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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 |
Yoohoo! Anyone wants a Gmail account? I have 49 invites left! Don't ask me how I got so many - I don't know!!! Perhaps you can try asking any kind soul at Google. Why do so many people have Gmail already? Isn't it still in the trial period with a limited amount of users? How come everyone I asked regarding their interests in Gmail already has one? Anyway! If you are interested, please email me! Anyone! Even if you're a passer-by! I don't know what to do with my invites anyway! fjozn at 1:12 AM
Singapore Armed Forces Central Band presents In Harmony 20 - James Barnes Victoria Concert Hall 27th May 2005, 1930 hrs As a member of the Theory-Composition faculty at the University of Kansas, James Barnes teaches orchestration and composition courses. His numerous publications for concert band and orchestra are extensively performed in the United States, Europe, and the Pacific Basin. His works have been performed at Tanglewood, Boston Symphony Hall, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Mr. Barnes has traveled extensively as a guest composer, conductor and lecturer throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan, and Taiwan. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the American Bandmasters Association and numerous other professional organizations and societies. Since 1984, his music has been published exclusively by Southern Music Company of San Antonio, Texas. This concert features the local premiere of his Fifth Symphony "Phoenix" and the world premiere of Festive Music for Singapore which was commissioned by the Singapore Armed Forces Central Band to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Singapore independence in 2005. This minimalist piece combines both Eastern and Western musical ideas - repetitive nature of the gamelan orchestras but yet American in flavour in the overall sound of the piece. As quoted from the composer himself: "the piece is exciting, engaging, rhythmic, and unlike anything I have ever written." Programme Hobart Centennial March Festive Music for Singapore Poetic Intermezzo Fantasy Variations Alvamar Overture Fifth Symphony "Phoenix" All music composed and conducted by James Barnes. Please call 6450 5895 for complimentary tickets, limited to 2 per person. E-mail me or visit the SAF Bands website (on your top left) if you have any inquiries! E-mails requesting for tickets will not be entertained. Please call the number above. Thank you! fjozn at 9:03 PM
Why do I wear yellow shoes? What's wrong with that in the first place? I wear what I like and any individual who doesn't agree with me can go bang his/her head against the wall. The Writer doesn't assume any responsibilities regarding Readers suffering from broken heads and concussions as a result of reading this blog. If you know me well enough, I enjoy owning things that are unique. Read: unique equals nice, not ugly to an extent where no one wears it. That is why I have my yellow Nikes. That is why I tie hot pink thread onto my oboe reeds. That is why I play a XL. That is why I am broke. Perhaps some people would think I'm just trying to attract attention. Well, if I do, I would probably do more than that! I recall seeing these 2 ladies in their 50s. They were the pinnacle of flamboyant-ism! Not only were they dressed in loud colours and covered in tons of powder, they HAD to sashay their way through a food court. Someone save my eyes! Still, they got what they wanted. Attention. It's probably all the wrong thoughts in on-lookers but do they care? I think they don't and are actually happily basking in the attention. And no, I don't think I would ever dress that way when I'm 50. People would probably think that I'm gay. Hey! Maybe some of them think I am! After all, I have yellow shoes and uses pink thread! I'd be quite amused if someone questions my sexuality. Well, perhaps, disturbed and baffled too. My friend, however, wasn't as amused as I was when someone thought that he was gay! He was told by a colleague that he thought that my friend was gay the whole of the 3 years that he knew him. Not that they were very close friends or whatsoever, it was just an impression. My friend was so disturbed by it that he went around half the day asking people if he looked gay. He! The epitome of masculine-ism! The loud clumsy manly man! I'm sorry, but I was quite amused by it! Haha! Come to think of it, I have a few gay friends in my social circle. Oh wait, quite a few! Once, I was with my friend when we saw a couple. He jokingly said: "Hey! You take the woman, I take the man!" I was like -_-!!! If you still don't know, this friend is as straight as curly fries. My point is: If you are gay, I'm fine with it. My friend was having a discussion about gender differences on her blog. It came to a point when someone concluded that sex and gender are 2 different issues and every individual should have the right to choose their own gender. I'm not quite sure how this point was concluded; I didn't finish reading everything. This causes me to think: Is homosexuality prevalent in other animals? Hence, I did a google and yes! It happens! Ok, maybe I am outdated. How does one define homosexuality? I'm sure all of us have different boundaries. Is it bonding/companionship or merely a sexual relationship? I have close male friends too. Which side of the line am I on? I know my answer perfectly well. Will the rest of the world see it the same way? Oh! For the record, I'm extremely straight. Hey! Wait! I have a pair of red shoes too! Hmmm... fjozn at 10:50 AM
1/3 of John's money is twice as much as Henry's money. If their total sum is 42, how much money does John have? I got this from fEn's blog. I can't recall questions like this during my primary school days! No wonder the kids these days look so overloaded. I'm actually ashamed to say that it took me a while to figure it out. I'm out of practice! (Oh man! It's been 7 years since I left secondary school!) By the way, the answer is $36. Did you get it correct? fjozn at 10:23 AM
I was quite amused at the Esplanade's website. While writing in to them last night, I encountered the title drop bar. There were at least 30 titles! I wonder how many RADM(NS)s, Presidents, SMs, DPMs, LT-Gen(Retd)s actually write in to them? True, they want to be prepared for anyone for who writes in to them, but this is too much! fjozn at 9:32 AM
Singapore Armed Forces Central Band Botanic Garden 24th April 2005 Sunday 1800 hrs Programme Ride American Graphity The Merry Widow Bugler's Holiday And more! Drop by if you're free! Contact me if you need more information. =) fjozn at 9:39 PM
It's time to do some updating of my e-mail accounts. For general mail purpose: chualiangyou@gmail.com OR fjozn@singnet.com.sg The gmail account would be preferred. I have 2 plus freaking gigabytes empty! Use it! For urgent mail to my handphone: fjozn@yahoo.com For MSN: le_maestro@hotmail.com If I had gotten your e-mail account recently, good! If I haven't, please send one to my gmail stating your name! I'm in the midst of updating my contacts, so if you think you have any mobile numbers, new addresses or whatsoever, please take a moment to email. It'd be greatly appreciated! Thank you! fjozn at 2:10 PM
Yeah! The SYF's over! Stupid Fat Keith, never take part in SYF before cannot meh? Wait, actually, I did. Just that it wasn't the adjudication. I think there were quite a lot of surprises this year: The expected didn't happen and the unexpected did. Well, like what I said: It's whether you try your best that matters, not the result. The consistent misconception of that irks me so. But then again, this is Singapore. What can I say? I won't say much about whether some bands deserved what they got or not. It's not my call! This blog will not be a gossip centre for the SYF. =) Well, congratulations to the following people! Clarence, Jane and Carol - Orchid Park, Gold with Honours Rebecca - Ang Mo Kio, Gold James, Ming Bei - Tanjong Katong, Gold And to everyone who achieved their goals. If you didn't, there's always SYF 2007 to work forward to! fjozn at 10:47 AM
I was so amused by the chatter going in IRC. At least there's isn't any negative comments or bitching about anyone, unlike previous years. Or maybe it just hasn't happen yet? Oh dear, was I ever one of them? I think not. After all, I came from a Grade 2 assessment band, one who had never even played in a proper SYF before! =) I guess the talk of the band scene now is about Orchid Park. Well, perhaps they might not have gotten a Gold with Honours had they played on a later date. But! That's for the judges to decide. Not you. Not me. Not anyone else. And mind you, if you are a stranger who wants to leave degrading comments about the judges like how they don't know their stuffs. I would have you know that Dr Lourens reads this blog and Major Philip is my boss. Think twice before shooting your mouth off. So, well done OPSS! Congrats to Clarence, Jane and Carol! fjozn at 11:10 PM
I think I'm developing an allergic to Singapore Rhapsody. Guess why? Yes, I was at the Singapore Youth Festival today. I heard like 8 bands played before I left because I was having a headache. No, the bands were all right. Perhaps listening to SR 8 times really makes one nauseous! I'm not trying to be critical but I really don't like the way it sounds and the way the piece moves. I really think that the transitions are quite bad. Oh well! Rasa Saya is a song we all know well. So, why did I only hear a couple of band trying to make it sound like a folk song? I wonder how the judges sit through about 150 different renditions of SR. I shall not be mean today. I believe all of them view the SYF importantly and hence I shall not break any little hearts. =) Some of the oboists were not very good. I could see some people in the audience flinching when one certain oboist was flat constantly. Ok, honestly, I was a bit irked too. But shame on me! I shouldn't be! I've been through that stage too. In a way, I will never forget how I constantly got negative comments and dirty looks I got when I started off on the oboe. The negative impressions lasts, and I still think I'm judged by my previously horrendous playing. Not to say that I'm a perfect player now but still I come a long way. There's more to travel though! In the same way, I also know of inspiring oboists who give up half way because of the bad comments and negative thoughts. It's really sad for them. Why are people so eager to put down others rather than encourage them? Why don't other players ever spare a thought for us? Just because a bad tone on any other instrument is just a thin, airy sound, they expect the same from an oboist. No, I'm sorry. You can't be more wrong. You won't understand how it is like until you try it yourself. Like my teacher says: Playing the oboe is already hard enough, why make your life more difficult? Playing the oboe is already difficult. It's not uncommon to hear of students who have to use the same reed for half a year. It's not uncommon to hear of student who struggle on oboes in horrible conditions. There are no proper technicians in Singapore who specializes in oboes. That's precisely why an oboe costs so much - the mechanisms are too complicated! An oboe and reeds are not cheap in the first place. A decent oboe that I consider playable costs about 4k. A hand made reed costs anything from 25 onwards. Considering the measly budget that some schools have, it's a big burden for them. Would you expect them to have proper teachers to guide them when they have a problem with instruments? No. There's where all the problems come in. Put in too much reed? You become very sharp. Too little? Very flat. Just nice but too tight? Thin sound. Just nice but too loose? Flat. The problems are never ending. Is it hard to be more understanding and encouraging? More importantly, is there any conductors who are reading this? Encourage your oboists, not merely substitute their solos with other instruments just because you think they can't play well. Spare a thought for their feelings. I know it hurts because I've been there before. fjozn at 9:42 PM
Wow! I am surprised! Dr Alan Lourens personally wrote me an e-mail addressing my opinions on how he interpreted and conducted Third Symphony. It was enriching to learn why he conducted it the way he did and how his opinions differ from mine, especially for the Mesto. It was nevertheless a pleasant surprise for me! Hmmm... I wonder if Zubin Mehta will do the same and e-mail me and tell me why his Beethoven 5 was so mild? Haha! If I write that President Bush looks like a chimpanzee, will FBI agents come knocking at my door tomorrow? Hmmm... fjozn at 10:52 PM
I think I should stop buying CDs for a while. I have a few CDs that I haven't even listened to since I got them. I even had one still intact in its wrapper. -_-! Still on the monetary issue, I'm overspending like mad! Help! I had 2 great offers last week. Firstly, I changed my broadband plan to Singnet 1500 and received $500 worth of vouchers! (Ok ok, I know I was still living in stone age 512kbps) $250 Royal Sporting House and $250 Singtel! Ok, actually, it was my dad who got them. But still, hiak hiak! And darn, I've already set my sights on not one, but two pairs of Nikes. Die la! Knowing myself, I will get them eventually. Anyone knows of any miracle shot for curing overspending? I was at the Zubin Mehta concert at the Esplanade on Wednesday. One word to describe it all: Bravo! Well, except for the occasional intonation problem. Oh well! Let's not allow that to dampen my enthusiasm! It's not everyday where one get to witness a true legend conduct the most famous piece in music history. Come on, who in the civilized world had not heard of the famous 4 notes motif from Beethoven 5? Verdi's Overture to the Force of Destiny was great! Beethoven 5 was a bit mild. Beethoven 7 was good! Except for the flat high C on the oboe. The 3 encores: Mozart, Puccini and Verdi were all very nice. I haven't enjoyed myself so much at a concert for so long! The last one I really enjoyed was hmmm, sheesh, I can't remember. Just imagine the number of mediocre concerts I've sat through. Hmmm... Let's see... Hmmm... I haven been drinking too much over the last 3 days. I shall stop drinking for a while. Hmmm... Something interesting in the papers today. Trival of the day: A condition called myotonia causes the "fainting goat" to stiffen up and collapse to the ground when startled. The condition lasts for about 10 to 15 seconds before the goat gets up and walks stiffly away. Hmmm... Oh yes, have anyone seen the "Romance" video from NUS? My friend from NUS sent it to me. I didn't understand it initially until I read about it in the Sunday Times today (page 35). So it's a confession, not a proposal as I initially thought it was. I think it's really brave for the guy to do that but at the same time, showing lack of thoughts and thorough consideration? Look at the hooha it's caused by now. What embarrassment for the girl! Hmmm... Are the contestants in the Miss Bimbo, I'm sorry, Miss Universe pageant the best Singapore has to offer? I think it's really sad. XP was telling me a really funny story regarding 2 of the finalists over MSN on my way to town yesterday. It was so embarrassing. I felt like laughing out loud, but decided against so to prevent any mis-impression of a siao-lang laughing at his phone. Hmmm... In the New Paper today, there's a section where readers send them opinions via SMSes regarding the Terri Schiavo case. There is one that says: Her husband loves her too much to see her suffer while her family loves her too much to see her die. I was telling Jane: if there's a day whereby I'm paralysed, blind and deaf, please let me die! However, I'm not sure about this now. Well, the conditions are different anyway. Let's hope none of us have to ever go through this! Hmmm... I've run out of things to write about! Ciao! fjozn at 10:50 AM
Ok, let's see what's been happening so far. Wednesday I bought 2 CDs that I like a lot! Beethoven 4-7 by Concertgebouw under Wolfgang Sawallisch and Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and Borodin String Quartets played by Emerson Quartet. As some might already know, I'm trying to compose for a string quartet. Hmmm. I think I'll name it String Quartet no. 1 "Fantasy" Opus 1! Thursday I had some free time and hence met up with Jiahui for coffee and a, what she calls, "38 session". Let clarify this, shall we? She's the 38 queen and there's no way I can compare to her! =P Friday There was a military funeral this afternoon for a young NSF. Every time that I'm deployed for a funeral, it reminds me of the first time I put on my No. 1. It was for the RSS Courageous (did I get the name correctly?) accident a couple of years ago. The day was rightfully wet, dark and solemn. It's probably an event I would never forget. Slow marching in the rain, seeing solemn Navy personnel lining the road, all saluting their fallen comrade. At least she died a dignified death. I don't there's any better way to be sent off on your final journey. Saturday Teaching day. The SYF is fast approaching. As much as I don't like the idea of having competition, I'm sorry, adjudication, it's a part of the local band scene that I can't run away from. I have no choice. The SYF is the only time when I will get more job offers. As much as I do enjoy teaching and seeing my students grow, I don't really enjoy drilling them to play Singapore Rhapsody and (insert title of choice piece) to perfection. If you haven't heard me say this before, then allow me to say this again: "There shouldn't be SYF at all!" What's the point of learning only 2 pieces for the greater half of a year? I know of schools that start practicing their choice pieces 6 months before the SYF. Surely the world of music is much broader than being confined to just 2 pieces? I shall be bitchy. There are still a few of conductors around in Singapore who still don't know their stuffs. More correctly, these people should be called educators and not conductors. Secondary school conductors teach more than they conduct. More often than not, they teach their students how to play the way they want a phrase to be rather than telling them. A conductor conducts. An educator teaches. This is an adapted extract from a conversation with this prominent female figure who co-owns a band store. Her: So what do you play? Me: Oboe. Her: I see, so what brand of oboe do you use? Me: Howarth. Her: *astonished look* Really? Howarth, good meh? I saw one the other time and their pads were all made of pads! Me: Er. No, la. They are good instruments too. Her: Really meh? I buy Marigaux for my schools! What's the price of your oboe? Me: $XX XXX. Her: !!! My Mariguaxs are better! *proceed to show me receipt for Marigaux* See? It's cheaper! Me: Both brands are good. You see, they have different characteristics. The principal of SSO uses the same model as me, so it can't be that bad right? Her: Marigauxs are still better! It's not that I think that Marigaux oboes are not good. They were one of my considerations before I got my XL! By the way, an oboe always has cork pads. I didn't realize it at the time but I had a good laugh about it after it. Someone should show her the cork pads on her Marigaux and frighten her! Sunday Pope John Paul II passed away on Saturday night at the Vatican. Perhaps this piece of news would have been of no interest to me had it happened a year ago. It's quite different now having read Angels and Demons. In fact, I'm quite interested to go to the Vatican and see all the artworks for myself now! Still, I think we should respect the passing of a spiritual leader. I didn't know what kind of person he was but from reading articles about him the last few days in the papers, I figured that he was a great man. After all, not anyone can be the Pope right? A moment of silence please, for the Pope and fallen soldiers of the SAF. fjozn at 12:07 PM | |
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