breaking of the MUSIC/}!

Monday, May 31, 2004

Some things worth reflecting.....

If you've time for another blog, see the latest addition on the links list. Leslie Cheng, former choir president and a former classmate in my 1st 3 months, 21/03; runs one of the most entertaining and insightful blogs I've ever seen. Look through the archives. From "Mr Bangala", to a commentary about "Heelys", as well as a satire on the TJ environment (as he terms it as "Mushrooms"), he really provides an insight to life from a contrasting perspective compared to Draco Dormiens. While I prefer to take a serious, GP-style approach to even the most informal stuff, Leslie does it in a very light-hearted way.

Speaking of the word "light-hearted", I don't think I'm one. Christopher always gives me one word of advice: Relax. He knows that I fail to do so, and he knows how tense and freaked out I can be especially when I face the 'shocks' of my life. My class knows that I've a high negative emotionality, second only to Yoke Wen. (the only thing relevant to Yoke Wen is that she laughs very spontaneously at the things that shocks her, and she's not as reactive as me.) Linking back to Leslie's blog, you should look at the way Leslie handles conflict. Make no mistake about this. The TJChoir has blazed well under his leadership. He's honest, straightforward as well as calm. Even in the midst of conflict (as you would see in his latest posts), he knows how to handle it well. Did I write a Friendster testimonial for him? I hope I did. If not, then I'm wasting my lines in blogger here...

I now remember the online conflicts I had with my classmates last year. Looking back, I realise how bad it is to have conflict with your own friends. It is still a challenge for me to control my emotions and expression. Even the principal has a great interest in my emotions as well. I can remember the Academic Scholarship interview when she asked me what was my greatest weakness, especially when she saw the orange tag on my shirt. It took me a minute to ponder, and I replied, "Insensitivity to other people's feelings." She then gave me a few words of advice and reflections, which I shall not mention again. Several months later, I remember having a personal pep talk with her in the canteen, where she, like Christopher, highlighted my problem of not controlling my rather "explosive" behaviour, and then took time off the break to put me to the test of relaxing myself.

I cherish friends like the principal, Christopher, my OG mates, my 21/03 (now known as 24/03) mates as well as my sec 4 classmates for being so frank and helpful to me. I wonder what is the best gift to give back to them. Up till now, I have no idea as to what is the best gift to give back to them, as I continue to ride on this self-challenge... I do not know if I would cherish my 33/03 mates, but in the long run, I think I will. There is a tendency for us to cherish things only when they're gone.....

My father just left for the Phillipines for his semicon-sales job. It's his first overseas posting after almost 20 yrs in semiconductor field. He knows the terrain well, but he'd be away for months. I may not miss him last time when he was away, for he'd make an effort to be in Singapore on the weekends. Now I think I'd miss him for sure, and I hope he would be safe and fine no matter where he is.....

zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
19:51

Friday, May 28, 2004

Predictable, as usual

A reality show loses its charm and its appeal when the results are predictable. What do I mean by predictable? It is when the conditions of the show makes it in such a way that the viewers easily predict a winner with ease and marginallize the rest. It is when speculators, unforunately, know the results ahead of the others. Look at reality shows like The Bachelor, Survivor or anything others. The producers have been able to make these shows unpredicatble and they've been keeping their viewers on their heels, regardless of whom they support.

Unfortunately, that was not to be for American and Temasek Idol. I never expected Simon Cowell to say to Fantasia during the finals to make her song (Summertime) her "acceptance speech". The minute he said this, he just simply destroyed the unpredictable nature of American Idol. The minute he said that, both finalists' fates were sealed. He may not have the vote, but his words easily swinged the opinions of the public. No doubt, Fantasia was superb, and she did deserve the title, but it would have been much better if Simon was more careful with his words. He may be straightforward, but this is a reality show. Its objectives may be to show how the reality of being a pop star is, but you cannot compromise on the predictability of the show! Reality shows must be unpredictable, no matter what happens! Otherwise, why would we be bothered with watching them?

As usual, Charles and Silver Sound got the title. In my previous entry, I mentioned how screwed the categorization of putting the vocal/instrumental group category was. And it was true. Let me tell you, if these two starkingly different groups were separated, I can guarentee you that Justin and Su Hui will easily clinch the title for the vocal group with ease. The rest of the vocal group finalists just wasn't as flamboyant as they were the previous day.

I also mentioned in my previous article about Charles and Silver Sound not being challenged. It is a pity that Zhen Hui's group (which sadly diminished from four to two) did not jam the stage for us. However, two individual singers really challenged Charles where possible. They were Zhang Ziran and Timothy. They did much better compared to the previous day and I can really feel their competitiveness and their great passion for singing. These two singers deserve some compliment, as well. However, Huili and Venetia were unfortunately passive. Let me go off-track here. I was in the library before the finals with Yee Kai and Ivan Sei, and apparently there was a girl with them. Know what? Both guys kept on quizzing me about the girl called "Venetia" (I intially thought it was Vanessa) and I just gave my two cents, until Yee Kai said, "The person you've been criticising for the past ten minutes is sitting in front of you." I was flabbergasted. Perhaps her charm was absent in the prelims, so.... and Mr Daniel Chung did share the same opinion as me. She didn't make an impact. So sad.

The judges however cannot escape from my criticism. With regards to V7, Mr Chung said that they purposely let them progress because they were entertaining, but because they were off-key. I totally agree with the judges, but they themshelves made a stupid mistake to mention this in front of the whole college. They themselves exacerbated the unfairness of Temasek Idol. Please, if you know that V7 doesn't deserve to be in the finals, please don't waste that spot. There were groups more deserving than V7 you know! Well this is something American Idol is better, cos' Simon and co. always maintain their high standards for the competition with no compromise. Unfortunately, our 3 Temasek Judges made a very bad compromise.

I wonder why V7 was in the finals. Frankly speaking, the way they performed on stage during the finals was more lame than the prelims. They sang the same thing, then they purposely cut themselves to come out with something new. Apparently, they didn't take this competition seriously. I totally agree with Mr Rajesh that he didn't know what was happening on stage. The real Simon Cowell would've give them a good lecture in the prelims. Later on, Jeremy (a member of the V7) gave me a lame excuse, saying that they only rehearsed 45 mins before the performance. You know how I responded? I gave Jeremy the worst and loudest laugh in my life. I gave Jeremy the laugh of a banshee. And he took my laugh with a pinch of salt.

And thanks to poor judging decisons and inane performers, as well as its high predictability, Temasek Idol has degraded into a ___________ please help me fill in the blanks. However, the competition does has its merits. The judges made up for their poor decisons with frank and straightforward comments. Ms Winnie Chew was the most credible judge of all. You can choose to ignore Mr Rajesh and Mr Chung's comments but do listen to Ms Chew's one. Being an MEP teacher, she knows what's hot and what's not. Also, Charles and Silver Sound did entertain us with a couple of encores (including his own beat-boxing and break-dancing). They've brought the appreciation of music to greater heights and frankly speaking, I hope Charles participates in Singapore Idol. We need people like him to raise the glory of youth in relation to the performing arts. In addition, Zhen Hui and Kai Wei does have potential in making singing a profession. They should consider a music-related career in future. I would love to see them in either a 歌谣 or a 才华比赛. They do have the potential as well.

Nevertheless, I guess all TJCians really enjoyed watching this unique singing compeition. Temasek Idol should continue on this way, but I hope the vocal/instrumental groups are separated cos' these two categories demand separate judging criteria. Also, it would give insturmental performers more breathing space were necessary. Those who know August Lum will know what I mean. I did enjoy Temasek Idol despite all its loopholes, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as me. It is indeed a great conclusion to all the fun the year twos have, before the stress of the academic realities sets in.....

P/S: Justin and Su Hui, if you're reading this, I've to say you were ten times better in the finals compared to the prelims! Both of you really rock, and I really saw the chemistry between the two of you. I saw the ionic bonds being formed between the two of you. Justin, you were able to match up to Su Hui's energy level and that deserves commendation. A job well done, and you two should be the third Temasek Idol in this competition. Carpe Diem!

zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
22:09

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Temasek Idol -- Predictable??

I'm going to be discrete here. After all, my original title was supposed to be "Discrete Random Ramblings". Unfortunately this post will be abit shorter than expected when I just experienced some techincal problems after writing a long essay. Argh.

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So we've the first ever Temasek idol. One thing that is so different from a national singing competition (ie. American Idol and Singapore Idol) is that the idol in Temasek idol is more predictable unlike a national competition. This is so because in the national scene, nobody knows who you are till you show yourself. It's just like noone knows who Clay Aiken or William Hung are till they showed themshelves. Yesterday, they were nobodys. Today, they're celebrities. Now look at TJC. We've already known Charles and Silver Sound (under the leadership of Azri and Fahmy) before they even turned up today. As a result, the signs of an uneven playing field is more obvious in Temasek idol compared to other national competitions. Because of this, we don't even need a preliminary round! Given popular demand, Charles and Silver Sound will clinch the title without a good fight. However, Temasek Idol is relatively 'clean' in decisons unlike a national competition, where we do not know how many votes a person gets, and judge-viewer decison ratio is. No one can read Simon Cowell's mind, neither do I can.

Personally, I feel that the college's categorization of performers is really screwed. I don't understand why they put vocal and instrumental group in the same category, while allowing the dance groups to progress to the finals. Because of such categorization, groups like Silver Sound and Zhen Hui's group are given an unfair advantage, and any ordinary musician like me would know that instrumental groups and vocal groups need separate judging criteria. Also, the fact that we do not see the dances means that we cannot adequately see for ourshelves whether the dance groups truly deserve to be in the finals.

Nevertheless, the similarity in both competitions is that the camaredie and the spirit of both the audience and the performers is superb. People were screaming, though many of them actually do not know what proper concert decorum is. However, that's not the point here. I shall now proceed on to the performance of the contestants.

I'd love to see Charles and Silver Sound (including the other Azri, please)expanding into the national arena. Charles tried it once, but he didn't succeed. So, why not they do it again? Such people like them will certainly boost the arts scene in Singapore and bring Singapore's youth to a new level of appreciating the performing arts. These people have the will to blaze Temasek's fame, and I believe they should do so. Even if they don't do it now, I hope they do so when they're able to. In 2003, it was Stephanie and August Lum. In 2004, it's Charles and Silver Sound. Next year, what'll it be?

Apparently, Yap Xiao Jun became an instant celebrity for the wrong reasons. Firstly, she chose a rather and common piece (Colours of the Wind), then she was very squeakly when she sang. There was too much accents and staccatos in her voice. Well, at least she was aware of her own mistakes, and she's the new Williamina Hung of the day. I hope she does herself sufficient justice in her drama production, which is on the day after. Perhaps she just participated in the wrong competition.

Also, there was one boy who pretended that he knew beat-boxing when he actualy knows naught. Again, I think he participated in the wrong category rather than the wrong competition. I strongly suggest that he learn the proper art of beat-boxing (Charles again) before he.....

The rest of the singers were in general so-so. I've to admit that no one apart from Cliffton gave Charles a good fight. The other finalists have certainly alot to improve, especially when the judges complained that many of them failed to engage the audience, as well as responding to the high energy levels of the audience. It is very obvious that today's audience was rather hostile. They actually put in alot of pressure on their friends rather than supporting them. Behind the screaming, you're actually making your peers more tensed up. C'mon! This is only the preliminary round.

I was relieved that Justin and Su Hui got into the finals. The vocal groups were really strong, given the unfair advantage given to the instrumental groups. Both of my peers have high energy levels, but they really need to have better 'chemistry'. They were merely like 'weak van der waals forces'. Everyone would love to see them do better tomorrow in this, and personally, I felt that their progress in the finals is a very remarkable achievement. This competition has been very unfair for them, and I'm glad that they survived. For this, I salute them.

Also, there was one nostalagia duo which didn't get into the finals. It was a great pity partly because they themshelves did not present themshelves well. Apparently, they did not do sufficient research on how the 60s music should be presented, and they fail to make me mesmerized. Look at the girls of the 60s. Seductive, revealing, hot and sexy. All of this they failed to achieve.

Nevertheless, every single participant is an idol. They've tried their best and they should be admired for their bravery and tenacity to perform in front of the whole college. I'm looking forward to a more unpredictable and interesting competition in the finals. I want to see Charles and Silver Sound being challenged. After all, such singing compeitions are supposed to be unpredictable. And Temasek Idol should be like this, or it'll be just a gimmick. Carpe Diem!

zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
22:45

Friday, May 21, 2004

Mockeries, Interesting comments and Hitler

Firstly, the following lines are for Vasudha....

Basically you were acting yourself at that time over the Conrad story, but I was stumped by the fact that you invoked the sanctity of Jeremy and Sarah's relationship by mentioning her name. I was really stumped. I know you weren't that bitchy but I knew you had the power to do so but you didn't. I hope that when I was speaking to you, I was not Freudian. I once again clarify that nothing 'weird' happen. I hoped that when you started off your rant, it was meant to be treated with a pinch of salt.

Actually, I wanted to protect the privacy of certain people that I want to talk about, but since you spilled the beans by mentioning Qiong Hui, I can't do anything. You settle your own score with him in your tagboard. Rest assured this apparent 'declaration' will not surface in my class for this moment, but it is a matter of time. I won't go further into it unless more interesting news break out.... At least you protected the privacy of the junior I was talking about, and that's a small compliment!

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Mockery.... many of us have been mocked or made fun of before, being in an indirect manner. Mockery is defined as the unkind crtical remarks or actions, according to the Cambridge dictionary.

A minor example:

After the MCT, Mr Bala returned back the history 3 papers during tutorial. He then said, "You people just need a 17-14-14 to get a B." He said it with a rather sarcastic expression. Know what? Myself, as well as one or two others from others strike the jackpot, and we knew his hidden message.

Megan, my senior can be very good in mockery whenever she wants to. I suggest that you read her blog for more details.

Many TJ tutors are indeed skilled in the art of mockery, even though they have a rationale for doing so. For example, Mrs Ivy Lim describes Jeremy as a "complacent" yet "bright": student. She's also likes to pick on Jigar ("Ji-kar", some ppl interprete this as ten cents in hokkien). Apart from her normal "dress" analogy (in reference to inflation, actually her analogy helps us understand the topic better), she always like to repeat a propagandic statement that our government has always mentioned. ("Singapore has no assets, we only have people like you and Zenon." Of all people, why Zenon?

I haven't really heard Mr Hasim making any mockings to the class, but I guess he's capable of doing so if he wants to.

By the way, Jigar and Rachel told me that I looked like Adolf Hitler. They said that all I just need was a moustache and then I can do a Hitler stint. I've to admit that I do have his hairstyle, but I must clarify that firstly, I do not have the charisma that Hitler has whenever he addresses the public. Secondly, I'm an Oriental, and he's an Aryan, and Orientals like us are in his "to-gas" list. I also do not have Hitler's eyes, and I wear spectacles. Also, I don't have an Eva Braun nor written a book like Mein Kampf. (unless you consider this blog to be an equivalent of Mein Kampf then I've nothing to say) If I was Hitler, then anyone who's isn't a Chinese would be in my purge list.

I admire Hitler for his charisma and his ability to rally the German people as well as overseeing the recovery of Germany's strength till 1939; but I totally condemn the Holocaust and I feel that Hitler was just plain greedy in his expansionist policy. He should have stopped at Poland and nowhere else, since he'd have simply undone the Treaty of Versailles and not doing anything beyond the Second Reich's borders, and then he can focus solely on the western front and wait till the Britsh and French organise themshelves. Then blitzkrieg would crush both powers even before the US comes into the fray. You don't need thousands of bombs which turned out to be futile. I've to say that Hitler is one of my most favourite historical figures despite all his evil sins, because of the work that he done before the outbreak of war. Anyway, I wonder how interesting counterfactual history in reference to the Third Reich would be. Any comments are welcome. The study of the Third Reich never fails to bore me compared to other histories.

I'm attending a UN seminar tomorrow. I've to stop now, and perhaps I'll talk about other dictators another day.....

HEIL HITLER!

P/S: I can remember an old friend of mine from my sec school who is totally obsessed with Nazism. His textbooks were all full of swastikas, and perhaps a bigger fanatic then me. Unfortunately, we do debate over the application of Nazi ideology and at times, the rationale of the Cold War. (he also has a fond interest in marxism which is totally shocking since Hitler hates Marxism and Stalin hates Nazism that the Nazi-Soviet Pact become a marriage of convenience and perhaps, a facade of 'love' that wasn't be.

zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
20:33

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

A bit more rantings

I know this comes abit late, but I got something to say about last Saturday's choir concert.... so here's it...

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Reflections V -- The Next Step

I have too many choir friends to support. But I know they would do it. I was quite surprised at the comments made by Leslie in his blog, but of course, the audience is always meant to be put into a state of delusion whenever they attend a concert. No one knows that you made a mistake unless it's very obvious (eg: missing a note). Even students who're musicians or ex-musicians cannot pin-point your blunders easily unless they've your scores in their hands. However, intonation and balance mistakes can be easily recongisable not just by musicians but by the ordinary audience.

Anyway, I feel that the choir did a great job putting up this concert. I was really entertained by their "Magnificat" symphony and I think such collaborations should continue. Perhaps it's even better than having musicals, acappelas or beat-boxing. The music was very melodious, however it was marred by the balance between the orchestra and the soloists. I guessed it's partly because there was no microphone in front of where the soloists stood, hence a techincal blunder. Myself, as well as my peers felt that the soloists were hardly audible, yet they tried their best to make themshelves heard. Esther could've been the most beautiful and impactful sopranos if she was audible. She did well portraying herself as the pregnant girl in the CCC production. She has done it again as a soprano. She really deserves compliment. I intially felt that the orchestra showed disrespect to the soloists (and I told many people and some performers right after the concert), but now i take back my statement. Perhaps technicalities just create problems you wouldn't realise till the day itself. Every member of the performing arts community should know this.

I could see that the performers put in alot of effort. I particularly liked the last two Latin pieces. These pieces had the most impact and emotion on the audience. Great choice of pieces indeed. Also, the choir gals deserve compliment for being able to handle octave-interval notes as seen in the first Latin piece. Octave intervals using the voice is very, very difficult. Congratulations. You've overcome the barrier.

Anyway, our class gave Justin a box of high-class chocolates after the concert, and we kept on poking fun and jokes on him. Justin's face was really red. Red hot indeed. We just overwhelmed him with compliments and jokes that I could see that he's trying to compose himself. He tried to make us eat the chocolates but we declined. Justin was as good as anyone else. In fact, everyone was okay...

A side note here: i still wonder why the concert is at ACS (Barker)..... when it is in completely 'unfamiliar' territory....

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Some rants

I was told that the Silent Night encore would be interesting. Interesting in context of the audience -- AHS students. My juniors warned us that they're even more lame than the normal TJ audience. From the actor's point of view (myself), I don't understand why people laugh at my words. They must be laughing at Zenon. The audience are supposed to respond to the character, NOT to the performer. My fellow co-actors and directors would agree with me. The audience laugh when they're not supposed to, and vice versa. Is this the fault of the performers of not being able to convey the right signal to the audience; or is it the fault of the audience of not being able to interpret the play? If you're experienced in drama, please help me answer this question.

Anyway, I just noticed that the second term is coming to an end. And I'm still lagging in whatever I do and I know. (Don't ask me which one in particular) There's SAT in June (and I haven't start preparation) and the June Common Tests. I shall say no more. Sore throat and a bad cough is enough to tire me out in whatever I do, even when the CCC production is long over. I just want something.

SLEEP.

zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
12:03

Saturday, May 15, 2004

Something gay to talk about

This post is not about being happy or being a homosexual, but then you, the reader would then accuse me of being a Freudian. The TJ Debators have already accused me being Freudian, and they're already starting to doubt my sexuality. How horrendous.

Firstly, I'd like to clarify that I do NOT have any gayish tendencies for Desmond or any other person. When I used the word 'tempting', I was descrbing the way he was presenting and expressing himself during his play, 快乐着. His sissy nature apparently attracted the audience's laughter like a magnet and from the audience POV, it would be tempting since you get easily 'attracted' to his wonderful acting and portrayal of Jerry. He's seductive, and crappy at times in his normal life, BUT I hope I got my point clear.

You know, throughout the 排戏 for 平安夜，it seems to me that the guys tend to possess some gayish tendencies even though the play does not require them to do so. You know, Bi Ge and Zhanghan got closer to each other that their interactions can be equivalent to that of any homosexual couple. Perhaps it is the strong bonding and unity among all the actors in this play that may perhaps, creates such interesting 'bonds' among us. When I feel tired, at one time I ended up lying on Bi Ge's shoulder... But wait! I must clarify again that, these above-mentioned people are NOT GAY! Both of them are straight and one of them even has a girlfriend! Perhaps it would be very insightful and enriching at times, for us to find out what an alternative lifestyle is all about....

Perhaps I'm so Freudian all my life. Like what Su Hui said in her Friendster testimonial to me, I'm the most misunderstood person in the world. That perhaps creates the "Freudian" impression that people take away from me. Just for example, when I was speaking to two Debate Juniors who're in the SPP about my Conrad experience, I mentioned that Jeremy was my roommate. You know what happened next? Vasudha jumped into her bitchy style of scoldings, and accused me of doing Sarah a great disservice, while my two juniors were laughing and shooting suspicious looks at me. TJ Debators apparently have a delight for "gay" rumours and jokes. In fact, they've already created a gay couple within the year 1s. I shall not reveal their identities here. In fact, there's isn't a need to. The Debate juniors, during off-sessions, now have an interest in Megan's stories about the three TJ tutors who are suspected gays (or perhaps, already). Even the debate exco is not spared. One of my fellow exco-mates declared his love for another guy in an SMS, in which I believe is absolutely untrue.

Another interesting story right here. My Secondary school class has 1:3 girl-guy ratio. Our enrolment is 40, so please perform your own calculations. Mr Han is apparently another Freudian, or perhaps, he's just poking fun. When two guys seated together start whispering or touching each other, he would start saying, "Wow! Is this Mr and Mrs X or Mr and Mrs Y?" Also, there was one incident where my friend said, " Hey! Can I borrow your dick?" (short form for dictionary?) Mr Han interpreted him as a person who has dysfunction in his sexual organs, and that he needed someone to extract sexual enjoyment from. My sec 3-4 years were the most "gay-ish" years of my life. We joked, we fondled, we sat on each other's laps and many more to come. A few people in our class were notorious for writing dirty 造句 that our chinese teacher called us 黄色造句大王。In fact, more than half of them are now in TJ, scattered in the various CGs. These "gay-ish" days are long over. With 2 out of 3 TJCians being girls, it's no question why these "gay-ish" tendencies are gone for good....

Okay... that's all for now. Felt something crappy should be written today before I go into something serious to write about... cya! And I hope I wasn't Freudian today.

zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
09:17

Monday, May 10, 2004

Post-绿园 Rants

Finally, the CCC production has successfully ended over a period of 2 days of performance and more than half a year's preparation. Kudos to all who were involved in this production, and I would say that all of us have done well in fulfilling our roles and responsiblities.

Firstly, I'd like to say to my fellow mates in 平安夜. We've gone through thick and thin, especially when we changed the entire script cum storyline just 3 weeks before the actual performance. The fact that we could adapt well to the new play in 3 weeks is really remarkable. In fact, many members of the audience felt that our play is the best compared to the other two! To Clare, Geraldine and Wai Kit, you rock. You did well as the directors, and also not forgetting my fellow mates... Tang Ning, Pei Wen, Zixin, Maoxian, Bi Ge and Zhanghan. You all were really tenacious towards making the play a success.

Secondly, I would like to thank Min Dan and Geraldine for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to get invovled in Chinese Drama. I never knew I could do it until now, regardless of the degree of my role. Regardless of whether it's 小叮 or 小明, I really enjoyed getting myself immersed in the story and the character, despite the fact that it was quite a challenge to really act out their roles. My weakness in Chinese was not really an impediment, much to my surprise, because my directors removed this common perception. The performing arts is not just discipline and focus, but also immersing yourself in your roles and responsibilities as shown in drama. That was something I learnt, but in a tough, taxing and overstretched way. I didn't get to go to school today thanks to a terrible sore throat. My mum said that I was too overstrecthed.

Nevertheless, I'm glad it's all over. I wish everyone more happy and fruitful days to come, and of course, focus in our academic studies. This production has took away much of our precious time used for revising our work. If we can do it well for our production, why not in terms of studies?

On a side note, we never expected our plays to gain as much 'laughs' as the audience. The sore point of this production was the audience, who laughed unnecessarily. Never mind, but we all hope that the audience would understand our plays better.

That's all for now. ACJC debates is coming this week, and more importantly, focus in my studies is really vital. My "hectic" lifestyle is way far from over. There is still a long way to go indeed..... 希望大家能过着更愉快的日子, 而能到我们即将到来的好日子. 加油吧!

P/S: I'm still considering watching Saturday's Choir Concert.... that sissy Desmond was too tempting for many of us right here... Desmond, you're really the sissy as you were always... Good job everyone!!

zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
14:40

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Soul Searchin' (Part 2)

Firstly, I'll be extremely bogged down this week thanks to this Friday and Saturday's Temasek Nite. I'm sorry I can't be such an active Blogger as I am, but the fact that we reach home every day at 10-11pm gives me no time to even check the forums and even to update my blog. Thankfully, I'll be 'liberated' next week but not much though, since the ACJC debates is coming one week after　绿园. My fellow exco mates have insisted that the juniors do not do any research, so it means on the research side, progress is *ahem*..... My debate juniors won't see me this week. They already know. This week, I really can't do anything for anyone. Mr Hasim, your compres will only come next week. Debators, proper research will only come back next week, and I suggest that the juniors help themshelves rather than just depend on the seniors. This blog will need some propping up in terms of articles. My studies has suffered the most. I just crapped for today's economics test and I dunno whether I can even answer a single problem for this afternoon's Maths S test. I'm really sorry but the month of April has been really 倒毙　for me. I just hope that the month of May after 绿园 won't be as 倒毙 as April.

Anyway, please buy a ticket for the CCC production if you can. So far, only about 40-50% of the tickets has been sold based on the two days combined. Mr Gan said that the ticketing sales is very bad. So, if you want to see some quality drama, do buy a ticket. Even if you have SAT, go on Saturday. We promise that you'll not regret spending your eight dollars. The three plays are (快乐着），（还有回头草，吗？） and (平安夜）. What are the three plays about? Buy the ticket and watch the performance to find out yourself. The second play is written and directed by Min Dan, the CCC president, and this play won a Gold Award for this year's National Short Play Competition.

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Now....a commentary on Prelude XXIV

The TJ Band is no doubt a band you cannot miss. However, many serious musicians like me would acknowledge the fact that many TJCians (or in general, the society) do not appreciate the arts, then you need to make it captivating and entertaining enough to attract audiences! The TJ Band has successfully fulfilled its role by doing so, and I'd say that the choice of repetoire was very good even though I felt they could play more unfamiliar pieces like Rhapsodia.

Lianwei (my junior) has became an instant celebrity. Perhaps a notoriety? The musical done by the band just made us laughed our hearts out. The dances made everyone feel like dancing. Lianwei really acted as though he was a real sissy, though I would suggest that he should watch the CCC production to catch another sissy on stage (ie. Desmond). The storyline was really creative and the melodies were so great that for once and for life, I think I really regretted not joining the band when I came to TJ.

The percussion section was superb. I found the percussion soli during Fantasy Variations rather cute. I'm now trying to put myself in their shoes and imagine myself playing. Perhaps I would just laugh and...... (never mind. Loo Kit missed one note during his solo.) Paganini's melody has been galmourized by Maksim and James Barnes. For those Band-its like me, you all would know that James Barnes is a very creative and focused composer. When he wants to be cute, he is really cute. It's always reflected in every single bar of his pieces. Also, the other pieces were well-played. I really saw the true spirit and passion of the musician. If I was still a musician, then my life perhaps would be much different.

On to the student conductors. Mr Lim doesn't need any comments. (we should not comment on professional conductors anyway) I found Timothy a bit stiff, though he did tried to express himself. Perhaps the pieces he conducted couldn't bring out his style or emotions, but nevertheless the band gave everyone on the conductor's stand their utmost respect. I find Teck Sim the better one. He was moving his arms to the music, and he was forceful when the score calls for it, and vice versa. Perhaps the Disney pieces as well as the encore gave room for his beautiful conducting. If I was the one playing, I think I'd be mesmerized by him. I wonder who'll be the next student conductor. I hope Loo Kit runs for that job, given his past experience.

The percussion ensemble also needs some credit. That two year ones who were playing the timbale and the toms really interacted very well. I think I was transported from the informal rock-style fusion concert from that of the formal one, and it's too superb for any compliment.

Anyway, Prelude XXIV is one of the best concerts among the TJ performing arts concerts. I really enjoyed it, and I'm sure those who attended this concert last Sunday would've agree with me. I really miss those percussion instruments.......

zeligdhilee breaking the MUSIC.
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