31st December 2006
Subjective truths. I'm still trying to grasp the idea.
Time passes so quickly. 2006 can be quickly summed up with a single character which is "?". Yeah. Everything's summarised into a small little question mark. Why? Because, the year 2006 is a year of transition from one phase to another phase. It symbolises the loss of identity which decides the public transport fares. It pushes the need for crazed shopping sprees and it redefines the meaning of weird.
Kierkegaard said that the really important truths are personal.
But then again, 2006 may be so for me, but it could be a hell of a year for others. That would be one thing I learnt during this 365.2425 days. To view things from different perspectives and to consider all possibilities.
A place to hold these truths
Also, 2006 has widened my view on things and I've learnt more about history, philosophy, styles of writing, and even team management. Call me a Jack-of-all-trades, but I believe that a broad scope of knowledge is essential for one to truly understand the workings of the world.
A reflection of the past.
I shall end here and meet Wei Sheng at Dhoby Ghaut's TCC. Another stoning session before doomsday arrives at our doorsteps.
To not let memories die.

30th December 2006
I'm not sure if you are angry at me, but it is your right to be angry. I'll try my best not to cross your path anymore.
Finally starting on my AMP paper. Quite a frustrating assignment as I have absolutely no idea on how to write it.

• Principles of reinforcement in polymer composites
• Details of different Fibres
• Details of polymers
• Various types of fibre reinforced polymer composite
• Fabrication techniques for polymer composites aircraft components
• Advantages and disadvantages of polymer composites
• Application of polymer composites in aircraft components

Just some of the main points to cover. Gah.

X-winds practice yesterday was pretty crappy. Lots of problems surfaced during the practice. And after the practice, while we were having supper at the coffeeshop, we had a mini meeting which, in my opinion, was pretty useless too. Sigh. Things will get better soon. I hope.

I received an sms from CS saying that Shiling they all got lectured because we forgot to lock the back door. Feel so guilty about it. Since the band room was under my charge last night, I should have checked the doors and everything before leaving.

Okay, I'm off to research on some funny polymer composites.

29th December 2006
I'm sorry.
The year's ending. Doesn't really make a difference anyway. 2006 is pretty insignificant for me. It's more of a transition period, with everything flying by so quickly that my eyes capture nothing more than a blur of colours.
But whether or not you choose to forgive, it is up to you.
Not really in the mood to blog now. So here ends this post.

So, it has come to this. Flipping coins to decide my future. Dying slowly without anyone even knowing about it.
Once again, feeling insignificant and useless.

26th December 2006
Boxing Day

Supposed to go for a 2E3 barbecue today. But I backed out at the last possible moment. Even I am surprised that I did that. Well, I skipped the barbecue to go catch a movie with Hoiting, Chiang Chin, Junsheng, Yiang Shan and Peggy. But some stuff happened along the way and my face was super black until the movie.

I'm so sorry that I missed the barbecue. I promise to try and make it for the next late night movie if you guys call me. Not that I like to pang seh, but if I went today, I'll just kill the joyous mood.

Today was a happening day. I went to Xinmin with the intention to book the bandroom for alumni practice. But things cocked up and it turned out to be a wasted trip. Mr Chia was in a meeting and OM Lim could not find the booking form. Therefore, OM Lim decided to give me that look and told me to come back tomorrow. What a way to start off the day.

After walking in the rain again, I reached Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 to help my former Chinese tuition teacher to decorate her classroom. It was quite a hassle for me as I was never good at art, I do not have a natural talent for decorating classrooms and I could be shopping at Vivocity instead of being trapped in a room. But since she was my teacher, and I sincerely wanted to help her out, I went ahead and got on with the decoration. Will be going back again tomorrow to finish up. It looks kind of pathetic now, but its the best I can do with my current creativity level. Maybe the things dangling from the ceiling will make it look less pathetic. But then again, maybe not.

Walked in the rain yet again to Cineleisure from Somerset MRT after the decorating. Met up with the gang and then sat around at the food court trying to decide what to do. Turned out that the tickets for the 6pm and 7pm shows were sold out. They took a really long time to decide what to do. And by then, my face was charcoal black. I went to Heerens to shop alone. But the shirts that I wanted to buy were all out of 'L' sizes. So I walked around abit more and then joined back the group. They had finally decided on a 9.50pm show.

Had dinner with the gang at Yoshi's and then did more aimless walking in Cineleisure. By the time the movie started, my mood was more or less back to normal. We watched 'A Night at the Museum'. It was a hilarious show with a simple message behind it. If you caught the show, but still can't identify the message, slap yourself now.

Done? Okay. Let's continue.

The show ended at near midnight. The train service had ended and there were no 'night riders' as it is a weekday. We caught a bus to boon keng and then got on a cab from there. Things got pretty insignificant from there on.

Oh. Something unexpected happened at 1.29am. But I shall not disclose anymore information concerning this issue.

As I was typing in this post, I was at the same time reading my past entries.I came across my 2006 resolutions and realised that they were all unfulfilled. Then, I saw my many posts telling of the 8 years and accomplishing nothing story. I think I can add another year to it already. 9 years and still an underachiever.

Oh man, 'Follow your heart' is playing again. Why does my media player keep asking me to follow my heart and follow my dreams? I think it is a sign. A sign for me to follow my dreams and go to bed. That is all for now. Ciao.

The line between truth and lies is so blurred that even I can't tell what's real and what's not. How can I follow my heart when my heart is so lost.


25th December 2006
Christmas Day

Merry merry christmas, Lonely lonely christmas...

First time I'm spending Christmas cooped up at home, facing the laptop and my trumpet. How exciting.

Sunday 17th December 2006
Questions that are currently running through my head: 3
How does a person feel emotions?
How does one person's inner emotions affect those around them?
Why do people ask others to cheer up when they themselves know that such concerns have zero effect on those that are down?
Questions unanswered: 3

I finally watched finish Ghost in the Shell SAC 1st and 2nd gigs. Quite a nice anime. Now going to start chionging korean dramas. But judging from my schedule, I've got a feeling that these dramas are going to take quite some time to complete.

Today is the 17th of December. Nothing seems to be happening today. The sky is dark as usual, with a downpour in the early afternoon. Construction on the new school beside my house goes on. Foundations have been laid, primary structure for the buildings are up.
Apart from these observations, the day seems to be a boring one.

Blogging seems to become a business affair, with more "shops" being set up on blogspot. I'm intrigued by this information. Looks like the world's really going cyber. Before long, you'll see people selling cyber properties for a cyber life. And all that exists in the real world would be just a reminder of our past.

Back to reality, the band chalet starts tomorrow, on the 18th. A yearly activity, this year's band chalet would be in Changi. It is supposed to be an exciting event, but something gloomy just seems to be hanging around in my heart. For the past few chalets, there has been accidents. Chiang Chin dislocated his wrist, Siew Yuen fell from a bike, what is going to happen this time? I hope this chalet will proceed without any accidents happening.

And my camera is still down! It's a pity I can't go with the photog club to do christmas shooting. But then again, the shoot falls within the chalet dates. So either way, I won't be able to go. Having my camera down would mean that I won't be able to capture anything for this chalet. Such a pity. I foresee many interesting happenings at this year's chalet. Especially with an estimated turnout rate of 60 people at Wednesday's BBQ. It's surprising how enthusiastic this year's sec 1s are. But then again, all of us were enthusiastic during sec 1. Were we not?

My Flickr address. Feel free to view and comment. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hanyong

Oh man. I feel damn loser-ish these few days. Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm actually losing interest in studying. Gah.

I'm still considering whether to go for the audition next month. Yes, it's next month. And I hear that some of the kids are going for it. It would be such a pain in the ass if they get in and I get rejected. So, I'm really hesitant about the audition. If I were to go for it, I'll need to prepare 2 pieces. I've got a few in my head, but all of them really needs practice.

Trumpet-ing ain't going all that well for me. I'm screwing up stuff that used to be a piece of blackforest cake now. Despite the extra practices I'm putting in, I'm still not seeing any results. Gah. My slotting and notes need work!



Alright, instruments aside. This week is common test week. I have 3 papers, namely Engineering maths 3B (EM3B), Thermofluids 1 (TF1) and Aerospace materials and processes 1 (AMP).

First off, we have EM3B. The paper was tough. But still managable. At least, for everyone else. I did the paper but not much hope for getting anything more than a B.

Next up, TF1. Thermofluids was crap. Out of the few questions, I only knew how to do one question. Or rather, one part of that question. I screwed up badly. Hopes for passing is even lower than that I had for 'O' levels Combined Humanities.

Last paper for the week is AMP, which is tomorrow at 1pm. And I'm here blogging an entry. Right. And that isn't a good thing. Oh well, I'll just have to try my best tomorrow.



Another thing. I completed FFVII Dirge of Cerberus just now. Not too bad a sequel. But the english dubbing SUX! Seriously, the english voice dubs are so very exciting that I can find more excitement in watching ants mate. But the CGs are nice. Story was quite boring. I would give it an overall ratingof 4.5/10.

Next target game: FFX and FFXII

Holla! I'm back for another post! Such a rarity that I come here and do up a post before someone sweeps me in MSN or on the tagboard.

**WARNING**

I'm going to write about something that really irritates me. Some of you people out there might know what I'm talking about. But for those who doesn't, no worries. You don't have to know. It ain't important. It's just something that I have to get out of my system.

If you are easily offended by offensive language, please skip the next two paragraphs.

After being friends (or rather, acquaintances) for more
than two years with you, I sincerely expected expect better treatment
from you instead of getting insults and sarcastic remarks. What about the
past experiences that we had together? Maybe it doesn't really matter to
you. Maybe the memories of the years spent in Xinmin are
just of wooing girls and pissing people off. Seriously, treating
a friend for two years like some trash in front of some new made friends? I
think something's wrong with you.

And its not just me who says that about you. Even other
classmates and friends say that. The way you treat your peers, how you ridicule
and utilise them, it's just mean. The term mean is an understatement. I
personally feel that you have gone way beyond mean. So if one day, you see me on
the streets or anywhere else, don't even bother acknowledging my presence. I
will just ignore you.

The "1 litre of tears" craze is spreading. All of a sudden, everyone is watching this fabulous jap drama. I finally finished the last of the 11 episodes yesterday. It's really a touching show. That teaches things about life, friendship and kinship. So for all of you who are unaware of this nice show, go catch it. It's seriously worth the time spent.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this blog has been neglected for quite awhile. To all my readers, sorry for the lack of updates.

School has been crazy these days. With tests every week and deadlines to meet, I wonder how did I even manage to last till now.

'O' levels and 'A' levels are finally over/ending! Which means, I've got more people to rot with. And the regular rot-spot is back in business. Yay. This might mean that there are more people to find for movie action or any activities. But from what I'm experiencing these few days, everyone seems to be just as busy as before. Even finding someone to go out for a movie at Junction 8 is tough.

My computer programming miniproject is finally completed! Should have done an easier topic instead of the one I'm doing now. It's seriously hell to look for a small mistake in 600++ lines. But after 1 week of searching, it's finally done! Yay.

Okay, I'm off to revise maths. Zzz. Till the next update. Ciao!

eadm sikestma eht torercc to neary I

Having AutoCAD lesson now. So boring. Nothing much to do.

Rondeau XXI is finally over. Can't say that it was an exciting experience, but playing in VCH definitely brought back memories of the Xinfony series. Especially Xinfony VI. My last concert with Xinmin.

Anyway, it was not a sell out concert but the turn out was quite surprising. Most of the seats were taken and although the audience was quite dead, they still managed to make the concert look less pathetic. Much better than playing to an empty hall. Recordings of the concert is out already I think.

Oh, I finally bought all my books for this sem. After 4 weeks into sem 2. Finally. And the last book, AMP is super heavy. It's like lugging a rock to school. Gah.

Finally had some sleep.

I'm like totally screwed. Lessons start early in the morning on Mon, Tues and Wed. My parents are abroad. And I wonder how on Earth would I actually manage to wake up in time for school.

I just started watching Death Note anime on youtube.com. Quite a nice anime. I can't wait for the 2nd movie to be released! Oh man. Cheers to the creator of Death Note. You're a genius.

Okay. Finally I'm posting up something. It's been a rough time for me these few days.

NPCB is giving me a hell of a time. Danza Sinfonica is like totally fucked up. (Not that I like to use vulgarities.) Individually, I have rhythm problems all over the place and an articulation poroblem. Can't seem to tongue fast enough. As a section, the other members can't play their parts and they just seem to fuck care about everything. (Sorry again.) I'm seriously traumatised by the noise that the section is producing. Argh. I'm going insane.

Went out with Qing Huang, Eddie and Melissa to catch Death Note last night. After that, we had an expedition from Vivo City to Marina Square. On foot. And we lasted till dawn before we all went home. I went home, bathed and left for school.
Sorry if I seemed moody during the outing. I just had to think about some things. And I still haven sorted it out yet. Sigh.

I'm like super tired now. Feel like taking a very long break from everything. Maybe a decade long hibernation period?

A butterfly in the cocoon struggles with all its might to break through the obstacle that is placed in its way. There is no other easy way out. So should we learn from it. Fighting with all our might and surviving through all ordeals.

Yesterday was a dark day for many. I received news that some of my ex-classmates have retained. And I feel the pain for them for many were my good friends. I still can't believe that they are going to retain. But the strength that they have shown was amazing. If it were me, I think I'll already be at home gaming away. OOPS.

Anyway, I finally got about washing my trumpet today. I removed the handguard and was dismayed by the tarnish of the valve casings. Going ahead with the washing, I tarried for about an hour and was finally done. And my trumpet is now sparkling clean! Save the scratches and the tarnish marks and some stubborn stains. However, my slides aren't as smooth as it used to feel.

Time that has past does not return. A man that has aged cannot regain his youth. The passing of time is natural, so is that of the passing of life.
I watched today as the world went on about me. The flurry of people about me rushing to different places. The endless flow of traffic that never ceases. The workers at a construction site working ever so slowly.

And I started thinking again. Of topics so random that I have absolutely no idea on how to include it in this post. Or any other post. Something that always fascinates me is life itself. I always look at strangers and wonder how is their life like. What did they do, how was their childhood like, how were their classmates like. And strangely, I can just sit back in a cafe, enjoy an iced latte and imagine the lives of other people for the whole day.

I was watching CNA just now about the North Korean nuclear tests. Since the 5 nuclear powers of the world can have the privilege of having nuclear technology, why can't other countries have it too? And if the concern was about nuclear weapons, does the Nuclear Weapons States have nuclear weapons?
Anyway, nuclear weapons were born as a result of an arms race between the Americans and Soviets during the cold war. And the USSR has collapsed since then. The world should be taking steps to a total disarmanent of nuclear weapons now. My point is, instead of pressuring just N. Korea to stop any possible nuclear weapons development, all the countries should disarm their nuclear arsenal.

Sigh. I'm not making any sense here. I foresee Man's fall coming soon. Our end will be the day when some idiot decides to nuke another country. And that won't be too far off.

I'm once again walking alone, facing familiar strangers and acting as if I know them. My hands moving on their own, performing familiar tasks that my heart finds foreign.

I'm so tired. Tired of sitting around, wasting my life. Tired of going around, making a fool out of myself. I'm reminded of what Brando once said about me. Something that is really true and makes me find myself irksome now. Sigh. Why do I like to find trouble for myself.. I think somewhere within the next few weeks, I'll just break down and get all disorientated.

I feel so unmotivated. In everything that I am doing now. It's like I suddenly got lost again while attempting to find the path that I should be on. I think sooner or later, I'll just close up in my shell again. Put up another mask to face this world.

Beautiful Sunday was not as beautiful as it should be.

Anyway, the holidays are coming to a close and school is starting soon. I was supposed to be meeting Jonas and friends at NP today to buy books and install Compro. But due to the excessively entertaining phone conference last night, I woke up at noon. So I didn't make it to the 'buy-book' session.

I'm still pretty upset over the haze thing. It's not like it was caused by some natural incidents, which I can understand and forgive. But it's caused by some really retarded people who decides to burn forests. Right. I'd rather they chop them down and make them into paper or furnitures. At least paper can be recycled right?

I really hope people can pay more attention to loving their environment. It is mother Earth that gave us life, and how do we repay her? By burning trees, releasing pollutants into the air, doing nuclear tests, etc etc. How come humans can't ever live in harmony with nature?

Went out to Northpoint yesterday with Marcus, Jolene and Huimin. Bought two CDs, Jay's "Still Fantasy" and Chris Botti's "To love again". Watched "You, Me and Dupree" which made me start to think. How many times have we thought that we knew someone or something very well, but in actual fact, we knew naught. More often than not, we assume too many things. Like how well you are perceived by your peers. How likeable you are. How good you are at what you do.

Oh well, that always happens. That's why there are all the "I don't like you" things going on in society. And not forgetting the backstabbing that happens everywhere.

I just splurged on myself again. Spent $17.85 on J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Silmarillion'. Fantastic book that reaches into the beginnings of Middle Earth. Guess I'm like totally addicted to LOTR and middle earth history. oops.

Went for a movie with Yi Zhen just now. Watched 'Stay Alive'. I'd give it a 6.5/10 if you ask me. Story was fresh, but some ideas were plain dumb. I won't include any spoilers here in case anyone plans to catch that show.

I dreamt of you last night. We were together, running down a flight of stairs, trying to get away from something. At the bottom of the stairs, we got seperated and I watched you run further and further away from me.

Today is tuesday. That means there's only 5 days to beautiful sunday. And the pieces are still problematic. Sigh.

Alright.

Gregory, Daryl and WeeChee asked me to play for NP band.
Huimin asked me to play for NYP band.

NP is so -censored- far away and practices are at night.
NYP is closer to home but it is a unknown place to me.

Playing for NP gets me CCA points.
Playing for NYP is fun.

But playing for NP or NYP or both means that I would have to commit alot of time.

Do I want to spend everyday having band practices? Sigh. I have to make a decision soon.

Been thinking (again) and reading my archives recently. My earliest posts remind me so much of when I was in Primary School. (I had a diary thing [journal?] that we were forced to keep. My writing style in my earliest posts were exactly the same as the one in the diary.)

I don't remember much about my Primary School life. But of Secondary School, I have had some of the best (and worst) times of my life so far.

As the saying goes, you never know how much you love something until you have lost it. How true is it. It was not until I entered Ngee Ann Polytechnic then I found out how much I loved my alma mater. Xinmin Secondary School. I'm so darn proud to say I am from Xinmin. We have progressed from a kampung school to a school that stands as one of the top in Singapore.

All the best to our juniors who will be taking their O's and N's! Keep up our current ranking!!!
And to our seniors taking their A's, don't break down now.. Keep up the steam and go for it!

Two mice fell into a bucket of cream. The first one gave up and drowned. The second one kept struggling until it churned the cream into butter. It then climbed out and walked away.

A simple story. But such an important lesson that it teaches.

Writer's Block

When I finally get time to rest
Resting becomes a waste of time
I try to do something meaningful
Tried to write a story, like before
Ended up sitting in front of my laptop for hours
Really!!
'
Sat there and tried to write something

But I just can't get anything down
Lack of inspiration I guess
Or maybe I'm just losing my touch
Cannot think of anything else to blog today
Keep checking back for updates

Pri 4 Pri 5 Pri 6 Sec 1 Sec 2 Sec 3 Sec 4 Year 1

8th year of playing the trumpet. 8 years. Sigh. Would have expected a much better standard by now. I always thought that I was a good player. Guess I was wrong. I'm still as useless a trumpeter as I was 8 years ago.

There were times such as this one where I'd very much like to throw down my instrument and walk away. But that would mean I'm giving up and admitting defeat. No matter how hard I try, it seems that I can't make it. I'll never be as bright as others. Or as good as others. I'll always be the bench warmer. There only to fill up an empty slot.

There are some words that some people said that I will always remember. Words that are hurting enough to leave scars. A reminder to how underachieving I've been. How unremarkable I am. How insignificant and useless I am

I guess my fighting spirit is gone. Don't ask me why. Don't try to console me. I'm just accepting reality as it is.

No one understands me. So don't bother.

Right. New table came in today and everything in my room is upside down again. Been struggling to pack my stuff but then there's just too much to do. = \ Filled 2 big bags with trash that I'm going to clear and I'm done for the day. Room's super dusty and my nose is killing me. Ugh.

Guess I'll continue my packing tomorrow. My room's like a warzone! Things scattered here and there. Bla bla bla.

Saw some really nostalgic items while packing. Brought back lots of wonderful memories. Like graduating from Primary School, going for my grade 3 exam, and playing MTG cards with my friends. So I sat down and slowly sorted through my stuff, wasting lots of time. But I guess that's the problem with me. Always looking back and unwilling to let go.

Been wasting my life in front of the comp for these few days. Feeling really bad about it. God gave us a life to live meaningfully. Not waste it sitting in front of laptops and PCs. Well, not that I'm a religious person.

Had a sudden urge to dance today. Something loud and crazy like the one during prom night. But guess its kinda crazy. I'm still underage anyway. Can't go clubbing yet. Haha. But even if I'm of legal age, I don't think I can find anyone to go with.

Was clearing up my table just now when my dad told me that I'll be getting a new table tomorrow. Meaning that all the time I spent setting up my sound system yesterday will go to waste as everything will have to be taken apart again. Oh well, at least it'll be the last time I have to set up everything. Beats having a computer table hanging over a fifth of my bed.

I forgot to post about my exam results here. So here goes.

Creative and Applied Thinking Skills (CATS) - D+. We had a really great lecturer for this module. But she's just strict. Too strict.

Electrical Technology & Electronics (ETE) - B+. Okay. This was totally unexpected. I've been barely passing my tests for this module and I got a B+? Wow. This module sucks anyway.

Engineering Mathematics 2 (EG2) - A. Right. Was expecting something like A+. But nevermind. A's good enough. Quite an easy subject if you ask me. Like A maths. But harder.

Engineering Mechanics (EngMec) - A. Just an A. Not good enough for me. = \ Was expecting AD since I knew how to do every single question in the paper. Aw.

Fundamentals of Aerospace Technology (FAT) - A. Projects are so damn troublesome! We had to find data for 3 planes. And believe me, it's not easy. We spent days poring over internet websites and books for the specifications. Many thanks to Jane who made our lives easier by compiling a wonderful book on all the world's aeroplanes.

Manufacturing Technology (MT) - B. Another surprise! This is basically advanced D&T. And we had a really great lecturer who had something against black guys working in construction sites.

Sports and Wellness (S&W) - PX. Woohoo! Dancesports! Something which I was placed into against my wishes (long long story.). But it wasn't all that bad. Had great fun dancing cha cha and jive. I would have joined that club if not for someone. Haha. Don't bother asking who. NPCB people should know.

So basically that's all for my exam results. I had 32 semester credit points and my current semester grade point average is 3.5. Not too bad. But I guess I'm ranking at one of the last in my class.

Concert's over. Can't say it was perfect though. Hall was like 2/3 filled? But nevermind. We all had fun. = )

Been rotting these few days. Nothing much to do except for rotting in front of the computer. Sigh. Such a "meaningful" holiday.

It really beats me how people can blog such a long entry. Maybe I'm a guy of few words? Hmm, maybe not. I guess it's just pure laziness. X D

Time to go for a haircut. Blog back soon.



I like munching on plain bread. ^^

Alright. NJRC is over. So I'm back at home slacking again. Nothing much going on these days. Only thing left to do is to play WOW and sleep while the others (JC and Sec sch kids) go to school.

I'm still worried about getting X-Winds back on track. Lots of problems for me to tackle. Sigh. Guess things will work itself out soon. Well, at least I hope it will.

I want my C-card!!

Been such a long time already. Still have not received any news. Tsk.

Watched The Lakehouse just now. Finally able to watch it after such a long time. Well, it was good. But not as good as I expected it to be.

Anyway, I've made up my mind to catch all the movies I've been longing to watch in this holiday. Treat it as some time off from all the hassle of everyday life.

7 random facts abt me:

1. I read.
2. I hate ETE (Electrical Technology and Electronics).
3. I study Aerospace Technology.
4. I play the trumpet.
5. I'm suave. =D
6. I like to joke.
7. I am wondering if u believed no. 6.

7 things that scares me:

1. Small enclosed places. I'm a little claustrophobic.
2. Silence.
3. Loneliness.
4. Choking to death on a fishball.
5. Horrible ways of dying.
6. Living aimlessly.
7. Stupid tutorials/online quizzes/projects that are almost impossible to do. Like the one I'm doing now. Ass.
   

7 fav songs atm:

1. Superman Returns OST - 01-Main theme
2. Superman Returns OST - 02-Memories
3. Riverdance
4. Movie Miracles - 01-The Planet Krypton
5. Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra - Omens of Love
6. Colours of the Wind
7. Jericho

7 things i like most:

1. My Challenger 3137 Trumpet
2. My Acer Travelmate 3280 Laptop
3. Dreaming
4. Reflecting
5. Thinking
6. Reading
7. Performing on my trumpet

7 people to do this *$##$^* quiz:

1. Yi Zhen
2. Yiang Shan
3. Jun Sheng
4. Wenjie
5. Yaoming
6. Shuping
7. Aizat

I'm afraid..
I'm afraid to fail in places others have succeeded.
I'm afraid in failing to meet my targets.
I'm afraid to fail the people who have placed expectations on me.
I'm afraid of losing hope.
I'm afraid of what I am capable of..
Or rather, incapable of..
I'm afraid..

8 years and counting..

Still, the results are disappointing..

Sorry dudes for not updating for such a long time. Been kinda lazy these days.. hahaha..

Recently, I've been busy practicing shooting fireworks at the firework fest. Went for Team Singapore and Team France's shows. But sadly, the pictures wasn't exactly wonderful. = x

Exams are just around the corner. So I guess I have another excuse to not update again. ^^

Just came back from malaysia!

I finally finished my Open Water course. It was really fun being out in the sea and all that.

Friday 26th May 2006,
We met at the atrium in the evening, formed our groups and boarded the bus. Damn bus. So uncomfortable! We made our way to mersing jetty on that bus and reached there really late. On the way to the jetty, we passed by an accident. The car was totally wrecked, all I saw was the hood of the car in a vertical position and crumpled like sweet wrapper.

Saturday 27th May 2006,
We reached Mersing Jetty early in the morning, rushed around carrying all the equipments onto the speedboat. After that, we boarded the speedboat and rushed to beat the tide. The tide was going down, our boat couldnt beat the tide and got stuck at the mouth of mersing river. The guys got off the boat and pushed the boat for a very long distance. BUt we were still stuck, so we boarded the other speedboat that came back to rescue us.

My jeans was wet throughout the whole journey and the aircon on the boat was not functioning. After a really long boat ride, we reached Pulau Aur. Its really beautiful, the waters are crystal clear, there were fishes and jellyfishes in the water, bla bla bla. We reached at around 4. Had a quick briefing and rooms assignment. Then we went to our rooms to slp.

Got up at 8 for breakfast and first dive. We suited up, set up our gears and got ready to jump. First dive was to 10 ft, to practice mask clearing, mask removal, regulator clearing and regulator retrieval.

Went out of the water after 40 mins. Rested awhile and went for second dive.

Second dive was slightly deeper to 15 ft. Practiced tail pivot, bouyancy control and removal of BCD. At the start of this dive, my tank got loose and dropped out from my BC. I lagged behind the others and tried to slip the tank back on. Luckily my dive instructor saw me and helped my strap the tank back on and I was good to go. Went down and did the activities without anymore mishaps.

Exited the water after 40 mins for lunch and rest.

Third dive was skin diving. We went in with just mask, snorkle, wetsuit and fins. Learnt skin diving techniques like the Duck dive and Kelp dive.

We did our dive logs after that and then went for our theory revision. Somehow, we ended up playing mahjong, sun tanning, playing sepak takraw and all other funny stuff instead of studying.

Theory test was quite simple and fun. Our group did the test with NUS people and we were like discussing the questions and answers together.

After finishing dinner and the test, we went for a walk around the compounds and to the jetty. We spent quite some time lying down and looking at the stars. The sky was really filled with stars. No matter which part of the sky you look at, there will be at least 50 stars. Maybe more. The sight was really beautiful.


Okay.. too tired to continue.. Post part 2 back shortly..

Hah.. Finally an update!!

School was interesting. And interesting things happening in school. Hahas. Like my class - 1T01. Scary place with weird people. As in literally. And I actually thought I was weird. = / well, my defination of weird has changed now. Hahs.

I got placed into Dance Sports for my IS Sports and Wellness module. Learning ballroom dancing and stuff (UGH..). Kinda dumb choice. But well, what's done's done. No point crying over spilt milk. Who asked me to be on MC during week 1. All other choices got snapped up and only Dance Sports and NETBALL was left.

Going off to my medical checkup le. HAh. Update next time.

OMG!!!! I lost like 5 kg within 2 weeks la!! My size 28 jeans can barely stay around my hips la.. They seem to have taken a liking for my ankles. = / Such a horrifying weight loss programme. brr.

Finally back from campS!! Last week, I had the greatest camp of 2006. SPORTS CAMP!! ALthough I'm not so much of a sportsman, I really enjoyed the camp. Although the group I'm in, Onda, was quite dead, we still managed to have a hell lot of fun! Met some really great pals there. This camp also made me more determined to join a sports club. Sports are so fun! The ones at the top of my list now is Canoe and dragonboat.

The next camp was the Freshman Orientation Camp. Although it was SUPPOSED to rawk, it didn't. Quite sad for the Students Union as a large group of Freshies booked out before the end of camp (me included). I heard the number of freshies that booked out was at 3 digits. I got a blister on my left palm from their station games. Despite the fact that they kept emphasisng that "safety first". The number of casualties was way more than that during sports camp. So disappointing.

Anyway, school's starting soon. I'm quite relunctant to go back to school. Haven't really enjoyed my long break enough. But looking on the bright side, I'll be able to meet more people at school! And hopefully, no weird people. I'm quite surprised to find out during sports camp that there are girls in my course! Well, hope that the ratio of guys is to girls won't be like 79:1.

I've rejected a request for me to play for NPCB for their Pops and Classics concert mainly because my schedule's really packed with AJ's upcoming concert, PY's projects and X-wind's training. But I'll be playing for NPCB in the NBC.

No posts till I clear my schedule and get back on track.. Sorry.

Watched final destination yesterday. It's damn sick man... Before the movie I went shopping at Cine. Saw Advent Children figurines for sale. But it's ex. Cloud's going for $150, Vincent's going for $64. Currently only have Vincent. I think i'm gonna save and see if I can bear to part with my cash for the whole set. Heh.

After the damn gory movie, I went HMV to look around. Bought "A Season for Love" which turned out to be not as good as expected. = /

Here's the post that you ppl asked for. It's gonna be a short one since its 1.34 in the morning and I gotta work later.

I've decided that I won't let weiqin become so much better than Ray and me and she wun get to teach us next time! Heh. Cause I'm gonna do my best to practice and rival her in her playing!

Ray, get well soon and join this mad race to the top! Haha... Don't let weiqin spoil market ah..

Right, so thats it. I've posted something. I'm off to bed. Bye!

13th February 2007
Tuesday
Music that sounds so perfect, but so emotionless

0459. That was the time illuminated on my handphone when I woke up this morning. Although I needed to wake up early to meet Weisheng and Ray to go down to Singapore Conference Hall (SCH) for Xinmin's rehearsal, waking at 5am was a bit too much. Sluggishly, I pushed my phone away and slept for another hour.

Somehow, I dragged myself to Hougang Ave 8 and arrived much earlier than Ray and Weisheng. We took the school bus to SCH with the band and watched them practice Ivanhoe and Sunrise. Due to lack of sleep, my eyes were almost shut. From what I heard today, the band did not sound together as one. The balance within the section and among the sections were off. Intonation of certain sections at certain parts were terrible. Articulation of the entire band was generally poor and unclear. Pulse was unstable. Basically, the pieces played did not contain the intensity and "feel" that it should have.

After the rehearsal, we went for breakfast with Benjamin Yeo (Benji), Kenneth Desouza, Brando Tan and David Glosz outside SCH. The four instructors started talking about the rehearsal, about each other's bands and also about the institutions that they were in and we were in. Basically, David Glosz said that "the band wasn't playing well because they weren't Christians and they weren't from St Patricks". Also, Xinmin was referred to as "got brains but no culture". Furthermore, when Glosz found out that Weisheng was from Anderson Junior College, he said this. "My condolences".

It was infuriating to hear such things coming from an instructor as prominent in the band scene as him. It might be said in jest, but such remarks are offensive not only to the student, but also damaging to the institution's reputation. I cannot imagine this level of insensitivity coming from a person who produces such nice music. Maybe that explains why the music his bands play sounds so "perfect", but yet lack emotions.

If being a christian is what it takes to be a good musician, why don't I see all professional musicians converting to Christianity? This is a remark that condemns all other religions. I don't see how religion has got to do with making good music. Moreover, being from St Patricks band doesn't make you an exceptionally good player that is superior to musicians from other schools.

If being cultured means that one will have to criticise others' beliefs and affiliations, I rather Xinmin be a barbaric school.

Thinking of this just makes me lose the mood for blogging about other things.

Hanyong, your subconscious mind is driven most by Kindness

You have a deep desire to be kind and fair to others. You are preoccupied with finding kindness in the world around you, far more than you may realize on a conscious level. This makes you unusually empathetic and very sensitive to other people's feelings. Your kind nature makes you an optimist at heart and allows you to see the best in the people around you. Because you're not judgmental, others seek you out when they need a friend.

Your psyche is very rich; the more you learn about it, the more you will understand who you really are.

I miss Xinmin days.. Staying back after school, having fun chatting and playing in the band room.. Breaking in the classrooms.. Or just loitering around..

I went back Xinmin today only to be stopped by the security guard.. Said gotta have teacher's permission or some stuff.. Then I had to call here and there and finally got Mdm Foo on the line.. AFter a long wait at the school's entrance, I finally got in...

I joined the trumpet section for warm ups and then watched them practice.. Small improvement since last time I saw them.. Don't really know what to do with them.. Brando's pushing Ray to pull the trumpet section's standard up.. But its really tough.. Sad that I can't be of much help here..

After sectionals, me and Ray had a talk with cassandra and hazel and farhan.. Tried to psycho them to work hard.. Practice hard.. Improve the standards.. Quite long never talk to them like this already.. Missed the times when we had frequent talks like that during sectionals.. Although its very slack, but it really bonds the section..

hmm... Lastly, a question for me to answer.. Does being egoistic really help in improving ur skills as a trumpet player? = / man man xiang ba..

Oh man!!! I'm seriously RoTtINg at home!! Need a new job to keep me occupied or else I'll go NUTS!!! Damn.

Eh. It's the 6th of January already. And I'm finally posting up my new year resolutions! Haha.. Slow me.. Anyway, here is it. The supposedly first post of the year.

~Resolutions~

1) Enjoy each day to the fullest. Yep. We can never live each day twice. So I've decided to savour every day of my life. Life is fragile. You never know when something bad might happen.

2) Improve my trumpet playing skills. As usual... My improvements have slowed down in the last year. Can't really tell why. Hope that in 2006 I have more time to improve my skills.

3) Save money and buy PS2 and play Final Fantasy. Okay. Call me a FF freak if you want. But Final Fantasy is really a cool game. And after reading weiqin's post on how good FFX's graphics are, I'm even more tempted to get it. Haha.. Big spender. = P

4) Maintain my current relationships. Friends are easy to make but also easy to lose. I don't want to lose any friends in this year.

So, thats it for now. These is all that I can remember now.. haha.. Ah well, I gotta go work now. Bye!

Boo. I've been tagged.

Read the rules and play the game.
Rules of the game: Post 5 weird and random facts about yourself and list down 5 victims at the end of your list who has to play this game. Please leave a tag at the blog of the 5 victims that goes: " You have been tagged! Read my blog and Play the game!"

Five weird and random facts about myself:
1) My specs are octagonal. Yep. 8-sided.
2) I kiss metal. Yeah. I kiss metal all the time.
3) I stand on my head. Ha! I beat siyang at this. Mwahaha!!
4) I'm currently working as a sales promoter for Crocodile. More importantly, the uniform is PURPLE!! Ugh.
5) Lastly, I have a cute gf! Heh. Don't get envious of me. = P

TAG!!! The 5 chosen ones are... *drum rolls*

i) Hoiting.
ii) Junsheng
iii) Bernice
iv) Wei Qin
v) Yiang Shan