Moving on, if its a question on concepts and if you do not understand, then yeahh,consulting a friend might be a good thing cuz he can break it up into simpler reasonings rather than the humongous and (sometimes) unnecessary additional points made by others on the web (since these additional points are far beyond the syllabus). If its a question on content, ie how many centrioles are there in a cell, then just use the internet, cuz the answer is right there. Studying, by now, should be 45% in the lectures and classrooms, 45% at home and 10% when asking friends. So yeahh, i know im being a complete ass here. But seriously, you have to learn how to study.

Anyway, back to Rooney. He took the easy way out, he shirked away from his responsibility and he didnt really respect the manager nor the fans. He could have been a Ronaldo, i.e making his intentions clear from the start that he wants to leave (because that has been his dream and not because of the squad strength) and still playing his best for the club. Ronaldo's last season saw him win an EPL medal, a Champions League runner-up medal and a League Cup medal. At least United fans were willing to let him leave because he had played his best for them whenever he pulled on the shirt. How about Rooney? 1 goal so far this season, and it came from the penalty spot no less, isnt really a decent return from Rooney. His performances were abject, uninspired and he doesnt really look interested. But heres the crux of the issue. Is it his fault that things have turned out this way? Has player power now become so important that managers like Ferguson are outdated?

The Bosman and Webster rulings have definitely given players alot of leeway in terms of transfers. In the days before Bosman, even if a player has reached the end of his contract, he is still bound to his club and cant leave until a new deal has been agreed. With Webster, clubs are now forced to sell their players when these players announce the intention to leave as the players can buy themselves out of the contract for a nominal, some say criminal, amount. Yes, the Bosman and Webster rulings are definitely good for the players because they can now hold the club ransom and demand a higher pay. For those in the lower leagues, i will argue for the rules to hold because they are literally the ones living hand to mouth, having to squeeze every pound they can out of their bodies before retirement calls. However, for players like Rooney, does 500K a week really make that much a difference from 200K a week? Is he going to build a house with all that money? Hence, perhaps a modification of the rules can be considered, like perhaps removing these rulings for players who are earning say above 70K a week. Clubs have done alot to try and buy these players, try and keep them happy and they deserve total loyalty from these players. No one is saying that you cant leave, but make sure that you commit to your contract and pay back what the club has done for you. Sepp Blatter might say this as football slavery, but to be honest, slaves don't usually buy huge penthouses and beautiful cars and milk in the adulation of millions of fans worldwide. So if this is football slavery, i would think that alot of people will rather be slaves than to be the 'free' workers that they are everyday. Player power must be curbed because at the end of the day, soccer now is not just about the player. It is about the clubs and the fans worldwide who support these clubs. And these fans deserve every right to see their heroes in full flow, playing at their best every match and not whining divas who try to make a few more bucks a week just to buy that new rolls royce. No player is bigger than the club. I think that has been clear since football started. You may leave Rooney, but just remember, you had this glorious chance to replace Cantona, to replace Beckham, Keane, Ronaldo or even one of the legendary trio and establish yourself as the best player in the world. And you blew it. So the next time when you see Javier Hernandez or Nani or Macheda receiving the Ballon D'or, just remember, that award could have been yours if you had stayed. Manchester United have overcome the departures of many players, some as good as you, most greater than you, but the club is still standing. No one is bigger than the club. If you do not want us, we do not want you either.

Another point that i would like to point out would be for media to be objective in their news reports and not to be biased. While some would argue that it is hard to do so, given that journalists have their own opinions on news as well, 'columns' in newspapers are invented for a reason. There, journalists can publish their own views, citing data which do matter for their views and make a case of their own. However, in other parts of the papers, newspapers should just print the facts and statistics from both sides and let the reader decide for himself/herself which viewpoint is more convincing. Take a look at the US Mid-term elections now. Many have started blasting the Obama administration for being 'big government' and being ineffective, especially in terms of improving the domestic economy. These are the very journalists who also complained about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Oh, and did i mention that these are also the very journalists who were up in arms over that Nigerian bomber who somehow managed to sneak onboard a commercial plane and would have succeeded if not for the heroic actions of the passengers? Be fair to the guy, for once. If history has taught us anything, it is that we should not judge the effectiveness of a government in the days that it was in power, but rather in the days when it has left power. Look at Harry Truman. His ratings when he left office were nothing but abysmal, but in recent polls, he was regarded as a top 10 president in the history of the US. So, please try to see things from the long-term perspective. Also, please publish data that may not support the viewpoint of the news that you are reporting. Take for example the Republicans call for less government action. Yes, that will reduce the deficit. But do you remember the last time when the government didnt act directly during an economic crisis? It was just a small matter known as the Great Depression. So, please 1) do not jump to conclusions too quickly and 2) publish data from all points of view, rather than from one which is the current public sentiment just so that you can sell more papers. The difference between news sources (aka news portals and newspapers) and blogs or opinion websites is that news sources let people think for themselves, while blogs publish THEIR opinion and try to convince readers to do the same. We are not idiots. Let us think for ourselves.

2 years is 730 days, but then taking away all the holidays that we have and orientation as well as A level period, the total time that we have spent together is probably fewer than 600 days. As we leave the class, there is just one question that we should all ponder. Given that we can turn back time, will we have done anything differently?

Fast forward to today, 23rd July 2010, The Republic Cultural Centre at Republic Polytechnic, 5:55 ( plus minus 5 minutes ). That was the moment when i really saw how far you guys have come from the days when you will just hide behind the senior and play softly, hoping that the senior will play the notes correctly and that you will not be picked on. This was something that has happened before during my reign. There was one time when Mr Oura was taking some random trombone part on Slavia. I choked while breathing and stopped playing, and both of you just stopped playing as well, as though afraid to continue. I had hoped that both of you will be independent of me, and not take me for granted because there will be the day when i will not be there for you guys. Well,that day is today. People have always said that results dunt matter, and that it is the process that counts. Well, we live in a practical world and results will always be what we want and what we look for. However, what defines results is not whether you get a gold or a silver, but rather how much you have improved in that whole process while chasing your desired result. And as for that, I think that you have achieved the best results that you can ever achieve today.

To Xinyi: Well, you were the one that i am more worried about, not just because of the super duper hard parts but you have to play but also because of your responsibility as a SL and your mental well-being. Being a SL, as im sure you know very well, can be quite mentally exhausting, especially since you are the one who takes responsibility for the section and is the one that everyone will look to when the section is having difficulties. However, you have managed not to crack, at least not publicly, during this 'ordeal' for SIBF and that in itself is a fantastic achievement, on top of your success in playing the super hard parts for Macchu Picchu. Your determination to get those notes out right has been really admirable and i feel vindicated that i have made the right choice as a SL. A SL doesnt need to be very pro practically, but he/she needs to have determination and an iron-clad will to succeed. I may be very harsh on you at times during the June Sectionals, but i really do hope that you can succeed and be happy playing your instrument. AND CONGRATS ON THE GOLD WHOOTS

To Lin Jin: okayy, you must hate me for not making you SL:) but heyy, lets be honest lah, im really losing sleep over who to put as SL, and in the end, i just decided that perhaps xinyi has that x-factor that you have, but you didnt really show it :) okok,im not making much sense, but NVM. however, you have improved much as a player since i last heard you play when i took sectionals. I think that you will improve much more in the upcoming months as you get used to your doug yeo mouthpiece and play with a better tone. I really hope that you can continue the tradition of RJ trombone sections having solid bass trombone players.

To both: okay, first things first, CONGRATS FOR SIBF, you guys deserved it, whoots. So yeah, my prophecy has really come true. you have gone where your senior (aka me) have never gone before, which is to get gold for SIBF. If there is ever 1 true legacy that i left on this section, it is you 2 amazing juniors that i have, who will continue the vitality and virtuosity of the RJ trombone section(: if anyone can do it, its you two

Can we ever play like them? aka, choir with band?

Lol, i don't think that we will need to post mortem for Atempo XX seeing how successful it was. Anyway,here will be my version of what happened on that day,12th May itself.

Anyways,the guys in my batch then went to camwhore with Jerald's camera. Unsurprisingly, Daniel was the main star/attraction/centre in every picture!Anyway,we had a pretty quick lunch,then went to help the percussion move their instruments down to the foyer where the "lorry with driver" lorry was there to load them on. In between,i received my section gift from my juniors. It turned out to be this inflatable large sword which was personalised with their own handwriting. Words can't describe the gratitude that I felt at that time. They also bought me a box of Merci chocolates. So Sweet!!

And so, we made our way to VCH. It was there where disaster struck as we realised that the power cable for the electric piano was left in the RI bandroom. So James took a cab back to retrieve it, before more troubles start. So we began our dress rehearsal. Hmm,nothing much to comment on really as it was pretty smooth. And so, our final practice session ended and we break for dinner.

I must say,after having experienced the dinner that Chamber, as well as the dinner for Limelight last year, provided for us, the dinner this time seemed to be a marked improvement! So kudos to Weiqi and Huijun for finding such a good vendor:) So after dinner, we took more pictures, including bimbo section pictures and a 1/3 batch picture. Perhaps my greatest regret that night was that we did not manage to take a batch picture together :(

And so the concert started,exactly at 7:30 pm. My last concert for RJCSB. (Below will be some of my comments on our pieces, and as always, they might be abit different from how others felt about them)

It was actually one of my least favourite pieces of the repetoire that evening as i did not have the original score with me. To make matters worse, the conductor's score was a condensed one, meaning that i have no idea what my exact notes were. So i have to feel my way through this piece by sheer memory and luck and hope that my 5C1 note is actually correct. On the whole however,i felt that this piece was done rather decently and was a pretty good opener for the concert.

Hmm, this was actually quite a fun piece for me, as the notes were pretty simple and the rhythm was rather basic. The can-can part is actually pretty fun for the performers (i think), but you can probably feel the exasperation and boredom of the audience towards the end as the main melody was repeated 4 times. Pretty tiring piece though, but i think that the band has managed to perform this piece pretty well.

The piece where the 'u' is supposed to be silent when pronouncing the name of the song. This was actually the piece where the band had some problems with earlier on, e.g. the coordination of the different instruments earlier on, the trombone soli just before the end of the second music et cetera. Well, we did manage to play it pretty nicely on the concert day itself so i will say that its a job well done!

Ahhhh, a pretty nice piece by Debussy. Well, not everyone can appreciate this piece, obviously, and i will think that a significant portion of the audience would have fallen asleep during this piece. Technically, this was not the most difficult piece of our repetoire, but it was certainly the most challenging in terms of musicality. Like what Mr Oura said, the band has to give its full concentration to this piece throughout the entire music in order to play it well. While I felt that we played this piece better during our rehearsals than during the concert, it was still a pretty commendable effort by the band.

While it was a last-minute introduction to our repetoire, replacing Slavia, as one of our main pieces, nobody in the band was complaining about it XD. I think that the band immediately took to when we were given the scores, partially because the melodies were pretty heart-warming and nice. My only grouch about this piece was that the whole band was practically blasting their way through the piece, something that I am sure we need to improve on. Otherwise, this was probably our best piece of the concert :)

Heh, possibly one of my most, if not the most, feared pieces throughout the concert. The solo wasn't a classical one, meaning that it doesnt really require one to play it loudly, or with much virtuoso (be it slowly with expression or with quickness to show of your slide skills), but perhaps thats why it is SO hard to get it! Up till today, i still have no idea how it is supposed to be played. And my poor (?) tuning didn't really help smoothe my nerves leading up to the concert. But i thought i managed to play it quite well, not really my best effort though, and yeahh, i was pretty pleased with it. I thought that the whole band did pretty okay with this piece too, though dynamics could be more controlled. Ah well.

Heh, it's daniel's piece! I thought that this piece, together with Arabesque and Cinq Preludes, really showcased Daniel as he was at the forefront of these pieces. What made this piece special was that we played UNDER him, and not WITH him. Okay, there were some screw-ups at the start, but it was a sign of strength and maturity that we managed to get the song back on track and not just fall apart, which was pretty possible. Weiqi played her solo well and perhaps that gave confidence to us to play this song well too!

Daniel showcase part 3! Hmm, his solo was fantastic, to say the least. But perhaps we could have played this piece with more finesse rather than just blasting our way through (given that we have like 3 more pieces left to go). The blasting and brassy sound just dunt seem to go well with this piece,hmm.

The first part of this song is REALLY VERY VERY CUTE <3.>

David said 6:07 PM<3

Okay, so atempo XX will be happening in 2 days time and, after 2 hours on that day, it will be all over. Atempo XX will probably be the last time all the J2s will be playing together, at least till after our A levels. But even then, not all of us will join Rwinds,so yeah, i guess that it is probably true that this will be the last time i am playing with rjcsb'10. Of course, this might very well be the last time i will be playing with rjcsb'11 too (barring some miracle that i may play for SIBF), but the feelings are just not there.

David said 6:22 PM<3

6 days, lets go:)

David said 4:37 PM<3

you know, sometimes it just feels as though fate is playing a cruel game on you..giving you hope for a few seconds before crushing it with its bare hands and leaving you disappointed..well, today was such a day..i started out, with a tinkling of hope that i may be able to get into YO (finally) as i felt that i played pretty alright during my practices..my optimism was dealt no harm when my tutor said my playing was not bad..and so, i set out to CCAB in high spirits, quietly confident..then, disaster struck..i missed 13, which could take me to a busstop where 156 is available AND 93..so im left with the next best alternative, which is 88..just as i thought i might be able to make it in time, i saw 156 travelling in the opposite direction as i was about to reach RI..well, at that point, i was thinking, shit, im so gonna be late..so i took my time, walked across the overhead bridge and sms-ed IRIS for the schedule..when i saw that it is 'arriving', my spirits immediately rose..but then, it turned out to be a false dawn for me..so i smsed again and found out that its coming in 16 minutes..then, i was panicking like crap cuz its already 9:49 and my assessment time slot is at 10:15..but i have no choice but to wait for the bus..then there was a rapid exchange of smses between Valerie and me as she kept urging me to hurry up while i myself am panicking like crap..ok, so the bus came and i ran frm the bus stop into CCAB, panting and being super out of breath..i struggled to hold the pen straight as i filled up my particulars..then i went in, without ANY proper warmup at all..so i went in and found out to my horror that i was supposed to play 2 pieces instead of 1..well, at least Mr Lim was kind enough to do away with that requirement..so i started playing..for 1 second, before Jamie Herse(?), the other assessor, told me that i was playing at the wrong tempo..well, at about half the tempo really..okay, so i would put that down to a case of nerves as i was really nervous and not very well-prepared..but at least i played that portion well, sounded okay and i tot, maybe i would have a chance..just maybe..but then, came the animato section..the phrase which i feared the worse passed by without much incident..so far, so good...BUT THEN, the next part, which is the EASIER part, just tonguing, was where disaster struck..instead of playing G, i played a partial higher, to A..then everything came down and the E natural became G instead..due to the speed, i was unable to change without the whole thing being too jumbled up..well, at least the ending was okay..but by then, the damage is done..can i still get in??i left home today with a hope that i can get in..but i returned home today just with a hope that i could have done better..sigh..see how fate likes to play around with us??

David said 4:43 PM<3

kays..so maybe it wasnt meant to be..i mean, the harder phrase was over and all i had to do was tongue my way to the end..so the tonguing was fine, but not the pitching..and so, i missed yet another chance to get in..am i really fated not to get in forever???

David said 4:35 PM<3

kays, so band fest ended yesterday with an awesome concert..but first, i would like to thank a few ppl for making this a really really enjoyable experience..

David said 11:56 AM<3

okay, so maybe there is a silver lining to this catastrophe..at least it didnt happen earlier during PW..at least i can still get some movies for my friends..at least i wunt be distracted during my A lvls next year..yea..looking on the bright side does help

David said 3:07 PM<3

kay, my life really sucks..just did a system recovery and found out that i lost all my files..sigh..

David said 2:49 PM<3

okay okay..so i have gotten into honours band, 1st trb..so maybe i do get lucky once in a while XD..lol..anw, time to work hard now and get back into shape..its gonna be a hectic dec with band fest, YS (performance and audition) as well as Rwinds..hope my lips dunt die during the two weeks when im gg to tan tock seng..and yea..got the shock of my life when i discovered that two of my HB section mates were BM and brass SL..really shocked me sia..but then, its now a new challenge for me to be able to play with such pro ppl..think it will do me some good..

David said 3:57 PM<3

okayyy...im really damn damn scared for my PW..i dunt want to be one of the minority to get a B for PW..it really sucks okay..but then again, presentation hasnt been one of my best parts..so yea, hope all of my hardwork has paid off..i definitely know that i have prac-ed alot more than what most people have done..3 times a night since dry run is really alot alot of practices..

David said 9:02 PM<3

kays..promos results are out..not really very very happy with it but quite decent la..though could have done better

David said 8:32 PM<3

okay..so promos ended today..hmmm i think i may still get my itouch if im very very lucky..3As and 2Bs is really quite a hard goal to reach..but i think that i will be able to average a B for all 5 subs

David said 1:19 PM<3

okay..promos was HORRIBLE..cant believe i screwed up that much..GP was okay, to be honest, im expecting at least a B for GP..econs was fine except for the first essay and case study..hope i can scrap a C..chemistry was fine..very fine..until that question on dissociation where i totally screwed up my ICE table..still hope that i can scrap an A..maths was, to be frank, pathetic by any standards..didnt manage to finish the paper, didnt do the questions well..forgot everything about sampling..hope to scrap an A still..but i think that the chances are quite low

David said 2:23 PM<3

Hmm ok..lets check back on what i have revised

David said 4:36 PM<3

k..shall keep an update on my promos revision

David said 10:10 PM<3

As i watched the opening ceremony of the asian youth games today, and saw the wonderful melodies churned out by SNYO, i have to ask myself..will i ever get a chance to play with these elite young musicians in my life??

David said 9:52 PM<3

Today, as i watched you walked up the stage receiving your badge from doctor he ruimin, my mind was in a jumble and in a dilemma..should i cheer you on, like what i would have done two weeks ago without a hestitation? after all, this is your big moment and you have earned it, i must admit..however, this is not two weeks ago..this is now..about 12 days after you started dao-ing me..is this the end of our friendship?will we ever be the same towards each other again?nevertheless, i still viewed you as my friend, as a friend whom i have offended, but still a friend..hence, i cheered you on..like what i will have done for the past 5 years..



You are the best band major that i have ever known, trust me..i know, i may have a tinge of biasedness here and there given that you are from my batch...but, i believe that nobody in the junior batches will ever dispute that fact..i am proud of what you have done for RIMB..proud for what you have done for our batch..but most importantly, proud of what you have done for your friends..even this year, even after you got into council, i still wondered whether i should nominate you for any posts or not..even after you have dao-ed me..the fact that you are a great choice for any of these top positions cannot escape the eyes of any of our batchmates im sure...no discredit to any other nominees..you guys are fantastic candidates as well..in the end, i felt that that was no point in doing so, as it is against council regulations to hold any exco position in any other CCAs...i do not want to put you in such a dilemma...but the fact that i have thought about it shows how much i think of your leadership..and where better than your days at RIMB as the band major..as OUR band major..as MY band major..you have the right balance of discipline and approachability...if such a word exists..juniors feel at home with you..but respect you nonetheless..batchmates love being with you..but know that there is a boundary that they must adhere to..it is not easy to be a band major on a prometheum year..with countless logistics stuff needed to do..that year, it was even harder, given that we have a japan trip to prepare for..do you remember how excited both you and i was?with me running to you every few minutes to ask if we have enough ppl to make up that trip?..it was truly memorable..and it must be said that you have excelled in this job well..prometheum was a resounding success..with more than 80% of the seats sold, which is quite fantastic...the japan trip was great as well..our batch really bonded through that experience..i still rmb us, me, you, benni and austin...emo-ing in some room in the osaka hotel..wondering about our next generation..about the batch to succeed us..whether they have the potential to do as well or not..given that SYF year is up next and we have a reputation to protect..it was through there that i saw your confidence shown through..that i know that RIMB has a rallying figure to go to now...you have made yourself a legend of RIMB, no doubt..you have really done a good job...

Right from the start, you were marked out from the batch to be something good..something great..something fantastic..yes, you were not as good as samuel pratically, but then again, who is? what made you different from the bunch of us is that you have the good points of everyone of us..you have the lameness of ryan, the logic of yingzhe, the skills of samuel, the discipline of benni, the people-orientated skills of lucas, the efficiency of lucas and so much more...you are the culmination of everything that is good of our batchmates..thats wad made you so likeable..so forgivable..so fantastic...during interviews'07..it was pretty obvious who the BM of our batch shld be...it is you from the start till the end..when matthew asked who i recommended for BM..the answer just came out easily,"Jerald". you are a marvellous figure for our batch..someone that everyone can look up to when they are down..someone everyone can depend on when they are upset..you are that fantastic, that important to us..during investiture'07..i was the one who initated the standing ovation for the BM and the DBM..after all..you all have done so much for the batch..i wouldnt initate a standing ovation for someone whom i feel doesnt deserve it..standing ovations have to be earned..not given..you are someone special..someone who deserves it without anyone asking...my decision was proven right just after REACT'07..it was the incident of the vibraphone breaking down..i was the one pushing it...yet, you didnt blame me at all..it was something that i still rmb up till today..and something that i still appreciate...

Why didnt i apologize to you for such a long time? Because i am scared..very scared...what am i scared of? i am scared of getting rejected by you..by you getting irritated and losing you forever...our original batch has only you, ryan, lucas,samuel,eric,austin, alastair, benni, russell, leonard and me left..the batch has gotten smaller by the year..we lost wenjie and jiahui, then han sheng..then yingzhe this year..i dunt want to lose you as well..blame me if i lack the courage for apologizing..but i really dunt want to lose anymore batchmates..10 batchmates is small enough..i dunt want it to be a single-digit number...

Whatever you do jerald, you will still be the bandmajor, MY bandmajor..the best i ever had..

David said 6:13 PM<3

well..i didnt get any nominations..am i disappointed?definitely..sad, not so...

David said 10:42 PM<3

hence...another SYF competition gone..well, the only difference that this has to the previous 17 ones is that RIMB didnt get the gold that they so wanted, the gold that they so deserved and the gold that they worked so hard well...

well guys, for us seniors, you ppl continuing the streak of the gold that we have obtained over the past years is not of the utmost importance, and we hope that you have realized that too..if SYF was all about getting your gold etc, then i think you have missed the point completely.

I hope that you all have known more about each other, made better friends, become closer batchmates, but ultimately, become a band...a band of musicians, of rafflesians but most importantly, a band of brothers

If you guys have achieved that, i will be truly proud of you guys, no matter what you all have achieved...yes, the award that you all get will be recorded in books of history...but after this, where do this go? it will just go to the cupboard where it will never ever be opened for eternity..nobody will remember what you guys have gotten after a decade...but you guys will remember the bonds you have forged over this competition/festival..you guys will have these friends forever..

Think not of what we think about you guys..the opinions of others do not matter as much as how you have viewed yourselves..if you all have tried your best, then i trust that there should not be any regrets lingering within any of you right now...you guys shld be proud of what you all have achieved...

Another thing that has made me proud of you guys is the maturity that all of you have displayed, especially the way you guys hold yourselves on stage...gone were the lack of confidence, and in came the true spirit of the Raffles Institution Military Band..that of self-confidence and pride...you guys have improved alot over this past half year since we passed over the baton over to the current sec4s..and i have to say, im PROUD OF YOU GUYS...

remember this motto...WE SHOULD WE MUST WE CAN WE WILL...you guys have lived up to it

David said 4:39 PM<3

hmmm...ppl have been asking me this question over and over again,"arent you tired of band? why not join another CCA?"..in fact, i have asked myself this question numerous times..8 years in band is seriously a pretty long time for anyone to have stayed in a single cca..yet, i have always managed to come up with the answer to that question to convince myself that i have made the correct choice to continue band as my main cca in RJC..we start with my batchmates..its really hard not to like one another after so much we have been thru and all the bonds we have formed over the years..sure, there were the low points such as NBC when we were comfortable to be with our batchmates, with their encouragement..but we have also enjoyed each other's presence in times of achievement..i wld have felt dull if my batch wasnt having that mass convo when we got 82% for SIBF, i wld have felt dull if my batch wasnt that to celebrate the success of both prometheums and i CERTAINLY would have felt dull if we didnt go to japan together as a batch..so, premise one, my batch is amazing, kickass, godlike, beyond godlike, 'nuff said...the second premise will have to be the conductor, mr oura..sure, he might not like me as much as say jerald, eric or samuel, but it is certainly an honour to work under him, to play for him, to perform WITH him...to me, band wldnt be band if mr oura isnt our conductor...in terms of musical skills, hes definitely up there with the top of the cream of the crop in Singapore, if not Asia...but wads made him really the reason for why i loved band in secondary school was because he was more than a conductor, more than just a mentor..he single-handedly made band fun for me, at the very least..i looked forward to band more than ever under him and im sure that RJCSB and RIMB will be very much different without mr oura..hence, conclusion is that band is definitely the place to be in..true, i may not know how floorball would have been like..it might be more fun than band...i will never know...but the fact remains that band will ALWAYS be fun..stanely said that house=fun...i say that band=fun:)

okay..lets go on to orientation...ystd was really amazing...the opening was FANTASTIC..especially the part where they had so many school uniforms being displayed dancing some dance(think its our batch dance?)...yes, there might be more RI and RGS uniforms than the rest out there,but the fact that they actually bothered to do such a thing of combining all the uniforms together really displays the sincerity of welcoming the non-rafflesians to the raffles family..great job guys..i really think that my OG is pretty fantastic..the guys are pretty much bonded together, even though i dunt really know marc, weisiang and shawn bfore this...the girls are also quite open and together..even though we didnt manage to win any of the competitions these two days, im sure that it has been a pretty fun time for all of us..since station games are too typical to blog about, i shall talk about the EA we had today! it was pretty original for the orientation comms to have thought of this amazing race format..esp the checking out time and locations, as they basically force us to think of our route bforehand, lest we find ourselves in an area far frm the checkout point when the checkout time limit is just round the corner...vincent was really amazing today, helping us alot and really doing a good job navigating us around...GREAT JOB VINCENT...i think that we wouldnt have been able to do most of the events as quickly as we had if vincent wasnt here..i just hope that one of us can take the initiative tmr during war games and dunt rely on vincent all the time...its really hard on him to have to be responsible for the results of the group if we just expect him to lead..but still, it was good job today..managed to checked out first at esplanade..and having a short tea/waffle break at gelare...hope tomorrow will be better and i get to know my OG better...

David said 8:59 PM<3

I AM GOING TO APPEAL MY O LEVEL HIGHER MOTHER TONGUE RESULT...cuz B4 is SIMPLY CRAP

David said 1:40 PM<3

ok...so right now, im basically torn between YS and Rwinds...today i will be going for rwinds cuz YS didnt have prac..shall speak about prac ystd later...but the real IMPT date is next monday, 29th of dec..which is well, one day before CODA and principal's investiture...which one should i go for? rwinds last rehearsal at RI bandroom(probably my last before i take my A lvls) or YS last rehearsal at CCAB??...its really a pain to have to choose either..but the best option thats right in front of me right now is to just go for YS prac first, then rush off for rwinds...but will there be enuff time for me to really learn something during that short rwinds prac???i have a bad feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg of many more conflicts to come in the coming years...still, as i have said and promised, YS will always be on the top of my priorities, and i will not break that promise bar certain exceptions..

ok...lets talk about rehearsal ystd...i was late...my first time...out of 3 times...lol..shld really start getting out of the house earlier...anyway...reached there..saw another new trombonist, called nathaniel..think he shld be in YO or at least in NS, after overhearing their talk about SAF bands..saw jamie too...and why is everyone wearing contacts nowadays???i just dunt see the beauty of contacts..maybe thats the whole beauty of it?..anyway...went thru all the pieces...shared my solo with jamie...the real reason why i did that was cuz there was a repeat and i would have to repeat the solo again..and it would really sound boring if the same person plays it again the same way...so i tot she might be able to bring something new to the solo and overall, to the song..prac was pretty alright, though i think i was very much off-form..must get it back ASAP..and i need to get a black bowtie!!i wonder where can i get it hmmmmm

David said 12:51 PM<3

ok...here we go again..tix sales..is anyone wondering why i only sold 3 rwinds coda tix instead of like 30 sth for jerald?i dunt really think im the tix selling type and i dunt want to force people to go for something that they either 1) dunt enjoy or 2) dunno how to appreciate or both..concerts are for people who understand music and really know how to appreciate them..concerts are not events whereby you have a full house ticket sales but everybody just falls asleep before intermission...im not accussing jerald's friends of anything(in fact some of them are the most musically-inclined people i have ever known or met aka lumpy and eugene)..but i just do not like the idea that we are being forced to sell tickets to our families and friends just so that we can break even..yes, breaking even is impt but wads most impt abt a concert is bringing music and joy to the audience..and the way to do that is not by being on the stage when your 20-strong family is down there...the way to do that is to play good music for the audience who understands your music..i would rather pay to play to an audience who appreciates wad im playing rather than to play to a full house of people who do not understand the very essence of music..the way to do that is to play good music for the audience who understands your music..music shldnt be something about kinship or friendship..it should be a language that is special to all of us...musicians shld play their best for concerts, instead of putting the emphasis on tickets sold...i certainly do not want a situation where i will lose my friends just because of a ticket..and i know that will happen when you force them to go...as musicians, we shld be judged on our abilities to bring great music and joy to the audience...not our ticket-selling powess..

David said 2:14 PM<3

ok...i hereby conclude that ravel hates trombonists...so freaking high!!!

David said 7:24 AM<3

hmmm...been looking at the goals that i set myself at the start of the semester...welll..lets look at my report card...i think i failed my goals academically...didnt get 4.0 for all sciences+maths and definitely didnt do well for all of my tests...but at least i didnt get a single 3.2..though that aint really something to shout about...

cca-wise hmmm...didnt get gold for presentation for SIBF but i really do think that we made mr oura happy or proud of us by really playing to our standards...granted, we only got a silver and 82%, but it could have been much worse given our standards when we started playing the pieces...investiture-wise, im still kicking myself for missing that high b flat...really should have nailed it...

musically-wise...i think my high register dropped abit...couldnt really hit super F that easily now...but having said that, i think my mid and lower register have strengthened alot...thanks to me getting a teacher!!yayy..i think my tone kinda improved and i have just concluded my study on double-tonguing...though its a really short and fundamental one...i didnt have time to finish hanon though..but well, i got into SNYS and for me, that was the real highlight of this semester...shall elaborate more about SNYS and the audition on a later date...

personally i do think i have managed to reach the standards i have set for myself..i didnt really lose my temper that much and i am really friendly to everyone now!!just ask valerie who sat beside me today in YS prac...at least im not so dao lah...but maybe just cuz shes a girl and having been through one prac and all the songs, perhaps i felt responsible in helping her along today...hmmmm...lol...

okay, i will give myself a 70/100 for my work this semester...really hoping to do better next semester...especially academically...

David said 9:42 PM<3

well...to be honest, since young, i was pretty much radical in my ideas...not that much about bombing people in the US but more about my ideas on punishing criminals...i once had this idea that it will be really great if we can just stop the production of tobacco and thus, prevent the circulation of cigarettes...another one would be to introduce the death penalty to smokers who smoke in public places...serious...i had this when i was like 6 years old etc...i really wonder if im fit to be a politician next time, given my radical stand towards alot of things...especially vices...

David said 2:27 PM<3

lol..jerald just called me crazy for saying that obama and mccain cant save the US economy..ok, maybe i was wrong to say that only a war would save the economy...but the fact remains that even if either candidate wants to rebuild the entire economy, it will take a long time given the many problems that are still hidden within the US economy, which will affect the world economy, as shown by the great depression and the recent crisis...the only problems that came out now from the US economy is that of the large mortgage debt that it has incurred from the borrowers of banks with low interest rates and less stringent checking than normal, given the good economy outlook in the past few years...this has led to many bad debts incurred by the banks and these debts are unrecoverable even with the mortgage of properties, given the low(?) house prices now...so, this has led to the collapse of fannie and freddie initially...then, we have big corporations like AIG, the lehmann brothers and merill lynch collapsing right after the collapse of these mortgage banks...you may ask, wad do these companies have to do with the falling property prices???well, they invest in property with the money that is given to them by the investors of bonds that were bought and when the property prices well, so do these organizations too...well, the rest is pretty much recent history, with the 700 billion bailout etc...wad i do firmly believe in is that this subprime mortgage crisis is just the tip of the iceberg, with the rest of the problems being exposed as we dig deeper and deeper...however, the main problem now is the entire structure of the global financial systems throughout the world...this is something that MUST be solved and is something that im afraid will take a long time to solve...the problem now is, are countries prepared to wait for such a long time to solve this problem? ok, you may ask why this solution takes a long time to implement...firstly, a whole new framework and structure must be conceived, and that could take quite a while...we must make sure that this framework is stable, can be regulated but yet, not nationalized...second, the implementation...the fun part of economics is that nothing can be confirmed in theory, as practical usually works differently from theory...so how do we make sure that this implementation will be smooth and be successful?we are starting from square ONE again, with no prior knowledge or experience on this new system...third part will be getting everyone to implement this system...no matter wad happens, the world must still have a global finanical framework and structure to work with...so it is crucial that everyone follows the new framework...yet, wad works for one country may not work for the other and some countries may just not adopt it altogether...so how do we change this framework? through war...its a last option no doubt, but it must be done if countries are unwilling to comply through diplomacy...only then can we start anew...this mortgage crisis is not the end of all problems, but simply the start of all problems...its unprudent to assume that all problems will be gone once and for all...maybe this crisis will be over in a few years with no bloodshed but the existing problems are still not solved yet, and this problems will resurface again to haunt us...you can argue that only the US needs to change its financial system, rebuild its economy and everything will be fine again...but wad this crisis has shown us is that once again, our global financial system is still too reliant on one superpower, such that when this fails, none of us are able to help it up again...yes, we have survived many crisises in the past, but there are no guarantees that the solutions to this crisises actually do solve the underlying problems in our economy...there are no guarantees that this crisises are the same as the one that we are facing right now...maintaining an economy is easy, but rebuilding one isnt...and right now, the whole world's economy has to be rebuilt, not just the US's...yes, if all goes smoothly, we dunt have to go to war, but, how do we assume that all will go smoothly?..and even if this crisis manages to be resolved, it will most likely be due to market forces, more than that of the policies of the president of the UNITED STATES...cuz this crisis has turned into a global one...and has affected many countries internally...even if the US manages to recover,other countries might not...

David said 1:59 PM<3

Its really heartening to see and hear that in this era where people prefer to listen to things that are too loud for them rather to hear nice music that there still exists such nice music...this kid is really really great...especially since his friends would rather blast their eardrums with out-of-tune rock and punk and yet, hes playing such a nice piece...ok, it may not be classic, but at least its not that loud and stupid...this kid's got a great future...remember the name, peter moore...and its not just cuz hes a trombonist that i recommend him...

David said 11:34 AM<3

ok...lets clear up some stuff here...i never ever said that HSM 3 sux...wad i did was just to say that HSM 3 is really good..but if you say that is an asskicker, then you are really deprived...okay, maybe if HSM3 isnt graduation, then nobody will say that, but HEY, you dunt base your rating of the movie based on its title and u dunt base it on wads great in the movie and forget wads not so great in the movie...HSM3 is good, but it aint great...and no, i wunt remember it like the way i remember casion royale or the simpsons...you may say that im insane and unappreciative of good stuff..but wats the point of us discussing this if you are going to base it on your terms and im going to base it on mine? a movie, no matter wad it is, a musical, action, dancing movie shouldnt be predictable...and sadly, HSM3 is too predictable...

David said 11:29 AM<3

Hmmm...since we are on the topic of HSM3...



oh...and i really love this guy's tone and everything about his trombone playing...

David said 10:18 PM<3

yeahh...just watched that finale yesterday with 9 of my batchmates...namely HSM crazy JERALD...i-dunt-want-to-watch-HSM YINGZHE...singing-again? ALASTAIR, eric, benni, lucas, ryan, russell, and chinese-newspapers-FTW austin...okay...so thats the finale..thats it, finished...move on to college...and yeah...the series ends...

to be honest, it wasnt as bad as nikhil puts it...yeah, i found it abit too kiddy for my taste, but hey, its DISNEY...you dunt really expect disney to have really hardcore fighting fantastic exciting scenes right?even though they supported nude photo taking by their stars...hmmm, i would give it a 3.5/5 as a movie, and as wikipedia puts it subtly, this movie aint one for the converters...and im a converter...or non-converter to be precise...

WARNING:spoilers ahead...but who cares man...wikipedia has all the spoilers and torrentz.com has the visuals for YOU

we start off with the basketball championshipp...yadadadada...wildcats won...whoots..they sang their way to the championshippp...however unrealistic that is...but they still won...then they went back to schooll..have to do a play for prom..and some guy/girl/teacher signs troy up for some arts scholarship when his dad clearly wants him to go and play bballl...then his girlfriend goes to stanford...then he has to make a choice...and he went to ANOTHER college..none of the first two fits him...the final college offers him bball and arts and is 37.2 miles away from stanford...one wonders why this offer didnt come out earlier...then they graduate...

okay, lets split this up...good and bad...the bad first...there aint alot to be honest...maybe its cuz im too old to really like this...but to be honest, its plot is too too too shallow...okay, maybe musicals shouldnt have too deep a plot as half of the time is spent singing and dancing doing anything that is musical...BUT...a great movie is always different from the rest right???so yeah..HSM missed this chance to be really a legend that is worthy to stand beside mickey and minnie..if they are the franchise of disney, then i really pity disney...its just lacking that x-factor...

okay...the good part...the graduation is really cool...fantastic...imba...out of this world...but pity HSM3 is let down by its plot...really, it could have been great, imba, fantastic and oscar-bound...not just the nominations...but getting the award itself...thats why its only a 3.5...and for your info...no movies has gotten a 4 and above before...so yah...i do rate it pretty high...

David said 9:52 PM<3

I really love this song

David said 6:08 PM<3

sigh...so in the end, i didnt get 3.73 and instead managed to hang on to 3.69 by just a tiny-weeny bit...my maths was pathetic, my history was average, my chem was horrifying and my bio was way way way way way under my expectations(which aint very high to be honest)..

k,so we start the day with maths..i had hoped to at least get one 4.0 from maths but, i got none!!damn frustrating...i really really feel damn disappointed...careless mistakes here, careless mistakes there and all of my marks went missing...in...action....im really really disappointed at my maths...when i first walked into RI, i had this vision of defying anyone who said that maths is hard and that getting 70 odd % is really good...well, i did manage that a number of times in these 4 years, but to be honest, this EOYS, i really screwed up big time

then we have history...my next best hope for a 4.0...i missed it by one percent and i am really disappointed at it...my china question went okay, got a 17/20...nothing to be proud of but the comment that it was a refreshing point of view...then i got only a 15/20 for the hitler question...guessed i aint great at doing source-based, but i do feel that i have learnt quite a lot from today's history...at least i know how to conclude now...still wondering if i should take econs or history for RJ(no way im going to call it RI)...well, on the looks of things, its probably 40% history, 40% econs and 20% china studies...

then we have chemistry...granted, i am in the top 5(?) in my class for chemistry EOYS, but hey, 63/80 is nothing to shout about...i was near perfect for the MCQ, a 27/30 is probably pretty fantastic, but i totally died in section B...guessed the culprit? carelessness...again...sigh....if i wanna be a doctor, i guess i will have to work on solving this problem on carelessness..god knows how many marks this problem has caused me...i am really really disappointed...

lastly, bio...i was expecting at least a 70/100 for bio, but it did not come to me...instead, i got a poor 62/100, easily the worst result for this year's EOYs...ok, some people might say to me that 60 is the average of our batch and that to get above 60 is pretty decent...but hey, im not your average joe or wadeva...i dunt aim for the average, i aim for the high flyers...on section B alone, i lost at least 15 marks to carelessness...well, lets see how these 15 marks come about...i forgot an arrow, i forgot to label my inter neuron...so that cost me at least 2 marks...i forgot involuntary, that cost me one mark, i forgot to mention the pancreas detecting the increase in glucose and increases the insulin concentration, another one mark, i totally forgot everything about pure sugars and carbohydrates, that was 2 marks, i totally screwed up my homeostasis question...vasodilations and vasoconstrictions cost me 3 marks, no reference to data cost me 1 mark and an inability to read the graph cost me another mark...i forgot to describe the adaptive advantages, another 2 marks...i stated ONE invalid indicator, one mark gone...i forgot the function of nitrogen in amino acid making, one mark gone...i forgot the differences in the process of antisense RNA and RNAi, 2 marks gone...i forgot wads an antigen...one mark gone...i did not describe the memory lymphocytes correctly...one mark gone..and i did not have time to finish the last question...so 2 marks gone...so in total, thats about...21 marks...okay, plus minus 3 marks,i should have gotten AT LEAST 18 more marks...and thats not including my MCQ screw ups...WAKE UP DAVID ZHAO...YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO SCORE HIGH, BUT YOU ARE NOT DOING SO!!!OTHERS HAVE IMPROVED, BUT YOU HAVENT...YOU ARE SO FREAKING FAR BEHIND...WAKE UP!!...

i really do hope that i am able to make this disappointing experience the turning point in my life...

David said 5:50 PM<3

lol...today was damn nervous...cuz i was afraid for my SS, english, physics...ok, everything...but when i got back my marks today, it wasnt that bad, except for physics...i got back SS english and physics and welll...lets talk in order of merit...



english was really really really really really ^n(where n >infinity) unexpected...i excepted to fail my AQ cuz i kinda digressed into ageing population rather than UNDERpopulation...but hey, it was still pretty well done and i got a 9/10!!yayy:)then overall i got 37/45 for english...wouldnt that say this result sucks but hey, there's always room for improvement...so now my english should be arnd 78 % for the entire year...crossing my fingers for moderation...comeon!!2 marks!!



then we move on to SS...i got 23/30 for the paper which put me at a nice fat 80% for the entire year..OH YEAHH!!...okay, so i should have gotten higher for the first question on neccesary evils and what not, but to be able to learn something yet still get 10/15 for it is really beyond my imagination...yeahh, should have gotten at least a 25/30, but im not complaining...



then we have physics...at first, i thought i did badly for physics, but still in contention for a 75% for eoys..well, you take 10% points off 75% and you get 65%, which is wad i got for my physics EOYS...to be honest, the questions that i did not know how to do were pretty rare in the paper and i have to say that carelessness cost me at least 14 marks...hmmmm, talk about complacency...so yeah, i screwed up physics big big time and got only 71%..others might think that i shld be happy at being so tyco and getting such a grade, but to be honest, i know that im capable of much more...so yeah..i will try to redo this paper and see where my mistakes lie...i really got to be more careful now...



anyway, tmr is JUDGEMENT DAY for me...i either get a 3.69, a 3.73 or a 3.78 for the entire year...well, im hoping to get the 3.78 GPA but to be honest, 3.73 is much more realistic...hope for the best!!!

David said 6:32 PM<3

lol...this semester has passed damn quickly..but before i forget, lets do a recap of the EOYS shall we?..okay, i have screwed up big time this EOYS and yes, i have woken up...last time, i always have this feeling about how people can screw up tests and exams, not knowing wad to do etc...well, i have experienced it first-hand this time and yeah..i will make a come-back, i SWEAR...granted, my GPA will prolly hit 3.69 or even 3.73 if im lucky this time, but HEY, its not down to my EOYS, its down to what i have done over the past year...and when push comes to shove in A levels, not many will look at your overall grades, but they will rather look at your A levels...so yah...gotta work harder, be less complacent and become a model student again. COME ON DAVID, YOU CAN DO IT!!

haha...okay, lets do the recap..chinese was fantastic, got 73 percent for EOYS..cant say that was my best though..screwed up paper 2 and the letter part of paper 1...but HEY, i got 55/70 for the other part of paper 1..so yah..i am quite happy with the results...then come english..i sincerely hope that i will remember that interference=meddling in the future and read the question more thoroughly..just hope that they dunt penalize me too much for reading underpopulation as an ageing population...then come SS...omgzadhjahgjsahgujjashg...i dunt know wads a necessary evil!!!ARGHHH...well, just hope that they will be a lil lenient and give me the benefit of the doubt...then we got chemhistory!!History was average, leaning towards the good side...chem was BAD..big time...okay, so i dunno alot about why certain organic chemicals contribute less to global warming and give out less light...but HEY, i could have guessed right...but maybe shld just listen to mrs kua's explanations...then the electrolysis question...sigh...could have gotten some marks there...but just totally screwed up...

okay...now we have erm physics...sianz...section A is okay, but section B isnt...i could have blamed it on time...but i would rather blame it on complacency..i was too bloody complacent...sigh...i feel really bad...shld have really aced this physics test...okay, then we got bio...i did really well given my expectations...dunt think i can get a 4.0 but shld be able to get at least 85% for this test...then maths...arghhh...maths paper 1 i screwed up big big big time...i forgot to add 4 to a certain question...sigh....shld have done better...anyway...paper 2 was much better but shld have remembered cone surface area...arghh...well..just hope that i can get one 4.0 from maths...

so now we have the break down...4.0 for chem confirmed, SS on a thread, maths on an even thinner thread...then 3.6 for the rest...so yeah..that makes me on course for 3.73...but really, i shld have done much better...

anyway, this is just the first part...the second part will come out soon...it will include EVERY non-academic stuff that happened...and trust me, its pretty interesting..for me at least...

David said 9:22 PM<3

Really disappointing...we have to split up investiture, our LAST investiture into..1/2...meaning theres no soccer, no lunch....and of course meaning that we have broken our proud tradition of having an interesting investiture and letting the sec3s take charge...sigh...im not really in the mood to comment now...so yah, my post seems abit short...will comment some other time about this major major bullshit that dampens MY investiture mood...yes, i want fun...but above all, i respect tradition, and i dunt like to see change in something that is working out fine for everyone

David said 8:53 PM<3

Investiture is 30th August 2008...

On that random day in 2005, we gathered at the dining hall...we were strangers then, all 17 of us...one came in later that year, 4 came in in 2007...but no matter, cuz we are batchmates...we would have more if many had not quit, if many had bothered to come for practices...batchmates are different from "people in a batch"...batchmates are something more...something more prestigious, more unique than that...batchmates are more than just friends...batchmates are brothers...we are a band of brothers...if one falls, we will not go for the gold alone...we would wait and help him up...if it means missing out on that prize, we would not have bothered, because after all, losing one prize is nothing compared to losing a batchmate...we started out as strangers, as people with no idea who the hell is that guy in front of me during drills...but yet, we persevered as a batch and we managed to make it through our first year...we may not know who is in front of us, but if we see him struggling with the heat, we would give him a "cool wind" treatment, even if it means a 20-push up punishment...we would do things together, run as a batch, never leaving anyone behind...we would play soccer as a batch, going up against seniors bigger and better than us, but never failing to applaude someone if he has done well or encouraging someone who just made an error...we would play music together...play music as a batch...play our batch piece with joy and pride...becuz we knew then that these are the people whom we are going to have to be with for the next few years...and these are the people that we can always rely on for encouragement in the bandroom when we just finished a difficult maths paper...(to be continued)

Will all this end so quickly? after all, 4 years seemed like 4 seconds...in a flick (or flicks), we have turned into seniors...and very soon, we will turn into alumni...will we change?will our beliefs change?will our ideals change?will our friendship change?nothing is for sure in this world, but i have an exception...no matter what happens to us in RJC with all these girls around us, we will never forget the fun moments we have together as batchmates...simply because batchmates mean much more than friends...we are brothers...brothers determined to bring RIMB back to the fore...

David said 4:37 PM<3

ok..below are my goals for term 3...lets start with academics.
4.0 for bio, chem, maths...
3.6 for the rest...
Do well for all my tests....

CCA
Gold (or presentation) for SIBF
Make Mr Oura happy for SIBF (a must!!!)
Play well for Investiture...

Musically
Finish Hanon
Hold Super F for 8 beats
Tongue Super C
Finish my study on double-tonguing
improve my tone
Get a teacher

Personally
Do my best for everything
Dunt lose my temper
Try to be friendly
Try not to swear...

Hmmm...thats it...

David said 10:10 PM<3

Day 1 - arrived in RI in a taxi with dao bo...cant believe that it costs 26 bucks =.=...so expensive...then we go up there, take down the bubble-wrapped instruments...put them in the atrium, then stone until the buses and lorry came...Mr Jee was like telling everyone to tuck in their shirts, but obviously, some ppl nvr listen...i mean, if its a uniform, FINE...but its like, we got ppl wearing RI polo, ppl wearing tailored pants...so yah...looks so not uniform...then the lorry came...then the bus ( and a mini bus ) came...poor lucas, eric and austin..they reached the airport first via the lorry and have to carry everything down...but its great training for your biceps!!...haha...then we checked in, ate dinner...Dinner was a damn fun affair, but it proves that you shldnt bring your parents along when your batchmates are arnd...we were like discussing Russell's 4 girlfriends...(i think they include winston, lucas and zhenyi and some random person)...russell was looking like he was ready for the kill when he rejoined us...then we just stoned and waited for our plane lor..im so excited man...its been like 10 years since i sat on SIA...then we found out that SJIMB was also taking SIA, in the same terminal, but different locations...PHEW..BUT their departure gate was just beside us...to clarify, they dunt have departure halls, just one big chunk of space with different departure gates...i still find it miraculous that changi airport didnt have anything damaged...i was half-expecting a fight to break out...
Day2 - ok...so jerald and i just sat bside mrs tan and hear her emo-talking abt alot of stuff...i faintly rmb something abt austrailia, abt jap ladies etc etc...then its time to board the plane...my oh my...SIA is certainly a different class..i mean, there is so much legroom that instead of being like some ppl, who wanna watch the movies or play super mario all night long, i just wanna sleep...and trust me, its nice to sleep on a SIA flight...i was stuck in between mr jee and austin...austin was like sleeping throughout the whole flight...mr jee was watching powerpuff girls (!!)...i watched half an episode of simpsons, then fell asleep...when i woke up, i tried to play pokemon, but found it too boring...so yeah...breakfast was alright, for me at least...i mean, im not used to jap food lah, but given that international selection was gone, i just have to make do with what i have lorr...then arrived at osaka kansai airport, took that tram to the customs...then have to go through some imba process...fingerprints, taking camera shots etc etc...then went to get our luggage and bubble wrapped instruments...the first thing i noticed abt japan was the nice weather...the bus drivers were damn friendly...then we boarded the bus...went to nara deer park...nice scenary..but better ones would come afterwards...LOL...the deers were damn cute!!!..then went for lunch..lunch was quite nice...ala carte...then went to osaka toin high school...they had a symphony BUILDING...note, its not a hall...its a BUILDING!!...omg...if only RI can do that for us...then we practised our pieces for fukui concert...mr oura was pissed at ppl who didnt sleep on the plane that morning...but hey, srsly, we took SIA cuz its more comfy to sleep on it than on like say some other airlines...then the osaka ppl came...then got big big confusion...they got 175 ppl...compared to our 44...so yah, seemed quite overwhelmed...then they took out their shiny new instruments!!!omg...ok...maybe they are not new, but its still shiny...then i saw like wad ...8 xenos?maybe one Conn...and i felt jealous..but hey, the suaning part is to come later...we tried bandwagon ,dance celebration and merry widow...and they managed to play them well...very well in fact...one thing i noticed abt these ppl are that they like to end their notes nicely...it gives you a round feeling, rather than like say a constipated sound...anyways, we got suaned..i mean as a band lah...individually i would say that the sec4s and above are prolly still in their league...but hey, 2 years down the road and they would be in another league...then ate dinner with them, went back to our hotel...I GOT A TRIPLE ROOM!!...omg...so alastair, leonard and russell came in to crash our room...played cards...then sleep...damn tired...
Day3 - we went to USJ...it was fun to say the least...we took the spider man ride twice...it was really fun...jurassic park also...hollywood dream was erm...non existent for me...haha...k, i admit that im scared of roller coasters...but back to the future was disappointing...i mean, when you go into a volcano, you expect to feel hot air...instead, we felt cool air coming out...then erm...backdraft was also disappointing till the last part...after USJ, we went to dotonburi...we didnt manage to get into Yamaha...cuz its holiday for the workers on wednesday...but we went to some other imba music shop...now i know why these jap ppl are pro...with so many method books on offer, and so many good professionals out there to teach you how to play your instruments, you have to be pro...and oh, the trombones there are damn cheap...i really wanted to buy one...but no money :[...but i managed to buy a trombone swap..HAHA...now i can do wad alastair and fat sam do after concert...and i got an orchestra excerpts book for trombones..hmmm...not too bad, quite fun....then played card games in hotel again...
Day4- hmmm...nothing much to talk abt...just erm...we went to kyoto...stopped at the golden pavillion...then reached fukui...ate a typical jap meal...which was damn damn damn nice...then went back to the hotel...guess wad we did again...oh...and some snrs...found out the function of the P1 button!!and they went to some sec2s rooms and switched on that channel and locked them inside...whoa...
Day5 - we went for rehearsal...the fukui symphony hall was erm...fantastic...to say the least...there were chandeliers, there was an organ...and the pipes were damn nice...to be honest, i dunno which one is better...esplanade or that one...that just proves how much emphasis the jap ppl put into music...and i mean band music, not your heavy metal...if only singapore could have done the same for us...rehearsal was alright...but my tone sounded funny...but luckily, it became right at the end...the bento lunch was something that i would pay 4 bucks in s'pore for...but heh, it aint available in s'pore...after that, we went to tojinbo, where according to abtzy, if you swim across the water, you would reach north korea...like who would ever wanna do that...then dinner...then cards...
Day6 - Concert!!!..the morning rehearsal was screwed up...mr oura seems pissed...not surprising given that the fukui conductor is his teacher and obviously, he didnt want his band to be humiliated...sigh...but the concert was alright...and that erick miyashiro guy was just plain imba...he could hit high notes like freeeeee....and according to austin, he is muscular, not fat...haha...nice analogy austin...
Day7 - we had an exchange with the fukui band...i gave away my cards and my tie as they were like so happy with it...nvr mind that i didnt get anything in return...they would prolly have given me the wristband if im in yingzhe's position instead...but seriously, it is more heart-warming to see their smiles than to get something to wear on your hand...well, it was fun, but hey, all good things have to come to an end...so yeah...time to say bye...oh...did i mention that they got a bandroom which is half (or 3/4) of our hall and they got section rooms??i am so so so so so so jealous...then we went back to osaka...ate shabu shabu (?)...and austin came up with memorable quotes...abt beef...oh...he actually declared war against eating beef...nice one austin...went back to the hotel, crashed samuel's room..****ed a few ppl...and watched indiana jones...haha, that was damn fun...
Day8 - Have to return to s'pore...really felt sad...seeing that homework pile...how i wish i could have stayed in japan for a longer time...lol...better still, have homestays with some of the jap ppl...LOL...but yeah...thats the end...good bye japan, but i will be back soon...i promise...

David said 10:30 AM<3