Corrinne May In Concert!

 Caught her on the screen!

With CBD at the background :)

Hello people! Yes I just got back from Corrinne May's concert at the newly opened Gardens By The Bay! Which is Singapore's latest attraction I guess. It's beautiful there! Sadly it was cloudy this evening so it didn't look cohesively nice with the clouds and so on but it's great hehe. I will go back there again with blue skies and so on. One day!

Anyway today was a great day I guess. First thing in the morning I went to take my JLR racepack. And.... Boy I was wrong. I thought "Oh it's the morning it's going to be little people". And yes I ended up queuing for 1 hour. But nevertheless it's fine, just that I made changes to my day's plan. Oh well, what's life without surprises! So I went to meet Vithya after that for a shopping spree at Vivo!

Bought 2 polo T from G2000 (I love sales haha) and yes finally, cause I've been wearing the GT polo tee for like... 9 weeks? -_- and also one new collared shirt and socks from Uniqlo hehe. So yup it was a great retail therapy and I got what I wanted. So all's good~ hehe.

And I rushed home to drop everything at home before I rushed back to meet Weiping at Bayfront for the concert! We took a walk at Gardens by the bay before the concert. Just a glimpse of it. It is a nice and beautiful place for a walk. Really nice. And we entered The Meadow (concert venue) at 5.30 + to get a nice seat but... Well we did get a nice seat but....

When the concert was about to start everyone was standing near the stage and our view got totally blocked. I couldn't see Corrinne May from where I was sitting at the end haha. But thanks to the huge screen beside us we could see her hehe. Anyway before the concert starts we had a good talk about so many things hehe. And time flies and the concert started!

I'm not going into like chronological order of the concert. All in all the concert was so beautiful. I felt so happy for finally having to hear her live! It was truly an amazing experience. The songs that I wished she would play, were played! Oh I love it! Haha. Especially beautiful life which is my favourite song from her. And singing with the audience to "Just what I'm looking for" together was nice too!

It was a nice surprise for her to sing "Fly Away" just now. I love the song. It's a sad sad song but I just love listening to it. And somehow when she was performing that song just now, I could feel a sense of peace and tranquility from the audience. Really lovely I suppose. The effect of music on everyone. I really enjoyed all of her songs just now! But Beautiful Life wills till be my favourite (Y)

And oh Angels In Disguise! That is AWESOME! Thanks Corrinne May! ^^

My love for Corrinne May songs began in a very late period after her albums were released. The first song that I fell in love from her was "Beautiful Seed" which is still a song I often listen to today. Then I bought her albums and boy, I really loved her songs and her voice! So that's when I became a fan of her. And "Song For Singapore" was also nice, another reason why I fell in love with her songs.

I could still remember back in year 1 listening to her songs when I was studying with Bobby, Weiping, Candy and Nivedha. I could vividly remember it. And WP was telling me that she loves Corrine May songs too. And that's why I asked her along to go for the concert :) And then it was "Beautiful Life" which I first heard last year during the Singapore Radio Awards. And then Crooked Lines finally.

There are various reasons why I love her songs. Of course without mention, her voice! To me her songs are very meaningful and inspiring. I watched some of her Youtube videos where she explain and tell us the meaning behind some of the songs and I went "Ahh... I see". To me her songs are just inspiring and they make me happy when I'm down, and they give me morale boost hehe.

And to me I also feel that her songs speak to me. In so many ways. Like "Beautiful Life". I've been listening to that song almost every morning when I go to work. It's just a reminder for me to embrace the day, live my life, and remind myself its beautiful! And "Beautiful Seed" is one song I always listen when I'm down. Beautiful Life too actually.

There are incidences when I felt like crying, I felt sad, and I just feel that life is so tough. But listening to her songs calm me down and somehow they make me feel better in times of bitterness. So well I couldn't say this personally to her, but...

Thank You Corrinne May for your lovely songs!

Silly of me to actually bring her CD to the concert hoping I can meet her and get her signature haha. But well seeing her live, seeing her singing with my own eyes, listening to her with my own ears, LIVE, is enough for me. More than enough. And I get to take a couple of shots too! Yes I know it says photography is not allowed. But everyone is like bringing their DSLRs and cameras and iPhones and so on. And of course, use them to snap photos.

Plus I see no reason why we can't take photos etc. It's just to freeze the moment and keep it for our memories. Cause well this is one concert I'll truly never forget! :) I understand videography. But I think photography is still okay heh.

Alright anyway that' all for today. Today is a day I'll never forget! And oh did I tell you? I did one new year's resolution and stroke one item off from my life's to-do list. Which is to watch a pop concert! :P

Bon nuit!

Under The Friday Sky

Hell yes! Friday is over and week 11 is gone! All I wanna say is I can't wait for tomorrow to come! Cause...

1. I'm going shopping with Vithya haha
2. Taking my JLR racepack woots!

And most importantly: I'm going to Corrinne May's concert @ Gardens by the bay in the evening with Weiping! I CAN'T WAIT! It's gonna be an awesome day hehe.

Alright short update. Will tell you more about the surely-awesome concert!

Now praying for AWESOME FABULOUS weather tomorrow! :)

Make Things Happen

 One of my best shots of her!

Well sorry for not blogging the past two days. Somehow I just lost my mood to write, to blog and yeah. All I wanna do when I reached home was rest. I don't know why but well yes. Anyway here I am. Today was an alright day I suppose. I went for a run with Doreen! Poor her for having a bad stomach just now, hopefully she's feeling better anyway hehe.

Like 10 more days to JLR and IBM of course. And I haven't been running for like two weeks! But anyway, the two runs I'm running in July - I'm going to run for a cause. Yes I will still give my best but not to an extent of focussing so much on timing, breaking PBs and so on. Just run for a cause! July is going to be an awesome month. And a truly cancer-month for a Cancerian like me :D

I was just sorting out the photos I took during my sister's graduation just now and uploading them on Facebook. I feel so envious of her for having her graduation at such a nice strategic and sceneric place! Hopefully next year I can shoot nice shots too at SP. Well I still feel SP is beautiful too haha. Very nice to shoot at some place :) Like T11A

So to all my friends who are graduating next year - Lets take a jumpshot together! In our graduation gowns. Oh man that would be lovely! (Y)

In the meantime, lets just work hard, push on, and that day would arrive.

That day - yes. Days will go by like autumn leaves falling. Then carried by the wind to another place. Snow would fall like stars glistening in the night sky. And the spring's breeze would welcome us with its gush of warm air. Months turn into weeks, weeks into days, days into hours and hours - into moments.

So yeah. Just persevere on. It will all come to an end one day.

Alright that's all for today! Shall blog more in the upcoming days. I can't wait for Saturday!

Good night :)

We either make things happen, or let things happen.
I think you're doing the latter one.

Sumpek

 Happy Graduation! :)

Sigh well as for the title above, it refers to this... I wouldn't say word but more of a lingo. Basically "sumpek" in Indonesian means very.... I don't know. To me the word means a condition we don't like. When I say my heart is sumpek, to me it means that my heart feels "weird" very incomplete. It doesn't ring anger, nor sadness, not frustration, nor unhappiness. It's a mixture of feeling. Mostly bottled up and indescribable. Just weird and... Incomplete.

Anyway yes today was a Sunday and I've been having awesome blast with my sister, cousin and her friend (Tanti). They all arrived on Friday, thus I decided to leave earlier from work to meet them and to also help her settle some of her graduation stuff. It feels good to meet her again, though it was only a month ago since I last saw here when she was here in Singapore.

And of course she went here for her graduation which was on Saturday. So congratulations to my dearest sister for earning her degree and graduating! Your hardwork has finally been paid off. And now well, I can't wait wait for my turn to graduate too! Even though it's only my diploma heh. Well the time will sure come, sooner or later.

Today was spent at Sentosa. The three of them went to USS in the afternoon but since I just went there like last week, I decided not to go heh. And anyway I need to take some stuff for my sister as well so I decided to head back home first to get them and also drop my stuff (since I stayed at the hotel for the past weekend with them) and then met them back at Sentosa.

Alas I went super early just now so I was roaming around Sentosa by myself to wait for time to pass by. And I also went to Vivo. Wanted to get something for my mum for her birthday but then hmm... Nevermind I'll bring it home when I'm going back in August mwahaha. Cause I was afraid that my sister doesn't have enough space for it as well too.

It was my first time watching Songs of The Sea today! It was really beautiful, I love all the laser lights and so on. It creates such a beautiful artificial aurora in the sky, though we're now in Asia haha. But it's truly beautiful. No wonder the rest of my relatives say it's nice. Shame on me, studying here for a long time but I haven't got the chance to watch it! Haha. Now I finally did.

And here I am now blogging in my room, while the three of them are back in the hotel as they're going back tomorrow, and I have work on the other hand. And Monday is shouting in front of me "hello I'm here tomorrow!" and well yes I accept that fact dear Monday. Thanks for the reminder. But sigh I just don't feel like going tomorrow. The past three days have been so good :(

Though I didn't have a 3-week holiday like the rest of my friends (since I'm having attachment), the past three days with my sister is like a mini holiday for me. Where I really had a good time and yeah. Well it's just me I guess. And the Monday blues. I think everyone in my position would feel the same too. But time moves on. It doesn't stay still.

Well I always believe that there's time for everything in life. Time for fun, time for work, time for rest, time to get going, time to slack, time to be hardworking and so on. And of course it's in the human's nature that we always want to have a good time no? Well if I give you a choice of being in a good time and not so good time I'm sure you'll choose the first one right?

But everything has its place in its time. And its time in its place. So... Yes, this is life. We can't always have good time all the time. Nor will we have bad time all the time. Remember my post last Sunday? Contemplation of Impermanence. Yup, nothing remains forever. Everything will come to an end, just a matter of when.

Alright I feel better after blogging now. I'm rather sleepy too so I better hit the sack. I'll see you soon! Here's to a fabulous week 11! I can't wait for Saturday, cause it's gonna be awesome! (Y)

Feels Like Sugar

 Miniature New York!

Mind the title, it's just a title of a recently-found awesome song by a great Icelandic band called Hjaltalin! Check it out, I really love the song. It's a nice, bright, poppy and just good feeling song haha. I hope I can get their album soon! :) I really love the passion, creativity and love for music the Icelanders have! I realised the country has lots of awesome musicians! Sigur Ros is just one of them :P

Anyway yes, hello! I am finally blogging. Been really tired the past nights that when I reached home I just switched on my lappy for a while, then went to sleep. Just kinda tired. I don't know why. And I've been feeling down as well. Maybe the hormones, maybe just the down days. Whatever it is, my week is going to get better with my sis coming to Singapore woohoo!

Well yeah the past few days... I don't know why but yeah I'm just feeling down I guess. But whatever it is, hope for the best and live the moment! Well I guess living the moment is really one of the hardest things to do in life. It's easy to say but well in reality it's just something difficult to do. It may seem pretty easy to live every day, to the fullest. Then you realised something is going to happen tomorrow. You'll get busy and so on. There goes, not living the moment!

But just try, and always live the moment. I guess that's all I can tell myself. At the end of the day, make today something you can smile to!

Well yeah I just hope November can come quicker... Haha.

Anyway I've been having this thought in my mind.

You know, what if, you have this book. This simple book where whatever you write inside, will come true. What if you have a book, that allows you to "create" your own life.

Lets say you write in your book. Tomorrow I will wake up at 8 AM, eat McDonald's for breakfast, go to work at 9, do something awesome till lunchtime. Had a nice chicken chop for lunch. Go back to office, work awesomely till 5. Go home. The way home was quick with all buses coming at the right timing. For dinner it's an awesome soup. Reach home at 7 PM. Lie down till 10 and so on and so forth.

And whatever you write will come true, will happen. But there are things that can happen to you too, which let say you didn't write. But having the ability to craft out your plan, your day for tomorrow, will you want this book? This ability? Where everything will just go smoothly and you don't have to worry about what's going to happen today. Everything goes according to your plan.

I guess you can live life in two ways. One, to plan everything to the minute-st detail ever. Cause you worry so much that things won't go according to plan. You will worry so much, wasted some time worrying that things won't go according to plan. You plan out things to a really really extreme end and way of planning things. Insecurity.

Or, you can also live life by letting life takes its course. By letting nature show its path to you. Do what you're supposed to do, do what you need to do, don't do what you don't need to do, live life as it is. And whatever happens, will happen. Because things happen for a reason. What you do now, will affect what will happen later. But everything else comes in naturally.

I would choose the second one though. Life is already complicated enough. To just worry so much about it, to worry more about it, is to just add on to your burden you know that. So yeah... Just live life, live it well, let life itself show you the path. Sometimes we worry so much, the more we think, the more things really screw up. But then again, it's inevitable no?

Life has given us a path. Sometimes we just to get out of the path. That's when things start to go wrong.

Okay that's all for the night! See you again soon :)

C'est, la, vie.

Contemplation of Impermanance

 Live the moment

Alright, I'm going to blog now, I can finally blog now and yes haha. Bad news is I'm feeling unwell for the past few days now. Can sense that the flu bug is coming :/ I feel flu-ey and heaty. The weather has been really hot the past few days, or even in fact for the whole week this week. It's not the humidity but just the heat. Even though I'm back at home, with aircon, I feel hot. Must be the heatiness you know. From all this hot weather.

Anyway today was another great Sunday, minus the unwell part. The whole day I was just feeling sick. I hope this can go away pretty soon please. I don't like the feeling. Same thing, I began the day by going to the temple. It's a decision I made that I'm going there every Sunday hehe. Unless I have something on Sundays. And yup. I was late today so I missed Puja but I made it for the chanting hehe.

Usual shopping and lunch, and well I like to go to Starbucks after lunch now! And write my weekly journal now. It failed so bad. I'm supposed to write this daily ITP journal thing for myself. But nine weeks, 45 weekdays, and I only wrote 4 entries. I usually write it on a weekly basis anyway so yeah. Nowadays I just make it into like some reflection journal. I like it.

I didn't run today, cause of the heat and also just me feeling kinda unwell. So I decided to pamper myself at home by watching TV, surfing the net and so on. It's great haha. I realised it's been such a long time since I can do this. The weekends are packed in June for me. Can't wait to have those weekends where I can just unwind and have all the time to myself. And do the things I want to do.

Nevertheless... The weekends in June are fun so yep! Hehe.

While in the temple today, I came across the phrase "Contemplation of Impermanence" during the chanting. It's good to know what does the chanting mean, as they put it on top of the verse.

Then as I was on the bus back to Holland, I kept on thinking to myself, repeating those three words. Contemplation if Impermanence. Impermanence, is basically the fact that nothing in life is permanent. It's a bittersweet truth that we all have to accept. Nothing lasts forever. All good and bad things will one day come to an end.

I always try to live on Buddha's teaching of living the moment earnestly and fully (even though honestly speaking, it is a very difficult thing to do). Not to worry of the future, not to dwell in the past, not to be hurt by the past and to just be hold back by it. But to live the moment, the present, to the fullest. And I always believe that it's true.

Linking back to the phrase Contemplation of Impermanence, I realise how the two teachings go hand-in-hand together.

Impermanence to me means that nothing lasts forever. Not all good things stay forever. And at the same time not all bad things will remain either. It will all come to an end. And to know that they will not remain forever, then we can do this, can't we?

As we know that one day our life will end, we live life to the fullest.
As we know that one day our suffering will end, we push and fight on.
And at the end of the day, we'll remember these days as bittersweet memories we cal all smile to.

True isn't it?

So yeah people, the next time you're doing something, be it traveling, doing exams, performing, cooking, writing and so on, play it with all your heart. If you're going through a rough day, a bad period, a tough moment in your life and so on, press on and don't ever give up. Cause at the end of the day, we will all come to our finishing line in life. And all these happy and bad days will turn into memories.

Life will never be complete without its down moments. There are the bad weeks, there are the good weeks. The happy days and the not so happy days. The days where we wish will never end, the months where we wish will end as quickly as possible. But who are we to choose where we want to be, to control time and to jump time? All we can do is to live, NOW. To live life. And though it's tough. It's happy. Life will still move on. It will still press on.

Today I learnt a new lesson of Buddha, that I can apply with another lesson I've been trying to apply. I hope I can apply this. And live my life to an even high level, higher definition of "fullest". Last week wasn't a really good week for me. It has now come to an end. Tomorrow another week begins, and I hope it will be a better week.

I guess Buddha's lesson of living in the moment is really good for me. For a sentimental guy like me. Well I know I shouldn't dwell in the past. But I hope through living the moment to the fullest, I can then smile to the memories of today in the future. You know :)

Good night. Here's to an awesome week 10 :)

Great weekend

Hello people, it's been such a long time since I blogged but oh well it's been a busy week, quite tiring and also, a not-so-good week. At the end of the day I feel really moodless to blog so yeah that's why I have not blogged since Tuesday. Nevertheless I'm blogging now. And weekend has been really awesome. It's great to end this not-so-good week awesomely.

Anyway yesterday I went for dinner and a drink with Jolene, Sharon, Weiqi, Yang Peng, Melissa and Carmen. It's great :D I enjoyed the night cause well yeah just a great way to end my week I suppose. And plus it's been a long time since I saw and talk to them so yeah hehe.

And today I went to USS with Adeline, Jeslyn, WQ and MF! It's great cause not only that it's their (MF and Ade) first time to USS but I totally enjoyed myself there hehe. Especially with the fact that I went on Cylon at Battlestar Galactica! I used to tell myself that it's so scary I will not take it but not really hahaha. So yup. And Transformers is also awesome! :D

Then I rushed off from USS to SCH for SMU Symphonia concert to support Vanessa, Edwin and Nelson :D It was really a great concert and I love the songs! Pretty awesome. And yup. After that we all head back home. It was a great weekend, totally.

Okay I'm really sleepy right now so I wanna sleep heh. See ya tomorrow! Shall blog about more stuff hehe. Plus going to the temple tomorrow morning again! :D

Nights :)

Thankful

Hmm I shall not talk about today, or yesterday, but I want to talk about something. Why I'm thankful. Of just a particular thing out of the many things I'm thankful for.

This morning I come to a realisation of how thankful I am to have participated in so many overseas trips held by SP throughout the 2.5 years of my poly life. From the DPA camp in Mawai, to the Inner Mongolia OCIP trip (which is the best trip so far), SPSB Korea trip and last but not least my LEAP Intermediate at Mount Kinabalu. Also not forgetting the events which I've signed up throughout these 2.5 years as well. From the band concerts, poly50, Stand Chart and Sundown.

I just somehow feel that well now I'm having attachment. So by right, I'm "working" and by left I'm partially a student, still. I'm working from 9-5. Perhaps being a student will be in band, since I'm still a member of the band and that I come back for rehearsals and yeah, I'm a student. And of course the other things like helping out with your teachers, lecturers and so on.

Partially I'm working, and being a student.

Yet somehow I realised, currently I'm still partially a working adult. Yet I find it difficult and somehow uneasy to find some times just for myself. Just to do whatever I want, relax for a day, forget about life, don't think about work. Time to myself. And thinking of holiday... Nah don't ever think about that. Till my project ends I guess, that's considered holiday to me. So whatever holiday there is in front of me, I think they deserved to be called "breaks" instead haha.

It's my final year! Press on~

Okay I'm not complaining about the lack of holidays and time and whatever. But I'm just thinking that this ITP has given me a glimpse of the working life. Of being an adult, of being a worker, of being a man of (more) responsibilities. Basically, no longer being a student. Life of a student, and life of a grown up working adult is totally different. Very, very extremely different.

I know that at times we feel life of a student is stressful as well. We have lots of projects, lots of assignments, lots of issues, exams, friends, CCA, this and that. Trust me when you're into the working life, I think things will be even more spiced up. But then it all comes down to a fact that well ultimately it's how we handle things, and how we work things out.

You can put it in a way that as we grow up, we no longer hold responsibilities for ourselves only, but also for others. What you do in some (more) ways will affect others, and not just yourself. But back when you're a student, well more of the things we do only affect ourselves. In one way or another. As we learn to be more responsible for others, then yeah we feel the heat.

So yeah. Back to the title - thankful.

I'm really really thankful and grateful to have been selected for those trips. To be a part of the trip, to have the memories of the trip, to GO for the trip. ITP has given me a glance that when I grow up, I might not have the time, the ability, the capability, the determination, the will and ultimately the CHANCE to do all of the things that I've done in my past 2.5 years.

The Inner Mongolia trip. It's such a rare chance for the 25 of us, young adults (Kwok and Jess you're young too!!! :P ) to go to Inner Mongolia? And even better - to participate in a huge environmental project. To get out of our shell, and explore the unknown place, and unknown world and face the problem it is facing and in a small but significant way, try to fix the problem?

SPSB Korea trip - I think we are all so lucky to have the chance to perform overseas. And in public. To me the performance in Insaedon was the highlight of the trip. Cause it was my first time performing in public overseas. And I love sharing music with others, so I see nothing wrong with that. It was a really enjoyable performance too.

Mt Kinabalu trip - Perhaps when I'm born, when I'm young, I never know I can climb a mountain before 20. And yes now 19 years later, I know I did, and I have done it. Climbing a mountain was not in my life's agenda at this age. I feel great and lucky too. I kept on telling myself in the future, there might be chance. Or maybe I can do it next year, or two years later. No, I did it then. I did it four months later when I first told myself that perhaps I should go for the next year's trip.

And many more events that I have went through in SP, small or big, significant or just little. I have participated in them and I'm proud of it.

The thing is, I really might not have the chance to do all of the above when I grow up, when I leave SP, when I leave the education world. When I step into the real life, when I am no longer a student of an institution. So through these experiences I've learnt, and I have become who I am today. Things happen for a reason, we all know that.

I'm young now, was young then. I still have the energy, the ability and the determination to do all these. I still have the will, still have the confidence to go. I'm young and wild, was young and wild. With determination soaring in the sky. I just feel lucky and thankful. Really.

My mum always tell me to go for these trips. To seize the chance to go to somewhere I've never been before. She tells me I might not have the time when I grow up, and I might not be able to find the time and make the time to go. I guess now I know why.

It's June now. I have till next year's May I guess? Before graduation. So... Yes. 11 more months to go, I'm going for more, seizing every chance I can get. And well, I'm already planning to go for one. And I can't wait for it. I hope it will be a dream come true for me! It's my last leap in the LEAP programme. And I will finish it, once and for all.

Carpe diem - seize the day!


What a long post. I enjoyed writing this post. Now, live the moment.

Today was a fine fine day

 So we return to innocence

Today was surely a fine day. Blue skies, no clouds, just... Endless stretch of blue skies. There are no clouds but just blue. Such a pretty weather that I've been wanting to see. Since we've been having so much cloudy days. Though those days will be cooler, a little bit of sun and a little bit of sky always make me happy. They represent freedom to me. Happiness, and joy.

Anyway it's also a great Sunday today. I started the day by going to the temple for the Sunday service. It's somehow a wish of mine to go there. To just go to the temple and go for the service. I've been wanting to do this for quite a while so to go there today made me happy. And it felt good to those chantings once again. Reminded me of my younger days where I would go for religious school on Sundays haha.

Now it's more tech-savy though. We use power-point instead of books. But nevetheless it's great. Chanting, is still a chanting. Plus it's easier and more convenient too.

So from the temple I took the loooong bus ride to Holland V to grab some lunch. It's really yummy. Nasi Lemak once again. And I decided to pop by Starbucks for some latte cause it was empty. Plus the weather made it so nice for me to just chill on a sunny day. And after that, left for the usual grocery shopping and yup that's all for the afternoon.

Went for a short run in the evening, after taking a break 2 weeks after Sundown. It's just meant to be an engine-starter for me. If I don't start running, it will be hard for me to start. So why not start now haha. Plus it's one more month to Jurong Lake Run and I have a personal goal to achieve. I can do this! :) And Run For Cancer is coming in 1.5 months too. 15 KM, lets go! Hehe.

Anyway while on Starbucks today, I was writing my journal there. And somehow I came up with this line. I can't believe I wrote this either:

Sometimes the reason why we're unhappy is not because we don't get what we want. But more of because we kept on searching for the things that make us happy, when the simple things are around us to make us happy. We kept on searching for perfections. Things that our mind make us believe would make us happy. But in reality, they may not necessarily do so. And in reality, there are other things that could make us happy. Simply. They are around us, but we ignore them. Our minds ignore them. The quest of finding happiness is never easy, equipped with our nature especially. Sometimes all we need to do is to stop searching. Look around us, and find it. Create it.

I was inspired by my simple lunch I had just now. It's just a simple meal of nasi lemak and veggies and meat, yet somehow it makes me happy to eat that. Then I guess I realised... I don't need expensive food to keep me happy all the time, if simple ones are adequate to make me happy. So just like in life I guess, we can replace food = things in life. Don't need all the lavish things we all hope to get to make us happy. Simple ones will do!

And today was a fine day. And fine day calls for awesome sunsets. And here is one:

 

Isn't it so pretty? I surely love the clouds...

And here's another one:

 

Ahh... So beautiful. Perfect way to end this fine day I suppose! And a great way to end my week 8 as well I guess. Alrighty that's all for today. I'm heading for bed. 8 weeks gone, 20 more to go. Here's to an awesome week 9! Bon nuit everyone :D

To town. In town.

 In Town

Just had a great Saturday today! Woots! Thanks to my awesome clarinet section for the mini outing today, even though not everyone was here.

But firstly I went to Bedok in the morning to send my Panasonic Lumix digital camera for repair. Somehow it has this dot in the screen. I think it's dust on the sensor but how?! I'm so puzzled with the fact that the camera is unlike a DSLR where dust can go in easily. But oh well. Get well soon girlfriend. And I met Weiping for lunch at Bedok! Yummy, I love the curry chicken noodle OMG. Must eat it again haha.

I then rushed off to Orchard after that to meet Edwin, Huili and Joscelyn. It was a change in plan so I went to Orchard directly. Chris and Yijing then came, followed by Glenson and then Lionel! Had dinner at the Seoul Garden Hotpot. I must try the Bimbim bap next time :D And we wanted to have ice cream but went to Fruit Paradise for fruit tarts instead. Oh so yummy!

And yeah that's all for this Saturday.

As for yesterday I went for a drink with Vithya, Charmaine and Candy! We went bar-hopping haha. 3 bars! But of course we didn't drink so much in the three of them. Cumulative you know. It was such a much-needed drink haha. To celebrate off our 8 weeks of ITP and of course to just have a good Friday. It was a great time with them. 8 weeks gone, 20 more to go!

20 more to go - seems like a long long journey ahead of me. But of course I feel... In one way or another these 20 weeks will go by really quickly, as quick as the blink of an eye. While getting our section ties just now, it dawned upon me that IBM 29 felt like 6 months ago. Though it's almost a year. And also MD felt like... It was just a while ago when my MD (34th) was 1.5 years ago!

With the concerts being pushed forward this time round... Time will fly really quickly I guess. IBM in a month's time. MD is about 5 month's time. Wow. Then end of ITP, then presentation, then end of FYP, then exams and goodbye year 3. Time is running out. Must spend it as meaningfully as possible really. Still got lots of things I wanna do! Haha.

Going to town never fails to make me feel old. Not only that well I realised now, I'm a year 3. And two... It just reminds me of my days back in Tanglin where I would spend some days out in town, or just somewhere wondering and joking and talking around with my friends. Now most of the guys are in army. Some of them are preparing to enter university. And for the poly people, we're all now in year 3.

I guess maybe I just can't seem to keep track of time. But well, life goes on. Like a river it flows. Like a race it proceeds on. Going, moving, progressing.

Alright that's all for today. I'm going to bed soon cause I want to go to the temple tomorrow. Just me and my heart that feel like going there. So I shall go. See you!

Solo

 T11A under today's glorious morning light

Today marks an important day of my life. Wouldn't say it's significantly important to you but well. To me it is something... Remarkable? Something special and unique haha. Anyway... I'll talk about that later. Let's talk about today first hehe.

Anyway today was a FAST Thursday I guess. Somehow time seems to fly kinda faster. It was rather slow in the morning but as the day progresses, so does the time. Perhaps it was the busy period. Was helping Candy and Kai taking photos of their gels (which I'm so so so so sorry to Candy :(((( ) and then I was moving in and out of my office meeting Dr Tan etc. So yeah. And rushing off in the end to meet Mr Helmi hehe.

But nevertheless it's a great day I guess.

So what's that important event that happened today?

I played my first solo in band!

In 6.5 years of my band life, tonight I finally get to play a solo. Even though it was only 4 bars long, I think it's something significant for me. After all it's my first band solo of my life. How could it not feel significant? Well yes I have to say I was nervous as hell just now but... I will practice hard, that's a promise. Anyway I may not play it at all too, since it's IBM so I should let Ashraf play! :)

But somehow after playing that passage I feel so... Happy, and fuzzy and warm inside. I just couldn't believe that I've finally played a solo. After 6.5 years. I've never played one before so tonight is indeed a special night for me hehe.

I guess now I'm finally able to feel how special and nerve-wrecking it is to play a solo. But at the same time after finishing that passage of four bars I felt accomplished and happy and proud of myself. Mr Chiang was so funny for asking me to smile more when playing. Hahaha I didn't know how my facial expression was while playing just now but apparently I was frowning! Heh. Okay smile more next time.

It is an ultimate dream of mine to play a solo on day. Accompanied by the band... Or well just in a song. Tonight fortifies my wish and my dream and I hope I can work to achieve it. Before time runs out hehe. I just don't have the confidence I guess. And the skill. But oh well, we'll see.

Okay that's all for today. Tomorrow will be an awesome TGIF! :)

Solo...

What's going on

Hello, today was a... Not so good day. Shall not write it here. The three words that can describe today for me are "what's going on". I just wish for life to make a better turn and that for everything to be alright. I don't want things to go wrong :( Sigh....

Today was an alright day I guess. I finally finished "enhancing" my logbook and I can't wait to show it hehe. I'm kinda proud of what I've done. To know that it's been (going to) 8 weeks since I began my ITP, I realised I have come a long way. And I have a longer way to go. But nevertheless bring it on :) The end is near. Though it may not be in sight from my eyes, I know it's in sight in my mind.

I decided to walk home from school just now. Things going on, so I just want to take my mind off somewhere. Somewhere far and nice. So I walked home with music in my ears, it was such a nice afternoon. Such a nice afternoon. Though it was kinda humid and hot, there was the wind that kept things cool. It was really pleasant, should do it more often :)

And when I reached home I did the same thing like last Monday, where I just sat down outside my room. Unknowingly falling asleep to know that the night has fallen. It was so blissful really. I love it. I just... Need some break I guess.

Recently I've fallen in love again (I actually love the song) with Coldplay's Paradise. I love the song the first time I heard it. After doing read ups and re-reading the lyrics with detail, I realise what a wonderful and meaningful song it is. So yeah, it's a great song for me to remind myself that this, could, be, paradise.



Well I know most of us may just think the chorus is a nice and catchy "Para, para, paradise~" but if you read again to the lyrics....

From the top

So she ran away in her sleep, and dream of para, para, paradise everytime she closed her eyes
.
.
.
In the night the stormy night, away she flies, and dream of para, para, paradise
.
.
.
So lying underneath the stormy skies, she said ooh the sun must set to rise
.
.
.
This could be para, para, paradise

Somehow the last few phrases caught my ears, I love the phrase "I know the sun must set to rise" even though we're underneath the stormy skies. I guess the song just goes to show even though in life, we don't get what we want, things don't go in a way we want to go to, we wish we can be in a "paradise", we don't realise that this, our lives, IS actually a paradise.

It's all in the mind! (Y)

Okay just sharing what I like about this song. So remember people!

Underneath the stormy skies, I know the sun must set to rise!

Brass Explosion 2012!

Hello all! Yes I just attended this year's Brass Explosion Gala Concert!!! OMG I really love the concer, every moment of it! Everything was so beautiful and fantastic! The soloists, the Desford Colliery band and the festival band but most of all....

Mr JAMES MORRISON!

Oh man he once again melted my heart with his songs! Haha, just like last year. And the piece which he played as a duet with the guitar player (Rick if I'm not wrong) is also... Enchanting! Just so lovely, I love the concert just now! And man if only I can play a brass instrument! I want to learn the French Horn and Trumpet! Haha. And oh not to forget to see Sarah Willis from the Berlin Philharmonics! She's so awesome!

The French Horn quartet was also wonderful. My eyes gleamed when they played their first note. So beautiful and strong! Hehe.

Just a lovely night just now with some of my fellow SPSB band mates. Salute to them for coming for the concert after being just released from their camp today! They all looked sleepy and tired. Get a good night's rest okay! :)

What a great way to end the first day of week 8. Hoping for more beautiful days for the week ahead, and for the remaining weeks! Hehe.

Man, music makes me happy. Just now Sarah Willis was mentioning how much magical and interesting of how making music along with a bunch of people creates joy and happiness (something along that line). Which is really true for me. I just feel happy when I'm with the band performing. It's a sense of happiness no one can explain.

I guess music is like happiness.

If I were to ask you to define happiness without using any word related to "happy" what will you define it as? Same as music. How would you define music without using any words related to "music"?

For me, I once said this. Happiness is like finding a toilet after holding your pee for three hours. And for music, music is something you express when words don't come out from your mouth. Music plays what your heart feels. Music heard is what your soul wants to eat.

How about you? :)

SPSB FOC 2012!

 Sunset on the way back from St John to  main land

A day came to a close. A chapter is coming to a close

too.

Hello all I just got back from this year's band FO Camp and it was awesome! Cause it was held in St John's Island, first time for all of us hehe. Well... Umm obviously, this is my first time running the camp as station masters and a year 3 (you don't say). And I kinda enjoy it heh. Finally get to be in the position of a year 3, of a "senior" haha. It was really fun.

The island itself is nice... Not as "ulu" as I imagined it before I came to the island. I thought it's going to be this super duper empty piece of island with nothing but just a bunk (I even thought we're sleeping like outside) but not really. There are concrete paths, and huts, and the bunks are not bad too. Though not as modern as we would all think. The island is nice - awesome getaway from the bustling city. No concrete jungles just... Let go of the city buzz. And back to nature :)

Anyway enough of the island, on to the camp!

So I was one of the advance team that went to the island earlier on Saturday. There were: Carmen, Janis, Zachary, Jeremy, Hassan, Lixuan, Ridha, Breyann and Kalai. And Tze Yang arrived later hehe. We headed for the 10 AM boat and arrived at about 1030 plus I think. Went to transfer the stuff to the bunk etc and walked around the island to get it familiarise. I love Carmen's instax shot! :D

Welcomed the campers and we proceeded with the flag making and cheer forming etc and podium was held at night! It felt so weird... To just sit down there and think of questions to ask the podium people instead of just... Sitting there heh. But it was nice, I had a great laugh too cause some of the questions (and answers) are really funny!

The next day (today) started with PT. I wanted to run with them but I realised... I'm wearing slippers -.- and I had a bad experience running with slippers. So I decided not to run and to play captain's ball which was later in the morning. So I became a time keeper instead! Lionel and Cheryl, together with the other year 3s were cheering as commentators and we're like having commentator-cum-karaoke session. It was awesome hahaha.

And then lunch followed and station game's finally here! So Asyraf came later and Syazwan, him and I went for the location of our station. It was hot, humid and not so windy but I had a great time chatting with them while waiting for the team to come. But sadly due to some delay I was only able to meet like one group only. As I had to leave early at 430 PM :l so Seng Kiat and I headed back, wash up and went to the pier with the other people who needed to go back early.

AND

We seriously almost missed the LAST boat back to Singapore! We reached the jetty and the boat started moving. So I shouted at the guy and they stopped for us. Whewwww. Oh my Buddha, imagine if the boat really left. We have to take the next boat back which is... Tomorrow. That would be scary. Funny how some of us were talking about missing the boat haha.

So we reached the main land and yeah, headed for our way back. I couldn't join Zachary and the rest for dinner as I need to finish some stuff for tomorrow so I headed back home first. Sorry guys! :/ Hope you guys enjoyed your dinner though hehe.

Yup that's all for this year's camp. I really enjoyed it, it was like a mini getaway for me to the island. Away for just a while but at the end of the day, it was a great weekend spent. My wanted getaway, is finally here :)

Well....

As we were all laughing and giggling away during the podium session, my heart was pinched a little. Just to realise that now we're all year 3s. We were the ones thinking of the questions to ask them. We were once in the podium too 2 years ago, and now we're sitting down looking at our juniors being questioned by US. It just felt weird, sad and funny at the same time.

MD would come in a blink, and there goes my band journey in poly. And perhaps... In a long long long time. So I felt sad and fuzzy at the same time to know that all of this is coming to an end really soon. But at the same time I can't wait for MD too. To perform once again in Esplenade. And to officially "graduate" with the band. Well I have IBM to focus first now.

Let time carry me away to the future. I for I can't carry time to bring me to the future.

Off for band camp!

The thing is, I will never come across with this moment again.

And that my friend, is the simple beauty of photography

Wheet! Today was such a great Friday hehe. I love it :D It felt like a long one initially somehow. But it ended beautifully nevertheless. So It's all good now. And well whatever the case is, lesson learnt today is that worrying won't make things better. I've been telling myself that but somehow I just couldn't fully convince myself. It's an irony I've been living with. Telling myself to do something but not being able to do it. To continue applying it in me.

This week feels like a long long week but well it ended beautifully so it's a great one I suppose. It's the first day of June. Fast huh? With a great start to this month, I hope for an even greater rest-of-the-month! Well everyone is having their holidays now but not me :l well attachment it is, no school but work. Nevertheless no worries cause I know June's going to be an awesome month for me! Hehe.

It just felt weird not to be told, not to know, not to feel, that I'll be having a 3 weeks break starting from Monday. Oh well.

I did some shopping at the end of the day to prepare for my band camp tomorrow! Just to buy stuff for my station which... Is so going to be awesome! Yup I'll be off to St John Island tomorrow for band camp till Sunday! Sadly have to come back on Sunday since I have work on Monday :/ Oh well, although a getaway will be good! Hehe.

Hopefully the camp will be awesome and smooth! Finally coming in as a year 3 (Game master etc). Which also mean this would be my last camp as an SP bandee? I feel old... Hahaha. I hope can come back as alumni next year or something like that. I can still remember my band camp in 2010. And last year's band camp with Zachary! Slide Greaseee Hahaha. Epic days!

Plus it will be my first time to St John Island tomorrow, love exploring new place! :)

I think we've all come to a stage of uncertainties. I don't know, most of us I suppose. It's pretty ironic as I once said above that I kept on telling myself to do something, to believe in something, and yet in one point of my life or another I'll just not think of things in that way anymore. It's the fear, it's the future, the uncertainty and the lack of confidence I can put it wholly.

Kept telling myself to live the moment, to seize the moment and to just live the present. When you're feared by the future, you will never be able to move on, and make the next step. Yet at times I'm just worried, I'm just this and that. I need to remind myself all the time. Sigh...

Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be. Good night!

On the side note!

"Photography taught me so much about life. To live the moment, to seize the moment in creating, freezing the moment. And turn it into something beautiful you can remember for life"