Band... Band and more Band

Band... Band and more Band

Lately i've been going back to Springfield to help out with the practises... Lalalalalz.. and i'm getting a little evil by lenghtening the timing for the 16 counts of all the three main concert scales... muahahahahahz... but it's to improve their sound by increasing their air capacity... Ya Yun's Sound is the best i've ever heard.. i have no idea how she ever trained to get that wonderful round solid sound... but her solo still lacks feeling in it.

I've stopped workign as i think that its really no point since workign was just to kill time, but now.. band is more important... i just love going back even if i'm only helping a little... in fact.. Ya Yun can handle everything by herself.. she's the most capable saxophone section leader i know and i really respect her... i think the whole section does...

Band camp was one hell of a nice thing... man i never had the chance to experience an indoor band camp.. only outdoor... there's this one time when they were playign Ross Roy somewhere near dinner time and the sky was gloomy, then suddenly a gust of wind blew and Jing Jing was like.. whao.. my skirt.. flies were dropping and leaves were flying.. it was really kinda eerie... hahhaz.. imagine the band was playing a scary piece.. then suddenly these things happen.. lightning.. strong wind.. leaves flying.. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I hardly slept for the first night as it was so uncomfortable on the floor in the AVA room.. the room was cold and the floor was kinda sandy.. as in u can feel some dust and sand on the floor...

On the moring of the second day... Mr poh said this... Saxophones make the best tasting milo... no other section milo taste as good as the ones made by the Saxophone section... and it's not only this camp.. but for all the toher camps... hahahz.. whao... as part of the sax section last yr.. i have no idea how we actually make such good milo.. well... hope the next batch retains up this unspoken skill... Lalalalalalaz

The night walk was like... its not scary one bit...due to the fact that the exit lights were so bright that they lit up practically the whole stairway... hahhaz.. but its funny how ppl can still take the wrong route and appear eleswhere in the school...

I'm so glad that the conflict within my section have been resolved and everyone has learnt a lesson that a small issue can break up the unity and bond of a whole section... Joseph... you are the section leader after the 2005 SYF... and you're only sec 2.. we as seniors are so much stricter on you its because the future of the section lies in your leadership... hence the way we treat you.. to be more discipline and giving you more pressure to think like a section leader... So please remember this painful lesson...

After the band camp... i took a trip to Fairfield Secondary School for the exchange program... Ya Yun, Farizah, Qizheng and i took a cab down from SPF.. and man.. the journey was like a ride on a roller coaster... minus the excitement and fast speed.. the taxi turn and drove in such a bad movement that farizah and i ened up feeling queasy... almost vomited in the darn cab... The schools played songs like El Camino Real.. Eagle's Bend... and Blue Ridge Saga.. hahahahz... but overall.. it's kinda nice. all in preparation for the Cheung Cheng and Friends Concert.

Disappointment... Blessing in Disguise

Disappointment... Blessing in Disguise

I arrive in SPF later than i was supposed to.. hahahaz.. lazy lar.. wanna sleep and when i walked into the hall... i was struck by the things that Sa'adah and Qizheng told me.. damn.. i wished i came earlier like at 8am...

In the morning when the band was having sectional marching... my future section leader said something which hurt ya yun.. it was such an act of stupidity... the bond and unity of the whole section is practically broken up... We saxophones have never felt this way before.. we are always the section with no conflicts.. never run during sectionals and can even tok rubbish and gossip during sectionals but still achieved what we are supposed to.

An act of saying... "why you always pick on me, she's also doign it wrongly"... and a conflict begins... I can't believe what i've hard and from the tone of Sa'adah.. i can feel that she's worried and really sad... sigh... Ya yun didnt pick on you.. its just that our expectations, as seniors on you are much higher.. much MUCH higher.. you are after all going to be the next SL...

during lunch break.. i gave them a talk excluding ya yun and denisia... it was really sad and painful to see the whole section cry... even as i scold them on such an issue will carry such a harsh consiquence... tears are on the verge of flowing out of my eyes too... It's really sad to scold you, as i've never expect such a thing to come by... Glad that joseph feels remorseful and that a lesson is learnt. Our feeling to him was also expressed on so's our expectations...

but not all is bad.. this hurtful event gave ya yun an experience on the feeling of Ross Roy saxophone solo... the solo was truly filled with feeling that afternoon... ya yun cried after she played the solo... it really piercr her love for the section... definatly a winning solo...

Emirates A340-500 night time cabin lighting...
from www.emirates.com

Of Freedom and Solitude

Of Freedom and Solitude

Lalalalalalalalz... i'm going to backpack in New Zealand... Yeah man, gonna leave on the 12 of April 2005.. . after the SYF competition... thank god that Emirates have a flight that leaves for Melbourne at 3pm... and the competition time for Springfield Military Band is at 11.45am... And oh boy.. i am sooooo excited about it.. staying in YHA over the country and the best thing is that i get to fly...
EK404 from SIN - MEL...
EK404 from MEL - AKL...
EK407 from CHC - MEL...
EK407 from MEL - SIN

What's so special about flight EK407 is that i get to fly on Emirates A340-500 aircraft... equip with more movies than other aircrafts, better seats and its got those special lighting feature in the cabin to replicate natural lighting at certain times of the day... cool huhz... And becuz the Melbourne Int'l airport's main runway is going under upgrading to suit the requirements of the A380... the 2nd runway is being used for all departing flights... hence becuz of the shorter runway, weight restrictions are imposed on Ultra Long Hual flights, esp. on fuel... therefore EK have to make a stopover in Singapore... If it wasn't for this runway upgrading... the only way to Fly on Emirate's A340-500 is to fly the Dubai - Australia, Dubai - Zurich or Dubai - USA routes...

Well the basis for my trip have already been partially planned but now.. i have to do my planning again... and it's kinda confusing whether to go from the south island to the north island or the other way around... but so far my plan is to go from;
Auckland > Rotorua > Palmerston North > Wellington > Christchurch > Methven > Mt Cook Village > Queenstown > Te Anau > Hanmer Springs > and back to Christchurch for my departure back to Melbourne...

Sigh.. going alone is exciting but it can be kinda lonely especially when you go to those senic sights and do the nature hikes in national parks or forests... The truth is, backpacking will be much more fun if you go with a friend or maybe in a small group of four. Becuz in a pair or group, the experience felt will be better as it's experience as a group and not alone. The feeling that you feel, your friend(s) will also feel the same too and its the sharing or the same feelings that's really worth in friendships. Still... nothing is impossible and nothing is gonna stop me from going.. its gonna be an experience for me and really useful since i've chosen to go to Temasek Poly and study Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Crush on Nonya Kuehs

Crush on Nonya Kuehs

Recently i've been having a sudden madness to make nonya kuehs such as Onde Onde... Kueh Sarlat... and even the famous Kueh Lapis... or Thousand layer Cake in simple terms... My first attempt isn't very good as i drastically reduced the butter contents and the result was a dry textured lapis... but the flavour and aroma was there.. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
While my Kueh Sarlat and Onde Onde was very successful in terms of flavour and texture and aroma...

Over the past few weeks i've been constantly improving the above three nonya kuehs and Muahahahahahz.. my kueh lapis is now at a good level... and i've been adding small amounts of other ingredients other then those stated in the recipe book... and the flavour, aroma is getting better... Sigh... but there's this problem of my kueh lapis being too short.. a normal one in Bengawan Solo will be about 1.5inches high but mine is only 1inch in height.. but it weighs around 850grams...

Becuz andre has "pang seh" me in going to Australia.. i have made a decision and i must say i'm quite anxious about it.. hahahahaz

My first attempt to make Onde Onde.. it has coconut filling inside.

My first attempt in making Kueh Sarlat.. It was delicious man... My cousin and Aunts and Andre can prove it!!!