A myRIad of events

As I write this, I am currently cruising at around 40000 feet over the Malayan Peninsula, in a Thai Airways A330-321. Of course, by the time I post this, if I'm lucky, I'll be in Bangkok Don Muang International Airport (VTBD/BKK). If I'm slightly less lucky, I'll be posting from Zurich Kloten (LSZH). If I'm unlucky, I'll be posting from a hotel somewhere in Hamburg. Sounds like a fun time. However, I have my doubts, more so than anyone else. The concert today especially reinforced my love for the band, and how much I will miss her and her members.

Woke up at 6 or so in the morning, made final preparations for a long day. After picking up Eugene, headed for school. There followed the standard pre-concert procedure. Fall in, final checks and moving of instruments down to the atrium. Then, headed off for the Esplanade!

For most of us, myself included, this was our first time performing at the Esplanade. When we got there, we were dropped of, for some reason, at the mall side. We then had to walk over to the concert hall side and go backstage.

Now, if you've ever been to Victoria's backstage, you'll know that it is a crappy place. Hence, the Esplanade was awe inspiring. Where VCH's backstage consisted of a single corridor and a few dingy little dressing rooms, the Esplanade was a maze of studios, loading bays and lifts. The dressing rooms were large enough that we could actually comfortably (to some extent) fit 2 sections in 1 room, and each had its own toilet, which was bigger than some of VCH's dressing rooms.

Also, in VCH, the truck usually stopped at the ground floor, requiring us to carry the percs up a few flights of stairs to actually get to the stage. Not so with Esplanade. They had a nice convenient loading dock, arranged such that the deck of the truck would align with the loading platform, allowing us to simply wheel the heavies across and into a nice lift. Luxurious, isn't it.

Our rehearsal didn't go as well as we would have liked. For me, I wasn't up to my best because my reed was positively soaked. Still, we weren't overly daunted at first.

After lunch, myself, Bertrand and a small group of Sec 4s went to go look for a present for Mr Oura. We met Royce Lee and Aaron Tan there. Also, Michael came up with a "gangster walk", owing to our attire (we were all wearing partial band uniform except myself, wearing full band uniform) and the background music.

Concert started at 4:10. Some of us went to watch the RISE and a bit of RIGE on the plasma screen on the first floor. I later went to the dressing room to listen to the broadcast there.

Around 5:15, RIMB was called to the warm-up dock. At this stage, I was worried that some of the Sec 2s would be overly nervous, this being their first public performance, and in the Esplanade, no less. Even some of the more experienced hands were a little nervous at the prospect of performing in the large concert hall. However, spirits were high, and we walked onto that stage determined to shine.

What followed was 25 minutes of sheer beauty. Right from the first note in Carmen, I could tell we were off to a good start. We played the song very well, our best yet. Jeremy's solo was enticing and seductive, Jia Wei's had the right degree of style. Us in the lower woodwinds did not disappoint ourselves with our soli, and the percussion solo was good too. The finale was, although a little messy, very rousing and entertaining.

Stirred by the good performance in Carmen, we went on to Ragtime. Eugene's solo was a little too soft, but it was ok. We then launched into the tune of Ragtime, giving it our best. Following that, we entered bar 37, and Buffalo Nickel Photoplay, Inc., my favourite song of the lot. I could just hear the lyrics in my head as we played that one. Sarah Brown Eyes had Winston pulling off a very smooth, jazzy solo, with the rest of the band, Mr Oura and some of the audience snapping to the beat. Wheels of a Dream was beautiful too. Although the introduction could have been better, Jeremy's solo was good. Trombones and brasses did not disappoint either, and we really played our hearts out for the ending.

Then, the most interesting, enjoyable and moving part of the evening. The string ensemble, guitar ensemble, Chinese orchestra, choir and Handicapped Welfare Association members joined us on stage for It's A Small World. Opening with a slow solo by an erhu, the song then progressed to a Chinese percusssion solo, which, while interesting, had nothing much to do with the song.

The orchestra then started off with full force, opening with a fanfare, then gradually fading to let the choir take the spotlight. Normally, I would be cursing the living daylights out of this song, as it causes great pain to my fingers, without any rests other than a short 8 bar segment, and normally, I wouldn't put in as much effort as I would for the other songs. However, on that stage, I couldn't care less what happened, I simply played my heart out. Can't say much for the other band members, but I can see that Mr Oura really enjoyed it. You just have to look at the spirited way he was conducting the orchestra, even turning to face the audience while conducting, as if to conduct them and encourage them to join in, and you can see how much he enjoyed it. At the majestic conclusion to the song, he seemed to be very moved. He wasn't the only one. By the start of the finale, I was already giving my all to that song, and during the crescendo to the end, I really put in my all, and could hear the rest of the orchestra in triumphant harmony. The audience started clapping even before we ended that note. As we stood up on stage, facing thunderous applause, I truly felt proud to be a member of the band.

Overall, I wouldn't say this was the best performance we had put up, and there are places to improve on, particularly balance. However, for a first time performance, it was quite good. The Sec 2s especially did well, considering that it was their first time.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. I stayed to help load up the lorry. At that point, since Chester and Zi Guang were leaving on the lorry, it would be my last chance to see them until after I returned from Europe, and we exchanged emotional farewells. I also said goodbye to Bernard there, although we would both be walking back to the main entrance together.

Once we reached the entrance, our section attempted to take a photo together, but failed miserably. At that point, as well as on the way down, many people wished me a pleasant flight, and I appreciated that. I said my final goodbyes to Jeremy, Joel, Jiawei and Bertrand, then watched and, at some point, saluted as the bus drove off. I then headed off to Changi Airport, where I was pleasantly surprised to find a Star Alliance logojet of Thai Airways at my gate. That, though, is a different story.

So, once again, today, I am reminded of how important my friends are to me. Now, I apologise if what comes next sounds a bit emo, and would be more appropriate for something like investiture, but, after all, there are only 3 months left, and I do want to express myself. To the members of the Raffles Institution Military Band, I would congratulate you on a job well done today. We performed well, brought the house down, and gave ourselves confidence for the coming challenges. To the saxophone/lower woodwind section, good job today, and may we continue to excel. And especially to my closest friends, Jeremy Wong, Chester Gan, Bernard Toh and especially Eng Zi Guang and Bertrand Na, thank you for everything. You supported me when I was down, shared in many fun and joyous moments with me and most importantly, was there for me always (well, almost always anyway). Though you may not realise it, you guys are the most important people in my life, and I sincerely thank you all for that.

Well, hope to see you all in three weeks.

Camp, Concert and Flights

Writing this on the morning of what could well be the longest day of my life. But first, to the past.

The GE camp was recently concluded. Better than I expected, I must say. Day 1 consisted of many lectures, although we did get dismissed a lot earlier than previously announced.

Day 2 was cycling at Pulau Ubin. That was interesting. Learned lots of stuff regarding biology and geog, about things like prawn farming and nature conservation. Also learned lots of stuff on other unrelated things, like how not to drink coke that has frozen into large chunks. Now, call me crazy, but for me, the highlight of the day was watching a "Japan Airlines Old Colours" 747-400 glide into Changi Airport, then checking it up later and finding out that it was actually V8-ALI, a VIP jet from Brunei. The afternoon was boring though.

Day 3 found us walking around Sungei Buloh, admiring the wildlife such as monitor lizards, various mangrove plants and large groups of primary school children. Seriously, those kids were acting like, as Yuankang eloquently put it, "a bunch of under-evolved primates". In the afternoon, we attended a dinosaur exhibit at the science center. I used to be quite interested in that sort of thing, so I found the exhibit quite enjoyable.

Day 4. Presentations in the morning were boring. However, the afternoon was, well, fun. Inter-class bowling. Originally, I decided not to enter the competition round. However, I found that my bowling score, as well as Bernard's, were actually rather good. So I subbed Chester, and eventually ended up a team captain. Although we didn't win, the game was certainly interesting. The lane we ended up in was... screwed to say the least. For instance, Kean Yung, directly before me, had hit down some pins. The bar came down, but one pin was left outside. That pin rolled into the gutter. Then I took a shot. I was disappointed to see it roll towards the gutter. As expected, it entered the gutter. However, what I, as well as everyone else, did not expect was that the ball bounced off that pin and back into the lane, hitting down 8 pins! Had a nice dinner with the class after that though.

Today's combined rehearsal actually sounded alright. Tomorrow will be a long day. Report to school at 7am, then move to Esplanade. Rehearse, lunch, then the performance until 6. Following which, I will rush to Changi Airport for a flight on a Thai Airways A330-321 to Bangkok, then an A340-642 to Zurich. WSSS-VTBD-LSZH, total time is estimated to be about 15 hours. This should be interesting.

Ah well, may the band play well for myRIad. I have high hopes for us, especially the saxophone/lower woodwind section. We've come this far, we sound good, let's bring that to the stage.

CT/Overall results.

Referring to my predictions of earlier

English - 3.6 (Yay)
SS - 3.6 (Yay, this was unexpected)
History - 4.0 (WTF!!! Highest marks in the lineup. Unexpected!)
Maths - 3.6 (Ok, I guess)
Chem - 3.6 (WTF. Argh, what happened here?)
Physics - 4.0 (Barely. Must remember to use SF next time)
Biology - 3.6 (WTF. See Chem)
Chinese - 1.6 (As expected, royally screwed to high heaven)

And overall:

English - 3.6 (Yay)
SS - 3.6 (Unexpectedly high)
History - 4.0 (Unexpectedly higher than unexpectedly high)
Maths - 3.6 (Expected)
Chem - 3.6 (Argh)
Physics - 4.0 (Beat Bernard!!!)
Bio - 3.2 (1 more mark!!!)
Chinese - 2.4 (GG)

Overally:
3.51!
And without Chinese:
3.65!!

I have to say I did better this semester than last, but what happened to my Chem? Must regain my title. Also, CHINESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Died like crazy there. Must do something about that.

CTs

Well, CTs are finally over. Here are my predictions

English - Alright, maybe 3.2
SS - Hopefully 3.2-3.6
History - 3.2-3.6
Maths - 3.6-4.0
Chemistry - 4.0
Physics - 4.0
Biology - 4.0
Chinese - Screwed

Of Airports and Naval Bases

Monday was a rather usual, boring day. Bernard, Chester and myself did manage to start on our RE experiment with moderate success. After that, went for NSW, then band. After band, it started raining heavily, but I had no choice except to go home on a half-flooded 55 bus. At night, went to Changi with my mother, who's seeing her former boss off. I am really impressed with Changi, especially with the view at night from what's left of the terminal 1 gallery. If only they hadn't shut down the other half of the gallery, I might have gotten more registrations. As it is, I only got a China Eastern A300-602R, B-2319, although a British Airways 747-436, various Qantas and China Airlines planes and a Finnair MD-11 were visible.

Tuesday was again boring, went for band, and again it started raining heavily after I left.

Today was Learning Journey day. Went to school, played cards a bit with Aaron Tan, Lin Xiang and Chester. Then went to assemble and boarded the bus for Tuas.

At Tuas, we attended a moderately interesting talk, then went for a tea break. Following that, we got to go on board the ships. Surprisingly, even though the wharf was less than 200m away walking distance we had to take a bus there. 4R was assigned ship 84, the Fearless class patrol ship, RSS Sovereignty. Surprisingly, she was captained by a woman. A rare sight, but getting increasingly more common. We toured the ship, viewing the various weapons systems, as well as the bridge. Following that, we went back to school for a makeup SS lesson. Again, it rained, and again I took a half flooded bus back home, after missing one or two thanks to hanging out with Chester and Eric.

PMDG!!!

Not much happening nowadays, so to pass the time, I decided to take the PMDG 747-400, aka the Queen of the Skies, for a spin. That addon is absolutely marvelous, although probably only die-hard flight enthusiasts would truly appreciate its beauty. Here are a few pics of the 747-400 in flight.


China Airlines B-18210 taking off from San Francisco


Cathay Pacific B-HOY over the Pacific


Malaysia Airlines 9M-MPB making an emergency turn out of some bad weather


Singapore Airlines 9V-SPF a few seconds after landing at Dubai

Transamerica

Recently, we got our hands on a new class activity - Transamerica. It is a highly addictive board game that Joel and myself decided to get for the class after trying it out. At the time, we thought that interest in the game would be limited, and at best a small group of people such as Bernard would like it. Little did we know... The game became a smash hit in a matter of two or three days, and now everyone in class is trying to play it. For the benefit of those who do not know of this game, it is a race to connect five American cities, chosen randomly. Cities include Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston and Phoenix, among others. You have to lay rails, either 1 or 2 a turn, to connect the five cities, and can mutually exploit each other's tracks. As boring as this may sound, it is highly addictive. People clamour to play during recess, lunch, before school, after school and when we have free periods, such as today, when our bio teacher forgot about his lesson. Sometimes it gets to the point where game slots are more precious than gold, or even almost as precious as CA marks. Good that our class seems to have found something other than the traditional cards to pass the time.

To Wine, Women and Glory

Finally got time to write stuff after recovering from 2 back to back events. First was on Friday, when we had a performance at Mrs D' Cruz's mother-in-law's birthday party. Chester, Eugene, Bertrand and myself had to come up with some songs and play them. So, we attempted to get to the site, somewhere in the Orchid Gardens, using only Mrs D' Cruz's car. As a result, the 4 of us were squeezed into the back, along with a keyboard, bass clar and various other instruments. To pass the time, Eugene decided to tell some lame jokes.

Once there, we had about an hour to practice, and the results were, well, bad. The Mountain is Out is not a very easy piece, especially with so little time. We also practiced a little of our other songs. However, due to unforseen events, the first part of the performance was an almighty screwup.

When we went up to perform, we were told of a slight change in the order of pieces, that we would play the birthday song first. Naturally, not having prepared for this, Eugene conducted a last minute swap with Bertrand. Without tuning his guitar. Thus, the whole song was screwed up. Our second song, The Mountain is Out, was even more screwed up.

To try and get over our disappointment, we decided to have a few.. drinks. Thanks to that, Chester and Bertrand got a little tipsy. The results were fun to watch. My solo following that was alright, as were the rest of the songs.

After that, we decided to have a few drinks together. This turned into a full-blown toasting session, with us toasting to various random things from the number 37 to planes to rose petals smeared with peanut butter. Mrs D' Cruz joined us with some white wine too. We had around 10 rounds of drinks, in which Chester coined our motto, "To Wine, Women and Glory!" The whole thing basically finished with our stomachs bursting under the weight of the punch.

Of course, the low point of the evening was when Eugene lost his bag. Thankfully, we found it after half an hour of desperate searching. Then, we had a long ride home.



The next day was the band exchange with RGS. We started off at RGS with standard warmups, then breaking into sections. Our lower Woodwind section was quite a mixed bunch, around 3 baris, 4 bass clars, 4 bassoons and 2 alto clars. I realise, however, that ACS people don't seem to know how to conduct, after watching one of them take the section. Combined concert was fun too, getting the chance to play with different people for a change.

After getting back to school, once again things went wrong. Eugene lost his wallet. Most of our batch stayed with him though, and went with him to make a police report. While he was doing that, the rest of us did various things in the playground outside, including re-enacting the toasting of the night before and having balance contests. Then, we went for dinner.

Basically, these 2 days were quite eventful, and fun. Wish I had the chance to attend more of these kind of things. Maybe I will..