Tuesday, June 28, 2005

MSN Change

I've changed my MSN address!

It's now fjozn@yahoo.com.

I decided that le_maestro was something too, hmmm, childish? Just in case I'm shot for being highly self-opinionated. =P

Anyway, if you're on my old list, I would probably have added you already. If not, please add me in!

Thanks!
fjozn at 7:51 PM

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Home, Aunties, Blur and Exit

I'm finally home! I've been in camp since Friday. Ok, I was outside on Friday night but I kind of miss my bed.

*

The other day, while I was in a rush to meet my friend, the auntie in front of me on the bus to slowly tap her hand bag around the card reader on the bus before alighting. Was it the top left corner? No. Maybe it's the bottom left? Nah. Hmmm... How about the right? Should I try the top or bottom? Oh! Maybe it's the middle! No, it's not. Oh! It's the top left! I was just a bit off!

I had time to roll my eyes a dozen times while she was playing with the card reader.

People like her should be punished to look for a needle in a haystack.

Maybe she would find it fun.

*

After the encounter with the trial and error auntie, I met another auntie whose grocery were so precious that she had to put all her NTUC bags onto the seat beside her on the crowded train.

*

I think something's wrong with my memories these days.

I was on the North East line towards Douby Ghaut and somehow managed to miss my stop.

Fine.

I alighted at Clarke Quay and took a train back to Douby Ghaut.

Upon reaching, I walked over the North South line and sit on a bench to wait for a train.

It took me 5 minutes to realize that I was sitting on the wrong platform.

And it's not an isolated case!

I missed another MRT stop just a couple of weeks before!

If that's not bad enough, I managed to take a wrong bus just a few days ago. Sheesh, what's wrong with me?

*

Seen on a bus:

EMERGENCY EXIT

BREAK ASS TO ESCAPE
fjozn at 5:16 PM

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Blue black, Caterpillars, Peter and Sugar Mummies

Maybe I should stop wearing black tops and blue jeans.

The other day, while wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans, I met my friend who happened to be also wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

Wearing our black T-shirts and blue jeans, we boarded a bus and sat at the back row where there were 5 seats.

A few stops later, a couple in matching black shirts and blue jeans boarded the bus and proceeded to sit on the opposite end of the back row.

Even more stops later, an uncle wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans boarded the bus and sat in the middle seat of the back row.

-_-!!!

At work, there is always this tendency for our clothes to coincide. There were days where Terence, Shannon or Stanley would just wear the same Giordano black polo T-shirt.

Just last night, we were all wearing Giordano polo T-shirts, just in different shades. Dark blue, red and black.

Anyway, if you ever go to the Ramen Ramen restaurant at Railway Mall in Bukit Timah, DON'T order the Ramen Ramen Ramen. It tasted like Myojo instant noodles. The rest tasted quite ok.

The Chasu is nice. Oh yes, try the Plum Soda, I liked it a lot!

*

I bought a new pair of Caterpillars!

It cost me only $1.15!

My friend asked me why in the world would I pay $1.15 for 2 caterpillars and I explained that I actually paid for about 5 dozens caterpillars to be skinned and made into a pair of shoes of which I can walk about comfortably in and she explained that she wasn't asking why I want to walk around in caterpillars' skin but rather why I didn't go catch them off the trees myself and I explained that it was all a joke and that Caterpillar is actually a brand of shoes made from leather and not from 5 dozens green caterpillar and that green caterpillar skin is not a colour that I would like on my shoes and she explained that she was actually joking too and that she knew perfectly fine what in the world was a pair of Caterpillars and I explained that I knew she was joking too and she explained that she was quite amazed that I bought a pair of Caterpillars for only $1.15 and I explained that I actually used a $100 voucher and therefore only end up paying $1.15 in cash and she explained that it was time for her to go and hence the end of the conversation.

*

I was sitting on the train listening to Peter and the Wolf when I just couldn't help it and started smiling to myself. I was suddenly very amused at the memories stirred by the piece.

The concert was very enjoyable last year, especially with the acting going on and even with an extremely bossy person at the helms.

If you were sitting on a train on the North-South line going towards the city a few days ago and noticed me smiling to myself, I'm not crazy.

If you have the DVD version of Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Abbado in which they acted out the story using puppets, tell me!

If not, get the recording by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, also conducted by Abbado and narrated by Sting. It's one of the more interesting versions. Don't buy the New York Philharmonic, conducted and narrated by Bernstein. You would probably fall asleep.

*

There are so many people out there who are looking for sugar daddies and Caucasians out there in their blogs!

i don't mind a sugar mummy. Haha!

I promise to be good and visit you at every blue moon at the old folks' home.

So does anyone want to buy me a Howarth XL Cor Anglais?

I also want a BMW M6...

And a new house...

And! And! And!

Oh, my wish list and email is on the right!
fjozn at 2:26 PM

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Musical enjoyment

"...In a musician's life, there is never a thing called "work". What he does - practice and playing his instrument, singing, or composing - is an enjoyment too pristine to be sullied by the term "work". It could be said that a musician plays through his whole life..."

I wish I could agree with this but I just couldn't.

With the many modern and abstract pieces around today, can you really declare that you love to play all of them?

It's just a romantic view of the music world. You can't choose what you want to play all the time. Oh, how I wish I could be playing Mahler 5 this weekend, Beethoven 7 next week, Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto the week after next. Yeah, I wish.

Playing professionally is a job.

You are expected to behave professionally and bring out the best of whatever is thrown onto the stand in front of you, even if you hate Mozart to Timbuktu.

There can be times where you are so tired out from practicing and yet have to sit down to perform for 2 hours.

I had this view when I was still reading Architecture in polytechnic.

"Wow! I can be an architect someday to design buildings!"

Then I looked at the real world. How many new houses are there for me to design in Singapore? Most projects around are just Alteration and Addition (major renovation without tearing down the building).

I looked at the working hours. 16 hours workday. No, I can't live with that.

Do you think that architects enjoy themselves all the time?

No, not all the time. They crack their head thinking of how to distribute the spaces within the building in the best way possibly. They think of what material is best and what is within the budget of their clients. They are stressed because time is money and they have their clients' deadline to meet.

Do you think that composers enjoy themselves all the time?

They have deadlines to meet too. Don't tell me that composers like Beethoven just composed to express their feelings. No, they don't.

Go listen to the second movement of his Eighth Symphony. It starts happily with the woodwinds chirping away while the strings introduce a happy theme. Do you know he was having a lot of problems with his life when he was writing that?

Mozart was commissioned to write 2 flute concertos for a flautist. He couldn't meet the deadline in time and what did he do?

He took an earlier completed oboe concerto and transposed it a tone higher and viola! You have his Flute Concerto No. 2 in D, K314.

Yeah, I still enjoy playing my oboe but I'm really sick of playing in bands already. It's not everyday where I can play in performances like the recent James Barnes concert.

I need a break!
fjozn at 11:28 AM

Friday, June 10, 2005

Lala.

Hello, how's everyone?

I saw this a while ago: "Like actors who bring out the character of the role they act, musicians should strive to act out the music they play."

How true! Why didn't this come across my mind before?


*

The last few days been quite an emotional roller coaster ride for me. I had a tough decision to make - a moral dilemma.

Had you ever been in a situation where you can't please everyone involved? I was and it was terrible. I hope this will never happen in my life ever again!

I'm sorry to the person at the losing end - it was really a painful decision for me.


*

Taiwanese variety shows never cease to amaze me! Just the other day, I saw the Taiwanese Vice-President on a variety talk show! I was like: "What!"

Just imagine seeing President Nathan on a talk show with someone like Gurmit Singh.

Speaking of Presidents, I really hope there will be more than one qualified presidential candidates this time round! I really don't mind a holiday!


*

I got a new DVD writer! $79 only! I can burn DVD+, DVD- and dual layers DVD now! Oh, I'm still quite unsure of the different formats anyway.

I'm quite proud of myself - I put it into the computer myself without any help! Ok, I got instructions on how to do it. But hey! This is a computer illiterate person here!

Now to look for the best deals for blank DVDs! Any recommendations?


*

If you are bored, you can read this to find out what's a ham-yu, who's gay, who loves salted ice-cream and etc. Note: above link probably applicable to DAT Class of 2002.

Hey Nick! If you mentioned me in the Mahjong game, how come I wasn't playing in the end?


*

I watched a few shows recently.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Watch this show only if you haven't read the book yet. Come to think of it, the show was rather disappointing in some areas. Yes, it was funny, but the essence of the original humour was lost. Well, I think it's really difficult to translate that humour to the big screen. For example, how would one attempt to film this?

"He (Arthur Dent) picked up the letter Q (from a scrabble game) and hurled it into a distant privet bush where it hit a young rabbit. The rabbit hurled off in terror and didn't stop till it was set upon and eaten by a fox which choked on one of its bones and died on the bank of a stream which subsequently washed it away.

During the following weeks, Ford Perfect swallowed his pride and struck up a relationship with a girl who had been a personnel officer on Golgafrincham, and he was terribly upset when she suddenly passed away as a result of drinking water from a pool that had been polluted by the body of a dead fox. The only moral it is possible to draw from this story is that one should never throw the letter Q into a privet bush, but unfortunately there are times where it is unavoidable."

- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Sequel to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
Douglas Adams


Besides the difficulties in filming, the story line was very much adapted. The book definitely didn't start with a MTV of dancing dolphins. The producers weren't very faithful in producing details from the book too! Look at Harry Potter and LOTR, the producers tried to bring to life scenes from the books even though they didn't follow the story line strictly.

Well, it's still a watch-able show. I enjoyed it.

On a side note, allow me to recommend the book if you enjoy reading. I'm currently just starting on the fifth book!


Star Wars Episode 3

Would you believe that it's the first time I'm watching Star Wars in a movie theatre?

Nice show, I enjoyed it.


Mr and Mrs Smith

If you have any problem deciding on what show to watch due to the movie ticket hike, watch this. It's long, funny, action packed and worth your money!

Girls (and some guys), you have Brad Pitt to gash about.

Guys (and some girls), you have Angelina Jolie to drool over.

What more can one ask for?


Madagascar

Cute! Funny! A bit on the short side though.


*

I am involved in NDP!

Darn.

And I thought I was just going to be a working party all along.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mezraq and myself as the first marching oboists in a National Day Parade in Singapore history!

*

My friend got a new Loree Royal a week ago and I tried it today. I didn't quite like it. Yes, it had powerful low notes and an even scale but the top notes are still flat!

Worst still, there was a deep scratch on the low C key and the inscribed metal plate on the bell still had glue on it! What is this? This is not acceptable from a top model!

*

The other day when I was walking past Esplanade Park, I saw a group of cyclists. Their bikes were most interesting. They had very high handle bars a la Harley Davidsons and upon closer inspections, I saw that they had exhaust pipes welded on! Wow. Where's the engine? They might as well make deep throttling sounds while they are cycling.

*

On the bus to a friend's place, I overheard the conversation of 2 men who were sitting right behind me. I was actually very interested in the long-hair beauty in front of me who turned out to be a man with long hair and hence the interest evaporated with the time frame of 0.1 nanoseconds and as a result caused me to listen to this mindless conversation.

Anyway, this is how the conversation went:

Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*
Man A: *censored*
Man B: *censored*

I have really never heard a more vulgar conversation in my life before. And man, those men were shallow and dumb. I shall not attempt to kill anymore of my precious brain cells elaborating on what they said.


*

Okay, I shall end this post of random thoughts!
fjozn at 9:15 PM

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Nice and sad.

I have something nice and something sad to say.

Nice.

I'm back on talking terms with my friend! Over 2 years of silence. No joke man!

Sad.

The Royal Ballet is sold out! Darn. I really wanted to see their Swan Lake.

Anyone got extra tickets???
fjozn at 12:28 AM