Come hear me scream

Re-emergence

2011-12-11T01:14:00.001+08:00

After a year-long, unintended hiatus, I'm back! Things will be done a little differently around here. I don't think I'll be blogging the way I did before. I'll be switching it up whenever I feel like it.

Here's to re-starting my blog! :)

- KD

Heading Into 2011

2010-12-31T23:09:00.004+08:00

Tomorrow will be 2011 already! Wow! This year went by pretty quickly and it had a lot of new beginnings for me. With me starting school this year, it has been quite a challenge adapting back into studying. However, I'm really glad to be back in school. A big part of that is being able to meet new friends at orientation camps I went to this year. It was really fun going through orientation again and I was able make amazing friends that I'm glad to have around!

Besides starting school, I was able to go to Italy for competition with SYCES and it was unforgettable. I really loved it there and it was a great experience competing in a choir competition, learning about other choirs, singing almost everywhere we went and be able to take in the beautiful cities in Italy. Oh and not forgeting the food!

Now that school is going to start again, I have to slowly bring myself back into the studying mode after a month of meeting friends, playing and generally being able to do whatever I want, whenever I want. It will be a longer semester I think and I hope I'll be able to get through it well.

I just got back from a 2E3 chalet and it was such a long time since I last saw my secondary 2 classmates. A lot of them have not really changed, while some others have REALLY changed! Whatever the case is, it is quite something for those of us who went for the chalet to have been there because it has been almost 6 years since we were still classmates. Hopefully, we'll still be able to meet up now and then in the new year. Thanks to those who organized this chalet, like Han Shen, Yun Ting and Valerie!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Update soon.

:> KD

Merry December

2010-12-25T16:22:00.002+08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

The month of December was merry indeed. It is a welcomed break from school and a good chance for catching up with friends I never had a chance to catch up with during the semester. I went out and met loads of friends during this month, such as Rahlong/Rorgasm friends, 34/06 friends and, coming up soon, 2E3 friends! It has been a while since I had the time to do whatever I want to do, such as gaming and blogging! I had fun catching up with so many of them and don't want this holiday to end so quickly (as it always does). I'm sure all of us are trying to make the best of this month and play hard.

And very soon, I'll be heading to Manila for TATLO, the third concert we are having with the Gaia Philharmonic Choir from Japan and the Ateneo Chamber Singers from the Philippines. Rehearsals for this concert has been going on for quite some time right now and it is going to intesify very soon. I am really excited to sing with the other two choirs we collaborated with for the last few years in the THREE series of concerts. It was really fun when we had the second concert in Japan in January 2009! I had a blast the last ime and I hope it'll begreat this time too!

HAVE YOURSELVES A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS!

Update soon.

:> KD

November Rain

2010-12-25T16:06:00.003+08:00

November is filled with loads and loads of readings and assignments to complete. It is the month where I had to really get into studying mode as the exams for my first semester was at the end of November. Besides trying to complete the assignments on time and trying to catch up on the tons of readings, I also tried my best to revise. I really had to try hard.

It was my first semester and I had not studied for a good two years and more. Similar to the end of Octber, there were a lot of late nights, trying to finish up on my assignments, which by the way are mostly essays and papers. After finishing the essay assignments, I was already tired of writing essays (not to mention all the citations and references I had to do!). However, I still had to push through cause all of my exams were essay-based except for one or two. It realy was a stressful month and all of us were feeling a little fatigued from all the reading and the studying. It was when the study week came about, which was when there were no classes so that we could study for the exams, where we felt really tired of school and lectures and tutorials.

Then the exams came at the end of the month. All my exams fell within one week, which was good and bad in many different ways. At least I got it over and done with quite fast. I was truly relieved after my last paper. It is usually around this time when all of us feel like the semester went by really, really fast. Nonetheless, I was glad to be over with Semester 1.

On the SYCES side, we had a performance early in the month where we performed at an important dinner. We sang songs of the region to the guests at the event. There were some beautiful moments in the music and interesting instances with the audience and guests at the dinner. It is always good to gain more performance experience and bring more music to different audiences everytime.

Update soon.

:> KD

Next Comes October

2010-12-19T15:38:00.002+08:00

After the busy busy month of September, October was slightly calmer. However, there was quite a bit going on too.

After returning from Italy and going for a break, we headed back into music with an interesting performance at CHIJMES, with Robert Casteels and flamenco dancers. We performed at a flamenco festival held at CHIJMES and it was really interesting how we managed to perform a mass with flamenco elements. There were flamenco dancers, singers and music along with us on stage. It was my first time coming into contact with this type of performance and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The passion and intensity of the flamenco dancers and singers combined with SYCES makes it an interesting and fun performance to be a part of.

Next, SYCES hosted Orphei Dranger, a top male choir that were on their East Asian tour. Singapore was their last stop and we had a dinner with the choir the night before their big concert at Esplanade Concert Hall. It was incredibly great to have had the chance to talk to the Swedish choristers and chat with them about everything that came to mind. It was really special as we got to hear them sing and hear about their culture. It's always interesting to interact with another foreign choir because we usually realise that despite our differences, we are quite alike in more ways than we thought. I learnt quite a bit from the chat I had with some of the choir members from Orphei Dranger and made new friends, which is always exciting.

Their concert the next night was fantastic! I was amazed at how a choir this big (they have about 80 singers!) could produce such magnificent softness and different enchanting textures in the music they did. They were strong, musical and incredibly fun too, as they did a wide variety of music from contemporary to opera to even pop-inspired!. I was completely amazed at how fantastic they were and really thanked them for giving us such an amzing performance that night that I'll never forget.

In the midst of all that, my studies were in full swing, with mid-terms continuing into the month of October. I was trying my best doing multiple things at the same time, like trying to catch up on readings (which I find out to be quite impossible), complete all mid-term assignments that I had and still trying to revise a little if I could. Luckily, I still had my dear friends from orientation for support. It is during this month that I realise how all the modules I was taking in my first semester were all text-heavy. I just kept seeing how the pile of readings needed to be completed increases as the weeks go by. However, I was still feeling ok, despite having to rush some assignments and burning midnight oil several times because of these assignments (which reminds me of how much I hate doing citations!). That month went by quite fast.

Update soon.

KD :>

Wake Me Up When September Ends

2010-11-30T14:58:00.009+08:00

I'm back from my self-imposed hiatus! After much toiling amongst the sea of notes and books, I'm slowly but surely crawling out into the digital world. Anyway, let me recap on what happened in September (2 months ago!! What have I been doing!?!).

First there was our SYCES concert Gioia that happen at the first week of the month. It was a great concert, filled with songs that we were going to bring to Italy a few weeks later for competition. It was an intense concert as well but I really liked it. It was also the first time some of my friends ever went to a choir concert. I was hoping that they had a good first choral experience. Thanks to them!

Following that, SYCES headed off to Arezzo!!! It was my first competition trip and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I was incredibly excited to be in Italy and also to compete. The first week I was there was all about the competition and all of us had a great time singing to the Italian audience. The competition venue was a nice space to sing in and I really really liked it a whole lot. It was strange mix of excitement and nervousness and anxiety just before competing in our categories. However, I truly felt great after each performance we had there. It was a wonderful experience that I'll never forget!!

Here's one of the pieces we did there!

After the competition, me and some of my friends head to Rome and Florence for a while! Seeing the Colosseum and magnificent Italian sights were amazing! I had so much fun going around the streets of Rome and Florence and taking in the sights, sounds and cool weather. We did all the tourist-y things and more. I had a fantastic time being in Italy! I really love it there and the trip will always be in my memories! It was a great break from things like school.

In the midst of all that, I still had school and everything that comes along with school, like assignments, tests, lectures and tons and tons of readings! Despite having the concert and the trip, I was trying my best to juggle it all along with my studies. It was a little stressful to say the least but at least I got through it! September was a busy month indeed but it was equally fruitful and satisfying!

Update soon.

:> KD

Video Post: Life's Little Lessons

2010-10-08T00:53:00.003+08:00

Here's another video post coming your way. This series of videos, produced by SYCES, is to show how there is more to choir than just singing! It all leads up to our newly-designed website! Watch through it and then visit our website at http://www.syc.org.sg !

Enjoy!

Update soon.

:> KD

Video Post: SYC and Friends

2010-10-08T00:41:00.004+08:00

I want to inform you all on what going with me since the last post but I decided to show you some videos first!

Here are some videos of SYCES's 2009 concert, 'SYC and Friends', which also happened to be the choir's 45th anniversary concert. We had the fantastic Vytautas Miskinis from Lithuania as a conductor for the concert. I still remember the good experience I had before, during and after the concert.

Here is Bogoroditse Devo. =)

And here is Benedictus from Miskinis's Light Mass. =) =)

Enjoy!

Update soon.

:> KD

LOVE, Joy and Hope: Part I

2010-08-30T01:08:00.004+08:00

Hey all! Here's SYC Ensemble Singers' 7th Webisode. In this video, we think back on what we have done in the past year, including concerts and performances. We also look foward to our concert coming right up! This is part 1 of a 3-part series! More to come!

If you're interested in our upcoming concert, details are below!

SYC Ensemble Singers present
Gioia
5 September 2010, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall
Tickets: $20, $25, $30 (available through SISTIC)

There is also an offer on tickets through the Keppel Nights Ticketing Scheme, which subsidises 50% of the ticket price! Visit http://www.keppelnights.com/ for more information.

The new video is here! Enjoy!

Update soon.

KD :>

What Happened This Past Month

2010-08-30T00:25:00.008+08:00

The last entry happened a month ago. Time really does fly past, doesn't it? I've been both too busy and lazy to blog (I don't know which reason accounts for it more). A load of things happened. Arts O Week, start of semester. So much to blog about! Arts O Week happened almost a month ago. Before I went for it, part of me was, again, very apprehensive but not like the last time with Arts Camp. This time, I was going back as a freshie councillor. A different role and a whole of things that came with it. I've never really been in such a role before. It was a little daunting to think about it at first but I just pressed on and went to O Week with an open mind, simultaneously hoping I won't screw up.

It was definitely a new experience trying to get the orientation spirit into the new batch of freshies or, what we like to call them during the orientation, 'fresh' freshies. I tried to amplify the enthusiastic side of me, hoping that it'll rub off on our new, extended OG. We led cheers and played loads of games. We were all trying to make new friends. All the while during O Week, in the back of my mind, I was thinking whether I was doing OK in my, somewhat, new role.

By the end of it, I think we managed to accomplish our mission of making new friends and getting all of them to be friends with each other. Hopefully they did forge some friendships that'll last them for quite a while. It was great. It made me real excited for school to start.

Semester started right after O Week. Lectures rolled out first before tutorials. Suddenly, I had tons of readings to get through every week. I had to literally read my readings wherever I went just to not fall behind. There's a whole lot of information I've been trying to get into my head for the past few weeks. That's part of the reason why I didn't really blog a whole lot.
I've been reading textbooks, articles, journals, notes and I have many more to read. I've been doing a lot highlighting and note-writing. After a two-year break, I've finally picked up my pens and highlighters again. It's actually nice to go to school to learn and read but it isn't that great to do assignments. Assignments and exams are the things that I'm dreading a little. However, it's part and parcel of university life.

As I begin my life as a FASS student, preparations for our concert had been intensifying. The concert is coming up real soon and I really, really excited about it. This time, our concert will be about love, hope and joy, hence the title "Gioia", which is the Italian word for "joy". Details are below!

SYC Ensemble Singers present
Gioia
5 September 2010, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall
Tickets: $20, $25, $35 (available at SISTIC)

There is also an offer on tickets through the Keppel Nights Ticketing Scheme, which subsidises 50% of the ticket price! Visit www.keppelnights.com for more details!

Update soon.

KD :>

Outings/Gatherings

2010-07-23T15:38:00.002+08:00

For the last month or so, I've been going for so many outings/gatherings I've lost count. It's a big change from a month ago before Arts Camp started. I guess because school is going to start again in a couple of weeks!

I've been out mostly with my dear Arts Camp OG, Rah Long, this past month. We've gone to so many places and done so many things together. We've watched the World Cup, went to mambo at Zouk, sang KTV, done a whole lot of eating and done many many more activities! Many of us went to some more camps and there'll be more to come. We just like to spent time with each other and it is definitely great to hang out with them. There's always a lot of laughter and chit chatting whenever we meet.

Recently, we went for registration to become official students of NUS. While we waited for each other during that day, I saw many of our future faculty-mates going through registration and matriculation alone the entire time. I realised that if I didn't go for Arts Camp last month, I would've been just like them. I felt really grateful that I have this amazing group of friends even before school starts. Knowing each other already makes the experience a whole lot easier for all of us.

School is about to begin a couple of weeks. Part of me really doesn't want it to start yet part of me is excited to get back into the student life after being a non-student for a couple of years. Now that I think of it, JC seems like such a long time ago. I have a little anxiety about school. I keep thinking whether I'll be able to cope with the new type of learning environment or whether I'll experience a big culture shock once lectures/tutorials begin. Hopefully, I can start schooling again with no fear.

In addition to me returning to student life, I've got SYCES rehearsals going on steadily. We are prepping for a whole slew of projects in the later part of the year. I'm definitely excited about all of the upcoming projects we have because we have a lot of beautiful music to sing and bring to audiences. Not only that, I still love singing with the choir and making music with them every week, even after being in the choir for more than 2 years. It just feels weird if I don't sing and make music with them every week.

One of the big projects coming up will be our annual concert. This year, we will be presenting beautiful songs of joy, sonnets of love, song offerings and the Song of Songs. Tickets are already available! Details are below!

SYC Ensemble Singers present

Gioia

5 September 2010, Sunday

7.30pm

Esplanade Concert Hall

Tickets at $20, $25, $30 (available at SISTIC and through me!)

There is also an offer on tickets through the Keppel Nights Ticketing Scheme, which subsidises 50% of the ticket price! Visit www.keppelnights.com for more details!

Update soon.

KD :>

NZYC + SYCES

2010-07-05T16:03:00.002+08:00

I had the opportunity to sing with the New Zealand Youth Choir about a week ago. They were on their international tour and Singapore was one of their first stops. I'm always excited to sing with a foreign choir. I feel that, despite our obvious differences in nationalities and languages at times, we are very much alike because we are all in choirs.

During our combined rehearsals, I got to know much more about them. They told us about how they are all around the same age range and how a lot of them were voice/music majors back in New Zealand. They even taught us a Maori song with hand actions. I realised they were incredibly fun and nice people.

We didn't have much time with them though. They came and left pretty quickly. It was great meeting them and have a combined concert with them. They have lots more ahead of them. So do we.

SYCES will have another concert soon! Watch this space.

Update soon.

:> KD

Arts Camp 2010

2010-07-03T17:12:00.003+08:00

I admit that I was very apprehensive about the camp. I've never been to an orientation event for years and I've been out of school for a while too. I was afraid that I was out of touch from my peers. Despite that, I was still looking foward to the camp based on accounts from friends who has gone to the camps in previous years. They kept telling me it's going to be great.

They were right.

I didn't expect my OG to bond so early on. I thought we would take a couple of days to warm up to one another. Within hours of meeting each other, we started to bond. We started to chat a lot, played really hard during the games and take care of each other. We started behaving like an actual group of friends. There was a particular moment on the first day that stuck out the most to me. When one of our OG mates got hurt during a game, which we lost, we all huddled together and cheered each other up with a song. That was when I knew that this OG was special.

The next few days was filled with lots of games, lots of late night suppers and lots of bonding and laughter. We played games on a beach, played games at a sports centre and went to a club near the end of the camp. We were tired, sunburnt and losing our voices but we had so much fun.

Throughout the whole camp, I kept thinking how a jumbled mix of people like us could click so well with each other so easily. Not only did the freshies click with each other so well, the seniors also click with the freshies very well. We were able to accept each other with open hearts and not judge one another. It was a wonderful experience and I felt really lucky to have such a great OG to go through it with.

Thanks to all Rah Longs for making Arts Camp 2010 so unforgettable, including OGLs Claudio and Ying Qi, councillors Will, Yun Ting, Hui Ying, Min Zhi and crashees Aaron, Enci, Maznah and Jean.

Update soon.

:> KD

Flash

2010-06-17T23:38:00.003+08:00

I'm really listening to a lot of Alicia Keys recently, particularly because of songs like this. This song is just really beautiful and catchy at the same time. I love how she is able to write songs like this. I've been listening to this song repeatedly and as expected, I'm listening to it while I write this entry.

As I logged onto the Internet yesterday, I suddenly noticed that almost everyone were talking about same incident. The flash floods. It wasn't surprising that there were flash floods. I could hear and see how heavy the storm was that morning. The surprising thing was that it happened at Orchard Road. I've NEVER seen Orchard Road get flooded like this and judging from the pictures uploaded onto the Internet, it was BAD. I quickly searched for articles and videos that show how bad it really was. It was pretty bizzare to see places like Starbucks and Lucky Plaza completely flooded. Like an article I read online, Orchard Road almost became a river. Vehicles got stranded. People got stranded. Everyone was pretty much shocked.

The incident, pictures and videos were in my mind for the entire day and everyone was talking about it. Was it a freak accident or was it because someone somewhere did something wrong? It became the headline of the day and that of the next too. I even came across an advert that made use of the photos of the incident today. People will want to know and they will want for it to not happen again.

Now onto lighter matters. I'll going for this year's NUS Arts Camp. I haven't been to an orientation for ages. There's a strange mix of feelings I have towards this camp. I'm looking foward to it but I have abso lutely no idea what we are going to do there. For me, the main point of this camp is to meet new people and make new friends so when I do start school, I will know some people around the faculty. Hopefully it'll be fun.

The concert we're having with the New Zealand Youth Choir coming up soon! It'll be really cool because you'll get to hear music from both choirs and we'll also be singing together for a joint piece. Details are below!

New Zealand Youth Choir & SYC Ensemble Singers In Concert
30.06.2010, Wednesday
8pm
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Concert Hall
Tickets at $22 (excluding SISTIC fee)

Contact me if you're interested!

Update soon.

:> KD

Belated

2010-06-11T15:34:00.005+08:00

This is absolutely my favourite song right now. Fantastic chorus that always makes me feel like being in NYC. Lovely piano-playing and singing from Alicia Keys. I'm listening to it as I write this blog entry. I realy love it, especially when it's live.

Alright, on to the main point of this blog entry. I had a belated birthday celebration with SYC friends after choir rehearsal and I really had fun. BIG THANKS to all of those who came to celebrate it with me.

We went to a nearby French restaurant after rehearsal. It had really nice crepes (both savoury and sweet). We all shared and tasted each other's dish and also had some delicious side dishes like fries and escargoes (is that how you spell it?). There was also a nice little birthday cake they had the restaurant prepare for me. Oh and I had a little more alcohol than I usually do or at least enough to make me feel it. It was real fun eating and drinking with the bunch of them.

Following that, some of us went on for "part 2" of my belated birthday celebration at K Box. Almost all of the K Box gang was there. While we struggled throughout the night to get the hang of the new system at K Box, we still sang our hearts out and had a blast. We sang late into the night, singing all the hits we loved and figuring out new songs too. It was really satisfying after the K Box session. I loved it.

On the cab ride home, I just felt really grateful to have them celebrate my 21st. I felt really good after all that eating, drinking and singing.

Speaking of singing, SYCES is now preparing for a new concert on June 30. We'll be having the concert with the New Zealand Youth Choir. It's always exciting to have interact and sing with foreign choirs. Both choirs will be singing their own seperate pieces and a joint piece too. It'll be really great to hear them sing. Here's some information on the concert.

New Zealand Youth Choir & SYC Ensemble Singers In Concert
30.06.2010, Wednesday
8pm
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Concert Hall
Tickets at $22 (excluding SISTIC fee)

Tickets are available through SISTIC and through SYCES members, like ME! You can get tickets at a lower price through me! Contact me if you're interested.

Update soon.

:> KD

21

2010-06-02T23:29:00.011+08:00

Turning 21 is big but it's as big as we want to make it. Some will want a big party while others want no celebrations whatsoever.

My birthday was quiet as usual. I was thinking about how to spend my time on this big day and thought of something pretty random. I went on a little walkabout along Orchard Road on my birthday, taking pictures on the way. I admit it's a little anti-social and loner-ish. However, it's nice to do once in awhile. I explored a lot of the malls and shopping centres and tried to find really beautiful sceneries to shoot.

Orchard Central was one of them I explored. I really have to admit that on some of the floors, the decor was really beautiful, in addition to the artwork scattered around the mall. The rooftop garden had some nice views of Orchard Road. However, I just couldn't get used to the layout. Also, it was really empty that day, compared to the other ones like 313. It was off-peak when I went there though.

As you can see from the photos, I went all the newer malls that popped up on this busy road. It's funny how within a couple of years, 3 malls opened to already busy and crowded area. It changed the landscape of Orchard Road dramatically. It gave the road a lot more glitz and appeal I guess. What about the other ones that has been around longer? I guess they should be surviving well. Anyway, I walked all the way. It's a LONG walk but it was satisfying because I got a lot of nice shots. My birthday wasn't completely spent alone. I did have dinner later that night with secondary school friends at Vivocity. So from Orchard I got myself to HarbourFront.

We had a nice dinner at a restaurant tucked away in a quiet corner of Vivocity called 'King Louis'. I had a nice, filling meal with them and it was nice to hang out with these friends that I've known for 8 years. We really didn't change much, despite all of us turning 21 this year. Big thanks to them for helping me celebrate my 21st. So that's how I spent this 'big' day. It really was as 'big' as I wanted it to be.

Update soon.

:> KD

3D

2010-05-10T15:02:00.002+08:00

I was talking to some of my friends one night and we suddenly ended up talking about movies and how it seems that lots of movies are heading into the 3D direction. The interesting thing is that 3D movies have been around for quite some time now but never caught until a little film called 'Avatar' opened in theatres. Now, it seems like a lot of the major films coming out soon are jumping on the 3D bandwagon. Companies are now trying to bring the 3D experience into homes with 3D televisions. I'm not really sure whether 3D will be the next HD. However, it's really interesting to see that 3D is experiencing a revival of sorts after being around for so long.

Speaking of movies, I really do want to catch many of the movies coming up soon. The blockbuster season is finally here and hopefully I get to catch at least one of the movies coming out in cinemas.

This week, I had the chance to meet some old friends. From meeting old choir friends like Andrea and Yuxuan in TJ to celebrating Vincent's 21st with ZHSS friends, hanging out with them was nice. Meeting friends you haven't seen in a while is always fantastic and makes you think of things you haven't really thought about. For example, meeting ZHSS friends at Vincent's party made me realise that I've known some of them for 8 YEARS! It was funny to when it finally dawned on me during that party that I've known them for almost a decade and yet we are still taking our 1st baby step into adulthood. Our bodies and minds might have matured but essentially, we never really changed. That's something I've known since I left secondary school. Hopefully, there'll be more meet-ups like this.

SYCES had a little bit of a break but now we are starting the engines again as we prepare for more projects this year. There'll be more surprises coming up in the next few months from us. Singing with them always makes me happy and seeing some of them again after the break is really great. I'm raring to go! Speaking of choir, I attended SMU Chamber Choir's annual concert to support my friends in the choir. It was a really good concert and it's fantastic to see a young choir that started only a few years ago come so far.

Hmmm...I'm noticing how my vocabulary is getting very limited. Need to brush up writing skills!

Update soon.

KD :>

Trips

2010-04-25T13:55:00.002+08:00

Trips were being cancelled left and right when the European skies became a no-fly zone for about a week, which is long enough if you ask me. Reports on stranded travellers kept popping up on front pages of newspapers and they became the headlines for several days. It must have been quite the experience for them. One way or another, the entire world was affected for the shut down. At least now the gears have been kicked into overdrive to compensate for the cancelled trips.

Speaking of trips, I took a trip down the new Circle Line stations that opened recently. Actually, I only took it to one station because there wasn't a need to go any further. Despite that, the decor that I saw in the couple of new Circle Line stations I've been to looks really nice/new. Both Dhoby Ghaut and Bras Basah were pretty deep underground. This meant that structures and design elements were huge, like the picture on the left. It was interesting to finally see these stations that were under construction for the longest time. I wonder how the remaining ones will look like.

I was reading the papers and got reminded that there is a new distance-based system for public transport costs. It took me a while to understand it all but I was glad when I finally realised that we no longer need to pay additional transfer fees. Now the shortest journey will be the cheapest one, right??? I have yet to figure it all out.

New projects = New music! I'm always the one of those people that get super excited over new music and new scores. I guess this thirst for music is what drives me during every choir rehearsal. Watch this space for new things coming up from SYC Ensemble Singers!

Update soon.

KD :>

Tropical

2010-04-13T15:30:00.007+08:00

The weather recently just keeps reminding me that it's going to get warmer and more humid. I'm not bothered by it though. It only means I'll sweat even more than I usually do and that means I'm going to be drenched. Sometimes, the fan just doesn't cut it when I need to be cooled. It's times like these when your really thankful for air-conditioning. Oh well, it is "summer" now, right?

Recently, SYCES did a wedding performance in the Botanic Gardens. Despite sweating it out during a rehearsal at the space we were performing at, we got dressed (and dried ourselves) to sing to the appreciative audience that night. It was a lovely wedding at a beautiful venue within the Botanic Gardens. The songs that we sang that night were apt for the occasion and venue as we sang of flowers of the heart and many kisses for loved ones. It was definitely a new experience singing at the Botanic Gardens and it was nice to be there that evening. Speaking of Botanic Gardens, I can't really remember when was the last time I went before this perfromance. I don't even know whether I ever went to the Botanic Gardens. It just doesn't feel familiar to be there. Hmmm...

Update soon.

KD :>

Unicornis Captivatur

2010-03-30T15:16:00.009+08:00

Concert day was a long affair that was mentally and physically draining but equally rewarding and fruitful to all of us involved.As the afternoon started and we kicked off our final rehearsal before the performance, I sang and listened intently to the music we were presenting to the people coming that night. I composed myself while the rehearsal went on and before I knew it, it was minutes before we step out on the stage. I figured out by then that the stage jitters/fright I have before every performance since I started singing on stage few years back wasn't going to disappear. I just had to live with it.

The door opened. The lights dimmed. We stepped out. The audience clapped. We sang.

An hour later, the concert was over. As the audience started leaving the recital studo, I had quite a bit of different emotions swirling in my mind and heart. Sifting through the mixed of emotions I had, I truly felt the concert was a good one. The music we sang captivated the wonderful audience we had. The pieces were beautiful and are still playing in loop till now. We met some of those who came to listen to us and the positive response was really/truly heartening. A big THANKS to those who attended the concert.

Now onto other things. About a week before this concert, I met up with some TJChoir friends to celebrate Jiawen's birthday.

Though it was a short lunch with them, it was still a fun one, filled with lots of laughs and catching up with each other. Yao Guang and me had to leave earlier for rehearsal so we couldn't spend as much time as we wanted with them. I miss seeing and hanging out with them loads, so it was a blast for me. Hope to see them more often.

Update soon.

KD :>

Old Friends

2010-03-16T16:08:00.003+08:00

It is, I suppose, customary for old friends to meet and say to each other "Long time no see!". Sometimes it might be just a few months. Other times, it might be a few years. That was the case when I met many old friends last week and I noticed that I always greet them with "Long time no see!". It felt nostalgic whenever I'm around them, even when they have changed quite a bit.

I guess it all started when I attended Han Shen's 21st birthday party. When I got there, I saw people from my first few years in Zhonghua. It felt foreign yet familiar at the same time. I greeted the birthday boy and definitely felt like I've not met him in more than a couple of years. I recognise the way he looked but can't recognise his voice. It was a very strange feeling to not remember how someone sounded like even when you know the person for quite a while. After the festivities of his party/gathering, I left with the other old friends I met there and my memories of Zhonghua started coming back to me one by one.

I met up with many ex-2E3 2003 classmates in the following days for meals and other activities. The more time I spent with them, the more I remember my days in Zhonghua. To be honest, I sort of expected to feel the way I did in 2E3 when I went out with them during these couple of days. However, it felt different being around them now. It might be that all of us matured in more ways than one. Nonetheless, it was great fun hanging out with Han Shen, See Hwee, Yu Ting, Hong Kit, Yun Ting, Geok Ting, Yong Jun and Vincent Neo.

Whenever I meet old friends, it feels like I am getting to know another person because they have changed and grown since the last I saw them. It's an interesting thought that despite knowing them for years, you still have to get to know them all over again. Another old friend I met was Martin. Talking over a meal with him allowed me to get to know him once again. I believe that it'll be the same if I met up other old friends.

On to other things, SYC rehearsals are ongoing as we are preparing for our March concert. With the passing of every rehearsal, I increasingly appreciate the beauty of the music that we are singing. I hope anyone who is interested will go get tickets cause there are limited tickets! Details are below.

SYC Ensemble Singers present
Unicornis Captivatur
27 March 2010, Saturday
8pm
Esplanade Recital Studio
Tickets are at $25

Interested? Then contact me and get tickets! :)

Update soon.

KD :>

Year of the Tiger

2010-02-19T15:40:00.002+08:00

When you see red and gold in almost all the shopping malls in Singapore and hear festive Chinese songs playing on loop while you're there, you know Lunar New Year is here. You can't help but some how be drawn into the festive cheer of it all.

I planned to blog earlier but I don't know why I couldn't really get down to it. Laziness? Lack of content to blog? I didn't really bother to figure it out either. I guess I just wanted to wait till most of the celebrations are over before I started blogging again.

Lunar New Year every year will somehow be the same as the previous year. We still go to the same places and meet the same people. There'll be variations every now and then but the routine is still there. This year, I tried my best not to indulge too much in the festive snacks. I've got to be careful about them. It's still nice to see my relatives nonetheless. It's what Lunar New Year is all about. After the Lunar New Year long weekend, I've been trying hard to lose any kind of weight I've gained during all the festive cheer. I'm sure there loads of people doing that too. Hence, I've been hitting the pool a lot not only to exercise but to cool off from all this heat we've been having these few days.

SYC rehearsals will be back on track tomorrow and I'm still pretty excited about or music and our upcoming concert!

SYC Ensemble Singers present
Unicornis Captivatur
27 March 2010, Saturday
8pm
Esplanade Recital Studio
Tickets at $25 each

Contact me if you want tickets!

Update soon.

KD :>

Settling

2010-01-29T17:12:00.003+08:00

Hey all. It's been a little over a month since I gained my much-desired freedom and I'm settling really well into it.

The sun has been out these past few weeks. In my mind, that means I can go swimming as often as I want. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that it's much more enjoyable to go swimming on a warm sunny day than on any other day. I'm loving taking a dip in the pool and soaking up the sun, which is why I ended up being a little more tanned than before.

About a week ago, I saw another batch of my friends gain their freedom, like I did more than a month ago. I went out with some of 34/06 to celebrate this occassion for Alvin. I was surprised that the girls that met up early that night managed to get a place for all of us at the ever busy/popular/crowded restaurant that is Timbre. Irene, Yi Hui, Claire, Christine, Alvin and me got together that night and had a blast catching up with each other and laughing with each other. There was nice food to munch on and a live band playing that night. It was my first time at Timbre, so I was pretty satisfied by the end of the night. Congrats again to these friends who gained their freedom!

SYCES rehearsals have been continuing these past few weeks. I'm loving the new pieces we get to do, with its colourful imagery and beautiful music. It's definitely challenging but I'm loving the results after overcoming such challenges. Al these new pieces are for our upcoming chamber concert. Details are below.

SYC Ensemble Singers present
Unicornis Captivatur
27 March 2010, Saturday
8pm
Esplanade Recital Studio

Tickets are at $25 each. If you're interested, you can get tickets through me!

Update soon.

KD :>

Hello 2010

2010-01-15T15:25:00.005+08:00

The new decade has arrived and has been going on for a couple of weeks. It brings with it a new sense of self in me. It's a new chapter for me as a previous chapter ended last month along with the previous decade.

I'm definitely enjoying life and my time. I missed the feeling of waking up on my own accord and pace. I finally get to sleep as much as I want. Not having to go to work/school in when the new year began is something I've never experienced before. This feeling is great. I'm on my own personal vacation.

Other than enjoying my time and doing whatever I want, I went to Sylvia's 21st birthday party, which was held somewhere I consider to be near enough to walk to from my house. Anyway, it has been quite a while since I last saw the 34/06 people and as always, I feel like my old TJ self when I'm around them. Even when most of the girls are midway through their university studies and us guys are preparing to enter university, we are still, more or less, the same as we were in TJ. We've definitely matured in some ways but we didn't really change that much. It was great fun seeing them and hanging out with them. It's about time for me to rekindle some of these old friendships we have with each other now that I'm pre-university.

SYCES rehearsals have finally started again! I sorely missed singing with them during the break we had. It's exciting to have new music to work with and sing with the choir. I can't wait to look at the new scores and figure out how it'll all be like. There'll be a different kind of magic that will be made on 27th March 2010 in the Esplanade Recital Studio. Watch this space!

Now that I'm free of school/work, I've decided to dye my hair! I'm pretty happy with the results. It feels really weird to have another colour on your head, as if you look really different. I'll see how this thing goes.

Update soon.

KD :>

Prepare for 2010

2009-12-29T16:30:00.002+08:00

It's been a little quiet on my side as Christmas just passed a few days ago and New Year is approaching so very soon. Wow, 2009 is coming to a close and it has been quite a year. I shan't dwell on mundane details and events and do a recount for you but I will go on to talk about some significant things that happen during these past 12 months.

1. I finally gained my freedom from being in a green uniform. The past 2 years has been intensely challenging. So many obstacles to overcome and hurdles to cross. For the most part of these 2 years, I have been quietly doing my work. There were some drama that I've encountered but nothing too serious. I've definitely grown but not in ways I previously expected. Oh well, it's all in the past now.

2. Various performances with SYCES this year. I've mentioned almost all the performances I've had this year in previous entries. Each performance taught me something new, musically and/or personally. The highlight was definitely the recent 'SYC and Friends' concert held earlier this month. I must say that I feel pretty darn good after that concert. What an amazing experience it has been. This past year has been filled with the magic that is singing with SYCES.

Okay, that'll all for the momentary flashback I has while I recounted this year. There isn't much to say other than these two things.

As I mentally prepare for 2010 to arrive, I look foward to new experiences. I'll head back to school again after a hiatus 2+ years long. There'll be more magic to be made with SYCES. It'll be great.

A belated Merry Christmas and an advanced Happy New Year to all.

Feel free to leave a comment on the tag board.

Update soon.

KD :>

SYC & Friends

2009-12-16T23:31:00.002+08:00

It might have been a few days ago but it's still fresh in my mind. What an amazing concert 'SYC & Friends' became!

These past few weeks I have been promoting the concert on this blog via the vodcasts SYCES has produced. While these vodcasts are released, I was at the rehearsals, busy preparing for this magical concert. The rehearsals with Vytautas Miskinis has been truly enjoyable and enriching. I've learnt a lot from him when he conducted the choir. I've only amazing things to say about him and it was a great and well-appreciated opportunity to have been under his direction, even if it was a couple of weeks.

Throughout this whole experience, my mind just looped all the music we performed after each rehearsal. The music from the Baltic states (i.e. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) were beautiful and enthralling. I couldn't get the music out of my head and I wouldn't.

That was just the acapella pieces in the 1st half. The 2nd half of the concert had us performing "Light Mass", written by Miskinis himself. I've shown a sneak peek of what to expect for "Light Mass" in the previous entry. Saying that it was amazing would be an understatement. I absolutely LOVED performing that piece. With the jazz band performing with us on that night, it felt really good. I was smiling whenever I heard it. It was one of those pieces that I would truly call magical. I'm really sure that the audience didn't expect the piece to sound like that and I'm really sure they loved as much as we loved performing it.

In addition to the jazz band, we had guest singers with us on stage that night to sing the "Light Mass" with us. These 'Friends of SYC' joined us in this beautiful and jazzy piece and celebrated with us SYC's 45th anniversary. A BIG THANKS to all of our wonderful friends!

Also a BIG THANKS to those who attended this concert and celebrated with us such a momentous occasion. A shout out to my friends (Kaiyin, Jiawen, Modissa, Clovis, Christopher, Xiu Fu, Kevin, Juntao) who were there to support us too! :)

After the magical concert, we headed off to Relish to hae our post-concert/pre-Christmas party. The atmosphere from the concert failed to dissapate despite it being over. We were still very much in the celebratory mood. We had great food and great friends to enjoy it with. Thanks were given to those who put in loads of effort to the concert and gifts were exchanged. Thanks to whoever bought the present I received (and thanks to Zhengyang for the unexpected gift)! :)

When I reached home, my brain refused to go to sleep. My mind was still jumpy from all the excitement that was 'SYC & Friends'. What an amazing/happy/exciting experience it was.

Friends + Music = Magic.

That was one of the things I saw in the vodcast I shown in the previous entry that really popped at me. After this experience, I truly felt that the equation above makes complete sense.

Update soon.

:> KD

Sneak Peek

2009-12-11T17:12:00.002+08:00

Hey peeps of the world wide web. Get a sneak peek of Vytautas Miskinis' Light Mass, which is going to be performed in our concert, SYC & Friends, in 2 days!

COME TO OUR CONCERT!

SYC & Friends
featuring SYC Ensemble Singers conducted by Vytautas Miskinis
with Tamagoh, Tony Makarome, Joel Nah & Wong Yun Qi
13.12.09, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall

Tickets at: $20, $25, $30, $35 (inc. of SISTIC fee)
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Enjoy the video.

On another note, I hope you guys like my new blogskin!

Update soon.

:> KD

Jen on THE Concert

2009-12-06T23:49:00.002+08:00

Hi all!! Here's the 4th and last segement of the 4-part interiew with Jennifer Tham, SYC's current conductor. In this part, Jen talks about THE concert, our guest conductor, the music and what she may do! This is SYC's 5th webisode.

SYC's 45th anniversary concert is right round the corner! COME!

SYC & Friends
featuring SYC Ensemble Singers conducted by Vytautas Miskinis
with Tamagoh, Tony Makarome, Joel Nah & Wong Yun Qi
13.12.09, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall

Tickets at: $20, $25, $30, $35 (inc. of SISTIC fee)
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Enjoy the video!

Update soon.

:> KD

Jen on Choirs

2009-11-26T21:52:00.002+08:00

Hello peeps!! It's time for the 3rd part of the 4-part interview with Jennifer Tham, SYC's current conductor. She answers our burning questions about sopranos, choirs and why it's great to be Singaporean! This is SYC's 4th Webisode.

Come to our 45th anniversary concert! It's TRULY going to be a GREAT concert!! Details are below.

SYC & Friends
featuring SYC Ensemble Singers conducted by Vytautas Miskinis
with Tamagoh, Tony Makarome, Joel Nah & Wong Yun Qi
13.12.09, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall

Tickets at: $20, $25, $30, $35 (inc. SISTIC fee)
ORDER TICKETS FROM ME IF YOU'RE INTERESTED!

Enjoy the video!

Update soon.

KD:>

Jen on SYC

2009-11-20T14:50:00.002+08:00

Hey peeps viewing my blog. Thanks for stopping by! Here's the 3rd Webisode from SYC showing what Jennifer Tham, the current conductor, thinks of the choir. This is the 2nd segment in a 4-part interview. More to come!

Join us at our 45th anniversary concert this December. Details are below.

SYC & Friends
featuring SYC Ensemble Singers conducted by Vytautas Miskinis
with Tamagoh, Tony Makarome, Joel Nah & Wong Yun Qi
13.12.09, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall

Tickets at: $20, $25, $30, $35 (inc. of SISTIC fee)
If anyone is interested, please contact me!

Enjoy the video

Update soon.

:> KD

Who is Jennifer Tham?

2009-11-16T15:27:00.002+08:00

Hello people in the blog universe! Here is SYC Ensemble Singers' 2nd Webisode, which allows us to get to know Jennifer Tham, the choir's current and longest serving conductor. This is the 1st segment in a 4-part interview. There'll be more to come!

Join us in our concert as we celebrate SYC's 45th anniversary. Details are below!

SYC & Friends
featuring SYC Ensemble Singers conducted by Vytautas Miskinis
with Tamagoh, Tony Makarome, Joel Nah & Wong Yun Qi
13.12.09, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall

Tickets at: $20, $25, $30, $35(inc. of SISTIC fee)

If you're interested, contact me for tickets!

Enjoy the video!

Update soon.

:>KD

SYC Webisode #1

2009-10-22T23:38:00.002+08:00

Hi people in the blog-o-sphere! Here is the 1st webisode from SYC Ensemble Singers. SYC is 45 and we've celebrating it with friends from around the world. To close the year, we're having a concert at Esplanade Concert Hall on the 13th December 2009. Details are below!!

SYC & Friends
featuring SYC Ensemble Singers conducted by Vytautas Miskinis
with Tamagoh, Tony Makarome, Joel Nah and Wong Yun Qi
13.12.09, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall

Tickets at: $20, $25, $30, $35 (inc. of SISTIC fee)

If anyone's interested, please contact me for tickets!

Enjoy the video!

Update soon.

:> KD

A Load Off My Shoulders

2009-10-17T22:19:00.002+08:00

Hello, people in the blog-o-sphere. It seems like I've neglected you for a while. Well, the unexpected short blogging hiatus is over. It's time I get back to blogging, partly because I fel relaxed enough to sit down and type out whatever that comes to my mind.

During this week, a great load has been taken off my shoulders and I am no longer as stressed as I was for a few weeks now. The stress and anxiety overwhelmed my mind and so blogging became something I put aside so to concentrate fully on the challenges ahead of me at that time. I don't know whether I was stressing out unnecessarily or felt compelled to stress out, considering the situation I was in. Driven by my stressed out brain, I was working real hard for these few weeks and I can finally take a breather after this week has passed.

Now that my mind is cleared of anxiety and stress, I can see a little clearer and feel a little more relaxed. I was finally able to catch up on some sleep and It felt wonderful. My head no longer feels so heavy anymore. I truly feel lighter, in every sense of the word I guess.

On to other things, there'll be lots of projects coming up for SYCES. One of them is our year-end concert, which will celebrate the 45th anniversary for SYCES. It's promotion time!!!

SYC & Friends
featuring SYC Ensemble Singers conducted by Vytautas Miskinis
with Tamagoh, Tony Makarome, Joel Nah & Wong Yun Qi
13.12.09, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall
Tickets at: $20, $25, $30, $35 (inc. SISTIC fee)

If anyone is interested in coming, please contact me for tickets!!

Update soon.

KD :>

Packed

2009-08-26T17:01:00.003+08:00

I don't really know how it happened but some time last week, I realised my weeks are getting very packed. I had important things to do everyday, back to back. It just seemed like all my free time is gone for the last week or so. It was bizzarre just zipping around having to squeeze everything together in a short amount of time. I was probably rushing about the last week and was busy and/or tired most of the time. Funny how things were so packed.

Recently, there has been this underlying feeling of frustration within me. In addition, I got really tired of the drama I have been going through these days. I don't know why I have such strong feelings when put in such situations. I really should just chill out and not think too much. However, I feel so compelled to get angry and frustrated. Maybe because I feel like there's a lot of indifference when there shouldn't be any. Maybe because I'm disappointed. Or maybe because there might be a tinge of hatred. Whatever the case is, it is taking its toll on me and my energy.

How can I push on when there is so little within me already? I feel like I've lost loads of motivation these past weeks. Still, I have to go on.

Anyway, I had a couple of performances with SYC Ensemble Singers recently. One is at a National Citizenship Ceremony held at the Supreme Court. We sang some local pieces and saw new citizens being presented their ICs and papers. There was a delicious reception afterwards. Maybe we were just too hungry but everything tasted so good.

Another performance would be the 'Leong Yoon Pin: A Choral Odyssey' concert at Esplanade Concert Hall yesterday night. There were so many choirs participating in this particular concert and it must have been logistics heel for the organisers. Anyway, it was incredibly enjoyable as I got to hear many other choirs and also perform really fantastic pieces like 'Nightmare'.

Update soon.

:> KD

I Broke Down...

2009-08-02T22:35:00.003+08:00

It's getting harder to go through each day recently. After a going through a week filled with great highs and absolute lows, I got really tired and exhausted. It took me another week to get my act together and forge ahead. Now I must move ahead with whatever motivation I have left and just hope that I can pull through while still doing okay in terms of work.

I think I often put many things on my mind. Maybe too much things in my mind. I don't really like to completely pour out everything that comes to mind. There must always be a filtering of sorts. You don't know whether you have offended people and created more enemies than you bargained for. But maybe that will also give you much trouble.

Eventually, people who don't know you quite you and yet you have to come into contact on a regular basis will start whispering in other people's ears on various things that will tarnish others' impression of you. Soon, you find yourself a target for some reason you yourself don't realise, a subject of mockery or a just another topic those people can gossip about even when they say they don't gossip.

Truthfully, I don't have the faintest idea whether that kind of situaton is true but all I can say is that the things that go through my mind can be a little negative.

On a lighter note, I went to attend Kailin's 21st birthday and it was fantastic being around 34/06 again after quite some time. It felt so familiar to be around them once again and chat the night away while simultaneously celebrating Kailin's birthday. I felt very good in their company after a painful week quite frankly. Just kept laughing quite a bit and just had great fun.

I also went K Box with Song Ern, Shen Een and Siewwoon. I haven't been in K Box in such a long time and when the opportunity came out, I just jumped at it. Really had a fun night singing the night away and just releasing all the stress I feel recently. Had a really fun and satisfying night.

Update soon.

KD :>

I'm Back

2009-07-04T21:43:00.002+08:00

I really should get to blogging. Shouldn't neglect this blog I created a few years back.

Just sang with Tha Australian Voices this week and I really must say I had a blast performing with them. To have the opportunity to sing with foreign choirs is one of the things I love about being in SYC. They were so different from us in a lot of ways and yet we were able to sing together well and mix well with each other. Chatting them up was really fun. It was so interesting seeing how they perform and how they see music. It's quite an experience. Definitely one I'll remember for a long long time.

I'm so close to being free. Most people say that it'll be very fast. When I keep thinking about it, it can be painfully slow. These are the times when I feel desperate for it to be over. I really want it to be over and done with. I have to keep reminding myself that I need to still do it I have to pull through. Only then will I be truly free.

This week has been hard to go through. I was having stomach cramps and aches for the first few days of the week and then when that was over, the fever and flu kicked in. I feel so completely horrible right now. It's really hard to get by each day. Hopefully I'l be better soon. It's not a good time now to be so sick.

Update soon.
KD :>

Two Decades

2009-05-31T23:23:00.002+08:00

This really has been a busy yet satisfying month. Loads of activities and things done. It really made time pass really fast, which was maybe one of the aims of keeping myself so busy.

First of all, I 'd like to say thanks to all who have, one way or another, wished me happy birthday during my birthday. It's heartwarming to see so many birthday messages on my phone and Facebook. It fills my heart with joy that so many people gave some time to write those messages. Thanks guys!!! Really appreciate it. :)

TJChoir concert was this month and it was really hectic to say the least. I have two seperate performances with two seperate choirs. SYC performed as guest performers and TJChoir Alumni, which I had a hand in organising, also performed. It was really bizzare having two seperate groups to sing with and two seperate set of songs to do. It really was a first, but after the concert I really felt at least a little sense of achievement, partly because TJChoir Alumni only had a handful of practices to rehearse the pieces but we still managed to pull it off, even with such a small number of singers. THANKS to them for giving their time to sing in a TJChoir concert!

It was such a joy seeing each other again and also seeing so many batches of TJChoir people attending the concert. So it was like a gathering of sorts. It was a little hard leaving after the performance cause all of us were so caught up with chatting with each other and catching up. Brings back loads of great memories form TJ.

Will talk about other things that happened later on cause it's getting late.

Update soon.

KD :>

A Rant

2009-04-30T23:40:00.003+08:00

The itch to blog has finally come back to me and it seems like only when I go through some drama, whether it's in my life or work. But I would really like to rant now since I feel I've bottled up a month's worth of emotions.

It seems like no matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to catch up. I try incredibly hard and had come from almost nothing to something to be proud about. I finally gain some confidence in myself when there will always be a reminder to me, in various forms, that I'm just not good enough, that I'll always be a step behind other people. It really kills my spirit.

I try my absolute best and try to fulfil other people's expectations of me. However, other people come along and completely knock down any notion within me that I was doing ok. It's all because there'll be many to judge me and different people will expect me to live by their standards and do things their way. If I don't comply, I always seem to be in the line of fire, which I really abhore.

To say that I feel stressed is putting it lightly. I feel completely helpless recently and nothing seems to be able to calm me down. I really have to grit my teeth and put up with it no matter what, cause guess what...I have no other choice and/or option left.

I really don't want to vent my frustrations on others, hence the blog entry (cause I don't really know who is reading this). It's pretty unfair for others to have the burden of listening to you rant. But I have to purge this frustration within me somehow. Forgive me if I have affected anyone while they're reading this.

I really seem to be stretched paper thin, thinking that I can take it. Well, I still believe I can take it and make it work. Hopefully, I'll come out of it wiser.

Update soon.

KD:>

We Have To Deal

2009-03-27T21:36:00.002+08:00

We all have to deal with some things that can create a lot of frustration and pain. I guess I can see such frustration creeping into the minds of the people around me, slowly taking over and changing them slowly. But we all find ways to deal with it so that we don't remain down. I can say that though at some points in this week, I felt a incredible sense of frustration and anger but I just dealt with it and moved on. It's all I can do now until some thing changes.

Spectrum was a few weeks ago. Thanks to those who came! It really was such an intense concert for the audience and for performers too. I really learnt a lot from doing this concert and I feel such challenges are neccessary to bring forward a better and improved singer. I still enjoyed it very much. Quite a different type of concert for me, in terms of the type of music performed. Really gained a lot from it. Thanks again to those who came.

I have to try to keep my spirits up for some time. It's just my way of dealing with all of this. I guess this is the only way, deal with it and move on.

Update soon.

:> KD

Sun And Rain

2009-03-01T16:49:00.003+08:00

Dark clouds form a while after intense heat. Such vast changes in weather mimic the vast changes I experience emotionally recently. I guess I can thank that to my mind, contantly think more than I should.

Once I hear or see something I think that might be related to me, I somehow go off on a tangent in my mind. Then, I remind myself not to fly off the handle and be conscious about what I'm doing, which will lead me to think of what the others are thinking. I somehow keep wanting to observe other people's reactions to certain things and constantly think what and why they are as such. As I try to figure out what they are feeling and react appropriately, I end up being too quiet and loner-ish. Again, I try to keep myself in check and not think too much. But I still do anyway and so I wonder whether all this is neccessary.

Anyway, on to other things. Concert is next week and I'm excited to let people hear what we have. Hopefully, they'll understand what we want to convey to them. Should they enter our performance with an open mind, I think they'll be receptive of our music.

After the rain and dark clouds have cleared, somehow more dark clouds form. There's more rain to come. I wonder when the sun will come out again.

Update soon.

:> KD

Staying Focused

2009-02-13T21:29:00.002+08:00

This week, I saw many people leaving one by one. Faces that I saw for the first time some months ago started to disappear, with great big smiles on. Seeing them leave made me think again about my own situation, on how patient I was for some time now and how much more patience I need to get through with it. I admit, it made my mind wander abit during the week. I really had to keep reminding myself my time will come. Only by constantly reminding myself will I keep my spirits up. I don't think a grumpy me will be pleasant whatsoever.

Oh well, no point thinking about it now. I shall wait. In the mean time, let me promote a new concert from SYC!

Esplanade presents
Spectrum: Birth and Death by SYC Ensemble Singers
08 March 2009, Sunday
7.30pm
Esplanade Recital Studio
Tickets are at $21 if you order through me.
Tickets for students, NSFs and senior citizens are at $17 (inclusive of SISTIC charge)

Do come and support us!

Update soon.

:> KD

Year Of The Ox

2009-02-06T22:55:00.002+08:00

The official public holidays for Lunar New Year has passed but commemorations of the Year of the Ox have yet to come to a close. Because of that, I believe every one around me at work seems to still be in a holiday mood, relunctantly pulling themselves out of the holidays and back into work. They're sort of drifting along until they find the motivation to crank up that engine and move along. Seriously, I can't find my focus to work probably until mid-week this week. Took me a while, didn't it?

Lunar New Year was as per normal. Nothing special to report. Just food, ang bao, family, relatives, babies and loads of talking and/or sitting around. Even though it's business as usual, I don't think I would feel the festive cheer if it was any other way.

Update soon.

:> KD

Three vol. 2 @ Tokyo

2009-01-24T23:10:00.002+08:00

Being in Tokyo felt like a dream. It was just fantastic being there with Ateneo Chamber Singers and Gaia Phillharmonic Choir. I'm still missing the fun times I had there.

15 - 16 January

I met up with SYC at T3 (such a pretty terminal!) and sat the new Airbus (yay!) to Tokyo at midnight. After a smooth but sleepless flight, we arrived in Tokyo-Narita Airport in the morning. Stepping out of the Airbus, I can already feel the very low temperatures in Tokyo. While waiting for the coach to bring us to our accomadations, our counterparts from Gaia arrived to welcome us to Japan. As the doors open when we were making our way to the coach, the really cold weather in Tokyo hit me hard. Though I wasn't really used to it, I eventually made peace with the fact that temperatures can be in the single-digit zone. During our coach ride to the hostels, I caught up on my sleep (like most of the people on the coach) and took in the sights of Tokyo for the 1st time. The city and scenes in Tokyo made me finally realise that I was no longer in Singapore. Upon reaching the hostels, we made our way to the rehearsal space first and woke up our bodies after a long flight. The warm-ups were followed by our 1st meal in Tokyo in one of the cafes in the complex. Having something warm in your body really makes a difference in a place with cold weather. Rehearsed our pieces a bit before we were let off to see the sights of Tokyo. We took a train to the very very busy Shinjuku. So many people but a very beautiful city indeed. Walking about the streets and malls in Shinjuku led us to eat dinner at a unique cafe that serves food when handed coupons that can be bought through a vending machine outside. Quite a filling and cheap meal it was. After walking about some more, the fatigue from the midnight flight finally caught on with us and we finally headed back to the hostels for a debrief and an early night, not before having a small little chat with those living in the same floor as me in the cosy little lounge area.

17 January

Waking up early for breakfast and rehearsal was suprisingly easy the next day, maybe my body was adjusting to the early day break and night fall in Tokyo. After rehearsing some more on our own, we had lunch at another cafe in the complex (which was filled to the brim with people during lunch). We moved to the combined rehearsal space by train with the Gaia people. The joint rehearsal with ACS and Gaia was filled laughes, lots of photos and amazing voices. It was almost a luxury to sing with such great voices. It was my 1st contact with the other two choirs officially and we really got along with each other fast. It made me really excited to sing with these two choirs. We moved back to the complex and had a joint dinner, where we really got to interact with everyone. It truly was an enjoyable dinner, laughing and talking and chatting the night away before we retreated back to our rooms. Before going to bed, I had a nice chat with some of the ACS people. It felt good to gather on our own and really got to know each other.

18 January

The next day started out early as well, moving off to the concert hall after breakfast for a full day of rehearsing. We had our own time in the magnificent hall, the Tokyo National Metropolitan Art Space, as did the other two choirs. We moved on to a joint rehearsal after lunch. It was, indeed, a beautiful hall (that was amazing to sing in!). After some time to get ready, the concert finally started off with Dona nobis pacem. It was a great concert with amazing performances from all choirs. The combined pieces (Maior Caritas, Better World and Aeterna Lux, Divinitas) were just so moving, it felt so good to sing on stage with the other two choirs. After the energy-filled concert, we had an equally energy-filled post-concert party! There was food, drinks, music, gifts and lots of photos again. It was an amazing party where we were all so excited to be around each other. The songs the choirs performed for each other was filled with lots of gratitude and love for each other. It was hard to leave the party and everyone else. Despite having a late night, we still chatted the night away with some of the ACS and Gaia people, promising each other we will keep in contact one way or another.

19 January

The next day, we had our last meal of the trip with some of those that were extending and some Gaia people too. We had a relaxed coach back to Tokyo-Narita Airport and tried to take in some more sights before leaving Tokyo and heading back home.

Looking at photos and videos taken in Tokyo really made me miss the people we met there and the precious moments we shared. While missing Three vol.2, I'm looking foward to the next time we get to spend more time with these two other choirs again

Update soon.

:> KD

Japan, Japan, Japan!

2009-01-15T12:51:00.002+08:00

Heading to Japan today for Three vol. 2 and I'm so super excited. I can't wait to perform with the other two choirs and see Tokyo. Preparation for this trip has been going on for a while now and I'm finally going! It'll be a great experience for me and I just really want to enjoy this trip as much as possible. I don't really know what exactly to expect but all I know is that I want to perform and perform well.

After such a hectic week, It's really great to go on this trip. It's sort of been my motivation to get through a really tough few days. I'm just glad I pulled through without much affected. Hopefully, the end result will be something I can be happy about.

Did I mention that I am so super excited over this trip? Haha...I'm just looking foward to every single second of it now.

Update soon.

:> KD

Last Few Hours Of The Year

2008-12-31T21:58:00.002+08:00

The new year is right around the corner. I'm really loking foward to the new year and what it holds for me. This year has been a year of change for me. There were challenges I face and new people I meet. Whatever the case is, it has been an eventful year.

I really don't want to do a recap of the year cause I'll ust go on forever and it'll be pretty boring. Anyway, I still have some way to go before I'm out of this current routine. I hope I can make it through.

Not much celebration plans for new year's eve. Just going to chill at home.

Happy new year!!!!

Update soon.

:> KD

Past The Half-Way Mark

2008-12-25T22:26:00.002+08:00

I got through half of what I need to go through in green. Passing the half-way mark feels a little awesome, I suppose. It makes me feel like time has passed quickly since I started, but only when I think of my first day now will I feel like it was fast when in some ways it really wasn't. Whatever the case is, I'm just glad to be left with less than half the time now before I'm completely free. It's an encouraging thought and I definitely need encouragement to get me through the next few weeks cause I'm just really stressed out. I'm really tired of the things I go through recently and I have to just blank out sometimes so I won't get frustrated. Really want to pull it together for the next few weeks.

The day of the half-way mark I spent it by performing with SYC at VCH for the World Youth Choral Festival. It was enjoyable and probably the first time I went on stage with no significant stage fright, I suppose. It was a good way to spend this personally significant day.

Finally managed to help pull together a section outing with Martin & gang. It feels like a long time since I last saw some of them. Though it was only 5 of us, it was still nice to hang out with them and catch up on what has happened. They were the first few people I know when I started and it feels great to still have them around. Hope to get together again.

Tis the season to be merry and celebrate. First there was Christmas party at SYC. Food was nice and the presents were cute. I really enjoyed singing those songs that day. After cleaning up the decorations I helped put up and chilling at Keppel, I went to do a little Christmas shopping with Hattie and Wai Lun. If they weren't there, it would be hard shopping for the right gift.

Second was celebrating Modissa birthday at Bugis. Hanging out with the TJChoir people from my batch feels like old times when we would always head for dinner after practice. I really love having them around, laughing and joking and chatting the day away. Having friends like them really means a lot and I really did enjoy myself thoroughly that day. It was fun to hang out with Kaiyin, Jiawen, Yao Guang, Clovis and Modissa.

Then, I went to see the current TJChoir carol at Esplanade and Sentosa. Seeing and hearing them carol made me remember my caroling days with my batch of TJChoir. It was nice listening to those songs again. Caught up with Ms Lau on both occasions and got Xiu Fu and Juntao to join me in Sentosa. Hearing those carols not only made me miss the days at TJChoir but also the people and places we went to. I think I really felt the Christmas spirit when I was caroling back then.

Update soon.

:> KD

Breaking Down And Picking Up The Pieces

2008-11-30T20:26:00.002+08:00

I've put myself through a lot between the last entry and now. Experienced a total loss of control and judgement and trying to rebuild what I think I really damaged with that incident. I really didn't know what came over me that day. Whatever reason behind it (self-centered or not), I feel I really shouldn't act as such and now I'm really really trying my best to pick up the pieces and not lose it again.

During this time, I really asked myself whether I was wrong all this time or what I felt was justified. Listening very sincerly to others I hear things that I probably don't and won't tell myself. There was a shot period of time when I felt absolutely horrible and then I think I shoul buck up and never repeat the same mistake. I need to rebuild myself, after looking at the ugly side of me revealed itself to others.

Maybe I'm still thinking too much, cause it may sound terrible but it may all be just in my mind.

Went to watch TJChoir again for their Christmas concert. I'm really glad they've improved s much and I really hope they will do well in the competition and tour. Good work juniors!! Really proud of you guys.

Also I finaly met up with my choir batch mates. It's great meeting Modissa, Christopher, Cuixia, Yuanjing, Jiahui and gang. Long time since we met up again. Hope to see you guys soon

Really enjoyed myself these past few days just doing what I want to do. I just feel relaxed after such a long time.

Update soon.

:> KD

Outsider

2008-11-14T19:19:00.002+08:00

Outsider. I've always seem to be just that. I can't seem to escape it at all. I don't seem to change the things that are happening around me, even though I try very hard. I'm trapped in this cycle. I want to break out of this cycle so badly. I don't know whether it is just my mind going off in a tangent. I know that somehow I will make myself feel like this again. I know it'll be self-inflicted. I see that it may never ever change.

Notice how all the sentences in the above paragraph start with "I"? Shows a lot doesn't it? It's really how I felt at some point of today. I think I'll feel kind of silly feeling like this down the road.

But it really does come back and this feeling is familiar. It's so familiar. Whenever I start a new chapter in my life, I thought I'd leave it all behind. But in the end, I really and truly realise that I'll be an outsider, no matter how much I hate it.

Maybe I'm thinking too much, like I always do? Or is this feeling based on something? I really hope I can find an answer soon, cause feeling like this sure is annoying.

Nothing much happened between this entry and the previous entry. Life goes on as per normal. I don't know when the routine-ness of my life currently will get to me.

Update soon

KD:>

Taking Time Out For Myself

2008-10-30T20:28:00.002+08:00

Just realised that the previous entry was my 150th post. I've kept this blog up for almost up to 3 years and I posted 150 posts? Can be considered to be really sparse for some. But I have this habit of squeezing so many things into 1 entry that it'll probably get boring to read it.

Anyway, recently I have been taking time out for myself, cause I really needed it. I seem to be getting this heavy feeling in my heart so often that it's really hard to keep my spirits up on a daily basis so to motivate myself to go on and move ahead. I really seem to always recede into myself and almost implode with frustrations. Having breaks gives me some peace of mind. It's great to have free time to do what I want.

One such thing would be the party at Nicholas' and Peiwen's house. Pizzas, Wii, snacks, Wii, drinks and more Wii!!! My arm is still aching from all that Wii-ing. Totally enjoyed myself with all those crazy games with all of them. Thanks for the Deepavalloween party!!!

Update soon.

:> KD

Self-reflection Time

2008-10-17T20:05:00.002+08:00

I believe we all go through times when we just feel absolutely terrible about ourselves. Today was one of those days when I just feel horrible, having this heaviness in my mind and heart that was with me in the day. It was pretty unbearable. It showed on my face basically. I don't really know what came over me. I really had to settle down and think things through thoroughly. I had to get my head together and stop dwelling on unhappy thoughts and assumptions that might not be true. It seems like that my mind can go off on a tangent once being pressured or put in an unpleasant state. Such a terrible habit.

Listening to music really helps. I LOVE MUSIC!

Sometimes I wonder how all my friends from TJ are doing right now, whether they are doing what I'm doing or they're in school, cause we went from seeing each other almost every day to going off in so many different directions. I hope everyone is maturing well.

Looking back on previous blog entries, I can really see myself maturing, at least in the way I see things. We all have to grow up and face this world (which is in peril now because of the recent economic crisis). I'm glad that I did. I do need much more maturity to deal with things I'm dealing with now.

Well, I'm done speaking my mind (or typing out my thoughts) for now.

Update soon.

:> KD

Planning Ahead

2008-10-12T17:23:00.003+08:00

I've been planning, so that everything will work out while I try to cope with everything that's happening around me. I don't want to be overwhelmed by anything that comes my way. I find that I will get very flustered when everything comes at me one after the other.

Went to eat dinner at Swensen's with 34/06. Haven't seen them in awhile. It was really nice seeing them and talking about almost everything. It's nice having them around and I see the change in everyone. Life after TJC has definitely changed everyone whether it is school or other things. After that, I met up with someone I haven't met since the start of the year and chatted, along with some of my ex-classmates. It was a great reminder of my past.

I'm trying to take things in my stride as more and more important things are happening. I don't know whether I'm putting too much unnecessary stress on myself. I should live a little less worried. I need to find a comfortable spot to go on moving foward.

Update soon.

:> KD

Post-Mortem

2008-09-21T13:56:00.002+08:00

Thinking positive and not holding so much angst seem to be the only way I can get through some days or situations. I don't want to get caught up in negativity. It'll such make it worse for me. Cause I'll end up repeating such thoughts in my head and prolong the bad experience, making it feel longer for me. I have to keep up my spirits or I'll be suffering.

'Sequences' was three weeks ago. I seem to be recounting such events only after some time has passed. Guess it gives me time to reflect fully on the experience of singing with SYC for the first time on stage.

Concert was amazing. I didn't feel as nervous as I thought I would (though my heart was thumping so hard in the first few minutes of the concert that I seemed to be shaking). I've never sung such a long concert before but it was exhilarating throughout the concert, even when I was waiting backstage. I felt really exhausted after the concert but I fully enjoyed every single second of it. I've anticipated for this concert for such a long time and now that it has gone, it has become a great memory to me.

Audience's reactions were really great. I was so glad to hear their positive comments. Thanks to Yao Guang, Kaiyin, Jiawen, Mervyn and Carian for coming. I truly appreciate it.

Looking foward, I have much to be excited about. While anticipating future endeavours, I'll keep in my mind the things I learnt and tread foward a little wiser than before.

Beijing Olympics 2008

2008-08-25T15:04:00.002+08:00

I feel so compelled to write about the Olympics now that it has officially closed.

For the past 2 weeks, I honestly have been entralled by the Olympics in Beijing. I was glued to coverage shown in print, radio and television (Yay to the extensive coverage on television!). Not only do I want to know how Team Singapore is doing, I was just excited about seeing the competition between powerhouses in the various sports. I like watching the races, the matches, the performances, the ceremonies, the presentations and everything in between.

What added to my enjoyment in watching the Olympics would be the emotions of the athletes, especially when they know they had won. Tears of joy (together with tears of pain from those who lost) just showed that as much as these are almost super human, they are vulnerable too.

I was just absolutely estatic when I heard the women's table tennis team made it into the finals. I was smiling for the rest of the day because I know they have been trying so hard to get a medal for Singapore, especially when we came so close for the past 2 Olympics. I feel so proud of these ladies, including Tao Li. They really make me proud to be a Singaporean.

I don't really get those people who just don't savour the excitement that we have a medal after almost half a century and dull the extent of their achievement by criticising the fact they were China-born. Just get over it and be happy for them.

The Olympic fever is so contagious. I was so psyched up for Beijing 2008 for the past 2 weeks. I'll probably have a little Olympic withdrawal after this, but I'll look forward to the Youth Olympics here in 2010!

Not forgetting...

SYC ENSEMBLE SINGERS PRESENT
SEQUENCES
ESPLANADE CONCERT HALL
31 AUGUST 2008
7.30 PM
GO TO THE SYC WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS.

Update soon.

:> KD

New Place

2008-08-04T20:14:00.003+08:00

My daily routine will be changed very soon. A new environment, a new place to see, new people to know, new systems to know about. Part of me remains nervous while the another small part is anxious to see what's going to happen. I'll just have to work around and find out how to handle these new situations in a good way.

Went to watch Kammerchor Stuttgart last week and it was so great to hear them and their sound. The pieces they did were a good mixture and old and new. I really liked watching it with SYC and afterwards we interacted with them. I really enjoyed talking to them and understanding their perspectives towards so manythings. It's always interesting hear how foreigners look and think about our country, it brings us out of our own world of opinions and thoughts. Itwas quite an opportunity.

National Day is coming and I wonder how I'm going to celebrate it.

Time to start promoting.

SYC ENSEMBLE SINGERS present
SEQUENCES
31 August 2008
Sunday
Esplanade Concert Hall
7.30pm
Tickets: $18, $21
Please get them from me!

Update soon.

:> KD

Shifting Feelings

2008-07-27T13:41:00.002+08:00

I felt a little mixed up a few days ago. I didn't know how exactly I was suppose to react to certain situations anymore. I felt slightly strange and troubled. I thought I knew what to think, but it seemed like it didn't turn out that way when such situations presented themselves to me. I don't even know whether I was numb or I was confused. All I know is that it was just a lot of shifting thoughts and feelings in my mind. It was a little unfamiliar.

Went K Box again with SYC people for Pei Ling. Because she's going abroad for some time, we thought it would be great if we had a nice, long K Box session with her before she left. It was really great fun to be around them and enjoy some fantastic singing and nostalgic songs. It was both emo and exciting! Haha! I never thought I could sustain the energy such a long time. I hope she enjoyed it!

Went to support Kaiyin and Xiaochun at the MEP concert some time ago. Their duets, along with Xinjun's piano-playing, was truly enjoyable and espcially funny for the duets the girls did for the concert. It was nice to finally see my dear juniors outside of choir and what they can do. Modissa and Yao Guang was there with me in the front row supporting them all the way. It was nice to go to a concert with them again.

Siewwoon's 21st birthday party was a week ago and it was just really fantastic, with a nice venue and great party guests. Organisers were funny and friendly, people from all the different parts of her life came. It was heartwarming at parts and amazing fun for the other parts. Though I knew only a fraction of the people there, i still enjoyed myself greatly. Thanks to her for inviting me!

Update soon.

:> KD

I Will Try

2008-07-07T20:52:00.002+08:00

The routine-ness of my daily life have sort of caused me to not blog too much. But i will try to update more often, of course minus the mudane details...unless you guys like to read mundane details. Let's see what i can remember

Went out for a gathering with some of the choir people for the sake of Erick, since he was flying off the next day. I was thinking about how we're going to do it for quite some time since we had many things going on but i managed to get those that i want out for dinner at Tampines. It was just wonderful to have a good chat with them and get one more outing with the choir before Erick left.

I remember going to a live music cafe at Marina Square with some of my friends in SYC. It reminded me of my times at such places and it really made us all very nostalgic with all the Mandopop songs of our past. We then went to K Box and sang our heart out after leaving the cafe feeling inspired and excited to sing those songs we so very much enjoyed while having dinner at the cafe.

It was a while ago when i went to Song Ern's 21st birthday party. Managed to get there after finishing what i had to do, though it fels so far away. But i totally enjoyed the food, atmosphere and the Wii. Haha! It was real fun.

Update soon,

:> KD

Moving Around

2008-06-08T22:09:00.002+08:00

I'm seriously getting lazy to blog. Haha. I've got to get back to writing more. I mean I was used to writing so much in the past and now that I don't write any more, I sort of lost my momentum. I'm trying to do that now by familiarising myself with the language I was used to in my JC days. Words from Shakespeare and Atwood and Austen were what I read all the time in those 2 years in TJ. Now I'm trying to get back to that language by reading more novels in my free time. I don't want to lose so much of what I learnt in JC to be lost.

Went to support Kaiyin, Jiawen, Modissa and Priscilla at a fundraising concert recently. They did a great job and it was fun going to the concert with Juntao and Xinjun.

I've been moving about quite a lot and it's kind of good cause it will not create an unnecessary sense of attachment and unwillingness to leave when it is time to leave. That'll be too much memories and feelings in such a short amount of time.

Had a small celebration of my birthday with my choir friends at Fish & Co. which seems like a regular gathering place for the choir when we want to meet up. And i remember why it seemed like a nice place to celebrate a birthday only when we finished the meal. It was fun anyway. Haha. Thanks to all of you guys!

I want to watch 'Kung Fu Panda'!! Haha! It really seems like a good movie to watch.

Update soon.

:> KD

Time To Update

2008-05-18T13:35:00.002+08:00

There are loads of things that happened these past few weeks. Let me bring you up to date.

TJChoir concert was a few weeks ago. I can't believe the alumni managed to pull off the performance with only a rehearsal with the full choir ONLY the day before the concert. I wasn't even expecting the whole choir there on the day before the concert. But i'm glad that we managed to give a decent performance considering that we had SO little time to rehearse. THANKS SOO MUCH ALUMNI!!! I hope you guys had fun back on stage. The concert was really good, the level of difficulty for the repetoire this year was really raised. GOOD WORK TO MY DEAR JUNIORS!!! You've worked realy hard.

Went out with Kaiyin, Jiawen, Clovis and Yao Guang to celebrate Kaiyin's birthday. It was just so great hanging out with them again. I truly missed them. Can't believe they bought me a present. It was real sweet of you guys.

If some of you guys don't know, i have been in the SYC Ensemble Singers for some time now but i was on probation status. Now i am a confirmed member of SYC!!! I passed my second auditions and managed to stay!!! I have got to keep it up and keep improving to contribute to the choir!!

Update soon!

:> KD

Why Haven't I Updated Recently

2008-04-20T22:19:00.002+08:00

WAHHHH!!!! I HAVE RETURNED!

Haha! That was too hyper. Anyway, it was too long since i last updated and blogged. I've become increasingly busy this past month. I have loads of things besides my busy course now. Seems like time have become a bit sparse. That's why I don't really have the patience to just sit down and update.

I am now coordinating the TJ Choir Alumni performance for TJChoir's concert this year. I hope this thing will pull together for a good performance on May 9th. Really hope this will work. We had a practice recently and i really missed my choir mates. I miss singing with them.

Loads of things happening each week. I just really want to find that discipline to just keep going all the time. Hopefully i'll also find the discipline to update more.

Update soon.

:> KD

Busy But Fun

2008-03-16T21:16:00.002+08:00

It has been busy this week. I've been going everywhere, meeting friends and doing other things. One of those things is going for the series of university Open Houses. It all looks really excting and new, just like how i felt when i went for the JC Open Houses when i was Sec 4. Man that was such a long time ago. Looking at the university life the students are leading, i just can't wait to get back to studying. It seems like such a long time ago since i last studied, when it has only been a few months.

I can't believe how a few months can change a person so much. Looking at some photos i took before i enlisted made me feel that i really just became another person. It all feels like so long ago. I just can't escape this feeling. I don't know why, but it is. I feel just slightly emotional about it. The change in my life can be just jarring when i think about it.

This week has been a ball, meeting choir friends and section mates while i continuously try to meet and make new friends at new places. I've enjoyed meeting and just chatting like nobody's business with these people. Especially seeing my juniors and my choir batch for dinner. It was just super fun everyone can make it.

Results came out a few weeks ago. Shall not divulge my results but i'm ok with it. I just hope that i can get into the course i want and start preparing for it. After doing all the applications, i just can only hope for the best outcome for myself.

Update soon.

:> KD

M Is For Memories

2008-03-02T16:49:00.002+08:00

Met up with some of the seniors to watch the SYC concert yesterday. It's been so long since I last seen them. It's such good fun to be around them. Memories of my past start to come back as they start discussing about their time in TJChoir. They really never changed since I last saw them. Miss them quite a lot.

Talking to people I used to see everyday made me miss them more. It reminds me of good and fun times shared with them and makes me feel loads of nostalgia. I'm missing them.

Important things are happening. Hope I can handle them with some calmness and confidence. Last thing I want is to freak out.

Update soon.

:> KD

Even More Change

2008-02-17T21:19:00.002+08:00

I'm experiencing even more change right now. As my surroundings change, the people I meet change along with it. I try my best keep in touch with the people I used to see everyday while I prepare myself to meet new people. I feel nervous and excited. I look foward to the new things I will see while I continuously remind myself of the past.

Lunar New Year this year was much mellower than before, in the sense that we weren't running around for the entire long weekend that week. It was a much more relaxed one for us. Being in NS made me realise how much I like the way I spend my Lunar New Year evey year. I treasure meeting my relatives and friends. They remind me of what I was while I change into something different from the old me.

I'm kind of anxious about 'A' level results. I really hope I can do well. I've been looking foward to seeing that slip of paper that will determine me so much.

Update soon.

:> KD

A Period Of Change

2008-02-02T14:19:00.000+08:00

As we are nearing Lunar New Year, i experienced some more changes in my life. It's going to be different from now on, so i brace myself for the new challenges that i will face. Also, with the Year of the Rat coming around the corner, i decided to finally change the blogskin and revive this blog after such a long hiatus. Forgive me for the lack of new words on this page. I've been kind of busy, as some of you know.

Going to new places, meeting new people. That has always been the case for everyone. At some of these places, some relationships or bonds that are made are stroinger that others. To realise that such bonds can't remain so strong forever makes me cherish them more. And so i hope i hold on to these particular bonds tightly, so to prevent them from completely disappearing.

Pardon my slightly melancholic self today. I really should cheer up. Lunar New Year is coming!!! Yay!!! I look foward to it.

Update soon.

:> KD

New Year

2007-12-31T21:06:00.000+08:00

It's the tail end of 2007 and it's going to be the start of the new year. Happy new year people!!!

Wanted to go out for the new year but i decided to just slack at home.

It's going to be a whole different year for me. Thanks for the encouragements again guys!

Update soon.

:> KD

Back In The Green Again

2007-12-25T13:34:00.000+08:00

Ever since i enlisted, it's been hard for me mostly because i just feel so out of place there and that i miss home terribly sometimes. I know that many other people gone through it and that i should be able to do it too. But it's like taking one excruciating day at a time. I'm just thankful i have good bunk mates and get to see and talk to my loved ones often to keep me going.

I'm not going to dwell so much on what happened cause it's going to be a whole 2 years before i step into studies again. Now i'm in green again, just not the TJ green.

I don't have much time to write long entries so my entries may more or less be pretty short. Anyway, went out with some choir peeps yesterday and during Hari Raya Haji and was so happy to be around them. I really miss them sooooooo very much. I feel like my old self again around them. THANKS YOU GUYS SOOO MUCH!!!

I just hope to be able to get through all of it.

Update soon.

:> KD

Times...

2007-12-12T23:09:00.000+08:00

There are times when i feel so very nervous about my PTP and then there are other times when i feel i just have to get through it and just do it. At times i complain about how early it is. I just don't know how i'm going to prepare for it.

Went to see the juniors sing at Marina Square and got the SYF photo (Finally...). I'll miss singing in a choir. I am just glad i am only there to watch and not sing cause i just want to relax.

I still don't know who i will meet there. I really wish i can just click with them.

Update soon.

:> KD

Many Things

2007-12-11T16:10:00.000+08:00

I have this bad habit of not updating this blog everyday, so much so that i have to clump many things into one entry.

Anyway, last Tuesday was my prom. Got all dressed up in a suit i bought, which i like very much. At first i arrived at the wrong place thinking that it was the right place. Guess i was following illusionary directions. Anyway, when i did arrive at the correct place, the pre-prom,which is just a reception, has already started. We were just standing around, waiting for the actual prom to start. Everybody was taking pictures here and there. Oh, some of the girls were quite unrecognisable when they got all made up for the event. Anyway, the thing started and the food was ok, just thta i wasn't as hungry as i thought. It was fun, since it was my first prom. Our class was very lucky that night with many of us winning something. Anyway, everyone was just cam-whoring all the way. But since we all got made up, that should be the case. After it ended, we all went to this bar that has live music but it didn't start until we left (which is just frustrating). Anyway, some of us still didn't want to go home so we just walk around Boat Quay until we got tired.

Last Thursday i managed to get some of the choir Year 2s out for a K Box session at Marina Square. It was definitely fun, cause i didn't see them for quite some time and i miss singing with them. We really just had fun singing our hearts out, though it was quite a short time. Thanks Modissa, Roxanne, Yan Yee, Christopher and Juntao for coming out with me!!! :) I really appreciate it. I'm gonna miss all of you!

Had a BBQ with some 4e2 people last Saturday at East Coast Park. Though i could only be there when they bought the stuff and started BBQ-ing some food before i had to leave early, i miss them quite a lot cause i didn't see them for an even longer time. I guess i was overdressed that day but despite that i had fun hanging out with them. Thanks!

Going to Pulau Tekong very soon and i'm getting a little more nervous and anxious than usual. I just really hope i can pull through it.

Update soon.

:> KD

Cherishing

2007-12-01T21:19:00.000+08:00

There is this profound sense of emptiness that i feel every now and then when i have absolutely nothing to do. It is these moments when i feel slightly terrible cause i feel like i'm not doing anything constructive. These days when i don't really have anything planned passes kind of weirdly. But i still cherish these moments of freedom.

It is this transitional part of my life where it feels slightly awkward, where one part of my life has ended and i'm waiting for the next part to begin. It's just a mixture of so many feelings of anxiety and nervousness and calmness. I'm just dealing with my life day by day now.

Have begun to buy stuff for NS already. Still feel very apprehensive about the next two years. Feels absolutely weird.

Went to Mrs Noordin's house few days ago. It was fun to be there, where Mrs Noordin was so hospitable and nice to us. The house was cosy and nice and we had loads of nice food, It feels great to just sit around and chat with everyone. 34/06 has been just a huge part in my life, making my JC life so very colourful. It was great fun to be around them.

Went caroling yesterday and i was surprised to find more of my batch to join in. I didn't even know they would be there. It was nice to see them and sing with them again. It was nice of them to come and i haven't seen them in some time already. I so miss singing with my batch. They are another bunch of people that had made a huge impact in my life.

Going out more the following days and i shall continue to be determined to exercise.

Update soon.

:> KD

It's Finally Done

2007-11-27T16:40:00.000+08:00

Phew...It's finally over. The 'A' Levels which we toiled over for two years is finally over. I'm just so relieved and relaxed right now. Now i can slack without feeling guilty. This break will be over soon cause of NS. Shall enjoy while i can.

Went bowling with most of the class yesterday. Ate Carls' Jr before going bowling. Man their burgers are big. Anyway, after chomping down on the big burger, we went bowling and had a blast. I realised how terrible i am at bowling. It's been a long time since i last played. It just feels great to go out without feeling so worried about studies. Though i am worried about my results now, i guess there is no use worrying too much about it.

Shall be going a lot for the next few days. I like it.

Right after my last paper yesterday, i didn't feel the sense of relief or freedom immediately. It took some time before it sunk in that 2 years of my life in TJ is coming to an end. I still remember so much from the very beginning at the the TJ Open House Mrs Ngiam took us to 2 years ago. I won't go on recounting everything cause i'll go on forever.

Anyway, i shall go back to slacking now.

Update soon

:> KD

One More To Go

2007-11-16T20:08:00.000+08:00

After a two-month long hiatus, i'm back here. I'm almost done with the examinations. Still have one more to go before all is done and i'm free....for a while only, cause i'm going NS very soon....very, very soon. So i'll have to get every chance i have to do what i want. I feel like i'm in a semi-holiday mood. I have to keep telling myself there's still one more ahead of me. If not, i may play way too hard for my own good.

I shan't talk about the papers. Thousands of other students in this country took the same papers. So really no point talking about them. Just feel like i tried my best at that time already.

Went singing yesterday with some of 34/06 at K Box. It's been so very long since i last went there. Sang for a very long time yesterday and had a blast. After that, some of us went to dinner and chatted for quite some time. It was really great talking to the girls and chatting about so many things.

Looking forward to just going out more often (cause i feel i've only been at 2 places these few months...school and home). Prom is coming too, so can't wait for that too. I'm just going to enjoy myself while i can before i go to Pulau Tekong.

Caroling with the juniors tomorrow. Kind of miss singing in choir. I shall enjoy myself tomorrow.

Update soon.

KD :>

Post Prelim

2007-09-21T16:12:00.000+08:00

Prelims are finally over and i can catch a breath before i head into the books again. Strangely enough, i don't feel the huge sense of relief after exams, cause i know there's more to come. After the last paper, i felt like i had nothing to do cause i've been really studying for the past few weeks. I guess i'll keep with the momentum and continue.

Deep breath...... and plunge in again...

I'm thinking real hard for something interesting to write...but i got nothing.

Update soon.

:> KD

JTS

2007-08-26T15:19:00.000+08:00

JTS was yesterday and it was so great!

The juniors really went all out to give us a good JTS. It was so adorable that they had it all planned out so well. From the food to the cute little presents to the "oh my" awards, it all so touching. Wah, it just feel so great to have them do so much for us. Very touching.

It was just so nice to see the others again. After so long without choir, it was so refreshing to be with them and to just hang out with them. I always have an amazing time with all of them. They are just all great. Now that the JTS is over, there is nothing left to look foward to with the choir. Now it is the study break. Have to switch to mugging mode.

I will miss all of them, my batch and the juniors. It really has been an amazing ride with the choir. It's like the first activity that i really put my heart and soul in. It's a group that i've come to really love and cherish. It's really something that will be in my mind for all my life.

I watched the DVD the juniors gave us and i just started feeling so nostalgic. I will really miss all of the choir members.

Andrea: You are one of the most disciplined people i ever met and your leadership has really brought us together. Your professional attitude is really something. Thanks for everything.

Erick: My fellow tenor 1!!! I'm glad to have sung with you for the past year+++ and i appreciate what you've done for the choir. I remember we only had each other to depend on last year and we struggled quite a lot in the beginning. Thanks for being the only other person in my section. You're great!

Christopher: Though you can be scarily strict with us sometimes, i still remember you for your funny, down-to-earth personality and your hardworking nature. You're quite talented in so many different areas. I'm so happy to have known you. You can be so sarcastic and funny sometimes! Thanks for all that you've done!

Modissa: You've been an amazing friend!!! You're like one of the most caring people i ever met here! You're really like a mother! Thanks for all the nice company during our bus rides home! It's really nice to have you as a dear friend. I appreciate everything that you've done! I remember how i met you even before choir and i sort of encouraged you to join! Wah it's been so long!! Thanks for everything, really!!

Yao Guang: I remember how you slowly become lamer and lamer in choir as time went by. You've been such a nice SL and SC. Thanks for all the help you've given to me and Erick when we didn't know what to do! You really helped me in developing my musical sense. Thanks!

Kaiyin: Thanks for being such a nice junior! I remember how you can easily laugh at anything! Oh! You're really talented and i know you can so well as a SL now. Thanks for being such a great friend, i can approach you very easily and i really appreciate it!!!

Jiawen: You're so cheery and optimistic and it's quite wonderful to have you around!!! I remember how you, Kaiyin and Modissa are always so close, as if you all were joined at the hip! Thanks for being so friendly and willing to listen! I know you'll be great as the new VP!

Yee Chuin: I remember the songs that both of us like and that we sang those songs together during choir! I also remeber how you always like to run Thanks for everything! You're so driven that it's sometimes really scary but that's such an admirable quality. You're really a hard worker and i'm so glad that you're now the new president. I know you can do it.

Clovis: You're seriously lame sometimes but it's really wonderful to have you in the choir. I remember how much you put into the choreo for the concert and how much you cam-whore with almost everyone! I really appreciate you for being a friend and what you give to the choir! Thanks!

Xiufu: You're really something. Your piano playing is amazing. I always seem to bump into you in the same place all the time. Haha...thanks for being the talented person that you are. You've been a great friend so thanks for being the pianist of the choir!!

Melissa: I know how much you love to bring the choir together for dinner after every practice and i can always count on you to do so. Thanks for all the things you've done for the choir! Now you're the Proj. Coordinator and i believe that you can do it. Your colourful personality and likings is really memorable. Thanks for everything!

Florencia: You're the person i seem to be standing next to all the time! I remember how you said you always got distracted from your part by me and Erick when we are all singing and how you seem to be laughing all the time when we are singing. Thanks for being a friend and the only other person in choir that takes H2 Lit!

Roxanne: I remember how much you ran even before PT and the amount of work you put into the choreo! Thanks for sharing what you wanted to be, which is similar to what i wanted to be, and for being such a good friend to me!! Thanks!

Yuanjing, Cuixia, Jia Hui, Yan Yee: I decided to put you all together cause you all are always together! Duh! Yuanjing, you can such a mugger at times, but also a great friend. Cuixia, you always say 'cool' and 'stupid' one, it's like your slogan. Thanks for being my dance partner this year! Jia Hui, you're the only other person i can talk to abour Geog, Haha... but thanks for being suc a cool person! Yan Yee, i remember seeing you around back in Zhonghua and in the choir. Now, we're choir mates. You always like to sing chinese songs and seem to know so much about it! Thanks for being my dance partner last year and for being the only other Zhonghuarian in choir! You four are like sisters! It's been great to know you girls!

Mervyn: I totally remember how i managed to persuade you to join choir!!! Haha....thanks for being such a nice junior to me! You're one junior i really got to know well! You're really talented so no need to be too shy and modest! You can be so very silly at times but you're a wonderful person to know. I hope i've been a good senior to you! Thanks for being a great friend! You've really become a more confident person and i'm proud of you for that! I believe in your ability in the choir so you can do it!! Thanks for everything!!

Ryan: You are seriously a performer. You're a cool person and i'm glad that you decided to join choir. I also tried to encourage you to join along with Mervyn on that day. Thanks for what you bring to the choir!

Agatha, Lenora, Felicia: I always remember how you girls can easily sing together in perfect harmony and how you girls and Erick and Florencia always talk in Indonesian when you all around each other. You girls are quite the trio! Thanks for being so great to me!

Carian: I think you're one of the first year ones i talked to. Thanks for sharing so much about you and for being a great friend. Your loudness can be scary at times but it adds to your overall cheerfulness and energetic personality! Thanks!

Louis: You joined us way earlier than the other year ones and you've been such a colourful addition to the choir. Your experience with Ms Tham in Dunman that you share with me whenever you stand next to me is very enlightening. Thanks for all the things you did for choir! Oh yah, you also share the same birthday as me so it's really nice to have you as my junior!

Kong Meng: Thanks for being the nice person that you are! Now you're the Tenor SL, so must be good to my juniors! Haha...i know you will. Thanks for sharing and caring! You've been a great junior!

Calvin: Since we live really near each other, it's likely that i'll see you often. You're a wonderful friend and i'm glad that you joined the choir. We'll probably bump into each other in the future even after JC. Thanks for everything!

Felix: You've grown since we first saw you, in terms of confidence. I'm glad that you've been able to do that and i'm glad that your in the choir, cause we really needed tenors. I remember how we always made fun of your name! It's all in good cheer so i hope you'll grow more in choir!

I really have to stop cause i spending way too much time. I need to study! If you got through it, i applaud you for bearing with me. I probably won't blog for some time so this is worth it. Now, back to studying!!

Update soon.

:> KD

Preparedness

2007-08-17T22:13:00.000+08:00

I've been pretty swamped in terms of homework and the stress of the impending prelims. I don't really feel like i'm ready to take such a major exam. Every now and then, i'll feel pretty horrible about myself and my incapabilities. Getting frustrated with my lack of sustained momentum in studying. I can't finish stuff quickly now and there is more than ever things to do. There so much to prepare and yet i feel incompetent to finish it all. Preparedness is what i need right now to calm myself down. I know i shouldn't stress myself too much, but i also know that i need to keep myself alert about such things.

Been pretty stressed out in more ways than one and music is my only escape. It's my solace.

Been laying off the blogging cause i really wan't up for it, there isn't much happening in my life other than studying that is worth blogging about.

Looking foward to JTS.

Update soon.

:> KD

Handover

2007-08-04T15:55:00.000+08:00

Yeterday was the handover to the new batch for choir. Congrats to Jiawen, Kaiyin, Melissa, Yee Chuin, Xiaochun, Kong Meng and Xin Jun for making the committee. I'm sure you guys will do great!

Yesterday was emotional. Felt choked up singing 'For Good'. Just memories now. It has now become part of my past. But it has been a wonderful ride. Being in this choir really allowed me to make really great friends. Always having dinner with them, singing with them with my heart and soul. Simply wonderful. We stepped down for real yesterday. It is now the new batch's turn to create a new choir. Good luck guys!

I'll miss you guys so very much!!! Let us all jiayou!!!

Update soon.

:> KD

I Heart Choir

2007-07-25T19:26:00.000+08:00

Oh my...its really over.

No more choir.

I can't believe it. It just suddenly feels so empty once it is over. I experienced so much in choir. It has now all passed. I feel sort of choked up when i think of it now. So many things happened to me in choir. I have gone through a lot with my dear batch. It is something i'll never ever forget.

I will miss them all so very much. Can't stop emo-ing about it. The memories i have of choir will never fade. It's such a huge part of my JC life. I spent so much time in choir and it is these amunt of time i spent in choir that bonded me to the choir. Ms Tham really opened my eyes and taught me a lot and not just on being a better chorister. She is really the best conductor in my opinion. Her enthusiasm really got to me and it has made me love choral music and singing. Thanks to her, i really affirmed my love for performing and became a better singer and person.

Limelight was such an experience. I love singing in that hall. It's really a luxury to sing in that amazing concert hall and i really enjoyed every singile second of it. I'm happy that my last concert as part of the TJChoir is in the Esplanade Concert Hall. The concert wasn't our best, but i know this concert isn't about that for me. It's really about enjoying myself, being able to be on stage with my dear 06/07 batch.

We've grown so much. When the seniors left, i felt pretty lacking in confidence when in choir. I struggled a lot in the beginning. We just really improved so much and was able to rise up to the occasion and gave all we could. I'm just so very proud to be part of this batch.

To the 07/08 batch, it's been fun getting to know all of you all. You guys are talented, so jiayou! It's been a colourful year in getting to know you guys and because of you guys, i get to really be true senior. Never really been one, but it was really amazing to have you guys in TJChoir. Keep it up! Haha...

To my 06/07 batch, i will miss all of you so much. Every single one of you are amazing. You have no idea how much of an impact all of you have made in my life. It's been an amazing year+7 months. We've survived through all of this together. So we should give ourselves a pat on the back. You guys mean a lot to me. Everyone of you will be in my mind forever. All of your colourful personalities will be in my memories for a long time. I think i'm getting too emo about it, since we will see each other now and then, but i just want to thank all of you for everything.

I LOVE TJCHOIR!!!!!!!!!

:> KD

It's Time To Step Up

2007-07-07T22:01:00.000+08:00

Watching Live Earth now. They really are going all out to bring awareness to global warming. So, it is really weird to see people who go for the concert and not know why the concert is being organised or why it is called 'Live Earth', that it is there to raise awareness about the climate.

Results were...well, i don't like to talk about it much. What is done is done. Haven't receive all the results so can't say much about it yet. Let's just see what will happen.

Everyone was kind of upset about results...i guess. But choir always cheers me up. Singing is such a release. i really miss singing with them. Will miss it even more when we really step down.

Esplanade presents...
Limelight: TJChoir
Esplanade Concert Hall
24th July 2007
7.30PM
Tickets at $21 (Student price is $16)

I forgot to include the SISTIC charge before. Get the tickets from SISTIC.

Update soon.

:> KD

Some Task

2007-07-03T20:49:00.000+08:00

10 random facts about me...
1) I just can't seem to do any work in the afternoon. It's my lazy time.
2) I seem to always have the urge to snack right after lunch.
3) I love watching cartoons. I doubt i'll change.
4) I don't play much games.
5) I love singing like mad.
6) I'm a bit of a neat freak
7) It's an understatement to say i'm a little quiet
8) I have an eclectic taste in music
9) I don't like to spend to much
10) I feel its tiring to think of 10 random things about you in an entry like this

the next 5 people to write 10 random facts about themselves and choose another 5 people to do it (sorry if i write your name, it's just random choosing)
1) Simin
2) Valerie
3) Cheng Pei
4) Christopher
5) Modissa

Update soon.

:> KD

A Fresh Start

2007-07-01T12:58:00.000+08:00

After the stressful JCTs, i need to start again with a new term, that will be jammed packed with loads of studying. Time to get my act together. Can't mess up my prelims.

I feel like this is really a new start for me, what with the many things happening in my life. I have start off well to maintain it at that. Like excersising regularly. Have to get in shape for next year.

I like my new blogskin. Feels much brighter than the previoius one.

Nothing much to report other than having a long weekend to rest after the very stressful JCTs. I have grown more white hair! It was like a whirwind of essays. But kind of dread the getting back of the test papers. Scared that it will be a big moral breaker.

New term here i come.

Esplanade presents...
Limelight: TJChoir
Esplanade Concert Hall
24th July 2007
7.30PM
Tickets at $20 (Student Price: $15)

Won't forget about promoting this concert.

Update soon.

:> KD

One Month

2007-06-23T17:20:00.000+08:00

To those who came here more than once since my previous entry, sorry for making you think that the blog is dead. Just that there hasn't been anything interesting to blog about.

My birthday was great. Though it was like quite some time ago, i'm happy that people cared enough to remember and give me messages and presents. Quite some time since i have that. I know that it's kind of late, but thanks to those who remembered.

After almost a month of studying, here is when i have to write pages upon pages of essays. Thing is that i really didn't cover a lot. I studied so very slowly. I don't really know how to handle this and other stuff i have to think about. I still have to do it, no matter how hard and busy it'll be.

The three intensive days of choir a few weeks back were quite the tiring workout. It was hard to handle so much on 9 to 5 sessions. But it's for that really exciting concert. My lasst choir concert with the choir. It'll be just amazing to sing in that wonderful hall. It's a month away. I still can't believe i can sing in that hall, even when it's just for an hour.

Esplanade Presents...
Limelight: TJChoir
July 24th 2007
Esplanade Concert Hall
Tickets at $20 (Student price is $15)
7.30 PM

Go to the Esplanade website for more information. I know it's a little early, but i'm enthusiastic.

Update soon.

:> KD

Wicked

2007-05-20T16:41:00.000+08:00

I can't believe it's all over. It was absolutley amazing. I loved the concert last Friday. I was so high after it. We were all so happy that all our hard work did amount to something really good. Couldn't stop thinking about it when i got to my bed.

Thanks to those who came!

I loved our musicals. It was so fun and i was really happy when we were singing "Defying Gravity". It felt so awesome singing that song. I was singing my heart out. It's invigorating. I was just so happy when the audience reacted so greatly to our second half. It was just....so great!!!

Our first half was not bad. Though i know most of the audience didn't really understand anything we were singing except for "Keep It Up", i think we did nicely. Our Year 2 song was nice too.

Went to supper with my beloved choir memebers. Met Samuel and Valerie there. Thank goodness they were there so i could thank them personally. Ate supper and then left in a cab with Modissa. We were quite tired, but just really happy. Modissa was just so excited over her presents from her friends. Went home just feeling wonderful.

Yesterday we had College Day performance. Though we were waiting for that 2-song performance for so very long, we had a very emo time cause we were just singing the "Wicked" songs. I felt especially emo when we were singing "For Good". Just such a great song to sing with friends. Then after the performance, we started singing old songs like our caroling songs and "Lux Aeterna" just to remind ourselves of the great time we had in the past year. Such a nice day to sing with them.

We've come a very long way since last year. Just feel very emo when i got home yesterday after lunch with choir. I just realise we are almost going to leave choir now that our concert is over. I'm going to miss my dear choir. It's going to be quite a while before we have choir again to prepare for our Esplanade concert on July 24th. I will just feel so empty tomorrow, cause there is no more choir on Monday. I feel just so very emo when i think about it. I'm looking foward to the Esplanade concert.

Update soon.

:> KD

SYF

2007-05-09T17:31:00.000+08:00

GOLD.

That's what we got. I'm quite happy actually. I enjoyed the performance without any sense of nervousness on stage. I loved the experience. Loved listening to 15 other JC choirs in one day, though i'm kind of sick of the set piece after listening to it 15 times. We worked hard enough for this Gold. Just happy to maintain our Gold award. Was kind of hoping for Gold with Honours, but i'm still really happy with the Gold. Funny how 3 syllables can make a huge difference. Also funny how that 15 minutes on stage means so much to everyone in that hall.

Half the load is gone. Now, on to the concert. Before that, we have a performance for some event tomorrow. After that, we have College Day the day after concert day. Busy 2 weeks.

TJCHOIR PRESENTS...
REFLECTIONS VIII: WICKED
MAY 18 2007
ACS (BARKER) CONCERT HALL
7.30PM
TICKETS AT $10

Come and support!!!

Update soon.

:> KD

It Is Time

2007-05-05T14:32:00.000+08:00

I'm spiraling out of control. I'm not updating this thing as often anymore. I must say, i'm really so tired everyday i get back from TJ. I don't think i have that patience during weekdays to write an entry. Sorry for the unintended mini-hiatus.

SYF is in just a few days time. All the thousands of hours i spent in choir is all for that 15 minutes up on the Victoria Concert Hall stage, in front of the TJ alumni and the panel of judges. We're the second choir up on stage that day. It's really early in the morning. I really have no idea how we will be judged. I wasn't as stressed out now because i know that we can do it. But thing is, i don't whether we can do it up on stage. It's up to us now. It's crunch time.

I had choir for almost the entire week (except for Labour Day). Ended up falling sick yesterday. Now resting at home. I just want to completely be at my best on Monday and Tuesday. I really want to contribute. Hoping that i will get better.

Next week is going to be a killer. I have 3 tests, SYF and a performance all squeezed into one week. I will make it through. I can do it. *sigh*

Thanks Valerie and Samuel for coming to my concert. We worked very hard on it!!! Please consider coming!!!

TJChoir Concert
Reflections VIII: Wicked
May 18 2007
7.30 pm
ACS (Barker) Concert Hall
Tickets at $10
Please come!!!

Come and support!!!

Update soon.

:> KD

Not Too Late

2007-04-14T21:41:00.000+08:00

When i logged in just now, i saw the last post dated at 24 March. I was really weighed down by so much that i either don't have the energy or the desire or the capacity to blog anything relatively nice to read. Guess i have accumulated enough to write something read-able.

Going to Kuantan for the Geography trip was so good for me and my mind. It let me rest my mind and only focus on one thing everytime. I seriously enjoyed my time there. Pace was slower. Things were done much more slower. Everyone had more patience because travelling from one place can mean a mini-nap on your way there. It takes just so very long to go from one cave to another. We basically ate and sleeped our way through the trip.

Bunking with people outside my CG was good for me. Bunking with Justin, Zhi Kai and Jun Cheng was a refreshing experience. Got to make friends out of them and others, which is always good.

Bus trips made me sleepier after each passing day. It literally made me much more lazy when i got back. But we have to frequent climbing of rocks and caves to make us move much more than we would have. Those steps in and on the caves are steep. The rocks are really hard to manuvere around, making our trip to the beach a little more extended. Making our way around the waterfall was tough for me. I guess i brought the wrong pair of sandals. I slipped and got myself unnecessarily wet for the rest of the day, that includes my stuff. Annoying as it may be, i really enjoyed seeing these sites. We are so deprived of such structures back here that seeing them will make us feel kind of insignificant in the face of nature.

When i got back to Singapore, i felt an overwhelming sense of stress all of the sudden. I really felt a little detached from the life here when i got back cause i was getting used to the life of a travelling student tourist. There is so much to be done and i felt like i have no time, no space and no place to breathe. Claustraphobic. Took me a day to get back into the sync of things here. I know it's a little weird to feel as such, but that was how i felt when i got back, loaded with worry.

Worry. That's what the choir is carrying around on their shoulders every practice, basically making many practices a little unsettling and tense. Man, i do hate that feeling. Along the way i sort of forgot the joy i feel whenever i sing. Have to remind myself to remain basically positive in my thinking. We're all just stressed and stretched. Tempers may flare, feelings may be soured. I seriously hope that it'll all blow over soon.

T-shirts are going to be delivered soon. That's a part of the worry that'll be released from my mind. I am so glad that my team put together this thing. Makes me happy to see people liking the shirt. That's a part of the responsibility i carried upon myself being done.

Basically not waking up as easily as i used to be able to. Took me quite some effort to do so recently. Should get myself back in shape for the things i have lined up the next parts of the year.
Including...

TJChoir presents...
Reflectins VIII: Wicked
May 18 2007
ACS (Barker) Concert Hall
7.30pm
Tickets at $10
Please come!!!

Update soon.

:> KD

It Will Only Get Busier

2007-03-24T19:40:00.000+08:00

The first day of Term 2 ended at around 9 something for me. So you can imagine how busy i'm going to get with the start of this super duper busy term.

I'm super stressed about SYF. The set piece is just so hard to nail for me. Hitting slightly wrong notes. Not getting the intervals correct. It's frustrating.

Just had the Choral Exchange at HCI. The other choirs have some good songs. I think all of us made mistakes today. Lessons are to be learnt from today, so we should work harder than ever before if we want to get that Gold with Honours.

Went to J8 with choir people today after the exchange. Had great time chatting up the juniors about their perspective on things. Interesting. At least i know what they are thinking about. Greater understanding is always better.

My throat is going down the drain these 2 days. Have abosolutely no idea what came over me for me to have a slightly painful throat today. Shall see how it develops.

Soon i'll be going to Malaysia for the Geography trip. Don't know what will happen. Hope that all will be smooth.

2nd time i'm going to promote the concert!!!

TJChoir
Reflections VIII: Wicked
ACS (Barker)
May 18 2007
Tickets at $10
It'll be great!!!

Update soon.

:> KD

TGIF...Not Really...

2007-03-16T19:53:00.000+08:00

Well, this 'holiday' really went by way too fast. I enjoy the chance to have afternoon naps, which i don't take in the past. Been kind of tired in the afternoons recently so i usually collapse on the bed after taking my shower.

I've been waking up early for the past five days. Never got the chance to sleep in in the morning. So there isn't any difference from any other school week, well other than having no lessons.

Choir had been...errr...well, it's been a mixed bag of feelings this week during choir practices. Been feeling kind of stressed out over it. So i really hope i find a way to handle it along with the need to improve in my studies.

Thankfully, the lunches i had with choir this week were good enough to bring my spirits up, if my spirits are down that is. Always enjoy the time i have with the choir after choir practices. Have been eating fast food for three days already. Kind of surprised i haven't felt any sore throat forming.

Haven't touch my holiday homework yet. Blame it on my lazy bum.

Stefanie Sun's new album is coming out. Shall go and buy it once it's on the shelves.

I hope my 'stream of consciousness' method of blogging is not making my entries kind of dry. Sorry if it bothers you.

Since Kaiyin already started promoting the concert on her blog, i shall start too, even though it's like two months later. But, hey, wouldn't hurt to start now.

TJChoir Concert

Reflections VIII: Wicked, ACS(Barker), May 18 2007

Do come!!!

Update soon.

:> KD

It's The Holidays...Which Means Homework...

2007-03-11T18:05:00.000+08:00

I finally realise holidays means holiday homework. Especially now it's just the March holidays, and i'm in Year 2. I probably feel much difference, except that there won't be tests every week.

Talking about tests, i ended term on a slightly bad note, just because of writing something wrong on my Economics test. Arghh....can't believe myself for that. So not worth it. I can't take it that i was careless. Oh well, what's done is done.

So many things cramped into one week is a scary thing. That's what happened this week, Geography presentation, Economics and Geography tests, the usual homework and other stuff that needs my attention. Five days doesn't seem to be enough.

The Year Ones were off most of the week because of postings and Orientation 2. So it seemed like one whole chunk of the school just disappeared. Hence, it's like a bit more spacious like during assembly.

Choir this week was mostly with the Year 2 batch. So, working with my batch brings me back again to last year, when we sort of struggled together to sound good. Those were the days....wow, i sound like an old person.

I got back my 'A' level H1 Chinese results already. I'm super glad with my result. Finally, no more Chinese lessons!!! Have more time to do other stuff now!!! So happy that Mondays won't be so very long! Oh yah, saw all the seniors that day too!!! So happy to see them again. They didn't really change. But i guess most of them are happy with their result?? Not sure, cause i didn't ask everyone. But there are scary people like Zhongshan and Daniel that freaks me about my 'A' levels. Man, time to buck up.

I am so sleep-deficient these days. Arghh...makes so tired. It's to the point when i'm sleeping, my body is asleep but my mind is still conscious, like i can't move. Kind of scary. Don't know why it happens so often.

Update soon.

:> KD

Short Week Feels Long

2007-02-24T18:08:00.000+08:00

The Chinese New Year holiday made me not used to having tests every week. Maths and Geography tests were one after the other yesterday. So it felt quite rushed. Had little time to fully study both tests. Don't really know how i'll do.

On Wednesday, Royston Tan came to TJ for a showcase. I seriously think his short films are very nice, especially Cut, which is so funny. Whatever it said about the censorship in Singapore is just so funny. It's entertaining and i really enjoyed it.

Chinese New Year was more or less the same every year, with the same places to go every time every year. Meeting the same people and hearing the same things. It has become very predictable, but i appreciate it still. Just that it's expected and repetitive. New Year snacks were always around and i ate quite a lot but thankfully, i didn't get sick.

I want to buy the soundtracks to Wicked and Dreamgirls. Don't know where to get the cheapest ones. Really want to hear them.

Choir was fun yesterday though we worked on our SYF piece for quite some time and ended late. Polished it some more. Feels great to hear it sound so wonderful. Hope we'll maintain that standard so to improve some more.

Have to be in charge of the T-shirt for choir. Have to get started next week.

Sorry for the painfully disconnected post. Quite lazy to string them together so that they sound like a proper passage. I'm just writing whatever comes to mind about the past few days.

Update soon.

:> KD

Friendship/Valentine's Day, Road Run/CNY Celebrations

2007-02-17T14:42:00.000+08:00

It seems like there was so much going on this past week. Don't know where to start...

Friendship/Valentine's Day was okay i guess. Bought gifts for both my mortal and angel. I gave my gift to my mortal through her friend, who thought i was some secret admirer. Anyway, didn't get to see her or meet her. Can't even find her cause i don't know how she looked like. Angel didn't come to find me so i can't give my gift. I didn't have the mood to study that day. We all were in our casual clothes and it was the day when my holiday mood kicked in.

Yesterday was the Road Run and Lunar New Year Celebrations in TJ. Running is seriously not my thing. It was more tiring than during the normal P.E. run, even though the distance is almost the same. But still managed to go under 35 minutes. Was under the sun for most of the morning. Noticed that i got darker when i got home, actually it was more red than darker. Anyway, Beta did really well this time around. So proud when they won so many trophies!

After the entire thing, i rushed back to Zhonghua expecting many people to be there. But in the end, there wasn't so many people from my class there. In the end, there were Valerie, Hek Ming, Mao Ying, Sally, Edward, Andrew, Mitchell, Henrietta, Yi Teng, Jia Ci. I felt quite sad that there were so less people there. Anyway, i felt a little weird walking around the school in my Group P.E. T-shirt and shorts. Had to wear my jacket around for most of the time. Mrs Ngiam changed her hair!!! So nice!! Haha...was quite shocked when i saw her. It's lighter and shorter. Quite a change indeed.

After getting home and getting changed, i went to City Hall MRT station to wait for the others to go K Box to celebrate Priscilla's birthday. Waited for 50 minutes, then i saw Priscilla. Xin Hui & Wen Yuan came later. A change of plans led us to go to Orchard road to meet Angie and Chaneline instead of going to Marina Square. We were deciding where to go cause we felt K Box was quite expensive. In the end, we still went to K Box after comparing our choices. It was really nice. the room was nicer than what i went before. The buffet provided was so nice. All in all, it was worth it going to K Box.

Will be celebrating Lunar New Year in the next three days. Will be going around Singapore to visit relatives and eat. You know, the usual.

Still have to do work during this few days. It's the ironic and paradoxical term of 'holiday homework'.
Update soon.

:> KD

Wicked...

2007-02-11T18:19:00.000+08:00

Apparently, we're doing songs from the musicals The Wizard Of Oz and Wicked. That seems so cool. I read up on the story of Wicked. It's like the the life story of the Wicked Witch of the West. The novel potrayed her to be a sympathetic, strong-willed and victimised person living in the world of Oz, so much so that she inadvertably became the Wicked Witch of the West. It's quite cool actually. Can't wait to get the scores!

Got back from Go Green Day. It was really tiring. i almost hurt my back carrying a huge box of thick magazines. It took us quite some time before we finish cause there were a lot of stuff to be carried down. But i can consider it as good exercise...

Tomorrow no school!!! Yay!!! Can slack a little bit more! But have to go out to get new clothes for New Year. Also have to cut hair. So not really slacking...

Congrats to all my dear juniors who made it into TJ! So happy to have you all to stay around. Not always nice to lose people. So it's great that you all can stay!!!

We had choir without the new batch last Friday. It was suddenly quieter when the Year Ones left for their secondary schools to collect their results. It's kind of nostalgic to work with my batch. The choir room is suddenly so much more spacious. Brings back memories...

The Temasek Idol auditions is over...for me. I had mine on Wednesday. It was okay. Just that i felt a little cold when i was in the room. I went in. I introduced myself. I sang. I came out. Not as complicated as i would think it to be. Oh, there was a microphone and a video camera to take down the auditions. We will probably be seeing a video made of all the auditions from all three days. Don't know results yet...

Hmmm...i haven't done any homework yet. Don't know when i should start...

Update soon.

:> KD

The Windy

2007-02-03T18:18:00.000+08:00

These few days have been really windy, but there was no rain to speak of. Just chilly winds. I really like it. So soothing to have windy days. Makes warm days cooler.

Wow, it's February already. This month just passed way too quickly. It's way too scary. Soon, i'll be sitting in the TJ hall ay my table doing the 'A' levels. Arghhh...

Just went to the CBD to do Geography fieldwork. Thought that the area we were covering was large. But it was actually quite small and easier compared to the others because most of them were shophouses, so it was easier to generalise. There was very less people there so the pedestrian count was quite slack. It wasn't as hard as i thought.

Got new SYF selected piece yesterday during choir. Learning the tough Japanese piece this past week and still can't seem to get it yet. Trying my best to remember the notes and words. The new SYF selected piece was very exciting and i just can't wait to do well in it. Apparently the other SYF selected piece is already chosen. Can't wait to get it too. Will work hard for SYF this year! Oh yah, Grace is apparently working as administration in TJ and her office is the studio behind the recital room. Quite a coincidence i suppose.

Tests galore this two weeks and the weeks ahead. How i miss Year One life! There wasn't tests every week. Couldn't have a decent break during weekend. Now, weekends are just days with more time to do work.

Angel-mortal game is quite fun. Always nice to receive letters from my mortal or angel. Always attempt to write back as quick as possible. It'll end soon anyway. Not as hype about it as last year cause it's not fresh to me anymore. But willing to be enthusiastic about it.

Temasek Idol auditions coming soon. Got semi-finals. It's one more round for me to work hard for. A little nervous about it cause there is a lot of people taking part, especially in individual category.
Don't know what are my chances.

I'm a litlle random today so this entry just feels really loose. Will get it together in next entry.

Update soon.

:> KD

Aching...

2007-01-26T22:34:00.000+08:00

Again, it's another week. I know that some of you people who are rading my blog would say i'm complaining too much about my life, that i'm always whining about my fatigue. Audrey told me on Monday that every time she comes to read my blog, she will always read that i'm complaining about my week. So, i shall fulfill everyone's expectations and say this: I'm very tired!!!

I've been spending a lot of time at the study area near the Scope in school. Every time there's break, you will probably find me there, except when i'm eating in the canteen. During breaks, i'll be there doing something - doing homework, studying, talking to friends, eating, sleeping - and sometimes for an extended period of time. Thursdays are my slackest days with only three lessons in 4 periods. Hence, i have an extended 4 hour break that includes lunch. I've been there for the past few weeks doing my work, usually Economics homework of Mathematics tutorial for the next day. It's like my hang-out place now for me. Spending more time than ever there as compared to a relatively slack year last year. I just got lots to do everyday. My handbook space for each day is sometimes not enough. Shall spend more itme there next week.

I've joined Temasek Idol. I don't know what to sing yet. Must sound good though.

Seniors came on Monday and the complete batch of juniors came on the same day too. The recital room was getting a little crowded as compared to the later half of last year where there was less than 30 people around. Now that my batch has become the seniors, it's time to guide them well enough. There was so many people eating dinner on Monday. The tables were sort off seperated by batch. But it was still very crowded and busy. I'm loving all my new juniors. I shall impart some knowledge to them sooner or later. I really like this new batch. They seem to gel really well on the first few sessions. Hope they'll like to stay after first three months.

My body is aching all over because of P.E. yesterday. It wreaked havoc on my body. Can't move properly for the entire day. Still had to pull through PT for choir today. I'm ready to fall on my bed soon and have an undisturbed sleep. Had two seperate Geography DRQs that requires lots of attention and Mathematics that always require attention. Hence, i'm aching both mentally and physically. That's my pathetic attempt at double meaning.

Speaking of double meaning, i have a Literature test on next Tuesday.

Speaking of test, i have a Mathematics test on next Wednesday.

I really have loads to do. I anticipated more work but not so much work.

Shall collapse on my bed now.

Update soon.

:> KD

Abosolutely Packed

2007-01-19T22:46:00.000+08:00

I can't believe i took such a freaking long time to get blogging again. My timetable is making me absolutely tired after each day. Two weeks of it has passed and i really don't know how much more i can handle. Too much to do and too little time. These are the days when i wish one day would not have just 24 hours.

The new batch of juniors for choir has come slowly. First the DSA people came, then the appeal people came, then one by one the people who auditioned came down right after their audition. So far, the entire new batch of choristers has not really come together yet, but from the looks of it, it's going to be great. The juniors i have now are absolutely full spirited, enthusiastic and new to the ways of TJChoir. It an uncanny experience showing them things they never knew. I was never a senior before, or at least a serious one that requires loads of work. So it feels weird having to teach them, but i am all too happy to do so.

From the results list, the new batch would be a 30-people strong choir with loads of sopranos. But i'm happy with the result, we never had so many people. There is even a new Year Two choir member. Of course there will be people coming in and going out. Just hope this new batch will work hard.

To join Temasek Idol or not to join Temasek Idol? That's the question i am burdening myself with these days. I've yet to come to a decision.

I have loads to do next week too and i doubt i'll be able to blog about it during the weekdays. I have choir on Mondays , Wednesdays and Fridays and i get back home only to fall asleep while catching some shows. Does that count as adapting to the new lifestyle of a TJ Year Two?

The new set piece for SYF is Song Without Words II. It sounds very Singaporean and has no words. Vowels will be decided by the conductor. Don't how it'll turn out. Can't expect anything as i haven't really learnt it yet. Anyway, the songs we are doing for concert are mostly about love and is mostly in Italian except for one Spanish piece. There seems to be new ones on the way. I don't know how we are going to do all of them well and the second half well too. Focus. That's what i really need this year.

Just came back from choir and i'm just awake by a thread. My eyelids are slowly shutting as i type this. I better end this off. Next week is another tough week that i'll have to endure as much as i can.

Update soon.

:> KD

1 Week Down, 51 Weeks To Go

2007-01-07T17:19:00.000+08:00

Well, the special lecture timetable for us in Week 1 is totally over. Now, i have to start with our official timetable. Mondays are going to be so very, very long for me. Arghh, retribution for having such a slack timetable before. But i see the timetables of others and compared to them, my class timetable is relatively normal and not too scary. At least there are breaks in between lessons here and there. Ok, i shall stop complaining about my timetable.

Just learnt the Chinese song that me and some of the choir members are suppose to do on Wednesday for PDP Exhibition. Good work to Jiawen, Kaiyin, Rosanne and Christopher!!! I know their parts are very hard compared to my tenor lead. They were so hard at work yesterday when we were practicing in school. Jiayou!!!

I have yet to finish The Handmaid's Tale and i have yet to start Othello. I only have two weeks to finish it all up. How am i suppose to do that plus all my homework and the revision i plan to do soon? I'll just have to find a way.

Orientation ended for the Year Ones just yesterday. I was around school and periodically i would hear cheers and screams and it brought back memories of my orientation last year. I still remember dunking some Students' Council members into the koi pond and having t say sorry to the fishes in three different languages. I also remember the sore throats of many of the OGLs and OGMs after both orientations last year. I shall probably be listening to a lot of sore throats from my friends from tomorrow onwards.

As for me, 1st week is over. My hectic Year Two experience is only beginning.

Update soon.

:> KD

1st Day As A Year Two

2007-01-03T19:46:00.000+08:00

I'm really not getting used to being called Year Two. I can't believe i'm a Year Two. I have to stop lisyening out for announcements for Year Ones and start reminding myself that i'm a Year Two now, the most senior among the entire cohort of TJCians.

Today is relatively easy compared to the new timetable we are having from next week onwards. I guess we were too slack in last year. Now, we have a really full timetable. Compared to our official timetable next week, this week is very slack and is very much a gentle re-introduction back into school. I wasn't used to school lessons. I was just constantly falling asleep the entire day.

Today during GP, Mrs Noordin talked about the impoprtance of GP and that we can improve our essay skills by blogging, which is true. Blogging is about writing what you are thinking about currently and is a record of your train of thoughts. I guess i shouldn't go off on a tangent and rant on like some man on the street. Controling myself is a way my writing woyld improve. Anyway, it's just something i want to share.

Had Choir lunch yesterday. So much food. I can't believe i got full so ery fast. The food was really good. Had to take advantage of the situation and eat as much as i could then. Most of the choir people came. Ms Lau and Mr Cheng came. Unexpectedly, Ms Tham also came. She brought some scores, probably for our concert this year. The songs sound weird when i found clips of them online. Anyway, also found out that the SYF set piece i mentioned before on the previous entry was cancelled. What a waste of money. We already bought the scores. Anyway, ust waiting for the pieces to be set and also, waiting for the new juniors to come. Hope to encourage more people to join choir, especially during the PDP exhibition.

After eating, we had a very hard time deciding what to do. After loitering around for about one hour, we finally just decided to settle down somewhere and chat and play cards. Had a nice time chatting and sharing music with them. Anyway, from next week onwards, there is probably choir practices three times a week. The worst thing is that on Monday, i have a super long day and i even have P.E. right before choir, which has PT usually. Going to suffer a lot on Monday.

Thank goodness i finished my homework yesterday, all thanks to Yuan Jing. Thanks Yuan Jing! Now i can relax for a while before heading on to hard work all year round.

Update soon.

:> KD

1 Day To 2007

2006-12-30T14:40:00.000+08:00

The Nearness Of You - Norah Jones

It's not the pale moon that excites me
That thrills and delights me, oh no
It's just the nearness of you

It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation, oh no
It's just the nearness of you

When you're in my arms and I feel you so close to me
All my wildest dreams came true
I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night the nearness of you

I just suddenly feel like putting these lyrics here cause i quite like this song and it's meaning. Anyway, i'm done with Geography!!! Yes, now only left with Mathematics, the toughest one for me. I'm going to get a headache just trying to finish one question. I have no idea how to approach this but i'll just have to try.

School is restarting. I really cannot believe one year of JC has passed by me so very fast. It's a super cliche thing to say but it is so true after every year. I guess i was having lots of fun this year. Let's see what is significant in this year for me.

1) Orientation was super duper fun for and it was a wonderful start for my JC life. I didn't have such a great introduction to a school before. It ignited my passion for my school now. I still remember the Orientation and i now it's time for the next Orientation for the new juniors.

2) Choir is such a major part of my life right now. I was kind of apprehesive about joining choir at first, but the people i met there made me for in love with choir and choral music. I would always look foward to a choir practice. Now that i'm left with only half a year of choir, i've got to cherish what i got now.

3) 34/06 is another major part of my life. It's full of ups and downs for me when i'm in this CG, from when it first formed, till it got regrouped and till now, the CG and i went through a lot. But i'm glad to have them as my JC class. I look foward to another year of working hard with them.

Life revolves around school for me. I spend so much time in school this past year, going home late loads of times. But next year will be a fast and furious one, with 'A' Levels looming over us at the end of next year. There'll be lots of changes in my life next year. I look foward to the year of change for me.

Anyway, on to something less heavy. Choir lunch!! Wonder how the food will be like. Talking about choir, i suddenly remembered seeing the SYF set piece for us next year. It's entitled Everything Begins With A Dream. It sounds and looks very patriotic and National Day-ish. But it looks super tough for me. Don't know what's worse, tough notes or tough rhythm. But i'm excited for the new pieces we will be doing next year. I still remember my last SYF in primary school. Woah, that was so long ago. Anyway, idon't want to get all stressed out about it.

I'm off to do my work now. I don't know what to do about my Mathematics homework.

Update soon.

:> KD

3 Days To 2007

2006-12-28T21:03:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the absence from blogging recently. I'm kind of lazy to blog as i first needed to find a more suitable blogskin. I changed the blogsking once again cause i just saw it and really liked it. It's much better than the previous one. Anyway, here is a recap on what happened between the last post and now.

I just cam back from the 4E2 2005 chalet and it really was just fun to see them again. Whenever i spend time with the class, i feel like i was in the past with them in 4E2. I had loads of fun on the first night i went there. There was so many people. It must be the most people i have ever seen on one gathering. Anyway, i cannot believe Mrs Ngiam played that card game with us that day. Haha, she is such an expert. Can't believe those who went abroad actually came back for the chalet. I really enjoyed the chatting and the company. Today, i went to the chalet again but it was much quieter as they was lesser people and most of them were just too tired to do much. It was kind of boring but it's always nice to spend time with them. The last few hours i felt a little extra cause i was alone in a room with Valerie and Samuel. Then, i went home along with Samuel, who is very sleepy and kept falling asleep on the train ride home.

I went for another few caroling sessions too. One of it is at MICA or the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts. The place was quite nice and the people there are really kind towards us. Chatted with one of the officers there. The people there are really nice. The other two caroling gigs are at Beaufort Hotel on Sentosa. The Caucasian people there are very receptive of our performances and i really like it whenever they clap for us. Comparatively, the Singaporeans are much less receptive and clap less often. But whatever the case, i had a nice experience there cause the foreigners are appreciative of our efforts. Anyway, the holding place is so cool cause there is tea and everything. I had fun learning bridge from Samantha that day. Thanks! I'm hooked on playing bridge now. Haha!

I'm left with Geography and Mathematics homework. I doubt i'll be able to finish it but i can't lose faith in myself. I have to pull myself together for the next 5 days before i have no time left to get it over and done with, even though there is a choir lunch on soon. I'm looking foward to the food!!

Update soon.

:> KD

101th Post

2006-12-14T14:35:00.000+08:00

Since some of you guys had comments to my previous blogskin, i decided to change to a simpler blogskin so that you guys can scroll through my blog easier. But one thing bugs me, i can't seem to get that navigation bar away from the top of my links page. Anyone know how to remedy this situation?

Been reading my books religiously recently. Just want to get it over and done with cause i haven't touched any of my homework that needs to be handed up next year and caroling will come soon so i won't have the time to do my homework if i dragged it on like this. I can really finish it if i put my mind to it. I'm just not focusing as well as i would like. i would feel sleepy after a chapter or so. Have to stay focused so i can move on with my work.

The class chalet was really fun. It was a new environment for me as my previous chalets were all at Downtown East. I had loads of fun even though i was recovering from my illness then. It was a huge house and this chalet was different from the others i had before cause i was actually able to sleep on both nights. But it was such a refreshing experience going on this chalet with 34/06. I won't blog about it here cause i feel it'll be way too draggy and boring. All i can say is that i had a lot of fun during the chalet. Thanks 34/06 for organising it!!!

Well, i'm spending my days reading my books, watching television and surfing the net and that's all i do at home. It's surprisingly not getting stale. Well, back to my books.

Update soon.

:> KD

Centennial Post

2006-12-05T12:04:00.000+08:00

100 posts. Wow, that takes loads of times to finish. But i actually had reached 100 posts on this blog. I changed the look of this blog so many times already and it's time for another change and this new skin is apparently the 'Skin of the Day' on Blogskin.com. I really like it. I have written so much. That's great.

Went caroling on Saturday. In retrospective, i felt i shouldn't have gone with the choir there cause because of it my throat infection got worse. and i burnt up to 39 degrees. Anyway, it was ok. The audience weren't that receptive as i would have guessed. There were receptive to the other caroling group there, Victoria Chorale, more or less because there were more of them. But i don't really care. Just hope that the people there appreciated our hard work even though most of them don't really give a hoot.

Went to the SYC concert with the choir people yesterday and might i say it was fantastic. The SYC Ensemble Singers were good but not as impressive as the Phillippine choir and the Japanese choir. The combined pieces were all pretty fantastic. It was all very enjoyable, even though i was still sick. The SYC probably did not seem as good because of the pieces they did. It was all religious, sacred and heavy pieces that were not as light-hearted as the Japanese choir's performance or the Phillippine choir's repertoire. But i can definitely see the standard in all the choirs and all of them are exceptionally great. It's all good.

Tomorrow will be the class chalet. i don't know whether my parents would allow me to go due to me just recovering from my illness. Just hope i'll be well enough to go.

Will have to start holiday homework soon. I have a few weeks free before the start of school. Back to work.

Update soon.

:> KD

Recovering...

2006-12-01T15:44:00.000+08:00

Just found out that i have a throat infection that is causing me to have fever. Isn't that the worst thing that could happen to a chorister? Well, at least i'm recovering really quick from eating the medicine. Last night was such a torture. Couldn't sleep well at all due to fever. Ate Panadol at least 3 times yesterday and still couldn't do much for my condition, until i finally went to see the doctor this morning. Had a relatively better day than yesterday. Don't really feel the fever anymore. My immunity system must be working overtime.

My fever must have burnt my brain yesterday. I kept thinking yesterday was today and that i was going for the caroling gig at Safra the next day. Only when my mother asked me why i had my suit out and told me that it was only Thursday did i realise i must be stuck in a trance for the entire day. Felt so stupid when i realise i was being really off. That fever really worked it's 'magic' on me.

Talking about caroling, we were suppose to have our caroling gig at Marina Mandarin Hotel on Wednesday night, but before the bus that will take us there came, Mr Cheng told us that some mix-up had occured in the organising of the events at Marina Mandarin Hotel and that our caroling gig was canceled. But, we are still going to get paid because it was the organising committee's fault to have fumbled up their events. So, we just took the bus to Marina and went on a choir outing at Marina Square. And i finally went to see Casino Royale. The stunts in the film are immensely crazy.
Going to carol at Safra at Mount Faber. Never really heard of that place. But will just enjoy caroling, even though there would be relatively lesser people than expected. Man, i do want to hurt my voice by blasting. Just hope the people there aren't as noisy so i would not have to strain our voices. I heard Victoria Chorale will be caroling there too on the same night, either that or the fever has permanently damged my brain into thinking that way. Either, i don't really care. I just want to enjoy caroling.

Had Choir Exchange at SAJC on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was really a nice experience. Never had the chance to sing in such a big choir, and it was interesting experiencing the different conducting styles of the 3 conductors. I learnt a lot of things about my voice. I was able to sing better than i ever sung before...i think. I was able to project a G note very well and i was able to reach an A flat with my real voice. Always a rare occassion to have done that. The three combined pieces are all nice. I love Mighty Wonder and the Russian piece the most. Credo is nice too, with its shifting chords. It was really a good thing after all.

Yay, got CG chalet soon. Hope it'll be fun. It is supposedly at a place other than Coasta Sands?? I really don't know. But all i know is i'm just really going to enjoy it. The last chalet i had was during June Holidays, the choir chalet. Anyway, really just want to relax before i launch head first into my homework.

Another yay would be the Three concert put up by the SYC and two other foreign choirs. Going to watch it on Monday. Whoohooo....sorry, way too hyper. Just been a while since i went to Esplanade. well, not really, but i'm always up for a SYC concert.

Arghhh, i hate holiday homework. Other than the already-done film review for Geography, there is Maths, Economics, GP. I also have to attempt to read finish 4 books in a month, 2 for leisure and 2 for Literature. Well, seems daunting. It is daunting. How am i going to finish it nicely?? I think i feel my headache coming back....haha...just have to try i guess.

Update soon.

:> KD

1st Caroling Gig...

2006-11-26T22:03:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was my first caroling gig ever. It was surprisingly fun. I never went caroling before so i don't know how it'll turn out. Thank goodness we were good. Thing was, we weren't ready a few hours before our performance maybe because we were just a little unprepared and tired. But when we performed at Singapore Swimming Club, it was nice and good and really fun.

The bad thing was that the people and children there didn't really know what was happening when we were singing. Though there were microphones and all of us blasted our way through all the songs, the people just really didn't seem to care whatsoever. Some of the children are really cute, copying Tessa when she is conducting us. But when the balloons came down it just turned chaotic. Many of them just started stomping away the balloons, making such a noise and just not really paying attention when we sang, partly because their 'Santa Claus' came and posed with the children. But whatever the case is, i had fun caroling and i had never sung that loud before so it was really exciting. Hope the next one at Marina Mandarin Hotel would be better.

Sorry about the immensely long previous post. I was just way too excited and happy about our concert so that was just a show of my enthusiasism for our choir so much so that i just repeated my words.

There is going to be a choir exchange for TJC, NJC, SAJC and HCI next Tuesday. Don't really know what to expect. Just hope it'll be fun.

At least i finished my movie review. Now, i have to start on my other holiday homework. Crap, don't know how to find motivation to do it.

Update soon.

:> KD