Yeah ok I know that's a pretty cheesy quote, but hell after sleeping at 3 last night and waking up at 9 to post this post today, courtesy of someone's msg, its the best I could think of, and it really sort of summed up the spirit of RVCO now..yeah..and it was really what Huang laoshi msged us alumni yesterday..so yeah. Ok so on to zhiyin yesterday. While I would like to give you a bit by bit review of each song and each part of the performance, the sheer technicalities of that would proabably bore all of you out, so I'll just focus on some of the important parts in RVCO's important day yesterday.

Went to S.C.H at 730 early in the morning, met up with Bena to re-discuss the stage plans and brief the helpers. Bought Allswell for both of us. It was going to be a long long day ahead. The helpers soon arrived and we managed to brief them and lag around for a little while before the buses and lorries came. Then it was unloading time and off to rehearsal. Rehearsal was good, considering all of us were nervous and cold and excited and high strung. The backstage was too slow, which was why we had training after the rehearsal, but overall rehearsal was a bit clunky..which is after all why they call it a rehearsal. Then after lunch at the balcony (as usual) it was showtime. The matinee show. While the performers put on their makeup (yeah even guys) the backstage got the stage ready.

Matinee was ok..for matinee standards. Of course everyone was nervous and a bit high strung, which is why I guess we didn't play to our best..but hey, its a 10 dollar ticket. Yeah so we just did the best we could and I thought it was pretty ok of course..but nothing compared to what we could do at our full of course. After that the excited squealing juniors went out to meet their equally excited friends for..er more excitement and squealing? Yeah while me and Bena and Enqi tried to control the situation. Ended up talking with dingding, our control room i/c, in the concert hall. Then it was dinner time, and night show time. Oh yeah!

Night Show was really good, I could see the orchestra improved alot alot, probably cause it was full house and alot of alumni had come to watch them. Can't believe my beloved CAB sat in the first row. The moment I ran out to clear chairs I got cheered.LOL. CAB will be CAB FOERVER! Yep ok I thought the backstage was faster this time, and we had a greater sense of urgency. And ok the night show was good. Dian Chi sounded fine, Huang He was good and Long Shang and Wuti were very sufficiently expressed. The seniors and I were cheering at the back while the orchestra played wuti. It is sort of deja vu after all. After 7 years, RVCO has returned to S.C.H. For our 1st zhiyin, we played wuti, and here we are, playing wuti again. I personally noticed something..that each batch's wuti performance is different in style and flavour...I guess its a RVCO thing, but yeah this batch's wuti certainly had their own style, which was good I guess.

Then came our encore, and we quickly loaded our stuff back, and made our way to the bus. While everyone was tired, we did our best to sing some songs..until I saw what I thought were some leftover "good buddies" outside RV..which I shall not elaborate on. Ok so bottomline we packed the CO instrus back to the CO room, and then me, jiawei, jacelyn, kennard, weiren, jeremy, melvin, davy, cheahjing, youwei, and a suona guy went for supper at JE macs. Was damn tired but we managed to talk cock for a while before cabbing home.

Ok so all in all, Zhiyin IV was good, it really lived up to the reputation of Zhiyin. RVCO played as one, bonded together and really showed the world our stuff. For me, well I got to play with the Walkie-Talkie along with some other stuff that made me happy I guess. LOL only a few will know what I'm talking about here, but yeah. HAHA so Zhiyin IV. A performance to remember and glorify. Before the performance I said, "RVCO! PREPARE FOR GLORY!" Now I say, "Congrats RVCO. GLORY has been earned."

One senior said that years ago, so on the eve of Zhiyin, today,I'm using that quote. So. All our practices and tears and hard work has led us to this day. RVCOians..I see in all of you fear and excitement about tomorrow. Has your practice been enough? Will you all shine tomorrow? All those questions surface in your mind, clouding your self confidence. AT THIS POINT, IT DOESN'T MATTER. THE STAGE IS YOURS. As long as you have tried your best, the concert will have been a success. IT IS YOUR CONCERT. WHETHER ITS IS A SUCCESS IS UP TO YOU. THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT NOW, AND THE PERFORMANCE IS IN YOUR HANDS.

RVCOIANS! PREPARE FOR GLORY! TOMORROW NIGHT, WE PLAY IN S.C.H!

Yeah I love this quote, even if it doesn't really have anything with what I'm about to post today or the title of my post.Heh. Ok so today's topic: Taifeng, Zhiyin, CO. Yeah with 2 days left, the clock is ticking down on what is RVCO's sporadic concert, sometimes held once every 2 years, sometimes 3, but each time, an invaluable experience for its members, batch after batch. As an alumni, I am no longer performing with the CO, but have come back to do backstage duties along side fellow alumni. On a reflective note, I have seen how the orchestra has matured as we draw closer and closer to this breathtaking event. I've seen their pain, their excitement, their happiness and their worries as Zhiyin looms over the horizon.

Taifeng has been the main conversational topic of note recently, with many in the orchestra fearing that they are too "stone" and are not doing enough for the performance part of this musical performance. Well, that can be partly attributed to the seniors, whom constantly remind our juniors to do taifeng, even though well haha I guess its a pretty hard skill to learn. But regardless of that, taifeng is no doubt important but cannot be taught in the traditional sense of the word. As I have always said, feel the music, and taifeng will come naturally and in its most beautiful form. Of course, abstractness is hardly going to help now, but I guess that's really the only way I can express Taifeng.

On to Zhiyin. Seeing as the fourth installment of this concert is almost upon us, it made me think a lot, about what zhiyin really means to us, to RVCO. Like i said in my last post about Zhiyin, I doubt if anyone really remembered the origin of Zhiyin. Haha. But Zhiyin is after all, zhiyin and I guess that it is so much more than just a concert to RVCO. It is a rite of passage, a ceremony that inducts you formally into RVCO proper, even more than the orientation camps or welcome ceremonies or what not. The blood,toil, tears and sweat of our members as they practice and practice hard for Zhiyin is indeed no small feat. It is what bonds the orchestra together, even as it may divide some. But Zhiyin, zhiyin transcends all boundaries. It links the orchestra together, and is probably the most important event in an RVCO member's life in RVCO next to the bi-annual SYF.

On to CO. CO. RVCO. Chinese Orchestra. River Valley Chinese Orchestra. Well ok as you can see from the repititions I'm running out of inspiration for this post. Well, I shall end with RVCO. Countless seniors have once said..."RVCO一代不如一代". Pardon any cuo bie zi. Yes, I must admit, I was once part of this cynical bunch. When I came back to watch last year's SYF hopefuls in action, I was doubtful of their potential to get Gold With Honors, to surpass us in the SYF. Against all odds, they proved me wrong. If there's one thing I've learnt from this, its what really characterizes the RVCO spirit, in my opinion. RVCO, really, what characterizes us is a never-say-die attitude that sees our potential rise exponentially and dramatically in the last few time periods prior to our performances, breaking through the invisible barrier that we have set for ourselves and proving all our doubters wrong.

So, to end this post. My juniors, Zhiyin is once again upon us. Will it surpass the previous one? Only YOU can affect that. Only you can decide the fate of this concert. So no pressure, enjoy the music, the performance, and trust in yourselves!

Sorry people, a break from all the happy quotes and fun events that have been posted on my blog recently. Just heard something from my friend that just made me angry and my blood boil. When it does, I think of him.*Up Arrow*. Kefka Palazzo. And I'm as angry and as mad as him now. But, I shall not flame. Because apparently there are still people who still visit and read this blog. I wonder why some people still bother defending themselves, when its obvious they have taken a change for the worst and dragged others down with them. I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE this kind of people.

And you call me HYPOCRITICAL? FUCK.

Well, my dear juniors, it is just 6 days left towards this all important event in RVCO's activities. The rehearsal yesterday was fine..and I could see that many of you were pumped up, excited, and yet fearful of the possibility of performing on stage and the even greater possibility(so percieved) of screwing up your notes, dynamics or whatsoever. No doubt, this has led to frustration, disappointment and saddness in teachers, students and instructors alike. A more common teenage term for such a phase in time would be the appropriate use of the teenage slang word emo, which I shall duely use here. Indeed, as the pressure mounts, it will be both a fun and emo time for us all at RVCO. The alumni are equally worried, and we hope to see all of you juniors put on a spectacular performance, worthy of acclaim and worthy of what we always think is most important..that all of you have tried your best. I personally believe that..as long as RVCO members try their best, the music will sound good.

So..reflections on yesterday's rehearsal. It may not be an accurate gauge of the music we make on the day itself, but there are definitely areas where we can improve on, where standards can be raised. As I confess myself not to be a guanyue or percussion player or having musical/technical experience in all areas of a chinese orchestra, I shall focus my reflections on what we performers like to call stage flair..or in this case for CO...台风. Mr Wong's lame joke nonwithstanding, it does not mean a typhoon. Tai feng in this case mean stage flair. In other words, its where the PERFORMANCE part of an orchestra comes into play. We call this concert a musical performance. Well, we have certainly got the musical part, but our performance needs much improvement. While RVCO have had tai feng training in the past, I do not believe it will really work effectively, until you all know the feelings and emotions behind each song; what each part, each dynamic, each melody is supposed to represent. Then you can sway your body, move and emote accordingly the feelings required. This will help in technical skills as well, as it would lead to an improved understanding of dynamics. You certainly can't play loud and harsh in a part you know is supposed to evoke feelings of saddness and guilt. This is why, RVCO, needs to improve on tai feng. It is after all a musical performance.

I end with a reference to my starting quote. "There is only one thing better than music-live music". A musical performance must include performance. Otherwise, we can just play, cut it into a CD and sell it. But that's not what people want! They come because they want to see how we react to the music, how we touch the audience! That's why..our live music is better than music! So my juniors, do your Tai Feng well and practice hard for Zhi Yin IV.

Yeah well don't worry people Prelims is certainly not becoming so hard that it becomes a punishment for me, but it certainly has been taxing, so I guess I'll be coming on less often these few days to blog and what not. GP was good, but econs and history were both challenging and painful. Oh well, at least the most challenging day is over. It's all downhill from here..or so I hope.

ACJC prelims are certainly living up to their reputation, with the H2 papers in particular being really challenging, but I just hope I can survive with at least B-Cs in every subject. Yeah that would be a great confidence boost. Oh well..maths today, a subject that was originally easy for me, but has been made complicated by the arrival and entry of that horrible topic known as statistics. Heck. LOL. Yeah ok anyway GOOD LUCK my RV juniors for your CTs! Don't worry, CTS are slacky exams heh. And continue practicing hard for Zhiyin IV. I'll see you all next week!

Argh that's not the point! The point is...I got PES BP! WTH!! According to results, PES BP=Fit for all military duties, with additional 1 month BMT for obese recruits. NOOOOOOO....I'm dead. Haiz. PES BP! I was supposed to get PES C! LOL guess all my keng-ing didn't work out. Heh. Oh well. Might as well make the best of an opportunity. Use the army to workout and get fit I guess. What the. PES BP...oh man...I love the SAF grading system man. Don't even understand how I got this.

PES BP!! ARGH!!!!

Celebrating the Singapore Spirit. Slogan for the 43rd NDP celebrations. Well, once again we have reached August 9, Singapore's birthday and its 43rd one at that. Like any other patriotic Singaporean, I here wish Singapore a happy birthday. Yeah. But after reading this year's slogan, I could not help but do some reflection over the slogan.

Celebrating the Singapore Spirit. So what exactly is the Singapore Spirit? From all the posters and advertisements, one can see our diverse culture and what-not as part of our Spirit, but that's the usual NE stuff we learn in school. Oh what our unique diversity, our melting-pot culture, our harmony between races...blah blah blah...all which while quite valid and indeed something to be proud of, do not really represent what I perceive to be the true Singapore Spirit.

According to dictionary.com, which has over 11 definitions for spirit, spirit, in this context, most probably means: an attitude or principle that inspires, animates, or pervades thought, feeling, or action. So the Singapore Spirit would be a spirit that inspires, animates, pervades thought, feeling or action throughout the whole of Singapore.

Now for those of you who know me, I'm a heartland kid. I may live in a condo, but just like any other heartland kid, my dad took me to kopitiams since I was young and I grew up visiting the shops, smells and sounds of the heartlands, which occupy 3/4 of Singapore? I'm not sure, but you can go check out the statistics. So what has this got to do with the Singapore Spirit? Well I think, that the Singapore Spirit cannot be found in advertisements, posters or what not. In fact, what the government demeans as a ugly part of Singapore in our strive to be a global city is actually part of our Singapore Spirit.

Racial Harmony? Fitting but not everyone embraces it, as can be seen from dozens of racist jokes in the educational institutions and therefore cannot be considered our Spirit. Global Citizen? Try explaining that to the older generations of Singaporeans. Striving to speaking proper English? Go to any heartland neighbourhood and listen to any of the conversations going on. Embracing the many diverse races and unique cultures that form part of Singapore? Idealistic but ultimately not representative.

So basically, what I feel truly represents the Singapore Spirit, is a desire for competition(You can call it kiasu-ism) and a good dose of realism and endurance for hard work to realize that competition and carry it out. You can see it in the mad rush for buses, the primary school registrations, etc. You can see it almost everywhere in Singapore. Even when your grandparents haggle over 3kg worth of fish's price you can see the desire to triumph over the other. Is that any surprise though? We were born into a chaotic time with little resources and of course, such demanding times would have molded us into a people less concerned with idealism and more concerned with realistic, economic issues and a strong desire for competition over such issues just in case we aren't accorded our fair share.

So, Happy Birthday Singapore! Celebrating the Singapore Spirit. 43 years of competition, realism and counting!

Citius, Altius, Fortius. Motto of the Olympic games, it basically means faster, higher, stronger in Latin. With a bang, Beijing'08, the 2008 Olympic games kickstarted yesterday, with the opening ceremony and the lighting of the torch broadcasted in most countries. Records will be broken, sweat will be sown, dreams will be both fulifiled and dashed. The dreams of millions around the globe hang on the thousands of athletes now in Beijing. Will they exceed expecatations or will they disappoint? Will Singapore get its first olympic medal since Tan Howe Liang's? We watch with bated breath and anticipation.

Well yesterday went out to celebrate Yuxuan and my birthday with the 4k dudes. Went to Suntec Kbox before going for F.I.R concert at Indoor Stadium. OMG the concert totally rocked. Worth my 98 bucks. It was an experience I'll never forget. The songs they sang, the on-stage flirting and the sing-along. Yeah good stuff. Took a shuttle service to JE after that and cabbed home. HAHA yea, well it was fun.

Yeah as you can probably tell from the post title, today's my birthday and the day I officially turn 18, and can watch M18 movies, smoke, drink and consume alcohol according to Singaporean law..yeah..HAHA

Well since people are expected to post some reflective post or what not reflecting on their years behind and the years ahead or what not and about their birthday celebrations..I've decided to do the same..Just that I ain't got much to reflect about..and I basically spent my birthday at home mugging and slaving away for the bloody prelims coming along. So yeah..haha nothing much to reflect on.

On a second note, thanks to those who wished me happy birthday, especially Jiawei, Judith, Shermaine, and a bunch of other people..really appreciated it yea.HAHA yup guess that's all for this post...

Ah yes, the month of August has once again come round in the year. It seemed like only a few months ago when it came around, but how time files. It has actually been one year! So August. Named after Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, emperor of the Roman Empire, August was orginally a month with 30 days. But, the emperor wanted to make it an odd-numbered day month, to make it lucky, and so we had a August with 31 days. August. One of my favourite months in the year. Well basically cause we have quite a lot of holidays in the month, and because its my birth month! LOL.

So, what did I do on this first day of August? Well basically I went back to RVCO, discussed Zhiyin reherasal plans with Miss Tay and so basically, I have to arrive at RV tomorrow at the all glorious hour of 7am, which even for me is quite early. Oh well. At least it promises to be fun. So, to all who read this blog, a happy August to you.

6 days to my birthday.