FFI

Today I went to collect my A level cert, and in the process, did some crashing/raiding/advertising on behalf of Rwinds. I always love visiting RJ and RI, and seeing Mr Oura today was nice. Quite good response from the RI Sec 4s, let's hope they show up and make Rwinds the best it can be for the RI concert and for Coda V.

I don't know quite how to describe the feeling of being around the RJ juniors, especially the J1s. On the one hand a little awkward since I'm not really in their batches, or for that matter in the band. On the other hand, it's a good feeling to be around them, since they're so welcoming and so energetic that it feels almost like being back there.

I guess when you're feeling stressed or down, sometimes solace and help can be found in the most unexpected places. In my case I've found it in my juniors, particularly one of them, who've been really a great help recently, providing either free entertainment (eg Samuel and Ryan) or more importantly, a listening ear for some troubles I've been having, and if you're reading this, thanks, I have no idea how I'm gonna repay you.

If only I could drop by Bishan more on the way from Murai to Siglap...

A Tempo XIX + 1

One year on since what I believe has to be the biggest concert of my life. I'm sad to say however, that it was not what it could have been for me as compared to concerts such as Prometheum XI and Coda IV. Why this is the case, though, shall for now remain in Japanese somewhere below. Despite this it was a good concert, and one that I enjoyed playing in, as it was both technically good and musically entertaining and engaging, and I think the audience loved it too. We had a mix of the emotional (Saga Maligna), majestic (Monument), classical (St Anthony), romantic (Romanza), marches, pop, and of course, Titanic Medley. What did others think of it?

"It's a feeling hard to describe. If you take RJCSB, remove all the girls and the newcomers, and slot our Sec 4 batch in, we'd have RIMB '06. And surely, no one will be able to forget aobut the times we had, the songs we sang together?

RIMB '06 occupies a special, inerasable part of my heart.

Of course, A Tempo was filled with many solos, especially by Jeremy, Chester, and Matthew. However their standard was humbling. It definitely made our band, especially us Sec 4s, the graduating batch of this year, think. It was a clear reminder that there is so much more we can achieve, so much more that we can do. "-わたし

"IT WAS SO DAMN PRO!

True, there was no ultra-flashy stuff like that which we had at Prometheum XII


But musically speaking, everything was brilliant. There may not be such a thing as a perfect performance, but this is was as close to it as you could get. Tuning, tone, rhythm, technicality, everything was very, very PRO." ショ-ティ アン

"a tempo xix it was a really cool concert, after all it's by our seniors ^^. it was technically impressive but that didn't mean it wasn't entertaining, it was totally totally worth the buck." - アラスタ

"it has been a honor" -ベン

"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." ショ-ティ アン

"Don't worry, all our mistakes will be recorded in HD (high-definition)" ジャラル ド

Circle Line Viewing

После длиннего дня работы…

Я желаю что было кто-нибудь которое смогло научить мне как помочь им от становления как мы были назад вовремя. К им оно значит много, и я могу увидеть то. К мне также, I' ve всегда чувствовал близко к им. Я надеюсь оно doesn' t приходит пройти что они последуют за нашим руководством… Я даже делая правильную вещь?

100th Anniversary

This is the 100th post on my blog! All the way from Sec 4 till now, although I haven't been updating it all too regularly. It's captured a few scenes of my life, but mostly, my concerts as well as those significant ones I've watched, and I think those have been the key posts in my blog, covering:

myRIad - 28th May 2006
Prometheum XI - 21st July 2006
Coda II - 28th December 2006
A Tempo XVIII - 9th/10th March 2007
Singapore Youth Festival - 11th May 2007
Con Brio - 6th July 2007
Junior College Band Festival - 16th December 2007
Coda III - 26th December 2007
Prometheum XII - 15th May 2008
A Tempo XIX - 26th May 2008
The whole Japan trip, represented by concert day 9th-16th June 2008, concert on the 14th
Singapore International Band Festival 2008 - 24th July 2008
Coda IV - 30th December 2008
Coda V - 30th December 2009

More such posts will come as more milestones are hit I guess. Thanks to my blog for recording the significant events in my life.

5 years ago..

My first performance on stage at Victoria Concert Hall, now the site of many fond memories of Prometheums and Codas past. My first major concert as part of my band life, my first Prometheum. It's been a long time, and I've come far, but I haven't forgotten what it was like to be on that stage for the first time.

And an update to my earlier post

I' ve는 지금 막 나의 심혼에 귀중한 누군가와 가진 대화가 있고, 나는 그를 위해 걱정되고 그가 안으로 믿는 무슨을을 위해. 나는 그 he'를 희망한다; 도로 I'의 아래 저를 따르기 위하여 가지 않는 s; 가지고 가는 ve, 때문에 it' s 아주 즐거운 것 아닙니다. 나는 나가 2007 aren'에서 그 당시에는 직면한 문제 희망한다; 나가 더 이른 포스트에서 언급했다시피, 재포장하기 위하여 가는 t는 거기 I' 몇몇 것이다; d 오히려 잃지 않기 위하여, 그리고 이것은 그들중 하나이다. 특히 나는 나가 할 수 있는 것처럼 나가 좋다는 것을 친구 희망한다, 그리고 아무것이, 필요의 그의 시간에서 그를 지원하는 경우에, 그리고 그 문제에 관해서는 이 대본에서 포함되는 누군가. 나는 또한 아무도가 그것을 이해할 수 있을 때문에 Babelfish가 이것을 이렇게 잘 위로 난도질한ㄴ다는 것을 희망한다.

Raffles Bands

And so, RJCSB has gotten a decent gold for SYF. It's not the gold with honours they deserved, considering the amount of effort the band put in, but I think they played really well. It's true that it may have been a little better, but I think that from the recording, you can tell it's top class. If you can't, perhaps this should be good enough for you.

takehiro says: anyway, you guys moust be proud of your performance of today
takehiro says: to tell people of the world singapore school band is able to play Ravel's music so well
takehiro says: matured manners, musicality,
takehiro says: it is different level of the gold you got that the gold acjc got (I can only compare with acjc, cos only listened to them today)
takehiro says: (11:26:22 PM)i was happy and enjoyed the time spend time with you last 3weeks
takehiro says: (11:27:04 PM)every practice improved

On another note, there are some other things I'd like to talk about, but since they may be sensitive, they have been translated in a very inaccurate manner, so if you want the original, ask me.

私はthere'を実現する; まれのs時I' 私の過去、バンドとラッフルの学校の私の生命について考えないmように 全体。 このisn' 必ずしもt悪い事、しかしit' やや消費しているようになり始めるs。 私は量をの仮定する フリータイム私は128 hasn'で持っている; 助けられるtしかしそれはある興味深い反射をもたらした。 主に、I' 現在のJ1バッチを長い間見ているveおよびI don' tは十分になぜ理解する。 多分it' s 私のバッチがだったかもしれないならないまたは多分it'もの私がそれらで見るので; 先輩としてsのでの 2年、I' それらが秒1の始めから今まで育ち、私が助けたことを望むのを見られるve この成長。 私はこれが私達の下に私達のバッチおよびバッチの1つの達成、育てるために彼らのバッチをであることを仮定する それがであるものに、しかし私達can' それのためのtの取得信用。 彼らのバッチを構成する人々は特別な何かがある それは示す。 実用的な標準はRIMBでしばらく見られないレベルしかしit'にある; sちょうどそれ。 RJでは、私のバッチはよく、すべてだったが、私が家に呼ぶことができる私は少なくとも少数を知っていることそれは決して実際に場所ではなかったし 私のバッチ分け前の他感情。 実際に人々としてバッチでき事のように、感じられたバッチ夕食は決して通常なかった 、私に出場できなくされて、私は決して私がバッチに実際に属したことを感じなかったし。 但し、J1sと、I' 多くを感じるために作られるm 歓迎および私の自身のバッチより誘われて。 例えば" Nahはのこれあなたのhome"である; または引用されるこの効果への何か ベン著私がバッチ夕食を衝突するために謝った場合の。 It' sの小さい事は挨拶のようなこれを、との好む 私が最後の水曜日そして話すことバレーゼに私のすばらしい後輩に入ったときに完全にのあたりで、Jerald、ベン、デイヴィッドは微笑する、 サミュエル、Alastair等It' s私が私に少しを悲しくそのI'余りにさせる、私の自身のバッチと決して実際に感じなかったちょうど何か; mない それらの友情を造るバッチおよび機会で限られていなさいありなさい。 私のjuniors'を読むこと; ブログは私によってが行った同じ旅行によってまたかなり興味深く、基本的にそれらを行く見る 私の6年中の自分自身を通して、ちょっと第3人の見通し。 当然it' s完全に同じ、しかしI ある平行を見ることができる。 但し、私はそれらが大いによくすること確信しているより私持っている感じる。

Ok the above post is a demonstration of why an air force signaller has too much time on his hands. Shall not elaborate too much more. Looking forward to A Tempo XX, the big 20.

SYF 2009

Well for the secondary schools, SYF is over, and I must say that the results have been nothing less than shocking. Having said that though, I'm proud of the juniors of RIMB for the way they've handled all this. I must say that our batch would probably never have come out of such a setback as well as they have.

"we are a band of brothers. not a silver band. nor even just a gold band (which we deserve, some might argue), but a band made up of brothers. thats not a colour of a medal you can get, can you?"- RIMB

Out of Tekong

As I type this post, I am sitting on the second floor of the world's largest passenger airliner, the Airbus A380-800, at around FL400 above the city of Berlin. I have recently passed out of BMT, and am now on my way to New York via London. So far the flight has been excellent, as is expected of Singapore Airlines, and it is rather sad that there's only an hour or so of the flight left. I will report on the trip later, but for now, reflections on some recent events.

The A level results have been released, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had done well. So far it seems that almost everyone is satisfied with their grades, at least the people that I know. To those that are, congrats and keep it up. To those who aren't, don't worry, the A levels aren't everything. Don't lose hope and things will turn out for the best.

BMT for me was a short one, being PES C, but I found it enjoyable, the only real problem I had was the lack of contact with my home and the real world. I'm not sure how much I'm at liberty to describe, so I shall use some of the more memorable quotes from BMT instead.

"You want me to send you all home and watch TV is it? I can order KFC for you also!" - Medic

"Sucks to be you" - 3SG Joseph

"What the f***" - 2LT Shane

"If you all don't march properly i'll make you sing the Star Wars song (Imperial March) and march" - 2SG Nurudin

"Nice!" - 2LT Ajay

"Ming bai ma?" - 2LT Ben

"You all are trying to make my blood boil is it?" - 3SG Ismail

"Do you realise that your targets are a little bigger" - 2LT Shane

"You deserve a megamac!" - 2LT Shane

"Should we give them the small one, the medium one, the big one, or shall we give them the whole family?" - 2LT Ajay

I guess in all, BMT was enriching and fun. HG and BTP were definitely the highlights for me, although I'm disappointed that I couldn't do much for field camp.

I suppose I shall continue later with reports from my trip to the US and UK, and I do look forward to seeing my friends again when I return.

Another quiz from Jinjun

Rules: Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real...nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name: Aaron
2. A four Letter Word: Aims
3. A boy's Name: Andy
4. A girl's Name: Angelina
5. An occupation: Aviation Operations Specialist (AOS)
6. A color: Amber
7. Something you'll wear: A T-shirt (cheating haha but the only item of clothing I can think of is an anorak and I usually do not wear that)
8. A food: Angus steak
9. Something found in the bathroom: A mirror (ok now I really can't think of anything)
10. A place: Asia
11. A reason for being late: Accident
12. Something you'd shout: argh
13. A movie title: And The Band Played On
14. Something you drink: Apple juice
15. A musical group: Anderson Military Band
16. An animal: Aardvark
17. A street name: Avenue Q (it doesn't have to be a real street does it)
18. A type of car: Aston Martin DB9/DBS/Vantage/Vanquish etc
19. The title of a song: And Then The Ocean Glows
20. A verb: Aim

Conscript reporting

Well this is it. The moment no one's been waiting for, but one that we all must face. In about 11 hours time I will cease to be a civillian and be enlisted into the Singapore Armed Forces as a recruit. I cannot honestly say that I am looking forward to BMT, frankly, especially considering I'm going to know no one in my platoon (almost sure of the fact due to PES status).

I suppose I should try to look on the bright side. The long confinement is going to be a killer at 18 days, but once that's over, that's 50% of my BMT done. I guess PES C BMT, while not a holiday camp, won't be as tough as the poor enhanced guys who've been sharing horror stories. And I hope I can meet some good people, maybe forge some new bonds.

I kind of wish I had people who actually cared I'm going in tomorrow still around, but I guess most of them are already enjoying Disneyland Tekong. Oh well, I suppose all I can do is do my best to survive and hopefully come out of BMT a better person.

There is one old slogan I think I'll carry around with me for motivation

We Should, We Must, We Can, We Will (+ common sense - Mr Oura)

Yet another Jinjun quiz

1. How many months are there until your birthday?
-2

2. Have you gotten gum stuck in your hair?
Nope

3.When was the last time you got straight A’s?
PSLE, I think that's the last time most people got them

4. Where is your sister/brother right now?
At church

5. Is your handwriting large, tiny, or pretty normal?
Pretty average

6. Are you currently listening to a song?
Well I was listening to Takarajima from Jinjun's blog 30 seconds ago

7. Do you have a cell phone?
Duh?

8. Do you own any kind of yellow clothing?
My favourite World Cup 2006 shirt

9. What do you hate about the opposite sex?
The sheer difficulty of reading them and keeping them happy

10. How many piercings do you have?
None

11. What time is it?
0920z

12.What color are your eyes?
Black

13. How are you today?
Bored, a little depressed and counting the days down to POC

14. How long does it take you to shower?
Quite fast, I'm not like some people who sing the whole day there

15. Do you wear your seatbelt in the car?
Yes, I think not wearing the seatbelt when my mother drives is just suicidal.

16. What jewelery do you wear all the time?
Not a bit

17. What would you say if your doc. told you were pregnant?
Then I would question the doctor's medical abilities as well as his common sense.

18.Do you believe in aliens?
I don't really believe we'll find any, but it's plausible

19. Any siblings?
One

20. What are you doing tomorrow?
Absolutely nothing

21. Tell me a story about a scar you have.
I don't appear to have any

22. What color are your socks?
Mostly white

23. How long is your hair?
Too long

24. What school do you go to?
Basic Military Training Center School 2 (In a few days time)

25. What are you allergic to?
Airbus A320s

26. Can others make you cry easily?
Yes, especially one Mr Yagisawa.

27. Whos house did you last go to?
Jinjun

28. Where did you get the shirt you are wearing?
From some random place

29. Who is your best friend?
Hmm it's hard to say really, but scroll down one entry and you should find the most likely answer.

30. Do you know what you are going to wear tomorrow?
I'll just take whatever's on top

37. What are your favorite color(s)?
Green, gold

38. Do you know anyone who lives in another state?
In passing

39. Are you easily confused?
This question is confusing

40. Who have you talked on phone today?
Paul!!!

41. How has the past week been?
EXTREMELY BORING

42. Do you like anyone at the moment?
Quite a few people?

43.What made you happy today?
My com's back in action

44.Do you like thunderstorms?
Unless I'm caught in them, yeah

45. Do you watch Hannah Montana?
Please no

46. When’s the last time you cried?
Just

48. What’s the weather like right now?
Too hot! It's 24 degrees celsius! Sigh I miss HK's and Egypt's weather.

2008 in review

I still remember clearly how the year started... sitting on the Padang watching fireworks with Paul, Jinjun, Shuotian, Chester, Calvin and others.

At the time, I was reflecting back on the way that 2006 ended (badly), and how it foreshadowed 2007, which wasn't that great a year. I thought to myself that perhaps, since the way 2007 was ending was way better, 2008 should prove to be a good year too. Was it? Let's see.

Academically, of course, we had the big one. The A levels came and went. I think I improved since last year, and hopefully I did well. Some moments in class were really priceless, and of course, the numerous mugging sessions at the Esplanade and the airport will be remembered.

However, I think academics were a minor part of my year. So many things have happened, and I shall attempt to broadly categorise them into a few areas.

Travel wise, this year was a bumper year for me, visiting Japan, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, UAE, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. It is good that I've gotten so many opportunities to visit different countries, experience their cultures and scenery and in the case of Japan, meet new people and exchange ideas. As an aviation enthusiast, the number of aircraft, airports and airlines has been staggering and I'm really thankful for these experiences. Some of them (Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines) have been wonderful, others (Cathay Pacific) less so. Still, it's not every year one gets to fly 3 new types.

Musically, this year for me has shown great improvements in my personal standard. January saw some minor events here and there, while March had Play 08, which was a light and refreshing event. May saw A Tempo XIX, the highlight of the year in RJCSB. However, I must say that while it was a great concert, for me, I found it slightly lacking in terms of emotion and feelings on my part, which I can't really explain much. In June, RIMB went to Japan, ending a 3 year long wait. I really enjoyed that trip, and I hope, however unlikely, that I can experience something similar in future. July saw SIBF, a less than ideal finish to my band life under Mr Oura, who I dearly miss, but also saw the start of Rwinds practices. As a committee member for Rwinds, I found myself more heavily involved in Coda IV compared to previous Codas. Of course, this meant more work, sometimes more than I could handle. Despite this, our efforts paid off in what may well be the best concert of my life to me. In Coda IV I found a passion for music I had lost in A Tempo, and for the first time I found myself really tearing on stage. The band played well, not technically as well as A Tempo or JCBF, but with emotion and fervour I've rarely seen.

Of course, the most important developments are in friendship. There are a few people who I have to acknowledge, and in alphabetical order (except for the most important) they are (apologies if I offend anyone, but I bet no one reads this anyway):

Ben - I regret not getting to know him in RIMB, because he's been a great friend so far, offering invaluable advice from a different perspective. It was great to play with him, and the rest of his batch, in Coda and I hope I continue to have that privilege

Bertrand - I haven't been able to see him much this year, inevitable I suppose given our difference in batch. Still, we remain good friends, and comrades in our love for aviation. I look forward to flying more with him in the future.

Calvin - Been seeing a lot more of him the past year, and we've grown closer. I think I may sometimes overlook him, but recently he's been a very good friend, always being there when I needed someone. I still distinctly remember coming out of arrivals after an extremely distressing flight from Dubai and seeing him there, then just running over and hugging him tight. I must thank him for all he's done for me.

Jerald - He's been another great junior and friend to me so far, and I commend him on his exemplary leadership of the RIMB this year. I suppose I have him to thank for the wonderful Japan trip and for a great job emceeing Coda too.

Jeremy - I guess in 2007 we sort of drifted apart, but I'm lucky to have re-forged our friendship this year. I guess when you've known each other for six years, such friendships die hard, and I hope it continues to improve.

Meiyi - One of the most important new relationships I've forged over this year, and we've spent some times together, both trying (during the A levels) and fun (Our trip to Hong Kong East Coast Park). I wish for our friendship to continue to grow.

Paul - Still the same bubbly guy as ever. I must admit that at times I found him a little insensitive perhaps, but I put that down to my own insecurity and a bit of selfishness I guess. He's been a great friend to me though, and I sincerely hope that continues.

Shuotian - How I wish we could have played together in Coda, but due to extenuating circumstances that was not possible. He's one of the few people I've had no doubts about, and one of the people I feel I can really depend upon.

Shuyi - I guess we've really drifted apart in the later half of the year, but the bond of friendship we shared in the first half is something I still cherish, and perhaps wish I still have.

To round off this whole post, there is someone special who I must thank greatly, because I don't think I could have survived the year without him. I started the year probably regarding him as an acquaintance of sorts, but now, I don't know what I'd do without him. He's followed me almost all the way, even as far as Hong Kong and KL. He's offered invaluable support during the hardest periods of the year, and was there to share all the happy moments too, not to mention teaching me a lot of stuff about music, photography and a whole lot of other things. I don't know how I'll ever repay him for what he's done. I hope, though it's not very likely, that we'll be able to share our journey through NS together, as well as other fun times in the future. I don't think I need to mention who this person is, because I'm sure he knows. If you're reading this, I don't know how I can express my feelings in a few words, but I'll try. Thanks, thanks for everything.

Yet another quiz

1. Made out for more than 3 minutes?
With my bari, yeah

2. Slept in a different bed?
Many many times

3. Loved someone so much that you couldn’t live another second without that person?
Nope
4. Made out with 2 different people in one night?
Not even 1

5. Thought your cousin was hot?
Not ever

6. Been in love?
747-400!

7. Slept past noon?
Rarely
8. Taken a shower with the opposite sex?
Nope

9. Gone over the speed limit?
as a passenger, too many times to count

10. Painted your room?
Nope

11. Drove a car?
Mainly the CDC Toyota Vios

12.Danced in front of your mirror?
No

13. Gotten a hickey?
Nope

14. Been dumped?
No

15. Stole money from a friend?
Never

16. Gotten in a car with people you just met?
Once or twice

17. Been in a fist fight?
Nope, saw one in a school in Japan though (teacher vs student)

18. Snuck out of your house?
Nope

19. Had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back?
No (wow my life is boring)

20. Been arrested?
No

21. Made out with a stranger?
No

22. Left your house without telling your parents?
No

23. Had a crush on your neighbour?
I don't even know them

24. Ditched school to do something more fun?
Nope

25. Slept in a bed with a member of the same or opposite sex?
Both

26. Seen someone die?
Nope, hopefully won't

27. Been on a plane?
If by plane you mean anything other than x, no, where x =: (in order of size)
Curtiss-Wright Travelair 4000
Cessna 182S
ATR 72-500
Embraer ERJ-190
McDonnell Douglas MD80
Airbus A319-112
Boeing 737-400
Boeing 737-800
Airbus A320-214
Airbus A320-232
Airbus A321-214
Boeing 757-200
Boeing 767-300ER
Airbus A330-300
Airbus A340-500
Airbus A340-600
Boeing 777-200ER
Boeing 777-300
Boeing 777-300ER
Boeing 747-100SR/SUD
Boeing 747-400
Airbus A380-800

28. Kissed a picture?
Nope

29. Slept in the opposite sex’s bed?
Erm?

30. Love someone or miss someone right now?
I miss a lot of people, but not in a romantic sense

31. Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by?
Never laid down, but did that before

32. Made a snow angel?
Nope

33. Played dress up?
A long long long time ago

34. Cheated while playing a game?
Many many times

35. Been lonely?
yeah, am right now actually

36. Fallen asleep at work/school?
A couple of times

37. Been to a club?
yeah

38. Felt an earthquake?
Nope

39. Touched a snake?
Couple of times

40. Ran a red light?
As a pedestrian, yeah

41. Been suspended from school?
Well my bag was once (literally), but no

42. Had detention?
Nope

43. Been in a car?
Sure

44. Hated the way you look?
Nope

45. Witnessed a crime?
Haha depends on the strict definition of crime

46. Been lost?
Sure

47. Been to the opposite side of the country?
This is Singapore...

48. Felt like dying from embarrassment?
yeah haha

49. Cried yourself to sleep?
Yeah.

50. Sang karaoke?
Nope

51. Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t do?
Yeah a few times

52. Laughed till some kind of beverage came out of your nose?
Yep

53. Caught a snowflake on your tongue?
Nah, but i've caught them in my hand

54. Kissed in the rain?
nope

55. Sung in the shower?
Nope... played instrument in shower maybe but not sang.

56. Had a dream that you married someone?
Nope

57. Played getting married?
Nope, played the wedding march before though

58. Got your tongue stuck to a flag pole?
No?

59. Ever gone to school partially nude?
Nope

60. Been to a blind date?
Never

61. Sat on a roof top?
Sure, why not

62. Ever not take a shower for a week?
Longest maybe 3 days?

63. Ever been too scared to watch scary movies alone?
Maybe when I was a kid

64. Played chicken?
Nope

65. Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on?
Nope

66. Been told you’re hot by a complete stranger?
No...

67. Broken a bone?
Never

68. Been easily amused?
Yeah

69. Laugh so hard you cry?
Haha it's a good feeling

70. Cheated on a test?
Not intentionally

71. Forgotten someone’s name?
Nope

72. Blacked out from drinking?
Never

73. Played a prank on someone?
Couple of times

74. Gone to a late night movie?
Do DVDs at home count?

75. Made love to anything not human?
No, unless you consider the regular kissing I do with my bari sax.

76. Failed a class?
Chinese! haha and Japanese too.

77. Choked on something you’re not supposed to eat?
Nope

78. Played an instrument for more than 10 hours?
Strict definition no, but I've had practices more than that.

79. Cheated on a girlfriend/boyfriend?
Nope

80. Did you celebrate the 4th of July?
Somewhat, I usually listen to the Stars and Stripes Forever.

81. Thrown strange objects?
Going to soon... maybe, I dunno if PES C ppl get to throw handgrenades.

82. Felt like someone else?
No?

83. Thought about running away?
That time when Shuhui wanted to propose to me, I was one click away from booking a flight to New York

84. Ran away?
One click away man

85. Had detention and not attend it?
Never had detention

86. Made parents cry?
Nope

87. Cried over someone?
Not really

88. Owned more than 5 sharpies?
i'm not B major u know -.-

89. Dated someone more than once?
Nope

90. Have a dog?
Not by the strictest definition

91. Own an instrument?
Yeah, a Yamaha alto sax

92. Been in a band?
RIMB, RJCSB, Rwinds, JCBF 2007 Honour Band

93. Drank 25 sodas in a day?
nope

94. Broken a cd?
haha many times

95. Shot a gun?
Tekong Disneyland here we come!

96. Been on IM for more than 5 hours?
Way longer than that

97. Fell asleep at the computer?
Once

98. Have a major crush on someone right now?
Nope

99. Have a religion?
Roman Catholic

100. Thought about what people would say at your funeral?
Yeah

101. Loved someone but didn’t dare to tell that person?
Nope

102. Slapped someone in the face?
Nah

103. Swam in the sea?
Yeah

104. Made out in a movie theatre?
No.. I'd be watching the movie

Coda 4!

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life!

Wanted to go down to RI to set up, as usual, but this time I went straight to VCH (after lunch and stuff at Raffles City), due to my video camera. I went over at 1, but had to wait a while with Jerald, Hillary and David for the hall to open up. Once it did, I went over, set up the camera stuff and waited for rehearsal to start.

Not much happened during rehearsals, although the ensemble rehearsals (particularly for Canon in D) were exhausting. Also, the dinner, intelligently, contained chilli. I don't know why pre-concert dinner always contains the stuff that tends to affect wind players, but...

So at 7:15, the stage was set and we were all ready for the first piece, which was:

Firework! Yeah there's only one firework for some reason. I think this piece was a good concert opener, but we didn't do it very impressively. I think a bit more energy would be good, but still this piece was done decently.
Armenian Dances was next and I think we did it really well, despite its difficulty. The audience appear to have a good impression too. I started out this Rwinds cycle not really liking this piece, but it's grown on me. Rushed a little here and there, but overall this piece was one of the nicest in the concert.


Jinjun's Piece A French Portrait was composed by my dear friend above. Obviously however the picture is not representative of the piece, merely of the composer. It had a bit of a Vox Stellarum feel to it, and quite representative of the stars it describes. I think our premiere of the piece was also quite a good job, expressive and majestic.


Phantom of the Opera was one of the bigger pieces of the concert, and Yanlong's first. Overall this piece was a little messy here and there, but for the most part it sounded ok. Again, the band seemed to play this with much emotion and passion, which I'm sure the audience must have felt too.

Intermission for me was a short one because I had an ensemble coming up. Unlike Coda 3 a substantial number of people actually came looking for me, which I appreciated a lot.

Our saxophone ensemble went up on stage to perform the first of two pieces namely:




I think you can figure out the name of the song from the picture, so I'm not going to repeat it here. The hardest piece for me in the concert, also the most boring, repeating the same thing 10-20 times is not fun. Still, we did ok.



We next did Diamond State Rag, a rag based on the state of Delaware in the USA. Compared to the previous piece, this one was fast, lively and fun, and I liked it a lot.

After that we had the percussion ensemble, then the whole band gathered back on stage for:



ABBA Gold! Yeah way back from REACT ensuring that the tradition of my concerts always having a repeated piece continues. This was quite ok too, a good, fun song to play and it brought back memories of the good times of 2007.




Our next piece, arranged and conducted by Yan Long, was In the Mood, a very fun swing song that got me high. I've got the melody for the most part, and it was really enjoyable to play. Everyone was getting high so to cool down we had:

Queen's Park Melody, which was a really nice and relaxing piece. Very "band", as Mr Oura would say. The second half of the melody was really soothing and melodic, and I really like it.

After that, we had acknowledgements, including Ms Lim Lai Cheng, principal of "Raffles Institution". We also thanked the band teachers for "supporting the band in every way possible". Finally we came to our last piece which was:

The Seventh Night of July is a really great piece, telling the tale of two lovers separated by a galaxy who can meet but once a year. I fell in love with the piece almost as soon as I heard it, and as I mentioned earlier, my highest aspirations for the concert were pinned on this piece, especially this one part near the end which really gets my emotions going. I am proud to say that I was not disappointed, we did beautifully. It filled my heart with joy to hear the faster parts, and the slower parts were so melodious and beautiful I almost cried. The finale gave me an epic rush of emotion that I will probably never feel again. I know, technically we didn't play as well as, say, Kosei, but the emotions I felt there more than made up for it.





Our encore piece was Looney Tunes Overture, and judging from the video we were all happy while we played it, and feeling the happiness of the music and seeing the smiles on everyone's faces made the whole concert complete.

After the concert, because I was unable to obtain transport home from school due to car troubles, I left for dinner at a nearby Golden Arches and proceeded home.

Well, 6 months of hard work have paid off for me, and for the rest of the band. Ticket sales soared to a record high, and the hall was fuller than ever. The concert went off without a hitch and of course, the band and the conductors did marvellously. I must especially thank the committee, especially Amir, and the two conductors for all the work they've put in.

As to why I find this concert a particularly memorable one, I have to say that I felt more for this concert and the pieces than I have ever been able to feel since Prometheum XI. When I played for A Tempo XIX, it was great, but somehow I couldn't feel anything for the music, try as much as I did. I just played, that was all. For this concert, maybe it's because I invested more into it, I felt it was more of my concert, our concert. Whatever the reason, I could actually feel the music, put my all into it, enjoy the fast and happy songs and release as much passion and energy as I had in the beautiful melodies that made up this concert, especially in the 7th Night of July.

I'm going to miss RI's band room, the place I've been having pracs at least twice a month since 2003, and of course, the Varese room. Also my dear instrument, which has been a close friend of mine these two years. Hopefully I'll see them, as well as the great people that made up this Rwinds, again next year. Onward to Coda V!

Dal segno al coda

In 19 hours time, 6 months of hard preparations will culminate in Coda IV, my last performance of the year and my last at least until after BMT...

The journey here hasn't been easy, especially as a solo librarian... mention the words "Queen's Park Melody" or "The Seventh Night of July" and timpani in the same sentence and I will faint. Even so, it has been very rewarding.

I think Coda IV will be a very meaningful concert to me. It remains to be seen whether it will best A Tempo XIX, and I doubt it will hold more significance than Prometheum XI, but to me it clearly beats anything else. I think firstly it's because I'm a comm member and I've invested more in this concert than I normally do. Also, I feel more attached to the pieces we're playing, especially the one I'm listening to now. Finally, the people in the band are great, and they've really made Rwinds a great place to be.

Today was the last practice I'll have in the RI band room for a long long time... After having at least 2 pracs there each month since February 2003, it's hard to let go of it, or of my instrument. But nevertheless, my mind is now focused on delivering music tomorrow, and so I shall.

The Seventh Night of July... personally I've pinned my highest hopes on this piece, because I really like it. Of course, not forgetting the others. Tomorrow will be the day. (Or actually today by now)

Meiyi's Quiz

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

- I performed overseas in a band, and did a major national examination

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't make New Year's resolutions

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

- Nope!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

- Not really, no

5. What countries did you visit? (official names)

Republic of Singapore (obviously)

Malaysia

Kingdom of Thailand

People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)

United Arab Emirates

Arab Republic of Egypt

State of Israel

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Kingdom of Bahrain

Empire of the Rising Sun Japan

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

A 747 flight!

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory?

- 26th May, 9-16th June, 24th July, 20th November, 20th November-4th December, 13th December - 19th December, 21st December, 30th December.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

- Completing A levels and performing well for A Tempo XIX (hope Coda IV comes up here too)

9. What was your biggest failure?

- Hard to say... I don't really consider anything this year a big failure

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

- Well I suffered from severe illness and fatigue, being sick and tired of the A levels.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

- The Concorde for FS9, which is beautiful

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

- Loads of people.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

- Cathay Pacific

14. Where did most of your money go?

- Excellent question, I'm dying to know myself

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

- A Tempo XIX, Japan trip, Middle East trip, Hong Kong trip, LOTR symphonies in Singapore and KL and Coda IV

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2008?

- Quite a few... whenever I listen to my concert recordings for one.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

happier or sadder? happier
thinner or fatter? around the same
richer or poorer? around the same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

- Fly

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

- Not fly

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

- Running around visiting families.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

- Different people at different stages of the year, I guess.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?

- Remained in love with the 747

23. How many one night stands in this last year?

- NONE

24. What was your favourite TV program?

- I don't watch TV

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

- Cathay Pacific

26. What was the best book(s) you read?

- The World According to Clarkson.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

- The LOTR Symphony

28. What did you want and get?

- The HK and Japan trips!!!

29. What did you want and not get?

- Flights on 747s and A380s

30. What were your favourite films of this year?

- Wall E!!! And Dark Knight.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

- 18, I was trying out my birthday present from SEAB, the A level Physics paper 2

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

- Hmm no one thing would have done that...

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

- I couldn't care less about fashion

34. What kept you sane?

- friends

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

- None of them

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

- US Presidential Elections 2008!

37. Who did you miss?

- Some people

38. Who was the best new person you met?

- Hmm I haven't really met many new people, but I have forged a few precious new friendships

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

- Hmm hard to say

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?

- It's a world of laughter, a world of tears
It's a world of hope and a world of fears

Back from Hong Kong East Coast Park

I shall write about the trip once I:
1. Get the photos off my laptop and
2. Actually finish the Japan blogging

However after coming back from my trip to Hong Kong East Coast Park, I realise that flying is really in my blood, and there are many places I want to see, such as:

Beijing - I think China is a really beautiful country at times, and I want to see stuff like the Great Wall. Beijing Capital International Airport should be quite interesting, especially with the new terminal.

Pyongyang - For the fun of being in North Korea. Also I heard the scenery in the rural areas is beautiful. The chance to see Air Koryo cannot be missed.

New Zealand - I'd love to see the places the LOTR movies were filmed, and once again the scenery in NZ is beautiful.

I realise I'm not that interested in Europe or Australia as much as I am in those places. Also there are some places I'd love to revisit.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong International Airport, enough said. Besides, the skyline is a wonder and Ocean Park and Disneyland are fun.

Japan - WAAH I WANT TO GO BACK HERE A LOT!!! Seriously I'm really in love with Japan. There's so much to see and do, and I've not done a lot. Want to go to Hokkaido and Kyushu, revisit Kyoto and Fukui and explore Tokyo in more detail. Also the ANA 787 is going to fly soon and I intend to be there.

United States of America - Everything in one country - epic scenery, fun theme parks and did I mention epic scenery? I can't get enough of the place either. Any state will do for me, but I prefer the western areas of Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada.

Of course, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home and I'm glad to be back in Singapore. Whenever I see those ships on the finals to runway 2L and 2C, or hear the "to all Singapore residents, a warm welcome home", I always get a lump in my throat. The pride I get from our airline, SIA, whenever I see her in foreign airport is also evident. I hope to fly her again soon.

Yet another quiz from Jinjun

1. What is your full name?
Aaron Brian Theseira Zhi Yong

2. Are you single?
yes

3. What is your favourite number[s]
37, 747, 747412 and 747812

4.What is/are your favourite colour?
hmm...green and gold is a good combi

5.Least favourite colour[s]
nothing really

6.What are you thinking now?
how am i going to get home!!! (my flight home is amman-bahrain-BANGKOK-singapore and all flights are cancelled)

7. Are you happy with your life right now?
pretty much

8.What are your favourite subjects in school?
physics!

9. Do you shop at malls?
nope

10.Where do you wish to be right now?
home, mostly

11. What should you be doing now?
I should be at my gate for the flight

12.Do you have any crush on anyone?
nope

13.When was the last time you bought a clothing item?
just a day ago in Aswan

14. What was the last thing you drank?
coffee

15. Do you hate liars? Do you hate backstabbers?
yeah

16. Can you make yourself sneeze?
not really

17.Do you fall for people easily?
nope

18. What does your last text msg read?
"WELCOME TO EGYPT!!! Etisalat offers the best...." etc

19. Are you too forgiving?
yes I am

20.How many windows are open on your computer?
only one, windows vista

21.Who was your last call from?
erm god knows, it was a week ago

22.What do you do with most of your time?
spend time with friends...

23.Will you & your ex get back again?
what ex?

24.Do you sleep with the TV on?
no

25. Which of your close friends live the closest?
hmm good question.. all of them live so far away

26.Which item could you not live during the day?
erm?

27. Would you share a drink with a stranger?
yeah why not

28.How was your weekend?
hmm... saturday i was cruising down the nile playing mahjong, sunday also, but I visited edfu temple, kom ombo temple and had a galabria party

29.Do you believe ex[s] can be friends?
yeah why not!

30. The last person you quarrelled with?
can't remember

31.The way to win your heart?
give me a private plane

32.What did you do last night?
was on a train from aswan to cairo

33. Do you have the same name as one of your relatives?
nope

34.Are you looking for a boyf/girlf?
nope

35.One song that is meaningful to you?
Titanic medley

36.Do you twirl or scoope you spaghetti?
twirl

37.Do you drink milk straight from the carton?
yeah

38.How long is your hair?
quite...

39.Do you like batman?
nope

40.Who was the last person who told you that they love you?
Jinjun!!! haha "love you loads abtzy <3" actually ="\">

60. Do you trust people?
yeah i'm horribly trusting ><

61. Who was the first person you talk to today?
the train attendant

62. Who was the first person who text you today?
so far none

63. what was the first thing you did today?
woke up to see egypt rushing by :)

A levels status report - Day 18

The runway was in sight, and the 777-200LR was almost home. Just a bit more to go...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Physics was a breeze, marking the end of the H2 papers. After that some destress in the form of re-enacting "How to eat sushi".

It's amazing how the best birthday present I got came from someone I least expected such a thing from. I still tear when I look at it