piece.

I suppose after Titanic, I let out all my emotions because I didn't feel much during the next few songs, except pride in our music and happiness and enjoyment playing the pieces. Our next piece was Utada Hikaru Vocal Selections comprising First Love and Addicted to You. For some reason this reminded me of the Japan exchange back in'05. The audience enjoyed the solos by Jeremy, Jinjun and Matthew immensely.

The final piece of the concert was Jounetsu Tairiku. I'm a bit disappointed in myself for not coming out more during the saxophone feature, exemplified by this:

Me(to Jinjun) : Ask (your friend) how the baritone saxophone was
Jinjun (on phone): How was the baritone saxophone?
Jinjun (quoting to me: HAH, got baritone saxophone meh?

Yeah. But other than that, the song is fun. Also, listening to the recordings, I heard the oboe solo for the first time!

The audience kept calling for encores, so we decided to give them two. In it's third year serving as an RJCSB encore piece, Takarajima brought the house down with it's lively tune and hyped up rhythms and sax solo. Tico Tico, a Latin samba, was equally as popular, and equally as enjoyable to play.

Following the concert we presented Mr Oura with a pair of boxing gloves (both meant for the same hand). While he was walking up, a bunch of his fangirls suddenly ran after him and hugged him passionately. I love Mr Oura too, but even for me, I probably wouldn't hug him. Would like to find a way to express my appreciation for all that he's done, which is more than I could ever say, and I really respect him as a teacher, conductor and musician.

In the end I feel as a whole that the concert was a rousing success. The audience thought we played brilliantly, and everyone left the concert happy. I guess no matter how divided our band has been, we, for a brief moment of time, felt as one.

For me the concert probably didn't mean as much as others, since this wouldn't be my last concert with Mr Oura, let alone my last concert at all. But I do feel for people like Jinjun, whom this concert would be the last for.

I also want to thank some people. There were my friends from RJ who came down, such as Meiyi, Zhou Chen, Bryan, Yuling, Jiejing etc, of course. As mentioned above, I owe a lot to Mr Oura, for his musical skills and teaching, for being the only reason I stuck with RJCSB all the way. My batch, divided as it is, managed to pull through this concert in the end. And there's one more group I'd like to thank, as an encore. The RIMB members who came down to support us in this concert, too many to name. I felt like a celebrity, coming out of the stage door to a hero's welcome from them, and the number of blog posts praising our concert from them has been astounding. I think hearing their comments and praise is what has made this concert for me.

To the RIMB - Thanks for supporting and for helping me when I was down, providing a place where I could be welcomed and cheered up.

To the RJCSB - Thanks for providing a place to further my musical skills, to my batch, for pulling through in the end, for giving me a night that I'll never forget

Most of all, to Mr Oura - Thanks for everything, over the past 6 years, for all your musical guidance, humour and imparted discipline and wisdom, for teaching me what it means to be in a band.

The Final Lap

So Saturday was our last official band practice as a batch, and the last before the concert. Following that, we had a sleepover at Jiamin's house, which was quite fun. I think overall one of the better successes we've had at batch outings. We did stuff like mahjong, Finding Nemo and Guitar Hero. Also, we went to ECP for breakfast.

Today's the day we've been working for, A Tempo XIX. I dont' doubt our musical standard, as was the worry before Prometheum, although the usual nervousness is there. Our repertoire is brilliant, and we're playing to the Esplanade.

What I do hope is that I can still feel that emotional rush on stage I get from performing, that sensation of the band playing as one, of the beautiful music flowing from our bells. Let's make tonight a night to remember, a show of power our audience won't soon forget!

Some photos:

Prometheum XII

Almost 2 years after a highly successful Prometheum XI, it was time for the next of the series, Prometheum XII at VCH again. With about 80% of the hall sold the day before the concert started, it was looking to be a good show. Furthermore, the band had been practicing relentlessly, so I expected that they would not disappoint.

After school ended I went down to the Atrium to watch the fun. Turns out the truck hadn't arrived yet, so people were mostly stoning. I was amazed by the efficiency of the band though, managing to load up and leave less than 20 minutes after the truck arrived. Pity the sec 4s weren't allowed to ride the truck though.

After a long time in the afternoon, my batch, or half of it anyway, set off for VCH, traditionally ending up late after a rush to eat and buy stuff in Raffles City before. As a result, I missed most of Wind Harmony March, so I can't really say anything about that piece.

St Florian's Chorale was quite ok, but I found the piece relatively boring, being a chorale. Well played though.

After that, we moved in front to get a better view and sound, and I remember the next few pieces being relatively alright, although clarinet squeaks were prominent. Merry Widow brought back a few choice memories, definitely.

Intermission was even more chaotic than usual, owing to the new practice of VCH closing off the backstage area. I saw quite a few people there, ranging from my former chemistry teacher to Han Sheng to a certain person affectionately known as the 156 guy.

The ensembles were really good this time, especially Samuel's. While I'm still upset that we didn't get to play for A Tempo, hearing Samuel pull off Monsters Inc. was quite fun. I'm amazed by his, and the rest of the ensemble's standards.

I can't remember that much about the first two songs of the second half, unfortunately, except for Comedian's Gallop, which featured Ben on the marimba. That was quite good, I think.

A Day at the Circus was probably the highlight of the concert, with Ms Jacq Sim as the "ringmistress", and all in all, a nice performance by both the band and the Sec 1s, bringing back memories of The Hustle in Prometheum X.

I wanted to should "Good Stuff!" after Bandwagon, echoing Prometheum XI, but in the end, I forgot. Still, the song brought back memories of that concert, and I still remember the music then.

The encore was a new thing, but it was nicely played. Interestingly we wanted to throw a flower on stage, but Jeremy missed. In the end, after the concert, Chester went to give Mr Oura the flower, which I noticed him giving to Ms Jacq Sim afterward.

On the way down I had a chat with a rather strange group involving myself, Quan Hui, Mr Oura and the VCH stage manager. Following that, I went to talk with the band guys until their truck and bus came.

Musically, Prometheum XII was at least on par with Prometheum XI. Nothing spectacular, but quite entertaining and definitely worth the money. But I think more than that, this concert has been a success because RIMB has maintained the spirit we left it in Prometheum XI, across all the batches. From what Jerald tells me, there weren't really many attitude problems, and despite daily practices even on public holidays, the morale was high. This was also evident in the fast moving of instruments before and after the concert, although to be fair, all the alumni pitched in after the concert as well, from Quanhui to David's batch.

I realise that despite my best efforts to move on with my life in RJ, in my heart, I haven't left RIMB. As my life in RSB becomes progressively screwed up and less satisfying, I yearn more and more for RIMB. Sure, RIMB may not be of a high standard, not getting gold with honours or putting on a musically perfect concert. But what does this matter? I've never held with results, only the effort put in and the satisfaction of the members knowing they've done their best. All this is evident in RIMB, but not in the band I'm currently in. The band I'm in now is too results oriented and too cliquey. The message it sends its members is that the effort put in is second to the results, something I've never held with. The result is that we are a divided band, and that arrogance and a winner-takes-all superiority complex is bred. When a person practices a solo daily for 4 months only to have it taken by someone who doesn't even come for practices half the time, it's evident that the place is not a conducive one.

The main reasons I loved band in RIMB are simply not present in RSB. RIMB had, and still has, teachers-in-charge who are committed to the welfare of the band and its members, instead of threatening the band members and acting against the interests of the band. RIMB had, and still has, the best band major and deputy band major combination I have ever seen. Jerald and Samuel together have done a lot more than any top 2 I've seen so far, and I believe that Prometheum XII would not have been the success it was without them. RIMB had, and still has, a good executive committee who are passionate about serving the band. RIMB has, and still has, a close-knit batch of sec 4s, more so than we were, who are musical powerhouses and strong batch potential. Most importantly, RIMB will always have that sense of belonging and of appreciation, the sense that no matter how good you are, the band appreciates you and values you for your effort and your love for it.

The thing that I will remember the most about Thursday night was after the concert. Just before leaving, Jerald came up to me and hugged me, thanking me for coming and for all the help. Bryan, the good sax-lww SL, also expressed much appreciation and welcome, more than I deserve. Not just in VCH on Thursday, but all the time. Whenever I walk into the band room after RI prac or during extra practices, I'm always welcomed with a smile and open arms by people like Jerald, Bryan, Samuel, Lucas, David and so on. My section too, always greets me warmly. Even having graduated from RIMB for two years, I'm still made to feel at home, by great people such as them. In RSB, I'm made to feel alienated, in an environment that makes a prison feel warm and cozy, where everyone is as united as an asteroid belt on the senior side, and a planet, united, but with several moons of isolated people on the junior side. My own section's dynamics are screwed up, with a fragmented upper and a lower side with obvious alienation of someone. When I talked about this with Jeremy and Paul, I had two reactions. Jeremy asked why we (the band) should care about all this, while Paul told me that I shouldn't say bad stuff about RSB so close to the end. If Jeremy, and the band, feel that way, then isn't that the problem. No one cares about anything except results and testimonials. Paul may be right, but if that's the way I feel, what else can I say? I'm not going to cover it up and say that RSB is the best band in the world, because it's not. That honour goes to my true home, RIMB.

I miss Prometheum XI.
I miss my batch.
I miss the Sec 2s, Sec 4s now and looking to trump my batch in everything from music to spirit.
I miss moving percs and loading them RI style.
I miss the gold buttoned uniform and the green/black/white tie of the uniform.
I miss the warmth and the feeling of family.
I miss the band cheer.

I miss RIMB. Thank you for teaching me how a band should really be like.

Wall-E