Why being a helper is better for me.

1. I'm not in tune with Domy. I don't think my participation in the ensemble will help the group greatly.
2. I can't stand Domy's rehearsals. I do not wish to go to Japan dreading all the rehearsals prior to that.
3. I'm only interested to observe and learn from their ideas and practices, not to play for them(in concert or whatever performance).

My apologies to ZhaoJin. Hope I haven't got you in a difficult position.

怪了

Weird.

I've never felt so nonchalant about a overseas trip before. I remembered how excited I was when I was due to head to Holland for World Music Contest last year. All that focused preparations, the target/objective of achieving in the contest. Much of the time spent by the band was on the music itself; every instrument a specific role, esp. in the Hardy Mertens's "Iris".

It's rather low-hype, low-key for the Japan trip, considering the Japan trip members should be rehearsing intensively(even now!), although the NUS exams are around the corner.

Too bad Shuhann, Hansen, Junhao ain't going, else MASAK can go and whack a few J-pop hits and barber them. Oh yes, I think 了无牵挂 will be a C-pop hit!

Anyway, I'm quite leaving it to fate on whether I'll go or not. Not very comfortable with so many days of Home-stay, think I'm a little too old for that and I feel like I'm imposing on the poor family. Nonetheless, it cold be traditional Chinese thinkings influencing my discomfort. Would really prefer to stay in the dormitory though.

听而不闻

I feel that students these days exhibit a severe weakness in aural skills. It seems like the years they have spent in primary school, with English as a teaching medium, has not helped them at all. For some reason or another, you'll find that they need you to:

1. repeat things over and over again, as if they have just arrived from some village imprisonment for years.

yes, they don't seem to enjoy information being disseminated by the masses. They NEED you to transmit the verbal information on a one-to-one basis.

2. show them visually what you mean.

"A picture tells a thousand words". Visual cues are excellent for content pedagogy, but when it comes instructions to deal with time and space, we are in short supply of understanding and imagination here.

Of course, the worse part to it is that they have completely mastered the art of talking at about 70 dB consantly and consistently for the whole day, which forces me to really go above them with the typical "Aslan" roar, or the Sadako Red Eye Death stare. I wonder if they speak like that at home. Hmmm... Actually my friends could easily imagine what it's like.

Imagine 5 to 7 of me speaking to you simultaneously or sequentially.

I foretell that the size of the human ear is be significantly reduced in the next 500 years, since the young ain't using them, there's no need for the current ones.

色不迷人人自迷

Someone can actually kill himself over the size of his penis. Rather amazing that one would allow a body part to dictate the outcome of one's life.

We're looking at Alex's newly taken "resume" photo at Marche just last Sat. Michelle commented that interviewers tend to short-list those who are good-looking/pleasant-looking/cute and just chuck the rest away. It's really a stark naked segregation of 美的 and 丑的. After reading about the incident over at Straits times, it occured to be that this line of thoughts is already present in the young workforce these days, hence, the escalated version in the teenagers.

My colleague remarked that the media now publicises breast enlargement creams on daily papers, something which used to be in exclusive female magazines only. I won't be surprised to see Penis enlargement kits appearing at your local pharmacies.

There is cause for great concern, I wouldn't want to live in a society where the size of my body parts play a major role in how others percieve me. For one, I'm out of puberty and there's nothing much I can do about it "naturally". And of course, with aging and all, it's rather unlikely the skin is going tighten as the years go by.

Hey!!! whatever happened to all the intangible qualities in life?

Election lottery date

Election had better be on 6th May!!! I got trips planned on the other long weekends!!!!
Ooi... 老天爷.... don't sabo leh....

韩流

The food served on 大长今 looks awfully weird to me. Most of the dishes are tainted with floral colours and happy pastel like ornaments, looks like various renditions of sushi to me... but the names are a shade too vivid in description though; 内脏粥, oh please, all appetite is lost, especially if you've just watched Cannibal Holocaust. Why? well, in the movie, there's quite a bit of 内脏 being tossed around, uncooked of course.

I can't help but feel that 长今 is a little too motherly looking to be a 宫女. 韩尚宫 looks more like her sister than teacher actually. So when she gives that timid look whenever that irritating 崔尚宫 snaps at her, it just does work so well on scene.

Motherly face + timid look = WHAT!?!?!?!?!?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of the show, just happen to catch some bits and pieces here and there. The "Wu La La" song is quite nice. Though I have nudged Alex to arrange it, he didn't look a bit convinced. Well, just for fun lah.

The Korean costume seems to cover too much of their body till everyone (of the same gender)looks quite the same; though I realise the ladies then like to sit in the typical trishaw/rickshaw ah peh position. Would like to visit Korea actually, once I get over the phobia of eating 泡菜 every meal. Not to mention their language as well. The ads make the place look like a perfect place for a romantic getaway, at the filming sites of 冬季恋歌 and all that trauma drama. Perhaps not that auspicious afterall...

执迷不悟

I wonder if it's CFA or NUS web designers.

They always make the fatal mistake of laterally inverting pictures with guitarists. Actually, it applies to all instruments. Sigh... when are they going to realise?

摊牌

I wonder if my open accusations on Domy over email is going to work. I think whoever's reading it should just laugh it off lah, there's no animousity there, just stating facts really. And I doubt he's seriously going to change because of my comments.

I know Zhiqiang is one of those "preserve the joy, purity of family wellness" kinda guy, so he's bound to find it a bit uncomfortable reading all those stuff. Shuhann would love the gore and drama; penultimate bloodbath he adores. It is also quite a mere coincidence both their names appear together in this paragraph.

To all juniors who are reading my blog, please try to reconcile with the fact that I am NOT a meany senior, waiting to breathe fire down your necks. I'm rather friendly by nature, Chiok Yen can vouch for that.

Oops CFA did it again

As I've predicted, CFA pulled a fast one on us again.

So far, I've noticed that whenever they call for performers to take up performance slots, they've never once been very very CLEAR of what they want, what they need and what they can provide.

Their style is kinda like "whack all and later sort it out" style. Rather irritating and unprofessional, considering it's a university arts centre.

So there's no Istana for EXPOSE for now. But we'll be back.

一生要试镜几回

20 going to Japan

6 excused, including Domy and Raj.
8 auditioned and passed.

The rest??? You do the math.

Ultimately, the irrelevant audition has warped into something nonsensical. For the records, Jianqun actually auditioned 3 times in his entire lifespan in GENUS!

1st time - to get into GENUS
2nd time - to get into PO
3rd time - to go Japan

My heart goes out to him. 好一条坎坷路!
(background music:雾锁南洋)

In the mood

Indeed, I'm in the mood to lash out at any unacceptable behaviour. Partly because I have a very bad headache now and I'm not about to take any nonsense, esp. arrowing.
So Domy, I'm not really sorry,

it had to be you.

Band Policy

http://www.vincentlim.com/Music.htm

Check it out and read the Band Policy section!
I think it's a great effort!

EXPOSE is going to Istana

The next small ensemble rehearsals we'll be preparing pieces for the Istana performance. I'm quite excited about the possible repertoire we can cook up. Mostly easy listening and familiar favourites I guess. I'm also thinking of asking Mr. Alex to lend us his ASEAN medley. Think might be a very appropriate occasion to do this piece.

Anyone free to arrange some easy pieces for us?

夜来香?

基本功

According to "Faran"(to those who remember him),

There's 2 ways to read a piece of music:

1. You count and play to according to the tempo/rhythm
2. You don't count and just play the pitches, disregarding the rhythm.


"The rhythm is the most important part of the music."

These were words imprinted in my mind when I was a year 1 junior in GENUS. Who? Mr. Alex said that; which I've come to agree to many years till now. Rhythmic cohesion has to be the first and foremost issue to be addressed in any ensemble setting. There's no point doing group playing when the player does not make a conscious effort to

1. count his beats
2. listen out to the other parts

Many players in the ensemble too often or not ignore this. Hence, Junhao and I coined the term "Chordabile", inspired from "cantabile".

"Chordabile" - chunky chord-like rendition of a single homophonic line.

If there's anything a guitar ensemble should and could impress audience, it's rhythmic cohesion. Fact is simple, the attack of the guitar sound by the finger is so distinct and discrete that it takes much more effort to ensure that everyone is doing it together at the same time. I believe Niibori strikes through different from others because they have this.

Hence, we need to fall back to basics. If we can't even come in relatively correctly on beats, cohesion is almost impossible. This requires immense concentration during rehearsals and plenty of homework individually.

Michelle said I passed nasty comments when the guys didn't read well in the anime medley. I can't say no to that, everyone's entitled to perspectives. Nasty or not, I think my objective was set some basic expectations. Please count!

Ultimately I hope to raise the group's awareness and expectations; where we develop into musically aware and able musicians who can present guitar ensemble music at a higher level; above GENUS standards.

Anime medley!

Laputa: Castle in the Sky

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind

Porco Rosso

My Neighbour Totoro

Hayao Miyazaki!!!

http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/

Performance Pressure

I think it's something which bugs most performers. If you'd listened to the recordings made by the Small ensemble off stage(which I did not until recently); and comparing, really sounds much better than on concert day!

Anyone have any idea how I can upload them somewhere?

MEGAFLARE!

"This monstrous fish comes from Moslem traditions. The legend goes that it floats in a vast sea. A giant bull rides on its back and on the bull is a ruby mountain. There is an angel on the mountain over which are six hells, then the Earth, and then seven heavens. The bahamut is so huge and dazzling that human beings cannot look upon it. Its name may have lead to the behemoth."

玩完了!

This is what happens when you use your own phone to call students playing truant!
Time to shop for a new one!!!

孬种

As usual, Dominic has made communicated information seem uncommunicated. Verified with Alex that they had discussed on the audition criteria and he pulled a fast one on Alex, by changing the audition topics last minute; and of course without concensus.

What a jerk! And he lamely excused himself, diverting the error as an inevitable manifestation of his character(or what's left of it).

Nonetheless, he's gotten his retribution when Daren told him that he's not playing the bass part for Rondalla last minute as well. Perhaps I should pull one on him too. heh heh...

杀!!!

Time to 进货!