Sympathique

Don't mind the title, it's a song by pink martini! I discovered the band through their rendition of Que Sera Sera in Youtube. It's such a catchy song! And the best thing? It's in French mwahaha. C'est une magnifique song! And their rendition of Que Sera Sera is lovely as well. I like their style of songs, pretty simple and nice (Y).

Anyway today was a nice Saturday. It's literally a I-didn't-do-anything-Saturday. I failed when I told myself I want to study in the morning. But anyway as I once said to myself, I want to make Saturday an off-day for me. I want a system where I work hard on weekdays, and and off on Saturday, and then back on Sunday to study. It's not good to have a 7/7 studying days uh.

Anyway a friend of mine SMSed me telling me that she's stressed. It's only the beginning of the year and she's already stressed. So I told her to constantly take breaks, and don't stress herself up! It's not good either to study hard for the sake of getting good grades, while you're jeopardising (okay that word is too dramatic but..) your health, and your mind.

I believe one should spread their workload in one semester long. Don't do things on the 11th hour of course. And neither do we push our work in the early times, and let us suffer in the beginning. Life is all about balance. There's time to play, there's time to study, there's time to give yourself emptiness, there's time to do something you love. Many.

Was reading the 7 effective habits book, and it says something like if you're being too school centred, you tend to only focus on getting good grades. While actually, you're going to school to study and earn knowledge. Not grades. So if you go to school saying you want to top the cohort, you want to be the top in class. Then you shouldn't come to school at all.

You can make being the top of the cohort a goal. But not something you go to school for. Well who doesn't want to be the top of the cohort right? I want to be it too (even though I know I won't). But yeah, ultimately don't just study to get good grades. Ultimately in life, life will test you not based on the grades you have. Life isn't only about getting good grades after all.

It's like well, personally, I don't want to study so hard that I literally have no life at all. I don't want to focus on just getting that 4.0. I want to lead a balanced life between studying, and playing, and resting. That's why if I see a shooting star, I won't wish for a 4.0. I'll wish that I have balanced life between studying, resting, and playing. Make more sense no?

And so why am I talking about studies!! Hahaha.

Alright I guess that's all for today. So love the fact that Monday is a holiday, and I'm going for an outing with my lovely FLC editorial mates :D Sweet. So... I have to study tomorrow! Make full good use of the long weekend. Remember, it's balance! See ya all.

Sublime emptiness.

Laughter

Right I know you may find this weird, but I'm currently listening to a Buddhist chanting as I'm writing now. It's the avalokiteshvara chant. Hmm I just know it's a chant of compassion. I listened to this chant when I was young... Back when I was in P3. In my uncle's house. I remember watching a video of Tibet, and the chant playing as a song.

So now I'm reunited with it, and.. I finally rediscover the peace, again :) I just feel so peaceful as I listen to these chantings. I may not understand the true meaning in the chant (it's in Tibetan, or Sanskrit, I'm not sure). But it's just peaceful.

Anyway today was a great day. Pretty chemistry-ful day! A bit tough on the brain but I can do it, as usual need more reading. But anyway... To Ms Yulia, I hope you'll get well really really soon! Dumb me for thinking that I'll have prac today... And it's only on odd weeks. Thankfully I forgot to bring my labcoat heh. Blessing in disguise.

Lunched with KX, Candy and Vith at FC5. Talking about lots of stuff haha. And Vithya was so funny about Kai Xuan's way of eating haha. And guess what.... I SIGNED UP FOR SAILING FOC! To band members don't worry I'm not quitting or whatsoever, the dates are not clashing with anything so don't worry eh :D

Went home first to gra something before meeting Sharon and Jolene. We were meeting for dinner at prata house :D And now we have Wei Qi and Yang Peng too! Sadly Brenda couldn't make it :O Well we talked about lots of things... It was really funny in a sense it's like... Some are totally-doesn't-make -sense at all but at times they are so freaking funny! :D

Ah well I think it's been quite a long time since I had a great laugh with people. We were talking about like what we gonna be in the future and stuff. Then YP told us that he just wants to be happy right now, anytime. And I think he's right! Life's already so tough, might as well live it to fullness, and live everyday with a wide smile on your face.

Think positively, think happily, and create the best in the worst. That's why of the 7 effective habits, I feel that the 4th habit, Think WIN-WIN is my favourite :)

Haha this might be lame or what... But when I was young, people would tell me that we shouldn't laugh too much, okay or maybe like excessively. Or be EXTREMELY ra-ra and happy cause if you're in an extremely happy situation, later you'll cry. Hahaha I don't really know whether it's true. But here's my "theory" to the situation.

We won't cry. Maybe we'll feel sad. If like bad things that upset us happen, that might just be a co-incidence. But my theory is this. When we're having fun, we're being happy for some moment, then we have to sort of "leave" that moment away, forever. You can't relive the exact moment again, can you? Cause time will always flow.

So the fact that you gonna leave the happy moment, and get back to reality, that's one part of this "sadness" you'll feel. You might not PHYSICALLY feel it, or even emotionally. But there's one part of you that will just feel... Empty. Feel like oh man that was fun! Yes you'll feel a sense of happiness and satisfaction. But also, a tinge of sadness or... Withdrawal. Hmm?

Or well maybe it's just the fact that the you'll-cry-after-happy-moments are planted in my head. But well, that's my theory of that theory I used to cling on. I'm trying to get rid of that. But well that's my theory hoho.

Alright off to study again! Bathing first though. I wanna wake up early tomorrow to study in school, while waiting to meet Brenda :D :D So yup! See ya then.

The past was a story, the future a mystery. Live your present to the fullest, and be positive always. Thus you shall be freed from misery :)

Ganbatte Concert!

Music is a freedom.

Photography by Yours Truly

Freedom of everything. Of anything

Hello! OMG I just performed in the Ganbatte concert for Japan and it's freaking awesome! I really really love the ending. I think it was just.... GRAND. And happening! I really love the response that we get from the audience. It's just so uplifting and nice and... Aww! Haha. This is what I love about being a musician - the happiness I get from the audience :D

Anyway reported to SPCC just now at 3, some people were late... Oh well. Rehearsed till 5 PM or so. An Chun was so funny when conducting just now! :P Anyway dinner-ed at 6 plus, I went to change first though. And reported back to the convention centre at 6.30. The funny thing was... I wasn't feeling nervous or scared before the performance. Only until Mr Chiang came onto the stage :O

But... I think the concert was awesome! I love the last 4 songs especially! As I previously said it's my first time accompanying a singer in a band. So it was really an interesting experience :D And I love Do Enka Medley! Cause I am familiar with the songs there (except the first one). I used to listen to them while in P6-Sec 1 era.

However... We Are The World! That is like the boomz! I really enjoyed playing the song with the band. Just so lively and nice. The arrangement is also awesome in a sense that it starts with a daunting and mysterious melody (like the earthquake) and then with a lively bang! It's a very spirited song. And once again, I love the response from the audience very very much!

Honestly speaking I've never donated a single cent for Japan, since the earthquake started. However, I hope that performing in tonight's concert just now can be a form of "donation" I can give for Japan. I feel donation doesn't just mean money. It all comes back to heart. Your prayers, your wishes, in one way or another will reach the people and heart of Japan! :)

And to the new committee of the band, I think you guys have done a wonderful job! Sadly some people didn't do what's told by all of you but seriously, you guys did a great job :)

Alright, I've lots of things to do tonight! Hope can finish them in like 2 hours.... Alrighty see ya all! Have a good rest to the band members :)

This is why I love music, why I love music.

For Japan :D

Hello! I'm so excited right now.. Well, umm pre-concert fright/excitement haha. SPSB will be performing in a concert tomorrow! With the SP Daiko Drummers as well. We're performing in a concert for Japan! :D It's my first time performing in a charity concert, and also accompanying a singer in a song :D So yep pretty excited!

The past two days have been quite... Hectic. Both band wise and school work wise. So gotta make more time for catching up! But anyway I'm sure the hard work we've put in for this concert will pay off beautifully tomorrow! So good luck to my dearest SPSB members for tomorrow's concert! Lets pull off a wonderful one :)

And let us all send our hopes and wishes for Japan through the language of music. A language the world knows, no barrier. Nothing :D

Alright just a pretty short update. Pretty sleepy right now -.- so I'm going to sleep! See ya soon aye. Pretty excited for tomorrow's concert! As usual, I'll give my 100% effort but most importantly - enjoy myself there, and have an awesome time :)

Music is a language that knows no grammar, tense, or vocabulary.

Genuine Happiness

It's 12:53 AM and I have to wake up in about 7.30 hours more time. And what I'm doing now? Blogging of course :P But anyway yeah I just feel like blogging cause it's been a great weekend spent with my cousins and I just feel like I should blog it. Plus I wanna say something heh. Wanna write something about the tittle.

Anyway yeah I spent the weekend with my cousins. My long weekend, as I previously mentioned. It was an awesome one :D I went to Universal Studio yesterday! So freaking awesome, I love the rides especially BATTLESTAR GALACTICA :D I told myself in the beginning that I'm so not going to take that but apparently, I just can resist! And it's so bloody awesome :D

But I went for the human side. Cylon is just too :O

Then spent the evening at Sentosa itself, walking around playing Luge. It's like a finally for me. I've been studying in Singapore for like 8 (soon to be 9) years and I have never been: Luge-ing, watching song of the sea, go to the Merlion park in Sentosa and of course to USS. So I've been doing these things (except song of the sea) while my cousins have all went there! Hahaha.

So I'm glad to have done all those things yesterday :P

Today was spent umm mostly on the shopping side. I went to the Red Dot Museum with my cousin, Febi, today too! It's such an awesomely inspiring place. I couldn't imagine how, and urrghhh where those wonderful ideas come from!! It's just so awesome. You should go there seriously. Then the rest was spent outside, shopping heh. Shopped for some stuff as well :)

And oh well, that's all for this awesome weekend. And tomorrow, or in fact a few hours later, school is starting and it will end late cause of rehearsal. It's like being back to reality! Haha. But c'est la vie! We can't do anything about it can we, life has to move on, as the song by Leann Rhimes (correct spelling?) says, Life goes on. Oh well....

But it's been a really awesome weekend with my aunts, uncle and cousins, seriously!

Talking about the tittle of the post, here it is.

You know we always feel happy. We always feel happy when happy things happen to us. When things we love happen to us. When we just feel happy. And nice. But not all of these happiness are genuine happiness. Not saying that our feeling of happiness is "fake" in a sense like we're in denial or something like that. It's more like the happiness that we feel OUTSIDE of our feeling.

Oh dear confusing much.

But like anyway take it this way. Happiness is like eating your favourite cake. You feel happy cause you eat something you love. Genuine happiness is like when you find a toilet after holding your pee after 3 hours. Or when you join a competition, and you win it without knowing, or expecting that you're going to win.

Happiness is felt for a moment, then the feeling lingers for a little while, and it leaves. Genuine happiness is felt for a moment, then the feeling lingers for a longer while. And plus, you feel other "positive" feelings coming into you. Like satisfaction, pleasant, glad, and accomplishment. It's just different.

And we feel happiness often, but we seldom feel genuine happiness.

And that's why it's so hard to get genuine happiness, and when you get it, you can't really feel it. It can only be felt by the inner you. Not something that you can truly feel, happy. It's like feeling happy, and then with that something else, but you can't feel it yourself, physically. Oh man sorry for making it so complicated, but you get a tinge of it yeah?

Anyway I thought of all these while in Starbucks just now with my cousins. Amazing huh, thankfully I can still remember them. I should bring a small notebook next time, anywhere with me so that I can jot down these wonderful points uh! Haha. Alright that's all for tonight, ciao! Hope I'll have an awesome day, and not-so-tiring day tomorrow :D

Happiness, it's really a pursuit.

Long weekend ahead!

First of all to those celebrating... Happy Easter Day! :D And to both, happy holiday and hope you'll have a great long weekend ahead. Well I will! Cause my cousins and aunts are here in Singapore now. So I'm going to go out with them for the weekend. So it sort of "relieves" my slight home sick I have, for I've just returned for one week here in Singapore.

Anyway Thursday was alright, OCRM is a bit... No no, I can do it :D Hehe. Yes it's slightly hard to understand, but after reading a couple of times I get the hang of it and yeah, so conclusio more reading! Had band in the evening, finally get the chance to play all of the 7 pieces. And yes I need more practice. That's why I bring home my instrument to practice in anytime I can.

Today I went out with my cousin and friends. Poor them for only having one our of sleep last night! So I hope they'll have a great sleep tonight for we're going to USS tomorrow :D My first time there as well hehe. And went out with them around Orchard area, and brought one of them, who is my sis' friend as well, Fenny, to eat frog's porridge! In Geyland...

I really had an "interesting" walk there just now... Don't worry NOTHING HAPPENED. Just that I saw some things for the first time. Pretty interesting... And creepy at the same time. Cause we were walking along this street (lorong) and some guys were looking at my sis and her friend -.- Thankfully my sis bf was there and so I pretended to be Fenny's "boyfriend" heh

Alright I need to wake up early tomorrow so... Off to bed! See ya :)

PS: Trying out posting pictures without captions :)

Semarang trip photos :)

Hello! I didn't post pictures from my Semarang trip... Cause I've decided to make a photo montage! Anyway here it is, enjoy the pictures :D

Won't be blogging much today cause not really on the mood of blogging but... MY INTERNET IS BACK :D :D :D But Singtal called shortly after that saying something is still wrong with the internet (even though I'm perfectly normal with it). Oh well hope for the best :O

Alright enjoy the video! :)