hello world!!! suddenly feel like blogging again... i am in love with a crazy woman.
Ask me who i will say is her.

I'm back again!

Wooh. Finally blogging again after so long.. Uni life's really busy with so many events and so much stuffs to study.. Living in hall is really an experience cos' there's like so many fun ppl and fun events like hall ball, meeting for meals, games, (including sleeping in wee hours) etc etc etc..

Seriously need to manage time properly man.
1. Family(i want more time with family! now is like only 1week see them 2days only!)
2. Studies(hmwk + revision)
3. SYCO(concert faster end!)
4. Changkat CC(i want to retire~ yet, i noe i'll miss the ppl there damn lots)
4. Hall events/(committee? i need to join something to be able to stay in hall next yr, but now already so busy! ><)
6. NTUCO(another new one to the list)
7. Dizi grading(should i take? do i have time to prac?)
8. Dizi individual lesson(should i take up the tempting tuition scheme?)
9. Teaching dizi lesson n tuition(coping okay so far)

okay 走一步看一步..1.30am >< gotta slp le.. guess it'll be long till the next post! till then!

-jon

BMT Apache Section 1 outing.

This is rare! haha.. Had an dinner outing yesterday with army bmt section mates: buddy Zong yi, dekai and jason, at Marina Square.. All reached late except me.. -.- so i went shop for SP gift at City Link.. had a hard time deciding wad to buy though..

After near 1hr of walking arnd then they finally arrived.. Went Wang Jiao HK cafe to eat.. food was okok.. and the riduculous thing is when dk asked for plain water, the waitress actually said it's 20cents, and 40cents for cold one! (isn't it supposed to be foc for restaurants?) haha..

After finishing dinner and catching up with each other, we went to Esplanade rooftop to twang and do more catching up.. Parted arnd 11plus.. hope to have another outing soon, probably with more ppl next time!

-jon

Final gig perf + Perf at SSA

Casper, QS n I ended our 3rd and final gig perf of the Singapore HeritageFest 09 at the Northpoint yesterday and it was quite good(although not as good as the one at Suntec), and thanks to CT for helping us with phototaking!

After the gig, QS drove us over to Singapore Soka Association to help out with an event performance.. I must say the sound engineer, stage crew and the in-charge are very committed and they did a better job than all those for the gigs.. Haha.. I think it's better not to compare so much.. 人比人气死人. =P Was impressed with the motivational talk by the patient who miraculously recovered from colon cancer and by the violinist who had a very high standard.

qUoTE of tHE DAY: 我们不一定会因为赚很多钱而富有，但我们可以因付出的善念而使心中富有. -jon

2nd gig performance.

Casper, QS n me had our 2nd gig performance at Suntec atrium.. Today's perf was better than the previous one at Centrepoint, having a better DJ and a better stage.. We even had some students from NYP who interviewed us as part of their project.. It's kinda funny being interviewed with a voice recorder, as if being interviewed by news reporter.. haha!

After performance, the 3 of us tgt with QS's soka fren went for lunch at Botak Jones cos got voucher from NDP preview.. haha super shiok! And after lunch since we were quite free and Casper can't go home yet, we went play L4D at bugis.. althought it's my 2nd time playing, it's way more cool this time round with the mic and earphones! We can like communicate n enhance teamwork... n talk cock of cos! haha.. hope i dun get addicted to it. :D

-jon

Tamade. Suay.

I'm going nuts! Freakin suay day..

Morning walked to bus stop waiting for bus.. End up realised i forgot bring my phone with me(2nd time in the week!). Walked back home, thankfully halfway saw my mum running towards my direction with my phone! super touched! Thx mum! haha.

Afternoon left cc early to meet aunt at Parkway Parade(who came down from Dover) to recontract my mobile plan and at the same time change it to under my name. And also to recontract my bro's mobile plan. End up realised my bro's n my plans both haven expire(thought it was 18mths den can change le, but they say 24mths!) then cannot get new phone at cheaper price, need pay $100 more. The other thing was i can't change my plan to under my name cos haven 21yrs old so i can only have 1 line under my name which i already used for my bro's plan! So paiseh to my aunt who came down all the way la...

I WANT LUCK!

qUotE oF tHE daY: More birds, more luck? -.-! -jon

New dizi student.

Yay i've a new dizi student and we had our 1st lesson today.. :D We arranged to meet at the bus stop and the funny thing was.. My student was behind me and din call me until i turned back and noticed her there.. After that she said i looked like secondary school age thats why thought i wasn't the person! -.-

With good music background as a piano teacher herself and studying music as a minor, she managed to pick up on playing dizi quite fast within just a lesson-- able to play almost the whole range of notes(only with abit more difficulties on higher notes), hitting minimum 4 seconds of long notes, memorised most of the notes for the basic fingering. Only minus points are the tone and tuning of the notes played due to lip and air control. Can't wait for next lessons to come!

QuoTe Of THe dAY: The thing that spurs me on teaching is the improvement my students make every lesson. Watching them learn and improve over time gives me a sense of achievement. -jon

SYCO Chamber Ensemble Recital.

The coming concert SYCO Chamber Ensemble Recital – “Elegant Music Series” is now available for sales at all SISTIC outlets. Get your tickets at only $6 for Early Bird Discount (till 31 August 2009)!

Details of the concert

SYCO Chamber Ensemble Recital – Elegant Music Series

Date: 19 September 2009 (Sat)
Time: 8pm
Venue: SCO Concert Hall

Synopsis

Chamber music derives from western classical music. Originally music by family members playing together for self-entertainment, chamber music has developed into fine music performances by small ensembles. Coincidentally, traditional Chinese music originated from small ensembles of instruments such as erhu, pipa, dizi, that allow the musicians to showcase their artistry.

Currently, full orchestral music is the trend and that causes young musicians to drift further from the traditional origins. In this chamber series, hear the SYCO members perform newly-arranged Chinese chamber music, in performance formats borrowed from western chamber music but playing works infused with the quintessence of traditional Chinese music.

Programme planner cum conductor, Quek Ling Kiong, make bold moves by bringing together Liu Tian Hua’s master piece, Song of Birds in a Desolate Mountains, liuqin ensemble’s version of Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto in G Major, and contemporary and experimental work Drama all in one performance. Appreciate the sounds of Chinese music, vibrancy of youth and return of the traditional.

Stopping time, I need time.

I don't know why...

but i'm having a fear in me-- keep having the thought that when uni starts, all the things that i'm enjoying now will be replaced by the 'hectic, busy' and all new undergrad student lifestyle.

I'm seriously enjoying the life i'm leading now-- hanging out with CC frens(both co gang and the newly formed i call 'my co gang 2' for mini meet-ups like concerts, meals and badminton sessions, going for CC and SYCO practices once or twice every weekly and playing music which i really enjoy very much with fun people, playing basketball with the nyjc gang, teaching dizi lessons and tuition few times a week...

Will i be able to maintain all these current activities when i transit into the next phase of my life?

When uni starts, i can forsee myself getting busy with the course workload. In addition to that, i'll most probably be staying in the uni hall and there'll be alot of hall activities. (which means it'll really feel like i'm back to army-- mondays to fridays in camp, no, school.. and only saturdays and sundays i'll be back home, which i'll be using the time to teach dizi n tuition and go for CC practices)... ...

Really hope i can still frequent CC everyweek for practices.. Mr. Boo still wants to me to plan a concert in December.. Actually i myself do want to have one, so that it not only serves as a chance for the juniors to gain experience from performing, but simultaneously getting the senior members back to perform and for us to have a gathering. Alot of people have asked me: "Why are you so 'on', still go CC for practice every week without fail even though you've graduated(from sec sch) and up till now?" I think the reasons are because firstly, i've been there for so many years and it has already become a 2nd home to me. Secondly, CC is the important platform and reason why i am at my current standard of dizi playing and the countless number of friends i've made-- from practising like there's no tomorrow with ChaoYong and YanDeng in the sec sch days, to stepping up to lead the orchestra as the president, to the CC's inaugural concert in 2006 up to the concert in 2008. Very often, i do feel 'tired' of being the president, especially when i don't have a batch of very committed and constant committee. I really don't blame them because i know they do have their other commitments and i haven really been a good president to start with, since i'm quite slack at alot of times... But, i really do hope i can form a new committee for this year 2009 and at least plan a good concert for the end of year. What i need is time, and commitment, not only myself, but also from the orchestra...

Woah, just realised i've written out what i've been putting inside me all these while.. Surprisingly, it kind of feels good.. However, can anyone assure me that after uni starts, i can still maintain the life now that i really want?

-jon

Performance at Suntec for ICP 2009

Woke up at 6am.. yes.. 6am.. it's been a long time since i wake up so early.. surprisingly i managed to get myself up quite fast after hp alarm rang...

Met up with Yvonne and her parents outside the Convention Hall there.. Had a short talk with her dad, after which i found out from Yvonne that he's a warrant officer in the army.. =S haha.. Had a conversation with Mr Lim from MOE and Mrs Heng, the principal from Nanyang pri.. and found out that Mrs Heng is also an enthusiast in CO and she asked us about the more prominent figures in CO which was also from her 'era'. She also gave me her namecard and kind of invited us to go to her pri sch CO to like perf and entertain the kids.. Funny thing was, she kept telling us not to panic for the perf when we are actually not really panicking.. :D

Performance was quite short.. I played my 五梆子 and Yvonne played her 战台风 on guzheng.. i had a few mistakes here n there but tink i managed to hide it off.. =P Got the chance to went backstage to hear the performance when it was Yvonne's turn and i tink she did quite well and up to her usual standard. After performance we each went home separately. :D

qUoTE oF thE daY: I was thinking of a 'formula' for producing a piece of good music. And this is what i thought- EXPERIENCE and hear how the actual piece sounds like. ABSORB it thoroughly into your mind. ANALYSE the music; why it is played the way and how the original musician played it. PRACTICE and REPRODUCE it in your own style, yet not changing the meaning of the music, with heart and soul. -jon

Post chalet syndrome

Due to the huge response of people asking me to plan another chalet, i can affirm that the 'post chalet syndrome' virus has spread... haha.. I wan plan another chalet in dec! but not sure whether i'll be able to... Really really need to see how busy i'll be when uni starts... damn.. i'm so getting used to my ord-long-holidays le... and it's ending in 1month's time~~

sianzz... i dun tink i can go for the SPMS camp from 27th july-1st aug le.. out of the 5 days got 3 days are SYCO prac + perf @ esplanade... I so wana go for both mannnnnnn... no choice.. suck thumb.

1st time sitting in Casper's car today! He actually rented a car and we went to 兜风 before he returned it then we went to eat DURIANS! sinfully shiok~ finally eat before the durian season end... haha!

quOTE oF thE daY: ...and i can't stop myself from enjoying the holidays... -jon

CC chalet.

Back from chalet!

Glad it was kinda successful, with attendance of members from current sec2s up to xiaopeng generation n oso Mr n Mrs Boo.. Had lots of fun too with all the people who went..

BBQ: Food was just enough i guess.. only that certain accessories(charcoal, tong) were in excess and quite wasted.. haha we bought a watermelon for the bbq!

Nitewalk: Pasir ris Park/Mangrove swamp. quite not bad, but maybe if there's a next time, will exclude the lightsticks.. haha.. too bright, atmosphere not scary enough. The playground was the highlight.. haha.. played all the way from arnd 2am till 4am..

WildwildWet: my 2nd time going, and i tried the SlideUp for the 1st time! really exciting but makes me wana keep playing. haha..

Thx to all who attended and made the chalet so fun! hope u all had enjoyed it as much as i do. :D

quOtE oF thE daY: I may be cursing and swearing to myself when planning for the bbq, but the fun made up to all of it. :) -jon

Upcoming performances.

Juz realised i have quite a handful of performances coming up.

9/7- Solo @ Suntec (syco)
*18/7(2.30pm)- @ Centrepoint- Bamboo Goes Pop (The Triplets)
*24/7(12.30pm)- @ Suntec City Tropics Atrium- Bamboo Goes Pop (The Triplets)
*26/7(3pm)- @ Northpoint- Bamboo Goes Pop (The Triplets)
30/7- SYF closing ceremony @ Esplanade (syco)
2/8- SYCO @ Botanic Gardens
19/9- SYCO @ Singapore Conference Hall

The 3 performances for Bamboo Goes Pop is a gig by me, Casper and Qisheng. 2 dizis and piano. We've specially composed up a medley of familiar tunes ranging from Lee Hom's Forever Love to Ah mei's 听海, to Chan Mali Chan and 上海滩! Come support, it's free! :D

-jon

Country Roads. Leaving on a jet plane.

Got a sudden urge to listen to these 2 songs by John Denver... Good songs, especially oldies, makes me put all my stress aside and gets me into the holiday mood..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN86d0CdgHQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLBKOcUbHR0&feature=related

Enjoy!
-jon

It depends.

Last sat:
Had 21st bday celebration/surprise party for Kellyann last sat at xiao wan's hse.. The surprise din turn out to be as surprising as we thought(with some of the party poppers which did not work!).. Nevertheless, still had fun with the class n enjoyed the food that we prepared!

Today:
Went for interview for moe teaching award.. scary sia.. with 2 principals n 1 other moe scholarship officer sitting in front of me.. haha it din go quite well... almost stumble on a few qns.. hoping for the miracle gd news to call in within 2days time.. :D

quiz.

Name a friend's name from A-Z:
A: Andrea
B: Benjamin
C: Casper
D: Delia
E: Emma
F: Francine
G: Gerald
H: Huizhen
I: Irene Chen
J: Jonathan Lau
K: KinRen
L: Lo Jun An
M: Michelle
N: Noelene
O: Oh Glenda
P: Peiyin
Q: Qisheng
R: Ronald
S: Seraphina
T: Tay Zhiwen
U: (manchester) United
V: Veng wai
W: Wen Xiang
X: Xenia
Y: Yvonne
Z: Zahreen

1. can R and S be together in BGR?
No link. but possible :S

2. how is L related to you?
Chinese Orchestra! CC and SY.

3. does Y know Z?
Nope! Not at all!

4. if C betrays you, will you kill him/her?
haha.. best fren sia. i trust him.

5. if K steals your bf/gf, what will you do?
that'll be fun.

6. if B tells you he got a crush on you, what will you do?
Zom my gawd.

7. will/did you and M get into a fight?
Nope, and never will bah. :D

8. who does P got a crush on?
no idea?

9. if L calls you a bitch, what will you do?
lol! slap his ball :S

10. whats the relationship between you and H?
CO frens.

11. who does Z like?
zhongyin suona! hahaha... both are Z.

12. who is I's best friend?
I put her name on the quiz sia. It gotta be me. :D

13. what colour does Y like?
duno leh.. (Y)ellow?

14. where does F live?
Kallang.

15. did you and C have a fight before?
Definitely! We fought fiercely together on notes to brave the A levels period!

16. who is H's best friend?
Her bf. haha!

17. what can you say about T?
A NYCO-alumni-wannabe!

18. what if D says she have a crush on you?
I'll go speechless for sometime. :D

19. say a word about Y?
Guzheng pro player! wootS!

20. how is P related to you?
CO fren.

21. how is X related to you?
Dizi junior.

nyco chalet

Went for nyco chalet at ECP ytd.. totally enjoyed the talk-cock session with the group.. =D Had nite cycling throughout the nite from 11pm-6am.. We cycled from ECP to geylang to eat tauhuay and youtiao! Then continued on highway to Singapore Flyer where we actually 'raced' and took pics at the F1 racing track! Last stop was at Esplanade, where we(or maybe i) caught some 1hr plus sleep before we headed back to chalet. Almost shagged out... but shiok-ingly enjoyable!

-jon

Swine flu joke.

A bear, a lion and a pig meet.

Bear says: "if I roar in the forest, the entire forest is shivering with fear."

Lion says: "if I roar in the jungle, the entire jungle is afraid of me."

Pig says: "big deal.... I only have to cough, and the entire planet lives in fear.

-jon

good news/bad news?

Received a call from syco management regarding the HK trip in august... Good news: all who auditioned were chosen for the camp. Bad news: not allowed to go 'cos of H1N1 problems. zzz.. kinda feeling abit disappointed. Hopefully next year still can go lo..

But it isn't a bad thing afterall.. another good news is that.. cos of the cancellation of trip, I can participate in the Uni orientation/hall camps! haha.. :)

qUoTE of ThE daY: Changes-- It's all about adapting to them. -jon

sunburnt.

Went play basketball with julian, qisheng, wenting n siuhon at serangoon central today.. zzz... super scorching hot weather... had lunch tgt.. julian sibei lucky.. buy scratchcards win 2 times in a roll... haha.. play pingpong for awhile after lunch den went home in the afternn.. and got shocked at how red i got from the few hrs under the sun today... sianned.. sure 破皮 very soon.. >_<

-jon