Meeting 1 -- Pass!

Seems like the first meeting went ok, with the exception of ppl (myself included) being late O_o Glad that serious problems are being brought up and discussed with (imo) viable solutions presented. Hopefully this will work!

3 Reasons for Understanding

Having been bombarded in the last two (or so) days with complaints like those I used to make, I've come to realize that I'm no longer compelled to find an outlet for all the noise and strange sounds that're emitted during band practices. I'm not sure if it's because I've come to terms with the fact that these people aren't going to change no matter how much you try, or if I've already convinced myself that playing music is the last thing on some peoples' minds, or if I'm just too tired to care. Looking back through all my angsty and frustrated posts I do kind of miss getting pissed off at simple mistakes which shouldn't be made, and attitudes which should be shoved into a grater and mashed into tiny little bits, but through all that you learn to comprehend that these people are people too, and that they have valid reasons for being the way they are. And here today, I've decided to shed some light on our noise-darkened lives.

3 Reasons Why Some People Are The Way They Are

1. With the popularity of sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it is evident that the world is shifting towards a global state of social-networking. People now have an irreverent need to know what their friends are doing at every time of the day, and every little bit of news, relevant or otherwise, has to be fed to them right at that moment. Also, with all the avenues available to them to gather information, their brains are faced with a sensory overload, and can't focus on whatever is right in front of their face at that particular point in time unless they're shoved right in the heart of it. In this light, it is perfectly understandable that certain individuals have to talk during the brief lulls in practice. Not just when the rest of the people aren't playing, but also when other people are playing and they aren't. This irresistable urge to talk eventually leads to situations whereby, when addressed, they are unable to give a coherent reply, and usually end up spouting gibberish such as, "Har? (random letter of the alphabet) is it?", or to rephrase simple instructions in their own words (possibly related in some way to a reduction in volume), which may also be the fault of some lingering need to treat conversation as an English Language comprehension exercise.
2. It is a natural human reaction to shy away from things that you fear, and a conventional source of fear is responsibility. Of course, if a mistake is made, the first reaction a normal person would have when confronted with his mistake and a suggestion as to how to make it better would be to? Turn and speak to a friend. This interaction with a trusted individual bolsters confidence and partially erases any guilt felt at that moment for the incorrect action. As such, any person who makes mistakes serious enough to cause an entire band to halt mid-piece would, logically, immediately turn away and speak to another person beside them and ignore the centrally placed accuser, even if the accuser were to suggest a method in which the mistake could be easily rectified.
3. Every living being is born with the innate ability and instinct to defend itself in some way against threats and danger. When implored by individuals to focus/pay attention/take things more seriously on the brink of an important event, the inherent response is to divert their attention to something else which raises their position to one in a more positive light, such as arriving early for practice. Of course, it is common knowledge that arriving early is an effective way of instantaneously improving performance. Take exams for example, going to an exam early and chatting to a friend about recent activities and plans to visit a shopping mall after the paper would, obviously, lead to a marked improvement in grades, and even this would receive a boost if, during the paper itself, the person were to constantly chat with his neighbor and half-heartedly inscribe some symbols on the test. I mean, what better way could there possibly be to improve grades?

In light of all the above, we should give thanks for people who come for practice early, spend the entire practice ignoring the conductor, and treat the entire practice as a way to make friends and advance their section camaraderie. Physical attendance is, without a doubt, such a large sacrifice to certain individuals that they feel justified to let their minds flit away over the bright blue (or black, depending on time of day) horizon.

I dedicate this post to the long suffering members who've come to speak to me, and Mr. Oura, who should get a haircut.

No doubt, some people will question the author, myself, as to why someone who has been singled out for missing practices by Prof Ho has the right to write this post, and the answer is this: I don't feel that I have to inform you of my reasons for not attending practice, because I know if they're valid or not. I pay attention during practice. Do you? I discuss the nuances of the pieces like intonation, articulation, dynamics, and simpler things like where to breathe and accidentals. Do you? I look and listen at/to the conductor and the rest of the band. Do you? I try to play music. Do you?

Presidential Election Campaign

Youwei for President!

My fellow bandmembers, it's time for elections on Wednesday again. The main points of my campaign will include changes as follows:

- Extremely intensive and productive band practices once a month

- 15 min breaks every half hour (so that the conductor can rest and smoke)

- Mandatory chit-chat (see bitching) sessions during the last half hour of band to discuss anything from band matters and school, to work, attachments, and your pets

- More pieces to be brought in to play with suitable primary school-esque actions thrown in such as dancing, waving, weiliang's-shoe-throwing, etc

- Overseas trips every other week (to Sentosa, Ubin, JB)

and most importantly...

- Shuttle services from Canteen 2 bus-stop to Nanyang House!

Remember, a vote for me is a vote for (insert word here)!

School is back! AGAIN! Omg... (Last sem though...)

Ok, today was sort of the first day of school again, considering I kind of sort of decided to not go yesterday... (To anyone who thought I did, note that I did not specifically say that I was in school or went for lessons =X But at least it was good in that I managed to help someone grab an add/drop elective. Have I every mentioned that the NTU system is really strange? Hmm...) Arrived like at 7.30 for the 10am lecture (since those that know me will know that I hate crowded places, and this includes early morning buses) cos I got a lift from my dad. Sat around being bored and working on another arrangement which I've been putting off for a couple of weeks (hope to get it done before camp starts Friday). At about... 8.40ish, the most amusing thing happened. Two cats, a big one (the mother I assume) and a kitten decided to walk across the student hub. The kitten was such a complete coward! But still really cute. Everytime someone appeared in the distance, or talked too loudly, it'd run back and hide behind a host of recycling bins. Then the mother had to go in and coax the kitten out. This happened.... many times, I can't recall. Probably more than 20? (Yes I was there a long time). Throughout all this they were meowing at each other in turn. Big MEOW, small meow, Big MEOW, small meow, etc... Oh yes, and whenever someone walked close to the recycling bins/kitten hiding place, the mother would turn and hiss at them. Good example of motherly love in the animal kingdom. Although it did run away when someone (one of the cleaners/maintenance workers) decided to be mean, I shall put it down to the mother trying to lure the evil bushy haired guy away to protect the kitten. Anyway I was quite amused by this for the better part of half an hour, and I'll put up the short video on facebook eventually, once I find my cable to connect my hp or the bluetooth connector for my pc. Forgive the lacklustre quality, but I was sitting far away and didn't want to approach for fear of spooking them.

Comparatively, the lecture was horribly dry (not like people actually expect much else from lectures). The lecturer just seemed hell-bent on assuring everyone that anyone from any faculty and background can score in this module. Oh please, I bet everyone there has some physics and music background anyway, why else would they even dare to take the module? Anyway he also mentioned about 1.5 lectures devoted to teaching basic music theory, so I think my lecture attendance might become slightly sporadic. *cough*

Wandered around a bit after lunch with ZG and some of his SA friends, who looked familiar, but that I didn't specifically recognise. Comes about from wandering around with too many SA people I expect. Headed over to LT32 for Genes, and managed to direct a lost van driver along the way. Good work, I'd say. Spent the next hour or so trying to stay awake and chatting with people on MSN (No, it's not cos both of you were boring, I was just sleepy), before heading in to sit in the LT, wait 5~10mins for the lecturer to arrive, and turn on the computer. After entering the password and setting everything up, he opened PPT, and went into the slideshow. The slide merely said, "There is no lecture today, lectures start from FEB 10th" Genius among geniuses... Couldn't he have simply just picked up the mic, and said it?! Granted, I should've seen it in the mess he left on IVLE, so it's partly my fault for wasting 4+ hours in school for no reason, but I don't see why he had to take 10 mins to turn on the projector/pc/wait for msoffice to configure itself/set up ppt just to tell us something he could've said in less than 10 seconds.

No idea why I suddenly decided to blog, I was just inspired by the cat incident I think. Camp on Friday will hopefully be interesting, although I already know it'll be super tiring... Then again I'm quite sleepy now too... Oh yes, and if anyone happens to have my tuner (DJ says she left it on the chair and it disappeared) Please let me know, thanks.

FYP still sucks... And things are looking up, for those who understand ^^

Dreaming again

嗨...
還是放不下...

Uncultured, Uncivilised!

All those idiots sitting behind, and off to the side but on the same level as us yesterday, all of you deserve to be smacked about the face until your cheeks turn redder than Anne's sunburnt nose! Stupid secondary school kids (from schools in which some of the Westwinds ppl teach I'm sure) have no idea what it means to be at a concert. Given, Westwinds isn't some big (not literally) band that commands our utmost reverence and rapt attention whenever any instrument is sounded, but at least the most basic respect should be accorded, no? Yesterday's concert wasn't some secondary school concert where the players revel in every whoop and call for their name (although I suspect some of them did, especially with the amt of bitching by Feli abt *SOMEONE*), the players and both conductors were trying to bring the best in the music out to people, and DON'T YOU REALISE THAT SOME OF US NEED SILENCE TO ENJOY THE MUSIC?!!? I don't so much mind the name-screaming before and after the pieces, it's the incessant talking that goes on during the pieces itself that pisses me off. Oh, it's a solo? What instrument issit? It's a horn. No, it's a euphonium. Issit?? OMG la... AND, some idiots just happened to think it was fun to make funny noises while Mr Ito was waiting for a gong sound to die off. If you don't want to listen to the music, please don't waste my $13 and your $13 at the Esplanade. Please go to some... I dunno, mad rave party or some pop singer's personal concert where you can scream his/her names out, or make any other strange noises you'd like, or any other place I'm not! Then I couldn't care less. Secondary school kids, you bunch of uncivilised and uncultured people, you should all be banned from concerts other than your own (I don't care how much it hurts our ticket sales) until you learn some basic concert ettiquette.



On to the concert proper... From the personalities and playing styles of people I know in the band (yes this means you too Alex), I was surprised that the band sounded amazingly controlled throughout the entire concert. Anne says that's a good thing, and I agree to some extent, but I would've liked some parts to be more forceful, or at least louder. The first half under the baton of Major Tng was on the whole rather too tame for my tastes. Considering I've played 2 of the pieces there, Jalan Jalan ~Isle of the Gods and Impressions of Japan, I was quite happy to revel in the lack of any major, glaring mistakes, although at times I felt the percussion was happily admiring the scenery or something while the band wound through the music. Annoying as that was, I've gotten used to percussion sections doing stuff like that. (No offence SH =p; As for the other band I play in... Let's just not comment on their percussionists...) I quite liked the beginning of Impressions especially in the first half, although most of the rest of it wasn't bad either, just that most of the pieces sounded a tad unpolished.

Of course the main draw of the concert was the 2nd half where Mr Yasuhide Ito took the band. Westwinds' sound opened up considerably (although not quite enough for me), and the pieces sounded like they practiced quite a bit more. Not being a pianist I shan't comment on Mr Ito's keyboard skills (though he sounded pretty good of course). Of particular interest was the piece based on Singapore (which I forgot the title of, but Anne has the cd anyhow). Personally I thought it sounded very Indonesian, with all the Gembilan (not sure abt spelling?) sounding mallets and whatnot. Not particularly Singaporean if you ask me. The Taiwan based piece sounded folkish enough I guess, but then again it's based on Taiwan folksongs which I've never heard beford... Ok enough with guesswork and whatnot, the main, main draw of the night was Gloriosa, which I really, really love. The opening was nice, although the audience (see first paragraph) was annoyingly noisy as usual. The singing reminiscent of our Monastery Garden (Shan't compare =p), and the trombone section tone quite somber and reverent. As they broke into the fast part, I was quite happy to listen to the band run through all the notes (pretty) clearly and cleanly, not like the mishmash of sound I'm (sadly) getting used to hearing from running passages. The ending gong for the 1st mvt (cos of the audience) was the absolute most disappointing part, because the idiots even decided to applaud =_= OMG, not as if the piece was done?? And claiming ignorance is no excuse because you should wait for the conductor to signal the end anyhow. The 2nd mvt's piccolo solo started quite promisingly, but I'm not sure if it was the conductor/composer's wish, or that he was very tired, but close to the end it started to sound as though he was beginning to tire. The band itself was beginning to show signs of fatigue although the chords were still pretty decent, just that I couldn't really feel the music... The 3rd mvt was also pretty clean and crisp, although the percussion section felt as though it was doing something strange here and there again (not sure if it's my hearing, but I doubt it). The 2 trpt 2 trombone quartet was.... weird. I expected the bass trombone to be much stronger (I am not biased) because the beginning has quite a lot of movement, but I definitely didn't expect the 1st trpt to be so loud. As though it was his solo and the rest were just floating in the background. The ending tutti part was definitely too lackluster. I totally expected more from a band that contains Alex and Soon Soon. Maybe they're tired, I dunno. =X

I don't feel like commenting on the encores, although Mr Ito did an interesting swap from conductor to pianist midpiece with Major Tng taking over, so I shall end with an overview. The concert was generally a good one, with minor hiccups here and there, and a really, really irritating audience.

Supper was soso, although 2 ppl who said they would join us didn't... (one went home earlier the other I dunno wad happened to him) The food wasn't too fantastic, although excessive chocolate was nice, but we got cheated when they passed off a warm chocolate cake as a mudpie =_= Cafe Cartel so needs to take lessons from NYDC in that respect. Ended up talking to Feli abt WMC and (hopefully if I have enough cash) the post-WMC extension grad trip. So many places we wanna go, so little money (me la, I know other ppl are rich)... Hopefully TH, Emmy and Anne (YES YOU IF YOU READ THIS) better come along and extend aso, cos as Feli mentioned, the type of company's impt when you run arnd a foreign country. For some strange reason Anne didn't have enough potato/fries in him, so he decided to go to Mac's, ending up in us walking arnd the outside of Marina Square to discover that it was closed, and him eventually driving us (wif JB and YZ *cough*) to the East Coast one. We sat there for... I dunno, 3 hours? Talking about random things from school, student unions, SYFs to various band ppl to erm... interesting people who walked past us to the counter. Some drunk guy collapsed on the ground for a brief moment but managed to get up with help and walk off to flag a cab.

On the whole quite a nice night/morning, although we missed breakfast by abt 8 mins, and I ended up being super sleepy throughout the whole of tuition =p. I also found out some interesting things... Like how JB likes to use the word "Really??" (I wanted to count, but I decided I wasn't bored enough ^^) Never thought I'd come back here to post again, but I guess I just suddenly felt like it. I make no promises as to further posts of course. Band starts soon! Guess I should go. I miss my trombone... Maybe I should bring it home and annoy people in my block...

I thought it was gone, now it's back! OMG!

Hate and Love - "A Phantom" Review

I hate music. I hate understanding it because it makes me have an opinion about its
interpretation. I hate knowing about being in tune because I could tell when the violins were out
of tune. I hate knowing about dynamics because the piccolo was loud and plain annoying at the
beginning, and the stupid horn blasted his way through the beginning of the 2nd half. I hate
knowing about keeping in time because that stupid drum couldn't play in time nor had he any idea about dynamics idea (wrt previous sentence). I hate knowing a piece so well that I could tell when the horn missed his note, twice... I hate that I've heard the originals so many times that I
subconsciously make comparisons between the original and the version tonight. I hate that my
hearing allowed me to pick out when Ana's voice faltered from her operatic role and allowed her
accent to slip in. I hate that I could tell that Brad's upper vocal range wasn't very strong.

I love music. I loved that I could feel the waves of emotion from the orchestra when they launched into thick portions of music. I loved that I could pick out the tinkling of the harp from the top floor. I loved that Brad's lower vocal range was thick and powerful. I loved that the actors/actresses didn't miss a single note. I loved that Meg was a nosey kid, and Carlotta was a whiny bitch as was always intended (^^). I loved the actor who played André, but I felt Firmin had too thick a voice to be a comic manager. I loved the lavish sets (although I felt the chandelier could be a lot more elaborate). I loved the mechanics and special effects, en particulier the candles! (Super cool!) But most of all, I loved the company =) Hope you had as fantastic a time as I did!

Ok for a less whiny overview, I felt that the musicians were slightly substandard, dunno if they were having an off day or what, but they could be a whole lot better. I shan't compare Ana Marina to Sarah Brightman, or Brad Little to Michael Crawford, and so... Ana Marina wasn't a bad Christine, but I always felt Christine would be around Meg's age, perhaps like late late late teens or something (which would make Sarah abit old to play it actually, hmm), but anyway I felt she came across as abit too old sometimes. The actor who played Raoul wasn't too bad, because he isn't exactly supposed to be too musically inclined, but he could be alot louder at times, especially during multiple singing parts; he's usually drowned out by Brad and Ana. Brad displayed his rich low tones at the beginning, but lapsed into his weaker high range through the rest of the show, which kind of put me off a little. Carlotta was sufficiently shrieky, and Ubaldo was as incomprehensible as Carlotta was shrieky, which is how it's supposed to be I think. I felt the Esplanade shouldn't have that top area of seats because it's a horrible view, everything that happens more than 2 storeys off the stage is blocked. The falling chandelier was horribly slow, and not scary in the least! So unlike the one I saw in the documentary (Singapore's safety standards?). And the stage doors didn't really work much, after the masquerade scene you can see him sort of run off under cover of darkness rather than disappearing through a trapdoor on the stage as would be more fitting to the requirements. Madame Giry was just a stern old bitch, and gave quite a good rendition of beats with her walking stick. Fierce! The dancers were terribly uncoordinated, and their moves weren't very together most of the time. But all in all, I think it's worth it, especially for CERTAIN SHORT PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET AND DON'T THINK IT'S WORTH THE MONEY.

Having said that, I had a great time today! Was so looking forward to this, and it hasn't disappointed.

Refreshed! Yet things still weigh on my mind... Get out of my head! Shoo!