awesome stuff.
04-28-08awesome! those of you who are bored of life, feeling emo and just don’t feel like doing anything anymore… take a read here…
so after reading… go do something! stop wallowing in self-pity… learn a new language! pick up a new skill! hone your current ones.
Anw.. i found a pretty nice quote by Friedrich Nietzsche…
“The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.”
pretty true huh…
in any case, looks like rebelling against low expectations of the society is a movement iin itself now.
Do go to The Myth of Adolescence on therebelution.com
trying to collect thoughts.
i’d rather pay extra money to eat the most exquisite food or help cook/ donate food stocks to the poor
than to
dine at a fast food restaurant.
random photos from my phone
04-26-08 Yup i got nothing else better to do.. No travel photos.
=((( That’s because I haven’t been travelling. Oh btw I was in U.S. and Japan again last night. So travel dream tally stands at:
U.S. (3) - 2xNewYork, 1xCalifonia and 1xUnidentifiedState; Dubai (1); Iraq (1); Switzerland (1); Italy (1); Japan (4)
Yes I’m damn sad I know.
Anywhere here’re finally what’s related to this blog post title:
Lots of bottles found at the recycling area at my block! These are 1.5l bottles! I guess people staying at Hall 16 are so rich they don’t drink from the tap. Must have mineral water!
Unidentified couple in front of me walking up the escalator. So sweet can the guy, still help his wife carry her bag at that age, despite it making him look at bit more "Aunty". =P
My "baby brother" who’s always hungry. These two photos show him at our cousin’s wedding dinner. He’s the guy with his back facing us, hand outstretched towards the "snack bowls" located all over the room. In the second picture, he’s in the background. Yes, the food on the table was not enough for him. =P
next up… kids in Japan decorating the Christmas tree…taken in Japan last year.
Found these names outside the NIE lift. I’m too lazy to google. anyone care to update me on the link between "Dewey", "Piaget" and "Vygotsky" and who are these people?
Me preparing the "Fruit of the Spirit" diagram for Kindergarten Sunday School. Yes the Fruit of the Spirit is a bunch of Grapes! Didn’t you know that? That’s why Jesus said, "I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who abide in me will bear much fruit!" =P
some pictures of my Kindergarten Sunday School students. SOOOoooooOOO cute!!! little Max who is cute to the max (haha) and little Shalom who absolutely loves paint…
An emo scene encountered while out with an emo guy when taking an emo walk…
Saving the best for the last, my favourite Pooky Bear!
He was having so much fun at R.I.S.E. practice last night. He even hid on top of the bassoon bell… too bad I didn’t manage to get a picture of that…
Here’s Pooky trying to be a bassoon.
High-tech Pooky! Thanks J for teaching Pooky how to be tech-savvy!
Could have sworn the conductor’s looking right straight at this photo. >.<
Everybody needs a little bit of Pooky in their life… 
Pooky still trying to be a bassoon…
Why I need a huger pay packet. haha.
Wheeeeeeee the Korean foodstall at Canteen 13 has decided to raise its prices up to $4.90 for a Chicken Bulgogi set takeaway. That’s a MERE 34% increase in price. How the students rejoice.
Elsewhere…
Thai Express has also decided to increase its prices by abt $2 for the Prawn Omelette dish. Absolutely wonderful. Not only that, my tastebuds have also informed me that somehow the quality of the rice has changed. It tastes absolutely bland right now. How awesome.
I suspect the rice prices have everything to do with these Asian stall increasing prices. I’m glad I grew up on potatoes.
Not only that, I heard canes are also in short supply, which means less new reeds for me? What is up with the world??? There are too many people, and too few resources. We need to get rid of the old and sick people.
Oops did I just say that? Gosh I’m so terrible… See.. Such are the thoughts of the sinful man. Always selfish, always wanting. And that’s why Christ came down, for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The passage before it says that the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, SELFISH AMBITION, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
I guess I’ll be old someday.
freedom, or is it?
04-24-08It’s 1pm and I’ve been at orchard starbucks for abt an hour now, just chatting online and sipping a caramel macchiato while waiting to go for a music lesson. Very soon I’ll have to say "Goodbye!" to this kind of lifestyle.
Yes! Sixteen long years of formal education has formally ended for me (well, with the exception of an oral presentation on the 5th of may) and I completed my last written paper of my life (or at least in the near forseeable future) yesterday. The emotion is bliss. It’s liberating. It’s exuberating. It’s monumental. It’s even better than what I felt after PSLE. It’s so overwhelming that I still haven’t grasped the extent of it.
But one day into liberation and already I’m feeling bored. Yes I need to work. I need to do something. I’m starting a perm job soon, and I’m hoping that I can incorporate my practice schedule into the work schedule. Yes that means less time for guys also. Oh well *sigh*. U-tubing takes a slightly higher priority now. And I still remember my mom asking "Why do you bother practising so much?" Well because I like it, and because I want to go against you for saying that statement (haha kidding.) Other industry people have their golf, I have something better, my music. It takes more dedication to hone such a skill. And the friends you make are genuine lovers of the same music-making process too.
ok it’s time i made a move and go for class. last night’s chilling out was awesome. thanks A and Z. i thought the second glass was really a bit sweet but i liked it. haha kept me happy for a while.
japan video
04-21-08hey i did up a video for the Japan mission team that went in Dec’07.
It’s all footage from my vid cam when I had the opportunity to use it, so there isn’t any of us singing to the Japanese…
i can’t seem to upload it onto this blog column… so i’ll
post it on the right side ———————————–>
sure brings back memories. i don’t want to apologise for the unglam shots, cos it’ll sound insincere since i did put them up anyway. if I’m really sorry I wouldn’t have done so right? so instead, I’ll thank the team for letting me put up the unglam shots =P you guys are such blessings.
names
04-20-08Some people give their instruments names. Some people give their teddy bears names. Some people give even their pencils and pens names! (Tell me if you actually do. I don’t know anyone yet but I’m guessing there are people like that out there…)
So I’m going to be part of "some people", and give the bassoon a name. Finally. It is now calllllleeeddd…
*drum roll*…
"U-tube"!!!!
This is because the bassoon literally has a U-tube at the boot joint. And since I spend more time on it than other people do on Youtube (or rather, I should be doing so!), I figured I might as well have my own so as not to feel left out. Gives a whole new meaning to "What are you doing now?" "Oh I’m on U-tube" indeed, doesn’t it?
The sad thing, however, is that this is not going to be my permanent U-tube. This is because it belongs to the NTU Symphonic Band. It’s only a predecessor to the actual U-tube… so maybe I should think about calling it "T-tube" instead?… Because "T" comes before "U" in the alphabet… Hmmm…
Well, at least this is a better name than the ones I gave my terrapins…
Right?
The Godly Woman
04-16-08here’s something my roommate shared with me.
i’m soooooo glad for her.
The lines that spoke to me the most were
"God knows exactly what you need and He even knows the desires of your heart better than you do. God loves surprises."
"No man, no matter how Christ-like could ever take the place of God in our lives, to think such a thing is pure idolatry. If we are not filled by God now and complete in Christ in the present, then not even a marriage made in heaven will be able to change our emptiness."
Today will begin a life-changing journey.
random stuff
04-14-08friday night i had the reed-chewing dream again. it seemed so real.
last night i dreamt i was asked to sight read everything and anything. and i thought sleep was supposed to give you rest. i was not given any rest - literally, musically and figuratively.
24 is still not too late to embark on a college degree. grandpa lee himself did it. he was delayed by WWII (i didn’t know he worked as a translator for the japs!). and so did many other composers/ musicians, who did a first before going on to their love.
i have to do an abraham and sacrifice the isaac soon. right now obedience is what keeps me going.
the only things i remember from school:
- Doing the Right Thing vs Doing the Thing Right
- Everything is a science unto itself; when you’ve mastered the science part, then it becomes an art.
<fill in title here>
04-9-08today i discovered something wrong with my embouchure. luckily i discovered the fault in its early stages. so i can still correct it before it blows up into a bad habit.
but it’s soooo tiring to play with the "correct" embouchure. whereas with the "wrong" embouchure i could play much longer without feeling tired. then again some of the notes came more easily with the "correct" embouchure. so i guess i shall have to make a constant effort to stick with this "correct" embouchure.
another thing is now the tone of my notes sound soooo much worse with the "correct" embouchure. i miss the tone coming from the "wrong" embouchure. but i shall strive to correct my "wrong" embouchure. and work on the tone. i need to practise more now. just to correct the mistake. actually i thought last practice that there was something "wrong" with the embouchure and i guess today’s lesson helped to confirm that.
exams are in 8 days’ time. the final exams of my life (or so it seems for now). how monumental. it calls for celebration, so i better sleep more cos when i start work, i’ll not get to sleep whole days anymore. =(((
right now the greatest fear i have is not being to balance bassoon and work. i guess that’s why i’m starting work early (may 12) so that i can push myself to get used to working life and yet still practise everyday. i don’t wanna slack my days away and start work in july and realise that i’ve lost the drive to do anything but sleep.
had considered soooo many places for grad trip. from africa to new york to vietnam to europe to the point where i got fed up of having to think and just wanted to start work asap. heck it.
oh back to music, i discovered a new method of practising that makes everything so much more effective. that is, to record myself. i sounded so shitty at first but after many practice sessions of hearing myself, my intonation, phrasing, dynamics have improved soooo much. listening to recordings have also become a joy (or is it a chore?) cos i can tell intonation, balance and phrasing "bads". it makes me feel fuller as a person, musically. and i praise God for showing me this method of practising. as long as i feel i have a long way to go, i’m happy. cos music does not stop at the quitting of MEP.
also i realise that if i dedicate my practice sessions to Him, i find myself improving much more at the end of a session. and i must always remember, that if anyone comments on my playing (if good lah) then i have to give the glory to Him, no matter how shitty i think it sounds. i shouldn’t say "no lah it’s not good" but "to God be the glory for good music". it’s hard to remember to give Him the glory as a musician cos one’s pride tends to get in the way. but if they’re bad comments, i guess i still have stuff to work on then. =) we all have our own paths to walk on.
speaking of paths, my friend fbooked me a note of his friend’s. i’ll put in my blog here an excerpt:
"They decided to take a risk and go for something even if it meant falling flat on their face and looking like a complete and utter fool. You have to take that risk.
You have to run YOUR race. No one else can run it for you. Only you can run it because it’s custom made for you. It was designed with you in mind. Often times we look at our friends as they run their race wishing we could be where they are. Jealous, even, of where they are. Coveting to be in the place where they are and planning ways to sabotage them so that we may take their place…of where they are.
The power to change the world, to change the world around you, and to change your world is impossible to posses if you’re trying to live someone else’s life.
It’s impossible to posses even if you’re not trying to live someone else’s life but not trying to live your own life. The greatest impact on the world you can make can only come from walking your path. You hear so many people say that they want to be original; they don’t want to follow the crowd. This is what it really means to be original. Following your life map with its schedule, trials, victories and all…on God’s timing.
Our biggest hurdle is pride! Because it never remains stationary. It’s always moving or fluctuating. If we could replace our pride with humility, we could focus our energies on the other challenging hurdles life sets before us. But instead we let our eyes fixate on Sally who has the great leg extensions and perfect turnout, or Kevin who can act, sing, and dance, or Philip who gets all the cool parts because he’s the director’s son. C’mon people, give me a break!! Do you think these people aren’t thinking the same thing you are? To some degree they have the same insecurities you do. We all do! You can’t go through your life wishing you were somebody else. You’ve got to live out yours and live it to the fullest, embracing every moment of the process, and grabbing as much of it as you can.
Your life may suck right now. I understand that. I have many moments in my life where "This Sucks!" was an understatement. But I had to trust that God had my life in His hands and I had to trust that I was here for a reason. You, are here for a reason! The simple fact that you are alive right now reading this is all the evidence you should need to know that you are here on purpose."
