Drink less water, pay less money

30th January 2008
Wednesday
Drink more water?

Life has been crazy these days. I think I am putting on weight. I think I am being evil too. And not to forget about lack of sleep. Talk about dozing off during performances. Hah!

Finally I am blogging again about something new. Put the fishes and coffee away and move on to a new topic. For this post, the main topic will be about 饮水思源. For non-chinese readers, it literally means drink water and think of the water source.

饮水思源 teaches us to save more water, as PUB charges are steadily on the rise. The less water we waste, the more money we save. And who hates money? The more money we can have, the merrier we will be. And the same goes for companies and organisations.

Since young, I have been taught to save more water. In secondary school, there was this rock at the eco-pond that had the words 饮水思源 carved into it. That rock held special meanings for all of us. After years of living with the teaching, I was flabergasted that the teachings that I had once so believed in actually backfired on me!

Or to be exact, the organisation I am leading. Somehow, the main company decided to adopt the same kind of thinking and save more money from PUB bills. Other than cutting down wastage of water, the other obvious way would be to raise charges for the use of such facilities. Smart move.

The only thing they failed to realise was that in raising facility charges to ridiculously high levels, students such as us will have a tough time paying for it. Not that it matters anyway. If you can't afford it, then don't get it!

I guess the obvious choice now will be to go on without water.

X*nm*n alumnis will know what I am talking about.

Coffee and Fish?

20th January 2008
Sunday

It has been quite a long while since I last updated. Life has been pretty well, not angsty like some of you put it. The only complain I have is my ulcer which has left me mumbling instead of talking.

I was watching CNA just now and I came across this programme where they were talking about how a person's diet affects him. And a few of the experiments they carried out involved caffeine and fish.

We normally find that caffeine gives us an extra mental edge right? When that belief is put to the test, the subject that went for a week without caffeine showed no lower energy level than when he was still hooked on caffeine.

And a 3 month diet of fish caused stress levels to drop by 22% and anti stress hormones to increase by 12%. Wow.

I'm considering a caffeine free fish dominated diet. But I think I'll choke to death on fishes.

Burnout!

13th January 2008
Sunday
Burnout

Life now is like making a sandwich. You have to try and pack everything between dawn and dusk and try to make the best out of it. It is like a sandwich making competition where you try to get the best quality from every single item you put between that two slabs of bread.

And participating in such a competition requires stamina. I am picking up steam and I feel my momentum pushing me on. I hope I don't burn out before I reach the station.

I haven't really been treating everyone fairly recently. Partly because I am really irritated with almost everyone asking me if I am going to NAFA. It really gets on my nerves if everyone asks me the same question.

It is a long way ahead. I'll have to catch up with everyone else soon.

Busy flights.

12th January 2008
Saturday
Busy flights

I mean flights as in travelling. Not literally flight. Recently I have been really busy, and all my readers get from visiting my blog is a emo post staring back at them. Wow. Looking at the date of that post reminds me that I have not been blogging for 9 days. Damn.

Anyway, for the past couple of days, life has not been flowing too smoothly. I decided to cram my schedule to keep from emo-ing. And guess what? I think I overpacked it. Running from place to place, classes to classes everyday kept me really busy. So busy and tired to even think.

But thinking back now, I really cannot remember where did all my time go to. Was it spent wisely? Or did I burn it all up spending hours on things that can be completed in minutes. Somehow, these memories are a complete blank in my head.

The only things I remember is travelling long distances on the bus, walking home from Hougang, having dinner with friends, sleeping in lectures, and lessons with Smith. Where did the rest of my memories go to? Did I really put my brain to hibernate mode during the rest of the time? Wow. How come I always end the day exhausted then.

I am officially accepted into NAFA access course. But it means double the amount of effort and work needed. The trip to this point is not smooth without bumps. I had to endure a score of setbacks and hits to my ego. And now I that I have to start from scratch again makes it even worse. But I guess it is a lesson to me. To step my ego down until I have the right to maintain the ego trumpeters ought to have.

Till then, I guess I will be blogging back once in a long while.

****ed up period

3rd January 2008
Thursday

It feels weird to be typing 2008 instead of 2007. Somehow, the new year feels slightly less joyful as it should be.

Maybe I am going through a rough patch here. But it really feels as though there is a tow truck trying to tow my heart away. Should I be feeling this way? I was born inquisitive. And when there is something that I do not understand, I get pretty emo. Well, that explains the angsty mood of this post.

My mind is in shambles now. First day back at school, and I received a failing grade on my common test paper. Second day back at school, and I feel totally empty and simply skipped the lecture. How will my third day be?

Today I have been talking to friends that I have not been talking to for a few months now. Mostly the chatter is to find out what is happening in NP band. Seems like there is trouble brewing in the committee and among the year 3s. Not that I like them all that much. I am pretty anal about year 3s who thinks that they're the only one that matters. As for the rest, I pretty much don't give a cat's balls about what they think.

A little more transparency to let everyone see the shady stuff that is going on above the band please?

Within this fuckedup-emo-gay-shitass period, I cannot help but whine on my blog. This feels like a drug overdose although I have never tried drugs before.

My phone fucked up. And now I am stuck with a really basic phone with no MP3 or bluetooth functions. Not that I care much about technology. But it sucks to be struck with a situation where you have no other alternatives than to pick up any phone available and use it. I have a feeling that this phone will be my only phone for a long time.

I hope tomorrow's dinner will cheer me up. Cafe Cartel, it's all up to you now.

Goodbye 2007 Hello 2008!

2nd January 2007
Wednesday


If it isn't the post that was supposed to be the last post of 2007. But at least it is the first post of 2008 (after deleting the proxy post).

First off, summary of 2007. To cut the long story short, I'm going to list the number of significant things that happened. Some are masked due to sensitive reasons.

- Turned 18
- Received Open Water Diver's license
- Got rejected
- Retook 1 module
- Quit all the bands that I am in
- Thought of my future
- First puff on a cig
- First clubbing experience
- Decision to quit Poly and transfer to NAFA
- Met a wonderful group of friends
- Started proper trumpet lessons
- Gotten a MP4 player
- More new CDs
- More heartbreaks
- More ups and downs in performance
- Less meals
- Less time for everything
- First dive at Pulau Hantu

Bla bla bla about the emotional stuff. 2007 really seems so happening now that I am looking at it from the perspective of 2008. NOT. Like wow! More new CDs! Who gives a shit about that. And 2007 has been an angsty year for me.



Now for 2008.

Two days have passed. And already, my aims for this year are set quite high. Well, it really is now or never.

New Year Challenges:

Trumpet stuff
1) Extend my range to an A by May on my new embouchure. (Done in June 2008. But still can't control)
2) Master all my major and minor scales by March.
3) Improve my tone to better than before by April.
4) Manage the characteristic studies in the Arbans by August.
5) Improve my sense of pulse by January.
6) Improve articulation clarity by January.
7) Improve articulation speed to clear and even semiquavers in 120 bpm.

Diving stuff
1) Complete AOWs by May.
2) Go for leisure dive in Nov.
3) Improve air consumption rate.
4) Improve mobility underwater.

Other random stuff
1) Maintain my blogging frequency and blog content.
2) Be more active in doing my part for the society.
3) Be more active in conserving the environment.
4) Start exercising regularly.
5) Start sleeping normal hours.
6) Start eating meals regularly.

Sorry for wasting your time on such a useless post. =)