Thursday, December 30, 2004

Happy New Year!

The year's drawing to an end. It's that time of the year where we all start to make resolutions to try to make the New Year a better year.

How many of us actually keep to our resolutions? I'm not sure about this; in fact, this is the first time I'm making resolutions!

There are so many things that I had put off doing.

In the New Year,


I shall not report sick so much.

I shall watch my spending closely.

I shall not travel by taxi so much.

I shall spend at least 30 minutes a day running through my scales, except for Sunday.

I shall spend more time exercising.

I shall try to be nicer at lousy band concerts.


I can't really think of what else I should do, but my 2nd resolution would really take quite a bit of effort for me!

Of course with resolutions, there come my aims too.


Aims

To get my Licentiate Diploma.

To pass Grade 8 Theory.

To perform a solo piece.

To run all my scales at a satisfactory speed.

To get started on Ferling and Lamont.


Anyone who read this would probably realize that my aims are all quite musical. Well, I'm moving on in life and thus I have to work harder that anyone else. I'm really falling behind! Just look at my oboist peers who are studying overseas, every time I see and hear them, there is something new!

What had 2004 been like?

I seem to had grown a lot in 2004. I've grown musically, mentally, and sadly, physically. I started teaching. I started appearing with bands as a guest player. It helped to improve my sight reading by forcing myself to get ready for a concert in just 3 rehearsals! On top guest playing, there's still the regular concerts with SAF. To count back, there were 3 concerts this year of different genre from classical to chamber.

2004 was filled with many memories. There were new lives, deaths, happy events, sad events. There are just too many things to write about!

Perhaps in a way, I do have quite a good life. I changed my oboe to my current XL. I have supportive parents. I have a stable job that I like, albeit being not very well paid. I have good friends around me who I can rely on when I need them. What more can I ask?

I'm actually still hoping for that money to drop from the sky! Heehee.

2004 could be happy as many of my friends got married with new beautiful chapters in their lives. However at the same time, people around passed away too, including my grandfather.

Bad memories include the TAB fiasco which really left a bad sour aftertaste in many people's mouth. Speaking of which, I saw someone whom I really didn't want to see last night at the Mus'art concert. She was talking to my teacher at the reception area. Upon seeing her, I did an instantaneous ke-belakang pusing to walk out of the room. Why are some people just so vicious? Sigh.

However, not all people are like her. There are some people I should mention here!


My parents, for being so supportive about my musical career.

Yongxiang, for being a 10 years jian huo good friend.

Yibin, for listening to me and the crappy friendship.

Jane, for being my little darling.

Jiahui, for the companionship.

Jeremy, for your friendship in the section.

Elaine, for guiding me along.

Joo Bee, for the chatting sessions.

Kaitze, for sharing everything music and oboe with me.

Xueting, for being a wonderful XAL.

Calvin and Sue Anne, for being my good friends.

Xiaopei, for being chatty all the time.

Justin, for being an oboist partner-in-crime.

Huifen, for your online companionship.

Alvin, Phyllis, Seemeng and Thong Boon, for being my M4 kakis.

and

Natalie, for being such a nice goat.

Keith, for being FAT. (I know you are reading this. Haha!)


And everyone else who I've neglected to mention! I'm sorry but if I mention everyone, my list will go on and on and on, thanking everyone for being a great friend. There are, however, some people that I know who are not included. Not to worry, if you are reading this, you are probably one of my great friends! =)

Thus I extend my well wishes to everyone who's reading this. Be it my friends or passer-bys.


May the year 2005 be one of hope and joy!


And not forgetting, World Peace!

Happy New Year!
fjozn at 7:17 PM

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Disasters

The books that I've read and recent disasters had set me thinking.

On the day before the fateful earthquake in Indonesia, there was another quake in Antarctica measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale. This quake didn't cause much fatality as it was understandably secluded.

What's wrong with the Earth?

Global warming had been quite a big issue for the recent years. However, there are some studies to indicate that the temperature is actually on the wane. This notion was explored in works that I've seen/read recently like Day after Tomorrow (yeah, I know I'm very slow!) and Michael Crichton's latest book, State of Fear. Although these are works of friction, there's enough theory to set one thinking about the weather of the next century. Not that we all will be here to witness it but surely it's something that's going to affect our descendants?

I know earthquakes are not related to the climate. But what if one fine day, there comes this "double hit combo" of serial earthquakes and extreme climate changes?

Die, loh.

The strong ripples, otherwise known as tsunamis or tidal waves are just going to reach every continent. Why, you could even take a dip in the Sahara if you want! Singapore, being theoretically geographically safe will not be spared too. We are indeed sheltered against natural disasters of a normal magnitude but who knows what will happen in times of extreme climate?

In the history of Earth, there had been 5 documented periods of extinction. Are we, human, going to cause the 6th? It's quite possible if you ask me.

What will the future occupant of the planet be? Cockroaches?

Sometimes the human being can be quite useless. Which other known living species on Earth take so long to develop? Most mammals can walk in a matter of hours after being born. Human? We take about one year to develop. Even so, it takes 2-3 years for a human baby to be able to feed itself unaided.

Sure we all can think, but what about a baby? A human brain is so developed that it has to be underdeveloped at the moment a baby is born. If not, the head will just be too big to pass through the birth canal!

This is so sad.

No one knows for sure the true origin of the Universe. Everything is just so vast. And in a way, every thing in the Milky Way will be destroyed in about 5 million years from now. There's a theory that the Sun will burn out all its energy by then and self destruct a la a super nova just all is left will just be a black hole.

Well, all these are theories anyway. The Big-Bang theory (can anyone understand the whole structure? I was literally seeing stars after reading 2 pages of it!), Armageddon theory, et cetera.

So depressing right? I'm feeling kind of, after seeing the death toll rise to 68,000 this morning (and still counting).

Moral of the story: Love the Earth! It's the only home we have! For now.


A moment of silence for all victims and their families, please.
fjozn at 11:38 AM

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Xmas!

Christmas' Eve this year had been really quite memorable for me. Let's just say I won't forget this day in years to come!

I started off the day buying a gift for the exchange. Yes, I know I was really very last minute but I was busy!

For Yongxiang's info, I wandered around West Mall before I set my eyes on a set of soft toys in a gift shop. Anyway, WM is quite a good place to buy gift! There are like 4 gift shops on level 4 alone?

I really like it! So much to the extent I wish that I could keep it for myself. For photos, please proceed to Yongxiang's (yes, he got it!) or Jiahui's blog. Links are on your left!

YX, can I have it back!?!? =P

The evening started off with a movie at Plaza Singapura. We watched Kung Fu Hustle. For those who haven't and are keen to watch it, please do! I think it's really quite a nice show and that it's really way better than his earlier shows. Ok, it was still rather lame at some parts but generally I thought it was very enjoyable.

The people at Pig Sty Alley were funny. The boy with the butt crack, the sissy tailor, et cetera. I think my favourite scene was the knife throwing part. I shall not spoil the laugher for you. Enjoy!

I realized that Singaporeans are really quite kiasu. Ok, I'm one of them. I was trying to book tickets online the night before at about 10 pm and to my horror, most of the shows were left with the front few rows! Thankfully I managed to get 4th row which wasn't too bad for PS!

We had dinner at Fish and Co before heading down the Orchard Greens for the countdown. The dinner was ok; I shared this Seafood Fondue thing with JH. I didn't really see anything special about it. It's just seafood with this special dip. They call it Peri-peri sauce or something but it's essentially just cheese? Fine, it was heated by 2 little candles but it wasn't really special! The price was rather high too! It was $69.90+++ (inclusive of starters, a drink and dessert)!

Oh well, it was fun too. =) anyway, I got a Winnie the Pooh towel from the gift exchange! It looks quite nice, nice colour combination too! Thanks JH! (I still prefer my soft toy set!)

And why are there so many of those snow foam thing? I really pitied the cleaners. They had to clean the confetti, spray and rubbish the next day. Everywhere I went I saw spray being sprayed!

Haha! And to think that I haven't been to any countdown for the past 2 years or so!

***

I've just realized the power of Nokia PC Suite!

I can now PC-Sync my phone! Haha! I feel like a little boy who just discovered how to play with a toy!

***

Anyway, I'm guest playing for 2 up-coming concerts.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Concert Band
Conducted by Tan Aik Kee (Awaiting commissioning to be a Director of Music of the SAF Band)

27th Dec 2004, 1930 hrs
Victoria Concert Hall

Imagine
Wind in the Willows
Japanese Graffiti 5
An American in Paris


Singapore Wind Symphony
Conducted by Dr. Alan (La-Salle)

16th Jan 2005, timing to be advised

Fantasy Variations
Lord of the Ring Symphony


Do attend if you are free!
fjozn at 2:00 PM

Saturday, December 25, 2004

Merry X'mas!

Merry X'mas to one and all! Ho! Ho! Ho!
fjozn at 2:40 PM

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Lottery

Some things about lottery.

The most frequently seen number is 11 with 124 appearances since 1997.

The number with the lowest frequency is 29 with 84 appearances.

You have precisely 1 in 814,5060 chances of winning Toto Group 1.

To digress a bit,

Here are some other odds for the sake of comparison:

You have about a 1 in 2,000,000 chance of being struck by lightning.

A pregnant woman has a 1 in 705,000 chance of giving birth to quadruplets.

Someone eating an oyster has a 1 in 12,000 chance of finding a pearl inside of it.

Looking at these figures, I would be quite pissed if I get struck by lightening instead of Toto!

Contrary to popular belief that it's hard to win 4D with the number 0000, it actually came out twice within the last 4 years, compared to 1111 with only one appearance.

The people at Singapore Pools are smart. There's no way to a sure win combination. Then again, who says gambling is good? Ever heard of the Chinese saying: 10 gamble 9 loses? (translated literally)

Ok, I'm bored!
fjozn at 11:33 PM

FREE!

Announcement!

I have two free tickets to the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Concert Band Concert on Monday, 27th Dec 2004. The concert is of the Rondeau series I think. Just for Reader's info, I'm guest playing and hence the free tickets. =)

Pieces include:

Imagine
An American in Paris
Wind in the Willows
Japanese Graffiti 5
Leoness

These are the pieces that I can remember.

Anyone who is interested please call me at 9 430 4990!

[edit] GIVEN OUT!
fjozn at 8:19 PM

Philharmonic Winds

For the first time in history, I went to a Phil Winds concert!

I think I really must be the last among my band friends to attend one.

Anyway, it went well. Not to say that I'm really enthusiastic about the band but they deserve the credits. They played really well and I believe that credit goes to Tim Reynish too. He's really a good conductor! Oh the whole, the concert was good, one of the better band concert that I've attend for a long time. (If you know me well enough, you probably know by now that I don't attend just any concert) Well, except for the trumpet sonata.

Whether was it the way that it was written or the way that it was played, I'm not really sure? Let's just say that it wasn't one of the more enjoyable pieces. Other than that, it was really enjoyable. Anyone who went would agree with that the Black Dog was outstanding!

Tang Xiaoping is quite amazing! Seriously! I remember the time when he guest played on bass clarinet with the Central Band. He made the high register of the bass clarinet sound like the soprano clarinet!

Needless to say, the Black Dog was the most enjoyable piece of music that night for me.

Dances from Crete was nice too. It's the only piece in the entire programme that I know, having played it before for the Tim Reynish masterclass. Haha! Well, it was really nice to hear the cor anglais solo being played nicely for once! Jeremy, if you are reading this, you know what I mean!

Anyway, I saw Veda with her Wiseman Double case at the Esplanade before the concert. The case is gorgeous, loh!

Anyone with extra cash please grant me my Christmas wish!
fjozn at 8:01 PM

Saturday, December 18, 2004

Back!

Ah! Finally!

I have my MS Words at long last! The wonder of word processors! At least fEn won't be asking me to go get MS Words now! =P

Let's see, my last decent post was on 28th November. It's kind of weird but I'm normally very free at this time of the year but apparently it isn't so. I've been going to gathering after gathering. This is the time of the year where the tummy grows and the wallet shrinks!

Why do people celebrate Christmas in the first place? It's becoming a very commercialized holiday, just like Valentine's Day, which is VERY commercialized. Call me un-romantic or something, but I just think that the prices of flowers rockets ridiculously high around that period! But still, what can I say if the flowers make my darling a happy person on that day?

I've watched a few movies recently, three to be precise: Alexander, Blade Trinity and Ocean's Twelve.

Alexander wasn't as good as I expected.

Firstly, the show is 3 hours long! I don't know much about the history of Alexander and his empire but the show certainly didn't give a concise understanding of what happened either. No thanks to the lack of subtitles (I was watching the preview). It really pales in comparison to the other great epics like Lord of the Ring and Troy. The fighting scenes were greatly blurred and merged. One can't help but feel that the show lacks a good cinematographer and fighting choreographer.

The scenes between Alex and his gay lover weren't that appealing too. There was this scene where the both of them were standing on the balcony. The setting was great! There were stars in the sky, the balcony overlooking the city of erm, one of his cities of conquest, the back views of what looked like a long haired woman and man. What a romantic setting, you said?

NO! The long haired woman is a guy! Damn spoiler, can? Not to say that I have a thing against gays, (there are so many in my social circle!) I do still have a problem seeing 2 men behaving intimately.

Isn't it sad that most sequels cannot live to the hype of the original?

While Ocean's Eleven revolves around the special abilities of the crew, O12 didn't. Instead, most of the film-time was dedicated to just Clooney, Pitt and Damon. The most interesting part of the show was perhaps when the Night Fox was tangoing his way through the laser beams. Other than that, O12 wasn't as interesting as O11. Sure, there was also a twist in the plot at the end but somehow the whole show isn't that memorable.

On the other hand, Blade Trinity was pretty decent. I can't compare it to the original because I didn't watch it, but still the 2 sequels were both pretty good and decent.

Has anyone seen the Botero exhibition ongoing at the Esplanade Park? I think it's pretty interesting. For Reader's information, Botero is the one who did the fat little (ok, it's not that little) bird sculpture near UOB Building along Singapore River. I think they are all pretty interesting, go catch them if you have the chance. I'm not too sure when the exhibition is on until but it was still there when I was in the area last night!

Hmmm, there's a Sleeping Beauty on Ice this weekend! Should I go? I actually went for the Singapore Dance Theatre's production of the Sleeping Beauty. I wasn't too sure whether the dancing was good, considering that it was my maiden trip to the theatre. Personally, I felt that it wasn't that great but still the whole show was considerately enjoyable. And no, I didn't fall asleep. The music from the Philharmonic Chamber orchestra, by the way, was good.

It's just a pity that the show was pretty long (3 hours with 2 intervals), and you could hear the weariness in the players towards the end with quite a lot of mispitches by the brass players and occasional bad chord.

The last few weeks haven't been that good. 3 of my friends' parent passed away within a week. How bad can that be? Just this morning I got a shock when I was reading the papers. I came across this photo that looked suspiciously like my secondary school mate. He died in an accident. The name was suspiciously familiar! Thankfully, upon checking with my yearbook, the names were different! Still, a young life was lost on the road again, something of which is nothing to be happy about.

And yes! I've just finished Michael Crichton's latest book: State of Fear. Buy it from Times if you want, there's a discount of 20%!

Well, I think the book is really good. I like all his books anyway. I think the only ones that I haven't read so far are those in the Jurassic Park series. Nevertheless, I shall get down to them one day!

***

News for music lovers!

Philadelphia Orchestra is coming to town next year! They will be here for the Arts Festival on the 28th and 29th May.

The programme is a must-go!

28th May
Dvorak Carnival Overture
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb, Soloist: Lang Lang
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra

29th May
Mozart Oboe Concerto in C, Soloist: Richard Woodhams (Principal Oboist, Philadelphia)
Mahler Symphony No. 5 in C# minor

As you can see, it's a die-die-must-go!

Anyone?
fjozn at 1:20 PM

Thursday, December 09, 2004

Maestro Fennell

In memory of Maestro Frederick Fennell


July 2, 1914 - December 7, 2004



fjozn at 1:44 AM