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Dopod 838 Pro Howarth XL Cor Anglais + Howarth XL Oboe Cocobolo Wiseman Double Case in Forest Green Nikon D2Xs AF 50mm f/1.4D AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED II AF-S 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED II $10000000000 to drop from the sky Yeah, I'm greedy, but wishlist, what! | ||
worldwide readers since Sept 2004 
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| f j o z n | ||
| my thoughts |
There is this band quiz which is making its rounds in Friendster. Being too bored, I shall attempt to answer it here. Are you in band? Duh? Why do you think I'm taking time to answer this? I'm actually quite sick of band though. Haha. If you are, what instrument do you play? An oboe, sometimes cor anglais if the part requires it. Wait. So if someone who doesn't plays anything can't take this quiz? Which instrument are you interested in playing besides the one you are currently playing? Although I'm strictly faithful to my oboe. I would like to learn to play a cello in future to know how string instruments works and the piano to learn more about chords and its progression. Favourite band piece? Definitely James Barnes' Third Symphony. Beautiful. If not for people like Alfred Reed, Barnes and some others, band music is actually so boring. Favourite orchestras/band? Berlin Philharmonic for the winds Royal Concertgebouw for the ensemble sound Chicago Symphony for the strings Eastman Wind Ensemble for the musicality Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra for the band ensemble sound Favourite conductor? Seiji Ozawa. You just have to see this man in action man! He's a comedy, drama serial, everything rolled into one. Best player in your band? Everyone is good. Best section in your band? Every section is good. Best post in the band? The one with the highest pay. Award medal in the past SYF's'? Nah. Secondary school band wasn't very good in my days. We did get something like a "Grade 3" in my days. I don't know what it translates to in today's SYF. Preferred type of band? Symphonic How many time do you have band in a week? Every working day. Do you plan to further ur studies in music? Yes. Best composer? Best? I don't know about best. James Barnes is pretty good when he's on form. Look at Third Symphony, Fantasy Variations, Symphonic Overture, etc. On the other hand he has written rubbish like Eagle Bend which sounds like a simplified version og Symphonic Overture. Alvamar Overture is quite cheesy. Philip Sparke writes wonderful broad melodies. Alfred Reed has good orchestration skills. John Williams writes really nice fanfares. Gustav Mahler has breath-taking symphonies. Peter Tchaikovsky has nice ballet music. The list goes on and on. So who is the best? I don't know. Marching pieces or Concert pieces? I play the oboe. Oboists don't march except of course in some bands where the management thinks they are not doing enough work and send them off for parades. Like mine. Preferred choice: Woodwinds, brasses, strings (if your band has) or percussions? An ensemble needs all these to perform. The most challenging piece your band has? Everything is a challenge. I personally find it a challenge to give a perfect "A" at the beginning of every concert. It?s the scariest solo around. Giving a tuning "A". Technics, articulation or fingering? What kind of question is this? Fingering and articulation are part of techniques. My principals of music are as follow in order: Techniques Musicality Sound Never be too obsessed with sound. You just need to have a generally nice sound, of course not to an extent where you sound like some people on Singapore Idol. Adapted from my teacher: If you have good techniques and musicality, people can hear your beautiful cantabile phrasings and appreciate it. Never mind if you have an ordinary sound. So what if you have a very beautiful sound and you can't play anything? Yes, ideally you should have everything. But once you have good techniques, good sound will follow. The area covered under techniques are just too broad to go into. Maybe I should start a "The Art of Playing" book myself. Hmmm. Any band piece that is touching/inspirational? Touching: Barnes' Third Symphony Third Movement - "For Natalie" You can seriously feel his sorrow while writing that movement. Inspirational: Barnes' Third Symphony Fourth Movement Concerto's' or sonatas? First of all. What is/are concerto's'? To answer the question, I like them all. Have your band had any public performance? Yes. Countless. Most challenging instrument? Perfecting an instrument. fjozn at 5:39 PM Let's talk about my neighbour's cat. How would you describe it?  Cute? 
 Demure?
 Nah.
Don't be deceived by that fierce look. That cat is quite useless. It's the most timid house cat I know, scared of everything in sight. Sometimes, it's just so comical to see it run away from some apparent "enemies" in fright only to see my neighbour who lives downstairs walking up the stairs. Once I saw it sitting on the corridor one floor below my floor. Upon seeing me at a distance, it proceeded to dash upstairs. When I reach my door, it was hiding behind some flower pots, giving me a wary and "trying-to-be-fierce" stare. Sometimes I really wonder what's going through its mind. I see it walking on the parapet outside my house without a care in the world, (by the way, I live on the 13th floor) and at other times, I see it being so frightened by strangers. Still, this furry creature is still an amusement to watch at times. At least it brings some life to my floor. Except the horrible calls it makes sometimes early in the morning. Oh well! fjozn at 10:09 PM And so Michael Schumacher wins a historical 7th Formula 1 world Championship. That man is amazing! It seems that fate is on his side after all. From a disastrous start where he dropped to 6th after starting from 2nd place, he moved up steadily to 2nd place once again. Car by car before him dropped out with problems like tyre blowout, crashes etc. Lady Luck was certainly smiling at him today. To top it all, when he was trailing the first car by 13 seconds, someone has to crash to get the safety car which effectively reduced the gap to 1 plus second. The race was really entertaining, full of dramas, overtaking and everything. There was so many retirements and crashes that only 9 cars of an initial 20 finished running. So what if he didn't win the race? He won the Championship. Amazing, really amazing. fjozn at 10:33 PM
You are wearing that to school? Sloppily dressed undergraduates have been in the news recently, after a woman called a local radio station to complain about what they are wearing to class. Gen Y's SERENE LUO checks out the Singapore Management University, National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University to find out what students are wearing on campus. Rumpled miss THIS undergrad comes to class in something that looks like what she wore to bed last night. All dolled up This girl is togged out in a midriff-baring top, mini-skirt and heels. It's fashionable - but is it right for school? Code breaker WHILE dress codes are required in libraries and lecture theatres, this student gets away with her casual attire. Dressing down RAGGED shorts and a baggy tee cap the relaxed look for this undergrad. Beach bums WITH their beach attire, it's a no-brainer where these two would much rather be. Sports gal SPORTING the casual look is a girl clad in shorts and a T-shirt endorsing her favourite sports club. Doing legwork BOY, do your homework. Showing off legs won't score points with the girls on campus. Hot stuff IF YOU'VE got it, flaunt it? Girls with long, lean legs have an advantage in this topic. - The Straits Time Online This reminds me of the attire that I wore in my polytechnic days. While I don't really recall anyone wearing shorts to school, there was indeed quite a lot of students in Bermudas, which I thought was still casual and yet not very sloppy. I remembered my lecturer making noise at me for wearing sandels to schools. Ok, actually they were slippers but the name on the shoe box says sandals can? You know those Converse sandals made famous, or rather infamous by Ah Bengs? There is this thing about Ah Bengs, they seems to unglamour-tise everything they have. Remember the Jean Paul Gaultier wallets? I'm sure JPG himself would be jumping mad upon learning that his beautiful creations are in the usage of people like this. Ditto to the Converse sandals.Yes, I still have my sandals now because they are just so comfortable but you won't get to me see me wear it much! I'm more of a shoes person these days. Well, I think they have a point in saying some of those students look like they belong somewhere else instead of in campus. You should always attend something looking like you are attending it. You dress for the occasion, big or small. No one goes to the beach in a white collar attire right? No one goes to lectures in bikinis right? Not that I mind, but it's a bit inappropriate. People would end up not really focusing on the lecture but rather somewhere else. Unless of course if you are one of the finalists of the "I-am-Fat" beauty pageant they have over in Thailand. =P Similarly this reminds me of concert goers I see in short and slippers! What the?! Hello, at least have the decency to wear something more presentable can? There's absolutely nothing wrong with dressing down. Some people go to concert to relax. I go to concert to appreciate the music, but that's just me so I shall not digress. Furthermore, it's not like you need to be in shirt and pants or really formal or something. Is it very hard to just wear a pair of jeans, simple tee shirt and covered shoes to a concert? No right? You don't get married in your pajamas right? No? Excuse me while I go out now to buy my lunch in my tuxedos. Oh, oops! fjozn at 1:31 PM
I dreamt that I forgot to bring my original scores for my practical exams! It's quite a scary thought considering that it could also happen in reality. Hmmm. Oh well, I seems to have this weird habit of blogging in the morning when most people are actually about to start their day. I believe that most people actually blog either at the end of the day of right after a significant happening. It?s the former mostly I guess. Yes, I'm slacking away at home again! Actually, no, I have to get down to practicing later. My exam is in 24 days! Am I going to play my melodic minors harmonic? Will my tongue die on me that day? Why did I choose that crazy tonguing piece? How many wrong notes will I play? What if...! I think I'm starting to get stressed. Probably this explains the weird dream I had. I'm going to look something like this soon:  Help! I'm being stolen AGAIN!
I think Edvard Munch painted "The Scream" in anticipation that it will become famous and stolen. I shall be back for more, maybe tonight. See you all, and have a nice day! =) fjozn at 9:09 AM
I have absolutely nothing much to blog about today, so let me tell you about my day so far: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oops, nothing's happened so far! My stupid bag seems to be faulty. The sling hook is coming out too easily! Basket! The strap came out yesterday while on the bus and my whole bag fell to the ground. Damn! Yes, it is extremely unglam, but what's more important was that my oboe was inside! @$@%#@%#^! Now I know why an oboe case costs so much. $500 for a small case! But it's really sturdy and durable. Whatever. Now my Deuter looks like an army backpack if you look at the sling joints. I've taped it with black tape a la BMT haversack. If it comes loose again, I'm seriously going to burn it. Speaking of bags, I was at the Samsonite boutique the other day. While scrutinizing through the compartments of one of the laptop bag, I discovered to my shock: A cockroach! I think I shocked my friend when I just dropped the bag on the floor. Not that I'm very scared of cockroaches or what. It's just that it's not something you would expect to see while browsing through items in a shop. And it was a good thing that I was looking at a bag! I can't imagine myself looking at a teapot or something of similar breakability and discovering a cockroach inside. *teapot flies through air and smashes into a thousand pieces* Ying Chyi aka Auntie Chong messaged me yesterday. She said: "Happy Birthday!" Sweet, you say. But my birthday is 2 months away! Auntie ah, you are getting old loh! I've yet find the perfect oboe case/bag I want. Anyone seen any nice one before? My birthday is 2 months away. *hint hint* =P fjozn at 1:25 PM
I went to this Chinese Restaurant yesterday at China Square for a Dim-Sum buffet high tea. Actually, it was more like lunch cum dinner session for the most of us who went. The food is quite enjoyable, given the price. I paid only about $17 which I think is quite reasonable for a buffet on Saturday afternoon! After that I went to esplanade, I saw Jiawei's match on TV at Harry's Bar so 3 of us popped in for an early drink and to watch the match. At one point, the people at the bar were all so optimistic when Jiawei was leading 3-1. Well, you all know the result by now I'm sure, unless you happen to live on Mars or deep underground without any TV reception. To reflect on the match. Yes, it was quite disappointing to see a 3-1 lead diminished into a 3-4 lose. But think about it, I think not many of us around can repeat the same feat. It was quite heart-warming to see and hear so many Singaporeans rallying together to cheer for a daughter of Singapore competing far far away in a foreign land. Who cares about the fact that she's adopted? She is donning Singapore colours, that is more important. I actually feel quite inspired to change my shorthand bat for a longhand bat now, after seeing all the players who used longhand in the Olympic. I thought she played really well until to the point when Kim of North Korea won the 5th set to make it 3-2. I think that was the turning point when JW started losing her nerves. Well, there is still the bronze medal to look forward to! If not, she has 4 years to train toward the next Olympic in Beijing. Hopefully she can go to Beijing and whip all the Chinese top seeds' asses! =P I now have the entire set of Mahler Symphonies recorded by Bernstein in the 1960s in my house courtesy of the Esplanade library. I have totally no idea how the hell I'm going to finish all of them in a week. Good thing there is something in the world called a ripper. Heehee. I guess by now all the alumni of my batch are all sick and tired of the whole TAB fiasco. Some I spoke to are more amused than angry over the latest on-goings. It's all quite laughable actually; it's just too bad that it's all happening to us. Oh well! I've suddenly realized that I have quite a few faithful Readers. Thank you all for letting me know that at least when I sit in front of my terminal thinking of what to write for the day, I know there is someone out there who is actually going to read it. =) My only request for now is: "Shout in the goddamn shout-box!" Bleah. Later! fjozn at 10:26 AM
I've actually almost finished one whole entry on Miss Dorean Tan but I've at the same time decided not to publish it as I thought it would make me sound angry again. For the record, I'm not. I'm plainly amused by how a person her age can behave like someone decades younger. Well, she's young at heart which is a good thing too! Maybe that explains why she's a MISS, still too young to get married. Just last week, I saw both Miss Dorean Tan and Mr Anthony Chew at the Band Convention. Somehow, I realized something about that moment when I saw both of them. Sure, I don't really like the both of them, but in a way, there's still some respect for Mr Chew. At least he's a person with integrity. By the way, "I don't really like" is quite an understatement for Miss Tan. There I go again. Do I sound angry? I hope not. I don't really care who is reading this right now. Certain people don't like me, I don't like them too. I won't be too polite to them either. It's that simple. Bleah. *stick out tongue* Zhihui, if you are reading this, don't be too sad. She's always been such a person. It just took you too long to find out. Then again, it's still not too late! We can always wait till a "dynasty-change". Maybe we can set up something like a CHASETHEYOUKNOWWHOAWAY Secret Society ala the Green-Dragon Society, or was it Heaven-Earth Society? We are going to need the Beat-Dog-Stick. Oh wait, that's from the Beggar Society. Whatever, Reader knows what I'm talking about right? FAN QING FU MING! Time is on our side anyway. =) fjozn at 9:55 AM
Woohoo! Li Jiawei won! Victorious over the World No.2 no less! There was this big fuss a while ago about foreign talents competing in sports for Singapore if Reader remembers. Just now while I was watching the match between Li Jiawei, a China-born Singaporean and Wang Nan from China, none of that came across my mind. My only thoughts when I read the papers this morning learning of her triumph were those of Singapore and none of foreign talents. Who cares where they are from anyway? They have chosen to represent Singapore, their adopted nation and giving their best at one of the prestigious sporting event in the world. If Jiawei wins, she will be singing Majulah Singapura and not the Chinese anthem. She will be wearing the familiar red and white of the Singapore flag and not the red and yellow of the Chinese flag. Yet, we have Singaporeans who are complaining about everything under the sun in Singapore here. These are the same people who will jump at any chance to emigrate to other countries. They are commonly known as the "quitters". Why do they quit? I seriously don't know. The only possible reason which can drive me away from Singapore is probably the heat. Thankfully, we now have an invention called the air conditioner which has considerately reduced the factor of heat. Is their idea of a "happening" life one of which you get bullets flying around you? One of which you meet robbers on the streets at night? I'm perfectly happy being a first-class citizen in my home country. Although some people labeled Singapore "boring", I beg to differ. Think about it. People always think that other countries are such a nice place when they visit them for holidays. Having a holiday is different from living there. It's kind of like having a dog. They will see this cute little dog running all over the place and go: "AAAWWWWwwwwwwwwwww... so cute!" But when it comes to them taking care of it, they will realize how shitty it is. Literally. Similarly, you might think it's very fun while visiting a place for holidays. It will be boring once you start living there. Human are creatures who get bored easily. It's quite ironic for China, isn't it? Jiawei, supposing one of their "cannot-make-it" rejects came to play for Singapore and improved so much that she won the Chinese World No. 2. No wonder Wang Nan was so upset upon losing. In fact Jiawei could have just won the match 4-0 instead of 4-1 if she hasn't lost her concentration at times. To Jiawei, I salute you. You had come to Singapore to realize your dream and to make a difference. I dare say that it's all well on track. You had offered Singapore a glimpse of hope! fjozn at 10:10 PM
So much for Susilo. He didn't played as well as expected but it was already good enough for him to go into the last 16, defeating the World No. 1 on the way. Perhaps the victory over Lin Dan caused a big hooha and in a way caused Singaporeans' hopes to rise up high. I must say that the Thai guy was really good and in some sense, very lucky that so many of his trick and net shots went over. But still, he has very good reflexes! I guess there's nothing much to say about losing to a better player. In any sense, the spirit of the Olympic is not really about winning but rather the congregation of the human race to have fun competing together. Don't you think it's very heart-warming to see moments of friendship even in times of competition? Seeing the runner who stopped to help a fellow runner who tripped and fell. Seeing the sole representative of a country of which I can't remember the name marching in proudly holding his country flag. Seeing North and South Korea marching in as one Korea. Seeing runners from third-world African countries running their hearts out in marathons. It goes on and on. Let's hope the duo in table-tennis fights on all the way to the final! fjozn at 9:39 PM
It's Olympic, Olympic, Olympic everywhere!!! It seems that the Olympic fever is finally settling down in me after 3 days of games. I watched the Susilo-Joppien match on TV just now. It was just so exciting! The prospects of a possible Olympic medal after so many barren years! Is this a sign? Thailand upsetting Korea's No. 5 seed in their men's 3rd round match to set up an ASEAN quarter-final. Perhaps there will be a gold medal indeed. I shall wait and see. If Reader is free, the quarter-final is tomorrow, 18 August at 2pm Singapore time on Channel 5. Support Susilo! Singapura boleh! fjozn at 9:38 PM
I came across these photos while surfing the net just now. These were taken during the Howarth oboe exhibition on 25th June.  Mr Nigel Clark (left), Director of Howarth of London with Mr Teow (right), owner of Accent Music.
 Oboists of SAF Central Band. (From Left) Me holding a cocobolo Cor Anglais, Yibin playing a grenadilla oboe, Meinah playing a cocobolo oboe.
When I saw the oboe that Meinah was holding, I really wonder what would my playing be like now if I had bought that oboe instead of the grenadilla XL which I have now. I really liked that cocobolo XL! Some lucky person out there is now playing a cocobolo Howarth XL with the serial no. of 4999. Lucky you. It was almost mine. =P Hmmm. Oh well! fjozn at 12:26 PM
AYO was great. The downside was that they had to resort to selling the tickets at dirt cheap prices to fill up the hall as President Nathan was there tonight. This was a real pity. The playing standard was what I expect of a concert and definitely not like a certain foreign university band concert that I attended recently. Pontzious wasn't as bad as I heard after all. There were indeed some funny things which he did in Mahler 1 that I don't understand. He seems to enjoy lengthening anacruses to an incredible length that makes the players and audiences wonder when the on-beat will be coming in. Eg. the oboe soli in 3rd movement. There was this moment in the 4th movement where the modulation actually skipped a semi-beat like a hiccup just before changing into the new key. His Festive Overture was rather good but some parts could have been livelier. The Strauss was something new to me, so I can't really say much about it. It was quite entertaining though. Guess what, the Ignorant-Singaporean-Concert-Go-er showed up and triggered off a diminished round of applause from fellow ISCGs after the 1st movement of Mahler. Thankfully, the ISCG was smart enough to keep his hand to himself for the rest of the symphony. The brasses were good. They somehow seem a bit restrained in the 4th movement of Mahler where I thought they could have been stronger. In fact, everything was good. The orchestra has quite a good understanding of each other in spite of the short time they have spent together. Their playing was very musical, which was great! For once I wasn't bothered by the occasional mis-pitch or bad note. It's after all still understandably mentally draining to play an entire Mahler symphony. The entire tour schedule is really very tiring. 3 weeks of rehearsal camp in Hong Kong followed by 3 weeks of touring around Asia with a concert almost every night. If there wasn't a concert, it would mean that they are probably spending the night travelling. Even so, the rehearsal camp schedule was scary, playing all the way with only breaks for meals between 9.30am to 7.30pm. Are their lips made of gold or something? Overall, I think the last 2 evening of concerts have been extremely inspiring. It was really worth the time, effort and money. It's off to my etudes again next week! fjozn at 1:52 AM
I made a last minute decision to watch the AYO today. It was good! The service I received at the Esplanade today once again reminded me that the staffs there are probably one of the most helpful around in Singapore. I was about 15 minutes late due to the rush hour traffic and some other reasons. The staffs were rather helpful; they informed me that the piece going on now would take another 20 minutes and suggested that I could either walk around or proceed to the viewing gallery to view the concert. I choose the latter and was promptly led to the viewing gallery by this usher. To my pleasant surprise, this lady who was apparently the person-in-charge said that she would allow me to go into the hall instead. So, I sat at Circle 3 (4th floor) for the greater half of the first half before proceeding to my seat in Stall. There were good and bad things about the concert. Good The concert was great! It was also very inspiring to see the best young talents from all around Asia performing together on one stage. I enjoyed the whole concert even though I didn't know the 2 pieces, La Mer and Rachmaninov 2 at all. It was money well-spent. And guess what? No one applauded when they shouldn't. =P Bad The turnout was really bad. From what I saw, just over half the hall was filled. Disappointing. They sure missed a good performance. Good I saw some pretty girls on stage. Bad I saw them again backstage and they were promptly "downgraded". Oops. I hope the Mahler will be good tomorrow although people had already told me not to expect too much. Oh well! Band Convention Before the AYO concert today, I was in this little performance for the closing of the "4th Band Convention". It went generally well. Oh, it was the very first time that I used Xvatalie for a performance. So far so good! A note for inspiring composers: Try not to let your feelings get away with you and write a solo that lasts half a page and screams all the way up to 3rd octave "E" for the cor anglais! Thank you! fjozn at 1:26 AM
I'm still so busy. I just got home from the Kasetsart University Wind Symphony. It was rather disappointing to an extent whereby for the first time in my life I left a concert during the interval. It has been so long since I've last attended a band concert and I had gone to the concert with anticipation of a much better concert only to be disappointed. To be fair, the players were all very good individually. All the solos were played nicely with expressions. My only problem is with the conductor. He's at the reins of fine band of which he doesn't know how to control. Had you ever seen those contests where a jockey rides a horse and guides it to jump over various obstacles? The conductor was like someone who cannot control the horse. There was just no musicality and no soul in the music. Well, if you know me well enough, you would probably know I have extremely high standards when I attend a concert these days. Still, I believe that I give reasonable judgment to the music that I listen to. Perhaps the only good part I enjoyed was the beginning of third movement of the Barnes Symphony. I think it sounded good because it was solo lines all the way until the whole band comes in. That was the point when the music just fell flat on its face. The fourth movement started off well until I got irritated by the out-of-tune timpani. Anyway, it's just me. I have a problem with the timpanist throughout the whole symphony right from the opening motif. Generally, the timpani were not well tuned and I disagreed with a lot of his articulations and mallet choice. Why was there no double reeds player at all? There was just something missing from the band sound. The double reed sound. The solos just all don't seem to sound nice with all the missing bassoon solis, mournful cor anglais solos and so on. It's just too bad that the Barnes Third Symphony is one of my favourite band pieces. Thus, I have a lot of comments to make about it. I can go into further details but I think I shall not bore Reader any further. The audience was very irritating. When will Singaporeans ever learn NOT TO APPLAUSE IN BETWEEN MOVEMENTS? It was so irritating. I was a bit amused by the applause between the first and second movements. The applause between the second and third movements was a bit irritating. The applause between the third and fourth movement totally ruined the music! BAH! Wait, someone asked how did applause affect the music when it was in between movements? Silence is part of the music what! What do you think rests are for? They are there for an effect. Similarly, a period of silence after a long emotional movement is there to allow the feeling to sink in even after the music has fade away. It's a moment of reflection before the excitement of the finale. Tsk. Fine, the majority of the audiences are kids. But still, a kid can recognize whether or not a piece of music is finished or not right? Just look at the conductor. Clap when he/she turns around to bow. What's so difficult about that? I shall look forward to the AYO's Mahler 1 on Saturday. Hopefully it will be a better experience! fjozn at 12:54 AM
I'm bored. If you had seen my previous entry, I'm sure you would have realized that I'm quite bored. Well! I watched I, Robot (IR) yesterday. It's a pretty good show. I like the plot, the computer graphics and the twist at the end. It's much recommended! Won't it be scary if machines take over the world one day? Like the Matrix? Or like in IR? These 2 movies had explored the possibilities of machines taking over Earth but in different way and forms. The similarities lay in the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI). If Reader did watch the Bicentennial Man and A.I., you would have probably thought about the limits of AI. Can a robot really understand emotions? If all actions are judged based on what's right and what's not, wouldn't this world be very cold? If a man steals, do you ask yourself why? Is it because of greed? Did he steal gold? Or was it food? Is it because he has 3 young children starving at home? A human judge may reduce a sentence based on humanity grounds, would a being with AI do the same? This type of technology would probably only exist after my time anyway. I foresee robots doing a lot of things for human in the future, but I guess AI would not be something I will live to witness. Unless of course, new technologies in the future improves enough in the future to enables me to live to a ripe old age. This brings to me one question. If a robot with AI is really able to have emotions exactly like a human. Would it have a religion? Heehee. *** If I haven't said this before, I love clam chowder! The one at Long John's is not too bad; it?s the cheapest and it's easily available. The one at Sizzler where I went to last night is good; I can add my own bacon bits and spring onions from the salad bar. But I must say the one at Fish and Co has to be the best I've tried so far! The soup is chunky and there's a bite of clam in almost every mouthful! Oops, enough of digressing. I've meant to talk about my dinner at Sizzler. It was good man! I need to try something the next time I'm there. The food is really good. I like the chicken there. It's just so smooth and tender. Slurps! Man, I'm drooling at the thought of it. Then again, the thing I really like is the chicken, hmmmm. Oh well! I'm starting to miss the mussels in lemon butter at Fish and Co. The calamari at Spageddies too. The buffet at Gengkis Khan. The? There goes my waist. Haha!  Swiss grilled chicken
 Spicy (something) chicken
 Malibu chicken
fjozn at 4:42 PM
Singapore's turning 39 tomorrow, one more year before the big 4-0. As such, I shall attempt to come out with 39 facts about Singapore. 1. Singapore is a very safe place. 2. Singapore is a food paradise. 3. Singapore is a "fine" city. 4. People of different races live together in harmony. 5. We have a world class performing art centre. 6. People are still unappreciative of performing arts. 7. More people goes to the Esplanade to take photographs of it than to view a concert. 8. We can basically go to anyway in the country in under 2 hours on public transport on 30 mins if you are willing to pay for a cab. 9. The cab fare is not as atrocious as some other countries. 10. There's a mysterious twilight zone between 11pm-12 midnight whereby all the cabs either disappear or appear to be busy. 11. They seems to be afraid that all passengers who board their cab between that time all want to go to Lim Chu Kang Cemetery. 12. The back of a bus and spaces in between doors on the MRT are always haunted. No one wants to stand there. 13. National servicemen get to travel to all kind of jungles all over the world. 14. The clubbing scene is supposingly "more happening" than a lot of places (I read it somewhere in the papers). 15. This is a very green country. Literally. 16. The hot weather sucks. 17. We have a stable government which doesn't resemble the World Wrestling Entertainment. 18. The education system is efficient although many still complain about it. 19. People don't speak out about many issues; they just listen to the government. 20. Roads are relatively safe to cross, unlike some countries when even crossing a zebra crossing is almost like risking your life jaywalking. 21. The people albeit their general coldness are actually warm at heart. 22. The people are mostly law abiding. 23. You can safely walk on the street at night knowing that you are relatively safe. 24. Chewing gums are banned. 25. You don't accidentally step onto chewing gums when you go to Orchard in your expensive Hugo Boss. 26. Singlish is the national language. 27. You have to learn Malay, Hokkien, English and a few assorted languages to effectively understand Singlish. 28. The true masters of Singlish are ah bengs and lians. 29. We have Singapore Idol, just like any other country. 30. We have ah bengs and lians entering the contest and trying to sing like Mariah Carey. "I can('t) leeeeeeeee, oh leee wit-aw yewwww..." 31. We get to celebrate holidays of other races. Eg. Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya, etc. 32. We are the holder of several world records like "Longest time spent queuing up to buy a Hello Kitty toy", "Longest time spent in line to book tickets/condominium/(enter an appropriate item)" etc. 33. The national past time is eating. 34. The second national past time is queuing. 35. Singapore is considered influential even so when someone goes to Taiwan. China makes a big deal of out it. 36. We are probably the only country in the world to drink our own pee. 37. We have real life dramas going on all the time, just go live at Everitt Road. 38. The most popular overseas destination is Johor Bahru. 39. We are similar in terms of political control to the United States of America. Senior Bush to outsider to Junior Bush, etc. Happy national day all! Catch me on TV tomorrow if u can. =P Majulah Singapura!  Republic of Singapore State Flag
MAJULAH SINGAPURA composed by Encik Zubir Said Mari kita rakyat Singapura Sama-sama menuju bahagia Cita-cita kita yang mulia Berjaya Singapura Marilah kita bersatu Dengan semangat yang baru Semua kita berseru Majulah Singapura Majulah Singapura ONWARD SINGAPORE (English Translation) Come, fellow Singaporeans Let us progress towards happiness together May our noble aspiration bring Singapore success Come, let us unite In a new spirit Let our voices soar as one Onward Singapore Onward Singapore fjozn at 11:51 AM
It seems that no one is taking part in my National Day Competition! Only Melvyn has 2 entries so far. One about the National Stadium and the other on hawker food in Singapore. Can I have more please! Still, I'm not really inspired to write about hawker food and National Stadium. Why? Writing about food makes my hungry and makes me want to travel all over Singapore in search of the best chicken rice, laksa, nasi lemak... well, you get the idea! As this is destructive to my stomach size, I shall consider before writing about it. Writing about the National Stadium plainly reminds me of NDP rehearsals! Argh! I'm so glad that the band is not involved for today's rehearsal. Finally I have a Saturday morning whereby I'm sitting in front of my computer and not having to stand in the sun at the stadium doing sound checks with the band. Well, at least in a way, this year is much more welfare than last year. We are allowed to wear sunglasses during rehearsals. We are allowed to wear ear plugs so I won't be bothered by the gigantic loudspeakers right behind me, the Feu-de-Joie, the flypast. Damn noisy can! The Feu-de-Joie is the 3 rounds of rifle firing by the guard-of-honour if you have no idea what it is. It literally means Fire-of-Joy in English. It's that time of the month again, the monthly cramps. Sigh. Hello? What are you thinking about? Wallet cramps can? Payday is looming around the corner and my wallet is as thin as those poor little kids in Africa. I was so bored yesterday that I went to read Xiaxue's archives. I spent about 1 hour reading 2 months' worth of entries. She can be damn long-winded but still I find it rather interesting to read. I find that she writes to bring a smile to people?s face. I'm not sure if you smiling now. I shall try to make my entries more laughable. It probably won't end up in the same flamboyant style she has but probably one which is more subtle. I wonder why people don't like her. Is it that they cannot take her sense of humour? Or is it as she puts it, guys think that a girl should be demure and quiet? I think someone who's demure and quiet is so boring! Agree? Choose between someone who?s very beautiful and doesn't know how to express herself and someone who's more average but have the right click with me, ie. the right chemistry, I would take the latter in the long run. Yes, probably at first sight I would go for the former. Humans always like to look at beautiful things. It's true! So girls, if your boyfriend happened to take a long at a certain pretty girl on the street. Accept it. Looking at a beautiful girl is just like taking a look at the flashy red Ferrari that had just flew past and crashed into the wall down the road. Unless of course he starts dreaming and fantasizing about her, then you may proceed to give him 2 tight slaps. In the principle of vice-versa, this applies to guys too! fjozn at 10:39 AM
The day is young, the weather is fine. It seems like a great start to my loooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggg weekend! No work from today till Monday! It's been so busy for me for almost the whole of July. Oh yes, I got this new cloth for my oboe from the supermarket yesterday. It's those kind of micro-texture cloth. It works very well, it removes all oil and dirt without scratching the instrument. Very recommended! Damn, I shall had gotten it sooner, now my keyworks are full of tiny little scratches from my old cotten cloth. It costs something like $13 for 2 pieces of 30cm X 30cm cloths if you are interested. I seems kind of addicted to Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D now. The third movement is so cheesy but so nice! Haha! I'm looking forward watching the Asian Youth Orchestra performing next Saturday at our very own Esplanade Concert Hall. Well, at least I think the programme is good. There is the Mahler 1, of course, with Festive Overture by Shostakovich. I wonder how Kaitze is now at the AYO. I'm looking forward to seeing him next weekend at the concert. The only Singaporean wind player. Wow. It looks like us wind players have to work harder next year. The AYO is starting off their tour with their first concert at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, China. It seems so exciting to be playing in all the best concert halls in Asia almost every night for the next 3 weeks or so. I still have 3 years before the cut-off age; hopefully I will be inside soon. =P fjozn at 10:29 AM
Due to "over-whelming" response from my "faithful" readers, I shall have a series of entries lining up to National Day. Well, if I can get enough inspirations on what to write. Quick! Give me ideas! The winner with the best idea shall receive a mystery gift from me! The entry form for this competition is available from the shoutbox on the right. Just key in your idea with your keyboard! Terms and conditions: 1. Anyone may take part whether or not you are male, female, gay, lesbian, gender-confused, genderless, animal, alien or whatsoever. As long as you understand E-N-G-L-I-S-H, you are eligible! 2. Don't complain about my mystery gift if you win it. Mysterious what! 3. Multiple entries with different ideas are accepted. 4. Please don't give stupid ideas to prove that you are stupid. 5. Please use understandable English or I shall declare that your English sucks. 6. I decide everything. Like it or not. There will be no panel of bitchy judges a la ______________ (enters country name of your choice) Idle. Oops. I mean Idol. 7. My decision is final. I'm the bitchy judge. Low budget lah. 8. Please read everything. Watch this space! fjozn at 6:32 PM
Whenever I am feeling low I look around me and I know There's a place that will stay within me Wherever I may choose to go I will always recall the city Know every street and shore Sail down the river which brings us life Winding through my Singapore This is home truly, where I know I must be Where my dreams wait for me, where that river always flows This is home surely, as my senses tell me This is where I won't be alone, for this is where I know it's home When there are troubles to go through We'll find a way to start anew There is comfort in the knowledge That home's about its people too So we'll build our dreams together Just like we've done before Just like the river which brings us life There'll always be Singapore For this is where I know it's home For this is where I know I'm home Home Music & Lyrics: Dick Lee This has to be one of my favourite NDP song out of the many songs sang every year at the NDP. I think my favourite version so far is till the original by Kit Chan. For many weeks I was mystified by the so-called famous singer, JJ Lin, who is supposed to perform this piece at the NDP. Call me a frog-in-the-well or whatsoever; I really have no idea who the hell this guy was. Neither did any of my band mates. Oh well, I hope he wasn't the one who rearranged the song because I think it's really disfigured and bad. Have anyone seen the video for Home? If this is a song to remind a Singaporean about home, why are all the kids dressed in black and white? Why are the colours so gloomy? The whole video seems like a morbid setting for a funeral. Tsk tsk. Oh well, National Day is around the corner! Since the whole of Singapore is displaying the State Flag in celebration, I shall do the same here! Majulah Singapura!  Republic of Singapore State Flag
fjozn at 8:28 PM
Are we humans really the most advanced form of living form on this planet? I wonder. The level of thinking and evaluation for us had evolved so much that sometimes it makes me think that we are scary creatures. Just look at the people who use underhand methods against others, those who kill thousands just to make a point, those who have no hesitation/second thoughts whatsoever to backstab/terminate/destroy whatsoever others just to get to what they want. What is happening to integrity? Take the red pill and enter the real world, my friend. We cannot be a kid forever, believing what we want to believe. There will be a time when everyone has to grow up and step into the real world. It's just so different from the sheltered world we are so used to. I'm lucky in a way that I was gradually exposed to it and saw it in different stages. Some are not. They get thrown right away into it and are for a moment struck dumbfounded as the reality hits them square in the face. Some take it in their stride, pick their asses off the ground and continue to move on. Some don't. They sit there and wonder what's going on, shutting themselves off from the world, drowning in tears of self-pity/disbelief, refusing to accept any comments which seems ridiculous/unbelievable to them. Pick yourself up, I say. Life still goes on. Time and tide waits for no man. Well said. Certain humans are really two-sided. I've seen many examples who on the surface praise another person to a godly status only to turn around to condemn the same person to the level of the lowest form of living organism in the surface of Earth. How many of you have actually done something like this? Perhaps, I'm guilty as charged. I've complained many times to others about this person whom I can't stand his/her behaviour behind their back. Yes, when I do speak to these people, I do it with a smile. My rationale is simple: I don't wish to make more enemies than what I already have. Perhaps in the past, I would have reacted differently, but now at this age I certainly don't have the privileges to behave like a kid anymore. On the other hand, the people I like are generally not well-liked by other people too. These people I noticed normally have very few close friends. Be thankful that we are capable of thinking and leading a life which we want. Would you prefer to be like a mayfly? Buried as an egg later a larva for years only to emerge to live for a few hours just to mate, lay egg and die? The life is yours, you can take control of it. Do it. This brings me to a point which my friend and I were joking about the other day. Do you think that person is weird? If a person is weird, would he/she declare him/herself weird? So if a person declares him/self weird. Is he/she weird? If a person thinks everyone around him/her is weird. Who is (are) the weird one(s)? Why is it they are not well-liked? Was I influenced by others who had low opinions of the person? I guess not. I make a friend based on what I see. Ok, I can't help it if someone is constantly very nice to me while he/she is actually backstabbing me. If you are, please continue what you are doing. Do't let me find out. Let me continue to live in my world of deception. What will I do if something like that really happen to me? I seriously have no idea. Hurt, betrayal, disappointment? A melting pot of emotions I guess. Imagine the person you respect the most as a teacher/mentor who turns out to be a paedophile? What about the sister whom you love a lot who turns out to be a whore? I cannot imagine. I haven't really got to a point where I actually discover that a close friend of mine or someone I deeply respect had been all the while backstabbing me or is actually another person which only exists in my wildest imagination. I hope it will never happen. It would be, in my case, a gross misjudgment of character. Friends, I figured, are very important people in your life. Of course your family is the most important without doubt. Your friends are the one who encourages you when things are down. A good friend will cheer his/her best to cheer you up no matter what. Your friends are going to be the one who will meet up with you in you in your twilight years, reminiscing about the good old days. They will be the one gathering and remembering you at your funeral, your family included. Most of us are closer to friends than relative right? I'm lucky to have friends who share my interests. I have friends who criticize me, my playing in a constructive way. This encourages me to make myself a better person and oboist alike. I have friends who I know can sit there with me and talk about anything on Earth for hours. I have friends who I see online so often and yet chat like there's no tomorrow. I also have friends who I don't see for ages and yet I'm able to converse with them effortlessly like we've seen each other only the previous week. Similarly, it's also my misfortune to have lost a few friends through misunderstanding of which some could have been avoided, including one recently. My friends, I'm really grateful for all these words of encouragement and companionship you all have given me. I really am. fjozn at 11:08 AM This is all going off the point. All of us do not understand each other. Ok, so why are we so serious about this issue? It's plainly is a case of discrimination and infringement of our rights to be playing where we deserve to be. Sure, we can let go as we want. But would this provide a basis for them to chase future batches of student as they wish? No. We all live in a democratic society, based on justice and equality. Sounds familiar? The only reason why I am writing so much is to set things right. You don't chase students out just because you don't like them. You don't follow things just because people do the same. This is so just so typically Singaporean. Dare to speak out. Do what you think is correct. Fight for your rights. In any case, I'm not slamming Rouxin for what she wrote even if I sound like I am. This issue is purely between me and the school management of the band. Let it be not an issue between me and any member. I don't wish to create a drift between me and any member of TAB and TSMB alike. I shall now apologize to you if I had caused you any distress in any way. I'm sorry. So, may I offer an olive leave, peace pipe or whatever-that-thing-is. What do you offer to another to signify peace anyway? How about coffee? Someone please remind me. I'm getting old. Rouxin, I will be most willing to meet you and treat you to coffee someday if you take my offer. I'm contactable from all the listing under "About Me" on the right. =) *PS. By the way, the last line was not a cheap pick-up line. =P fjozn at 11:45 AM
With reference to the latest comments in regard to the TAB fiasco, I feel I just couldn't sit back and do not do or say anything about it. I beg to differ. If what I'm going to say might are not pleasant sounding to you, I'm sorry. This is my blog. I say what I want. Let me remind the general Reader that I'm not out to put people down. The solitary reason of why I blog is purely to document my thoughts and stand on whatever matters or issues which I regard as mentionable or significant. If you have read some of my previous posting before, I don't believe I have ever seriously condemned a specific individual. Oh well, maybe one, the you-know-who if you have been reading my blog for the past month or so. For the record, I have never doubted Miss Dorean Tan's ability as a conductor. I respect the fact that she has brought TSMB to a Silver award in the SYF. Although I'm a believer that SYFs should be abolished but I shall not digress now. The current grading system is perhaps the best testimonial of her achievements. True enough, what were once mid-range instruments had since been replaced by higher grade instruments. Instead of Yamaha intermediate saxophones, I saw Selmer Paris Series II. I saw a lot of higher-end Buffet clarinets. There were Miyazawa flutes. The list goes on and on. So if I think she's a great person who has brought the band to greater heights, why am I complaining so much now? To put it simply: She was disappointing. I see many people jumping off their seats now and starting to protest at me. Please read on. Not liking us is an issue, but why goes all the way to totally block us out? Have we, the senior batch been given a chance to know her better? No, we haven't. What can we do when she didn't allow herself to interact with us? Even though Mr Chew could potentially be a bastard on his days, he and his wife spoke with earlier seniors who weren't under them. It probably wasn't those in depth conversation about current affairs but at least there were some small talk going. "...ms tan: don mix around wif those kind of pp.. u shld knoe who i am referrin to.. ive never like students who werent under me before.. u are a good ger, there are many guys around.. don be mesmerised by his playin.. this kind of pp bu hao re.. muz trust teacher..." Is this familiar? I have no choice to refer to what she said to Zhihui after the augural TAB practice. Mind games. Brainwashing. The cold cruelty of the back-stabbing world being imposed on a bright-eyed girl who is stepping into the real world. This, in my opinion, was despicable. I'm sorry I have to use this word but I can't think of any other word to describe this tinge of raw emotion. Let me address the shame and guilt some of the juniors experienced after being reprimanded on their selfishness. When you really respect and look up to a person very much, it's extremely hard to accept when he/she do something totally out of character. It's a very hard fall and when you attempt to pick yourself up to move on. The impact and scar are there and when you look back and think of the past good and happy things that had happened. They don't always seem to be as good as ever. As some might put it: A sense of betrayal. Please understand that if we were thrown out of the band based on unacceptable behaviours or attitude, we can accept it. But based on the concept of "protection of her student"? I'm sorry but this is a rather weak reasoning. This is nothing more than a slap in the face for most of us who wish to help. Furthermore, we are fully aware of her displeasure of our presence. Try harder and give us a better reason ya? If we put ourselves in her shoes, who will put themselves in ours? On a note of self-evaluation, I believe I could have written a lot of nastier sounding things but I elected to refrain myself by giving the issue a lot of thoughts. I could have written this last night right after reading the comments, but I didn't. I gave myself time to think. I would probably have angrily written some strongly worded article that I would come to regret. I'm really trying my best to be fair as possible to everyone. I'm sure everyone is sick of this fiasco. I am. It makes me bitter. For Reader's info, I don't just write aimlessly. Primarily, I have absolutely no intention to create any potential drifts between me and any other juniors from later batches. I'm on good terms with some juniors and I absolutely have no intention to change the status of our ties. As I've said before, I just hope for all young and old alumni to be able to play together happily in a room. Is this a lot to ask for? Sigh. *PS. For juniors who are here: Don't get too upset and involved in this. Just play your own part well. Let us, the people directly involved, handle it. I'm really touched by all the support you had shown. Thank you! =) fjozn at 12:06 PM | |
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