Mondays suck big time! Argh!
My bloody timetable on monday is so screwed up. 1hr lesson in the morning, followed by a 8 HOUR BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What the hell is that!?!?!?
28 July, 2008
21 July, 2008
Sleepy... Zzzz...
Argh... It is not good to attend a wedding dinner with lots a wine 1 night before your first day of school! Lesson learned!
Although... The food was excellent as it was a rich couple's wedding. This family is basically one of those high society types. Case in point; the brides younger sister was the valedictorian last year at SMU. Some other obscure cousin/family friend just returned from Oxford where he was studying Political Science, Econs and Philo. Oh yeah, he's on a PSC scholarship and he wants to start work in the PMO. Yup... high flyers all right.
The wedding was an eye opener all right. She had an expensive and talented group of singers(that would be Isabel, Cynthia, Martha, Del, Theodore and myself at $88 apiece) and an even more talented musician (refer to previous posts) to do her songs. Said musician was also at the lunch reception but more on that later. The 1st reader read the reading like it was some kind a BBC story-telling session. The prayers of the faithful required the use of a dictionary(for some people la) and it included things like " ...the couple, raised in an environment of order and respect for their ancestors... " and " ...in this tumultuous sea which we call life..." which were filled with powderful English. They had some 45 min long photo session to cap off the church wedding.
After the wedding, we headed to a chapel-looking house in Binjai Park for the lunch reception. The red carpet was literally rolled out and there was a very nice and fancy tentage on the lawn with a chef slicing roast and dishing out potatoes. There was salmon, scallops and duck and seafood risotto which were not bad. There were people sipping their wine by the pool while the above mentioned musician played jazz on a grand which was in a little corner of the living area(take note that their little corner can accommodate a grand and I said living area, not living room). The piano was of course mic-ed up to a sound system where a soundman idly fiddled about with countless knobs and levers. The couple arrived in a Rolls Royce and confetti cannons were fired. All in all, quite a nice house I must say. Of course, they had their 3 maids complete with uniform to clean up the considerable amount of confetti which littered the driveway so no worries there.
That was all on a Friday but of course, a wedding will not be complete without the dinner which was duly held at The Sentosa Spa and Resort last night. There was a four piece jazz band and a pretty ok singer( I say pretty ok cos I've been to South Bridge and Bellini's) with a pretty high vocal range. There was an opening speech... no wait, opening address by the valedictorian who talked about bloodlines joining and all that. The food was fabulous though and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Menu :
-Lobster Salad
-Shark fins Soup w/ Crab & Abalone
-Prawns
-Scallop w/ Celery
-Mushrooms, Vege & Abalone
-Stewed Duck
-Red Grouper
-Seafood Fried Rice
-Really Really Fantastic Tiramisu!
There was something quite novel about the dinner and that was the fact that everybody was separated from their families and seated according to "interests"/age which led to a lot of confusion among the guests. Luckily for me, I'm a pretty chirpy chap and was able to mix around. It wasn't too bad actually. My table was basically Catholic and single-sex educated and considerably younger than me(with the exception of the future minister from Oxford who's 22). I basically had 4 IJ girls(2 ex, 2 present), and 1 each(all alumni) from St. Gab's, St. Pat's, RI and ACS. It was a pity that Cynthia did not join my table as she was stuck with older people and I would have liked to have her company as we're in the same school now. Anyway, I was seated in between 2 girls who could hardly have been more different. On my left, was Theodore's niece, Victoria, who's 18, extremely outgoing and friendly, bubbly(or bimbotic depending on who you ask) and not too bad looking. She speaks in a slang and as far as I know, is pretty sporty(tennis). She's not gorgeous but a beautiful dress, make-up and immaculate tresses can make a helluva difference. She's kinda shallow though but fun all the same. On the other hand(my right to be exact), there's Joy, who's a CJ-ian(the new kind which hang out at the library), kinda plain looking(black specs and cardigan), witty in a dry way, loves rock and "blessed" with an aversion towards SJI guys(at least those in CJ). I had an interesting time though and it was quite enjoyable. We even had a toast to youth at our table which got the evergreen table next to us staring. Oh well, at least I did not wake up to a hangover this morning.
P.S. I just have to say this. I'm pleasantly surprised to see how Cynthia has grown from a shy little girl to a beautiful outgoing young lady. Younger guys, if you're interested, she's a Portuguese(mum)-Chinese(dad) 18 yr old with a lovely dress sense(inherited from both parents) and she's currently single.
Although... The food was excellent as it was a rich couple's wedding. This family is basically one of those high society types. Case in point; the brides younger sister was the valedictorian last year at SMU. Some other obscure cousin/family friend just returned from Oxford where he was studying Political Science, Econs and Philo. Oh yeah, he's on a PSC scholarship and he wants to start work in the PMO. Yup... high flyers all right.
The wedding was an eye opener all right. She had an expensive and talented group of singers(that would be Isabel, Cynthia, Martha, Del, Theodore and myself at $88 apiece) and an even more talented musician (refer to previous posts) to do her songs. Said musician was also at the lunch reception but more on that later. The 1st reader read the reading like it was some kind a BBC story-telling session. The prayers of the faithful required the use of a dictionary(for some people la) and it included things like " ...the couple, raised in an environment of order and respect for their ancestors... " and " ...in this tumultuous sea which we call life..." which were filled with powderful English. They had some 45 min long photo session to cap off the church wedding.
After the wedding, we headed to a chapel-looking house in Binjai Park for the lunch reception. The red carpet was literally rolled out and there was a very nice and fancy tentage on the lawn with a chef slicing roast and dishing out potatoes. There was salmon, scallops and duck and seafood risotto which were not bad. There were people sipping their wine by the pool while the above mentioned musician played jazz on a grand which was in a little corner of the living area(take note that their little corner can accommodate a grand and I said living area, not living room). The piano was of course mic-ed up to a sound system where a soundman idly fiddled about with countless knobs and levers. The couple arrived in a Rolls Royce and confetti cannons were fired. All in all, quite a nice house I must say. Of course, they had their 3 maids complete with uniform to clean up the considerable amount of confetti which littered the driveway so no worries there.
That was all on a Friday but of course, a wedding will not be complete without the dinner which was duly held at The Sentosa Spa and Resort last night. There was a four piece jazz band and a pretty ok singer( I say pretty ok cos I've been to South Bridge and Bellini's) with a pretty high vocal range. There was an opening speech... no wait, opening address by the valedictorian who talked about bloodlines joining and all that. The food was fabulous though and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Menu :
-Lobster Salad
-Shark fins Soup w/ Crab & Abalone
-Prawns
-Scallop w/ Celery
-Mushrooms, Vege & Abalone
-Stewed Duck
-Red Grouper
-Seafood Fried Rice
-Really Really Fantastic Tiramisu!
There was something quite novel about the dinner and that was the fact that everybody was separated from their families and seated according to "interests"/age which led to a lot of confusion among the guests. Luckily for me, I'm a pretty chirpy chap and was able to mix around. It wasn't too bad actually. My table was basically Catholic and single-sex educated and considerably younger than me(with the exception of the future minister from Oxford who's 22). I basically had 4 IJ girls(2 ex, 2 present), and 1 each(all alumni) from St. Gab's, St. Pat's, RI and ACS. It was a pity that Cynthia did not join my table as she was stuck with older people and I would have liked to have her company as we're in the same school now. Anyway, I was seated in between 2 girls who could hardly have been more different. On my left, was Theodore's niece, Victoria, who's 18, extremely outgoing and friendly, bubbly(or bimbotic depending on who you ask) and not too bad looking. She speaks in a slang and as far as I know, is pretty sporty(tennis). She's not gorgeous but a beautiful dress, make-up and immaculate tresses can make a helluva difference. She's kinda shallow though but fun all the same. On the other hand(my right to be exact), there's Joy, who's a CJ-ian(the new kind which hang out at the library), kinda plain looking(black specs and cardigan), witty in a dry way, loves rock and "blessed" with an aversion towards SJI guys(at least those in CJ). I had an interesting time though and it was quite enjoyable. We even had a toast to youth at our table which got the evergreen table next to us staring. Oh well, at least I did not wake up to a hangover this morning.
P.S. I just have to say this. I'm pleasantly surprised to see how Cynthia has grown from a shy little girl to a beautiful outgoing young lady. Younger guys, if you're interested, she's a Portuguese(mum)-Chinese(dad) 18 yr old with a lovely dress sense(inherited from both parents) and she's currently single.
17 July, 2008
So exciting!
Haha... Yup the title says it all. I'm really quite excited about starting school next week. I had a really boring orientation on Tuesday and the only 'excitement' came about when I looked up and saw my Ex sitting 1 row in front of me! What are the odds!?!?!? Oh well, not that it matters anyway.
I know I'm gonna be bloody stressed when school starts. The fact that I'm like super not qualified for this while everyone else is. I've also not studied for a gazillion years and my brain might be rusty. Argh!!! Just when I'm getting comfortable with my slacking lifestyle.
Can't wait and yet dreading it.
Monday!!!!!
I know I'm gonna be bloody stressed when school starts. The fact that I'm like super not qualified for this while everyone else is. I've also not studied for a gazillion years and my brain might be rusty. Argh!!! Just when I'm getting comfortable with my slacking lifestyle.
Can't wait and yet dreading it.
Monday!!!!!
16 July, 2008
Its Over...
Well... that's all settled now. We've done the 7th day prayers and everything so its time to take a break. I've been relatively busy due to Uncle Stanley's funeral as I've been doing all the music stuff. The really emo day was Saturday as it was the funeral itself. After 3 and a half days of pink, beatles/bee gees and cards, we finally got down to wearing the traditional black/white for the service and the funeral. Many thanks to Audrey, Rebecca, Nicky, Pearl, Rachel, Aunty Anna, Cyrilla and Ligna for singing in my little choir. The support of my friends really meant a lot to me.
Anyway, there was a slight mis-comm as Joyce was not aware that Aunty Doreen wanted to have the song 'Because You Loved Me' dedicated to Uncle Stanley and that my Uncle himself wanted the song 'Angel' to be played. As a result, when the eulogy was done, she simply stepped down from the pulpit and Fr JJ just stood up to do the final commendation. Thankfully, Ron and myself decided to change the final song from Amazing Grace to Angel. I personally thought that I did quite well for the song. I don't mean that my vocals were exceptional or anything like that. I simply sang with my heartfelt emotion and let it all out through the music. Really glad that I could fulfill 1 of his last wishes.
The 7th day prayers were something else altogether. He wanted dancing and 70's Disco music and so we duly obliged. It totally didn't feel like a wake/funeral thing and I suppose that's what he would have wanted. In the end, the police came up twice because someone complained about the noise. You should have seen the look on their faces when they heard that it was a 7th day thing. They didn't know what to believe! It was quite hilarious looking at them. Oh well, I'm glad that its all over now. The week has been really draining but I guess it must be worse for his family. I really hope that God will comfort them in their sorrow.
Anyway, there was a slight mis-comm as Joyce was not aware that Aunty Doreen wanted to have the song 'Because You Loved Me' dedicated to Uncle Stanley and that my Uncle himself wanted the song 'Angel' to be played. As a result, when the eulogy was done, she simply stepped down from the pulpit and Fr JJ just stood up to do the final commendation. Thankfully, Ron and myself decided to change the final song from Amazing Grace to Angel. I personally thought that I did quite well for the song. I don't mean that my vocals were exceptional or anything like that. I simply sang with my heartfelt emotion and let it all out through the music. Really glad that I could fulfill 1 of his last wishes.
The 7th day prayers were something else altogether. He wanted dancing and 70's Disco music and so we duly obliged. It totally didn't feel like a wake/funeral thing and I suppose that's what he would have wanted. In the end, the police came up twice because someone complained about the noise. You should have seen the look on their faces when they heard that it was a 7th day thing. They didn't know what to believe! It was quite hilarious looking at them. Oh well, I'm glad that its all over now. The week has been really draining but I guess it must be worse for his family. I really hope that God will comfort them in their sorrow.
10 July, 2008
Congrats
Just a little note...
Congratulations to Benita for being officially deemed intelligent by Singaporean Society. She managed to figure out who her SJI stalker was and passed the 'intelligence' test by putting her analytical and deductive skills(honed by NUS for 4 yrs) to good use.
* Round of applause *
=)
Congratulations to Benita for being officially deemed intelligent by Singaporean Society. She managed to figure out who her SJI stalker was and passed the 'intelligence' test by putting her analytical and deductive skills(honed by NUS for 4 yrs) to good use.
* Round of applause *
=)
'Sadded'
If you're wondering why I've not been blogging these few days, well I've been busy. My Uncle Stanley passed away on Tuesday and I've been doing 'night duty'. Of course the casket company does not provide wireless internet services and by the time I get back every night, I'm too tired to do anything.
I'm more worried about Elliot compared to Aunty Doreen and Stuart because he seems to be suppressing his emotions, which in my experience, is never a good thing. If I lost my dad now, not to mention 15, I would be devastated and inconsolable. I just hope and pray that he'll be fine.
I hate death... Its depressing...
I'm more worried about Elliot compared to Aunty Doreen and Stuart because he seems to be suppressing his emotions, which in my experience, is never a good thing. If I lost my dad now, not to mention 15, I would be devastated and inconsolable. I just hope and pray that he'll be fine.
I hate death... Its depressing...
04 July, 2008
For Lydia
All right! A big THANK YOU to Lydia Lee for contributing to my musical advancement by donating her piano to a poor struggling musician such as myself. It is really very much appreciated.
* Cue in Applause *
Lydia by the way is my cousin on my mum's side. She's in the cheenafied NYGH ( and that's why I had to do her English essay for her... Haha ) but then again, I'm going to a cheenafied school soon as well so who am I to judge. Speaking of NYGH, this reminds me of an incident that happened to me in secondary school. It explains why I do not have a very good impression of NYGH as that incident scarred me for life.
I was in Sec 2 and I was travelling on a 151 to either KAP or Ee Jin's house and the bus was pretty full. I was lucky enough to get a seat along the aisle and was settling down for the journey through the 'atas' school belt. This 'atas belt is basically SJI, SCGS, NIE(then, now NUS Law), THE Chines High, Hwa Chong JC, NJC, NYGH and MGS in that order. That explains why I managed to "chiong" for a seat.
Anyway, as the bus stopped at the bus-stop opposite NYGH, this cute( to my untrained 14 yr old eye ) NYGH girl boarded the bus. By that time there were no seats left and she had no choice but to stand. To my initial delight, she chose(I'm using this word loosely here) to stand beside my seat. For the benefit of those who have been living under a rock, NYGH's uniform is a white sleeveless pinafore which on the right girl, can look complimenting. Its quite similar to SCGS's uniform. I couldn't believe my luck as I could check out this cute girl for my entire journey. I couldn't have been more wrong about my luck. To my horror, she raised her arm right beside me to hold on to the handles and she revealed a blossoming private garden( not to be confused with private's garden ) right in the direction of my face! I felt like gouging out my eye as I felt that it had been defiled by this grisly sight. The bible says that it is better to lose one's eye if it causes you to sin. Well, my eye was causing me to sin as I was cursing and swearing under my breath for a good 5 minutes. I mean, her bush was hairier than mine( at that time ) and it was really unsightly. This is not stubble we're talking about hear people... Its hair!!! After that momentous life changing experience, I never looked at an NYGH girl the same way again.
I hope that no boy will ever have to go through the torture my eyes went through. I know its not good to stereotype but the sight ( and smell ) of her bush will always remain etched in my memory. Its highly unlikely that you can ever forget what you see if you ever peer into the pit(t) of hell. I hope I've not offended anyone in this post. I'm just relating my experience.
P.S. I have nothing against St. Mag's girls but I absolutely hate and abhor their uniform!
* Cue in Applause *
Lydia by the way is my cousin on my mum's side. She's in the cheenafied NYGH ( and that's why I had to do her English essay for her... Haha ) but then again, I'm going to a cheenafied school soon as well so who am I to judge. Speaking of NYGH, this reminds me of an incident that happened to me in secondary school. It explains why I do not have a very good impression of NYGH as that incident scarred me for life.
I was in Sec 2 and I was travelling on a 151 to either KAP or Ee Jin's house and the bus was pretty full. I was lucky enough to get a seat along the aisle and was settling down for the journey through the 'atas' school belt. This 'atas belt is basically SJI, SCGS, NIE(then, now NUS Law), THE Chines High, Hwa Chong JC, NJC, NYGH and MGS in that order. That explains why I managed to "chiong" for a seat.
Anyway, as the bus stopped at the bus-stop opposite NYGH, this cute( to my untrained 14 yr old eye ) NYGH girl boarded the bus. By that time there were no seats left and she had no choice but to stand. To my initial delight, she chose(I'm using this word loosely here) to stand beside my seat. For the benefit of those who have been living under a rock, NYGH's uniform is a white sleeveless pinafore which on the right girl, can look complimenting. Its quite similar to SCGS's uniform. I couldn't believe my luck as I could check out this cute girl for my entire journey. I couldn't have been more wrong about my luck. To my horror, she raised her arm right beside me to hold on to the handles and she revealed a blossoming private garden( not to be confused with private's garden ) right in the direction of my face! I felt like gouging out my eye as I felt that it had been defiled by this grisly sight. The bible says that it is better to lose one's eye if it causes you to sin. Well, my eye was causing me to sin as I was cursing and swearing under my breath for a good 5 minutes. I mean, her bush was hairier than mine( at that time ) and it was really unsightly. This is not stubble we're talking about hear people... Its hair!!! After that momentous life changing experience, I never looked at an NYGH girl the same way again.
I hope that no boy will ever have to go through the torture my eyes went through. I know its not good to stereotype but the sight ( and smell ) of her bush will always remain etched in my memory. Its highly unlikely that you can ever forget what you see if you ever peer into the pit(t) of hell. I hope I've not offended anyone in this post. I'm just relating my experience.
P.S. I have nothing against St. Mag's girls but I absolutely hate and abhor their uniform!
03 July, 2008
Sing, Sing A Song...
I had a really great time during the 'choir' practise for Theodore's nieces wedding. It was basically Theodore, Martha, Isabel and myself singing. I think Del will be joining us too. It was really great to be back with the band and for once, I felt confident about my singing. We usually do secular songs with insanely high keys and I'm not very confident about my singing when I'm with them. I mean they're all great vocalists. However, this time, they were on my turf; church hymns! Whahaha! Isabel was really phenomenal on Ave Maria( Schubert I think ) and I'm glad that I don't have to do all that Latin. Anyway, I met yet another musical guy today.
Now, for those of you who know me well enough, I don't call any Tom, Dick and Harry who can play an instrument musical. This guy though, really showed me what a big gulf in class there is between a professional and myself. His name is Kenneth and his musical journey is pretty amazing too. He is self-taught and started playing at a relatively late age of 15. After his NS, he flew down to the States to audition for a place in an academy to do his degree. This is someone who didn't read scores and had no lessons. He made it through and he does about 2 big projects a year(like at the esplanade) and also teaches (He used to teach at La-Salle). This guy's chording is really damn nice and his transposing is damn cool. I mean ppl like me are stuck with simplistic dominant chord transpositions! Argh!!! Did I mention that he sings well too and has an amazing range? Anyway, I think the Church is really has quite a few talented musicians and I hope that it won't chase them away. Of course, they can't be too arrogant as well.
To prove my point(and to give you a rough gauge my standard of musical)...
Terrence Teo - Super Arranger and professional. Humble and a nice guy too! The one who tricked me into playing for Charismatic by saying that he wanted to take a 1 month break which ultimately lasts till today!
Kenneth - Refer to above.
Trevor Nerva - Another talented professional. Sings well too.
Desmond Seah - Pianist from Holy Spirit. Not as good as some in this list but that's due to the fact that he's not a professional musician. He also does not possess any Dip/Degree in Music but good enough.
The SVDP Guy who played for Jacino's wedding - I forgot his name but he's not bad. Jazz and especially R&B pro. Also not a professional Musician.
The Idiot - As much as he's an arrogant SOB and a major prick, I can't deny that he is talented. If I were to be less biased, I would put him higher up this list. Gets into too much trouble though.
The really great thing about this is that these are only musicians in the North District. That's also considering that I do not know people from Star of the Sea, Risen Christ and the one in Woodlands. Essentially, its six people in 4 Churches! Oh well, hopefully, I can reach the halfway mark after 3 years!
Now, for those of you who know me well enough, I don't call any Tom, Dick and Harry who can play an instrument musical. This guy though, really showed me what a big gulf in class there is between a professional and myself. His name is Kenneth and his musical journey is pretty amazing too. He is self-taught and started playing at a relatively late age of 15. After his NS, he flew down to the States to audition for a place in an academy to do his degree. This is someone who didn't read scores and had no lessons. He made it through and he does about 2 big projects a year(like at the esplanade) and also teaches (He used to teach at La-Salle). This guy's chording is really damn nice and his transposing is damn cool. I mean ppl like me are stuck with simplistic dominant chord transpositions! Argh!!! Did I mention that he sings well too and has an amazing range? Anyway, I think the Church is really has quite a few talented musicians and I hope that it won't chase them away. Of course, they can't be too arrogant as well.
To prove my point(and to give you a rough gauge my standard of musical)...
Terrence Teo - Super Arranger and professional. Humble and a nice guy too! The one who tricked me into playing for Charismatic by saying that he wanted to take a 1 month break which ultimately lasts till today!
Kenneth - Refer to above.
Trevor Nerva - Another talented professional. Sings well too.
Desmond Seah - Pianist from Holy Spirit. Not as good as some in this list but that's due to the fact that he's not a professional musician. He also does not possess any Dip/Degree in Music but good enough.
The SVDP Guy who played for Jacino's wedding - I forgot his name but he's not bad. Jazz and especially R&B pro. Also not a professional Musician.
The Idiot - As much as he's an arrogant SOB and a major prick, I can't deny that he is talented. If I were to be less biased, I would put him higher up this list. Gets into too much trouble though.
The really great thing about this is that these are only musicians in the North District. That's also considering that I do not know people from Star of the Sea, Risen Christ and the one in Woodlands. Essentially, its six people in 4 Churches! Oh well, hopefully, I can reach the halfway mark after 3 years!
02 July, 2008
Elton John - Sacrifice
It's a human sign
When things go wrong
When the scent of her lingers
And temptation's strong
Into the boundary
Of each married man
Sweet deceit comes calling
And negativity lands
Cold cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things look better baby
Just passing through
And it's no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It's two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it's no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It's no sacrifice at all
Mutual misunderstanding
After the fact
Sensitivity builds a prison
In the final act
We lose direction
No stone unturned
No tears to damn you
When jealousy burns
When things go wrong
When the scent of her lingers
And temptation's strong
Into the boundary
Of each married man
Sweet deceit comes calling
And negativity lands
Cold cold heart
Hard done by you
Some things look better baby
Just passing through
And it's no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It's two hearts living
In two separate worlds
But it's no sacrifice
No sacrifice
It's no sacrifice at all
Mutual misunderstanding
After the fact
Sensitivity builds a prison
In the final act
We lose direction
No stone unturned
No tears to damn you
When jealousy burns
About Bacon
Bacon...
Ahh...
I just love it. The lovely fragrance it produces as it sits on a heated pan is just heavenly. There are not too many aromas that can be so tempting like bacon. Thin, streaky bacon. My heart complains but my tongue overrules it. Greasy fried bacon!
Ahh...
I just love it. The lovely fragrance it produces as it sits on a heated pan is just heavenly. There are not too many aromas that can be so tempting like bacon. Thin, streaky bacon. My heart complains but my tongue overrules it. Greasy fried bacon!
01 July, 2008
The Force Is Not Strong In That One!
Goodness... I just visited Regina's blog and saw this! Hilarious!
Watch it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIIbWKbHF2k
Watch it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIIbWKbHF2k
Patting myself on the back...
Slack kinda day today as I was totally in the mood for lazing around. Frankly speaking, I've been in THE mood for quite awhile. Woke up in time for lunch only to realize that I was broke and I forgot to 'withdraw' money from my favourite bank. Damn.
Well, I had to make do I guess. I checked my fridge out to see what I could find that would pass off as a decent meal. There was ham, bacon and half a can of mushrooms that I had used yesterday. I contemplated Spaghetti Alfredo yet again but I was kinda lazy. I settled for an omelet and fried bacon with bread. I got down to chopping up the ham and shrooms and threw in a sausage for the heck of it. In the midst of chopping, I realized that I had a hell load of ingredients and I had to use 4 eggs for my omelet. 4! I don't even want to think about the cholesterol going into my body. After my fattening lunch, I got down to practising some pieces on my new second hand piano(kindly donated to my aunt). Of course I would like to have a grand in my house but I have no space in my already cluttered house. Oh yes, did I mention that I was broke as well?
Anyway, I'm digressing. I started playing a few(well actually only 1) songs before I got bored and started fooling around with chords( as usual, lacking focus). I was pretty pleased with my self as I discovered/learnt a new jazzy and bluesy sounding rift based on the I. VI, II, V progression. Anyway, i spent a good 30mins perfecting it and finding variations for it till I was satisfied. Nothing in the world gets me so enthu except for music. Hopefully, when I start school, my enthusiasm and zest for t will not fall. I'm gonna be damn busy even without all the extra music stuff which people keep calling me for. Oh well... I'll just see how everything goes.
Going for Lit Comm. meeting soon... Sian
Cheerios.
Well, I had to make do I guess. I checked my fridge out to see what I could find that would pass off as a decent meal. There was ham, bacon and half a can of mushrooms that I had used yesterday. I contemplated Spaghetti Alfredo yet again but I was kinda lazy. I settled for an omelet and fried bacon with bread. I got down to chopping up the ham and shrooms and threw in a sausage for the heck of it. In the midst of chopping, I realized that I had a hell load of ingredients and I had to use 4 eggs for my omelet. 4! I don't even want to think about the cholesterol going into my body. After my fattening lunch, I got down to practising some pieces on my new second hand piano(kindly donated to my aunt). Of course I would like to have a grand in my house but I have no space in my already cluttered house. Oh yes, did I mention that I was broke as well?
Anyway, I'm digressing. I started playing a few(well actually only 1) songs before I got bored and started fooling around with chords( as usual, lacking focus). I was pretty pleased with my self as I discovered/learnt a new jazzy and bluesy sounding rift based on the I. VI, II, V progression. Anyway, i spent a good 30mins perfecting it and finding variations for it till I was satisfied. Nothing in the world gets me so enthu except for music. Hopefully, when I start school, my enthusiasm and zest for t will not fall. I'm gonna be damn busy even without all the extra music stuff which people keep calling me for. Oh well... I'll just see how everything goes.
Going for Lit Comm. meeting soon... Sian
Cheerios.
30 June, 2008
Army Daze - Ep 1
Hmmm, as I end one phase of my life, maybe the time is ripe for a reflection.
( Actually, I'm waiting for my parents to buy dinner and as I'm hungry, I need something to distract myself )
I remember stepping into BMTC and handing my IC over to some guy from mindef. The moment I did that, it felt like a part of me was taken away. It seemed that I was less of a person and that somehow, my life didn't belong to me anymore. I was right; it didn't. The moment I gave up my IC, this CSM from dunno where suddenly started barking at us. Yup, barking. With a snarl that would have made a pitbull proud.
"TUCK IN YOUR SHIRT! GET INTO TWO STRAIGHT LINES!"
Obviously he does not care about the fact that you cannot tuck in your shirt as tucking your shirt involves putting your shirt-tails into your pants. As such, I don't understand how much more "in" you have to go if your shirt is already tucked.(Courtesy of Mr Vincent Devadason, who taught me this at the age of 13)
Well, as those of you who remember what I looked like then will know, I was obviously over-weight. However, not many of you may know this. I was originally termed 'mild-obese' during my medical and posted to Gryphon Company. To my great distress, I was weighed again on the day of my enlistment and I tipped the scales at a hefty 90 kilos, which put me into the 'moderate obese' range. I was promptly transferred to Dragon Company. Thankfully, I was not alone in that respect as a good 60+ of us were transferred that day. At least I was not in the select few who were transferred to Eagle Company where the true heavyweight champions of Tekong resided(The fat can only make fun of the fatter). Imagine their distress upon finding out that just like that, their BMT would became a 6 month stint instead of 15 weeks.
Anyway, I had been told by all my relatives to keep a low profile in the army(who are they trying to kid?) but with a family name like Fernandez, its really quite difficult. I mean imagine the roll call on the 1st day...
" Ang! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Cai! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Chan! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Chen! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Faizal! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Fang! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Fernandez? "
Right on cue, everybody turns around to look for this exotic specimen of a human. People start asking each other, " Eh, our platoon got ang moh meh? " They try to find the blue eyed blondie who's maybe lost in the sea of bodies. The slightly more informed ones try looking for a Hispanic dude who can go for reggae-tons with them.
" Yes Encik!" A very local voice calls out.
All eyes fall on me. The very words "low-profile" get thrown out the window.
Pray, do tell, how then can I be low profile? I can't even use my first name as there are 3 Jeremys in my platoon. It was the first day of NS and everybody knew my name. Crap.
Thus started my life as a pseudo soldier and I was in for a culture shock. I learnt that you could understand 'fuck you'. I learnt that its possible to put an explosive device 10cm away from your 'fruit and vegetable' and not walk as if you had a durian up your arse. I learnt that its never ok when your sarge says never mind. I learnt that its a positively orgasmic experience to bomb 5 days worth of 'bombs' even if a swarm of flies were holding an AGM at your rear end and mozzies were trying to suck your dick and most of all, I learnt how full of shit Rambo really is.
On hindsight, I must say that I've truly truly been blessed during my BMT. First of all, my OC was a warrant officer who was nearing the end of his career. His leadership philosophy was, "You come here in one piece, you leave here in one piece." As such, my BMT was really slack. We only ever did the bare minimum and any extra physical training was purely optional. Our welfare was absurdly fantastic and we could even have movie marathons on certain days. Despite this however, I managed to lose an amazing 20 kilos and I could actually jog continuously for 2.4km.(my original timing was 18mins!) I must say that God really made my transition an easy one and I really thank him for that. Oh well, this is just part one of my reflection and if you're interested, there's at least 2-3 more parts coming up.
This reflection is dedicated to Platoon 1, Dragon Coy and esp to Sect 4.
Inclusive of these colourful characters
Andrew Leong, platoon best and proof that age is not a barrier.
Kirpal 'Sunny' Singh, comedienne and 'spoofer' extraordinaire.
Ghazalli, Sunny's partner in crime.
Najib, proof that the biggest noises does not necessarily come n the biggest packages.
Chew Bang, from fat to fit. Best PT. Ran his 2.4 in 10:15 which is bloody fast for a fat guy.
'Wild Boar' Wei Liang, the only guy to lose only 4 kg when everyone else was in double figures.
Sgt Fauzi, chili padi; small but spicy.
'Muscle Man' Zi Wei, overweight with pure muscle. Really.
Eugene 'Michelin Man', redefines curvy.
Choke 'Barracuda', the ugliest son of a gun. His name really is Choke.
2wo Steven, whose solution to every problem is a shake of the head and a " Report sick la"
( Actually, I'm waiting for my parents to buy dinner and as I'm hungry, I need something to distract myself )
I remember stepping into BMTC and handing my IC over to some guy from mindef. The moment I did that, it felt like a part of me was taken away. It seemed that I was less of a person and that somehow, my life didn't belong to me anymore. I was right; it didn't. The moment I gave up my IC, this CSM from dunno where suddenly started barking at us. Yup, barking. With a snarl that would have made a pitbull proud.
"TUCK IN YOUR SHIRT! GET INTO TWO STRAIGHT LINES!"
Obviously he does not care about the fact that you cannot tuck in your shirt as tucking your shirt involves putting your shirt-tails into your pants. As such, I don't understand how much more "in" you have to go if your shirt is already tucked.(Courtesy of Mr Vincent Devadason, who taught me this at the age of 13)
Well, as those of you who remember what I looked like then will know, I was obviously over-weight. However, not many of you may know this. I was originally termed 'mild-obese' during my medical and posted to Gryphon Company. To my great distress, I was weighed again on the day of my enlistment and I tipped the scales at a hefty 90 kilos, which put me into the 'moderate obese' range. I was promptly transferred to Dragon Company. Thankfully, I was not alone in that respect as a good 60+ of us were transferred that day. At least I was not in the select few who were transferred to Eagle Company where the true heavyweight champions of Tekong resided(The fat can only make fun of the fatter). Imagine their distress upon finding out that just like that, their BMT would became a 6 month stint instead of 15 weeks.
Anyway, I had been told by all my relatives to keep a low profile in the army(who are they trying to kid?) but with a family name like Fernandez, its really quite difficult. I mean imagine the roll call on the 1st day...
" Ang! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Cai! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Chan! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Chen! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Faizal! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Fang! "
" Yes Encik! "
" Fernandez? "
Right on cue, everybody turns around to look for this exotic specimen of a human. People start asking each other, " Eh, our platoon got ang moh meh? " They try to find the blue eyed blondie who's maybe lost in the sea of bodies. The slightly more informed ones try looking for a Hispanic dude who can go for reggae-tons with them.
" Yes Encik!" A very local voice calls out.
All eyes fall on me. The very words "low-profile" get thrown out the window.
Pray, do tell, how then can I be low profile? I can't even use my first name as there are 3 Jeremys in my platoon. It was the first day of NS and everybody knew my name. Crap.
Thus started my life as a pseudo soldier and I was in for a culture shock. I learnt that you could understand 'fuck you'. I learnt that its possible to put an explosive device 10cm away from your 'fruit and vegetable' and not walk as if you had a durian up your arse. I learnt that its never ok when your sarge says never mind. I learnt that its a positively orgasmic experience to bomb 5 days worth of 'bombs' even if a swarm of flies were holding an AGM at your rear end and mozzies were trying to suck your dick and most of all, I learnt how full of shit Rambo really is.
On hindsight, I must say that I've truly truly been blessed during my BMT. First of all, my OC was a warrant officer who was nearing the end of his career. His leadership philosophy was, "You come here in one piece, you leave here in one piece." As such, my BMT was really slack. We only ever did the bare minimum and any extra physical training was purely optional. Our welfare was absurdly fantastic and we could even have movie marathons on certain days. Despite this however, I managed to lose an amazing 20 kilos and I could actually jog continuously for 2.4km.(my original timing was 18mins!) I must say that God really made my transition an easy one and I really thank him for that. Oh well, this is just part one of my reflection and if you're interested, there's at least 2-3 more parts coming up.
This reflection is dedicated to Platoon 1, Dragon Coy and esp to Sect 4.
Inclusive of these colourful characters
Andrew Leong, platoon best and proof that age is not a barrier.
Kirpal 'Sunny' Singh, comedienne and 'spoofer' extraordinaire.
Ghazalli, Sunny's partner in crime.
Najib, proof that the biggest noises does not necessarily come n the biggest packages.
Chew Bang, from fat to fit. Best PT. Ran his 2.4 in 10:15 which is bloody fast for a fat guy.
'Wild Boar' Wei Liang, the only guy to lose only 4 kg when everyone else was in double figures.
Sgt Fauzi, chili padi; small but spicy.
'Muscle Man' Zi Wei, overweight with pure muscle. Really.
Eugene 'Michelin Man', redefines curvy.
Choke 'Barracuda', the ugliest son of a gun. His name really is Choke.
2wo Steven, whose solution to every problem is a shake of the head and a " Report sick la"
An attempt at intellect
Just in case it gets written over...
This is what Audrey said on my tagboard...
"actually, i was thinking about the title of your blog. it could either mean
or rather imply
(1) if notes can be found on a piano so to speak, you, as a "struggling musician" are that "piano". Therefore, synonymous to your identity is the piano
(2) if notes about you are written by you, then this blog would mean that it's a blogger about a blogger, or blog about a blog if you like. it's self-reflexive
how do u like my comments for starters?"
Once a Lit student, always a Lit student!
This is what Audrey said on my tagboard...
"actually, i was thinking about the title of your blog. it could either mean
or rather imply
(1) if notes can be found on a piano so to speak, you, as a "struggling musician" are that "piano". Therefore, synonymous to your identity is the piano
(2) if notes about you are written by you, then this blog would mean that it's a blogger about a blogger, or blog about a blog if you like. it's self-reflexive
how do u like my comments for starters?"
Once a Lit student, always a Lit student!
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