Monday, July 25, 2005

Fatigue, More Fatigue, Moths and Janice's Chalet

I'm starting to get back into the more relaxed way of life now that WASBE is finally over.

I haven't felt so worn out since the day I started working. This must have been the most tedious period ever. Even senior specialists were saying that they had never been so busy before!

*

I think I need a break from playing. I'm straying off the proper path already. My embouchure is collapsing and my breathing is nowhere near what it should be. There's only one thing to describe my reed making these days - can throw away.

What's wrong with me!?

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Have Reader noticed the unusually large amount of those big moths recently? The more superstitious people would tell me that moths are a symbol of bad luck. Is that so? It's so weird that I see those huge moths all around the place recently. In fact, there was one flying around the concert hall during the James Barnes concert, terrifying the young girls. Thankfully no one screamed during the concert. We weren't playing Phantom of the Opera, thank you very much.

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I went to Janice's birthday chalet on Saturday night. Amazingly, I managed to stay up to 4 a.m. and woke up at 8 a.m. To think I've only slept like 5 hours the night before.

No Janice, your chalet wasn't boring - don't worry about it. It's fine!

After a long day at the Padang, I took a cab down to Aranda Country Club or whatsoever. I think the chalet is nice but it's so expensive! ($150 a day!) Anyone has any cheap recommendations or lobangs? I'm considering one for Christmas this year but I want to keep it within $100 a day. Anyone?

Anyway.

I reach the place at about 9.30 p.m. That Jiahui told me to alight at the bus stop outside Downtown East, to which I did accordingly. And guess what? She was waiting at the other bus stop. -_-!

And so I had to walk back to the previous bus stop - after a long day of standing at the Padang.

By the time I got to the BBQ pit, everyone had already eaten and the fire was dying off. I was told to add some charcoal and I did.

I poured charcoal onto the fire and fanned with all my might. Sometimes I really think that the magic fan that the Princess had in the Journey to the West is useful. At least I won't have to fan my entire arm off every time I need to add charcoal.

Hey, I think I'm quite a good fire starter! Maybe I can consider a career as a charcoal arsonist.

Jiahui the Super Hua Chi was nice enough to help me cook some sausages and Chinese sausages. Thanks, but I really think it doesn't require a lot of skills to cook sausages. In fact, they are cooked. All you have to do it to heat them up. =P

They HAD to start packing up just when I have a nice fire going! I spent 5 minutes sweating to get that fire going!

What a nice fire it was! Darn.

We played Daidee with the reward system that I taught them. The loser has to give the winner his best 2 cards and the third placed have to give the second placed his best card. It was quite fun, I haven't play Daidee that way for a very long time.

I had to go next door and ask an auntie for her name for a forfeit. So embarrassing, can?

Next up was a ghost story telling system. Come to think of it, some ghost stories I hear while in the army were actually quite funny.

I heard of one where someone saw Ronald McDonald sitting on top of the low wall in the Standard Obstacle Course.

I heard of another where someone's cupboard started shaking and out came Guan Gong, the Chinese God of War.

Of course, there are the more familiar "classics" like the extra man during roll call, Stand by organs, the third door and so on.

To the owner of the hand that poked me while I was sleeping, I wasn't asleep yet. I just chose to ignore you. I think I heard a bit of the animal calls but I was too tired! Try spending the whole day at a NDP rehearsal and go to a chalet at night.

As usual, I was the first one up in the morning. Somehow I'm not a heavy sleeper. I'm really amazed by some of my friends who can sleep forever and ever. I can never do that. The longest amount of time I can spend sleeping is probably 10 hours.

I know of one friend who went home after a long week of school in poly. We had a submission on Saturday morning and so everyone was burning midnight oil to meet the deadline. He arranged to meet his friends for dinner and went to sleep. When he woke up, it was about 4 p.m. and he called his friend to ask about the plans for the evening.

His friend said: "What dinner? It was yesterday!"

He slept for more than a day! My mother would probably think that I'm dead if I sleep up to 5 p.m.

Thanks to Janice's dad, we got a lift to Bukit Panjang Plaza for lunch.

It was raining heavily when I was about to go home and so I took a cab.

I was busy staring at the rain when someone started shouting in the queue.

"Ni shou wo geng ni da xiao shen!?"

Literally: You said that I'm talking loud and soft to you!?

Correct meaning: You said that I'm raising my voice at you!?

I don't quite wish to be rude or bitchy or whatsoever. But hello? You are obviously shouting at someone and you can question in a loud shouting voice that he think that you are raising your voice?

Please, there is something in your head called a brain. Use it.

*

Ok, end of my story telling session.

It's time to watch Naruto!
fjozn at 11:53 AM

Sunday, July 17, 2005

New friend, WASBE, Howarth, Gordon Hunt, bored.

To continue on my story.

I recently met a new friend on MSN who "accidentally" added me to her contact list.

Apparently she has a friend who read this blog and gave her my MSN on purpose on the pretext that it was actually someone else.

Well, at least she's a nice person. So thanks, whoever you are!

*

The WASBE concert's finally over!

Ok, it wasn't fantastic.

I think I played terribly.

But it's over and I shall not bother myself over it. I need a break - my lips are breaking down already.

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The WASBE exhibition was rather disappointing.

I had expected something on a larger scale.

Anyway, I don't think I have much instruments to try. Those brands that I haven't tried before are those that are not available easily, like Dupin, Laubin, and Puchner.

I quite like the Buffet Greenline - I'm half considering selling my XL to buy that! Haha?

Then again, maybe not. I figured that I still like my XL a lot.

I was there chatting with Jeremy (Boss of Howarth factory) for a long time. I tried his entire range of XL, including the new oboe d'amore XL. Hmmm. I still really like the cocobolo XL I tried last year. Nothing beats that.

And yes! Jeremy was nice enough to help me get an autographed Gordon Hunt CD!

*

I shall take a break from playing - I'm sending my XL for annual maintenance anyway. I haven't felt so drained before in my life.

*

I'm bored.
fjozn at 1:37 PM

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Braindead

I'm so drained.

I'm so mentally tired.

I'm so looking forward to this Friday. After this Friday, I shall send off my oboe to UK and begin my break!

The WASBE rehearsal schedule is so terrible. Sound check at ends at 11am and the concert's at 7.30pm. It's a good thing that I can pop over to Suntec to the exhibition for an oboe trying session.

I'm actually not too excited about it.

The brands of oboes that I'm really interested in trying won't be available. The last I heard was that Loree is coming down. -_-!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to play a Cocobolo XL again ? the experience last year was so good!

*

I actually have a story to tell about a new friend but it shall wait till the next post.

I'm damn exhausted!

I need some brain. I'm so tyre thast I canmt eveen type popely.
fjozn at 9:51 PM

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Oh Lim Pi

And so London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics.

Jiahui was chatting with me on MSN and she said this:

"mayb london or bali will win..."

BALI?

-_-!!!
fjozn at 7:51 PM

Friday, July 01, 2005

Phone blog

I've decided to try something new. I'm typing this entry from my phone! Well, I'm on duty again and hence, I'm very bored.

I'm watching television as I'm slowly keying my way through this entry. Call me a mountain tortoise or something but it's the first time I'm watching the don't-know-what-superstar thingy on TV!

I almost turned off the TV after the first contestant. She was quite bad. Thank goodness the third one was still all right. I don't know how anyone can make it so far with such out of tune singing.

She responded to the judges in such terrible Chinese!

"Try to" in Chinese is "Jin liang", my dear.

The judges were nowhere better in their language proficiency!

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I'm really tempted to buy a PDA phone. I'm weighting the pros and cons. Do I need Microsoft Office on my phone? Do I need a stylus to write better? I can actually write quite on my phone as already proven by already writing so much by now.

It'd be nice to have all these programmes. Come to think of it, do I want to dig out a stylus every single time I want to make a call?

I guess not. I can always save the money I guess!

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I just looked up at the ceiling. There are cobwebs! There's a huge spider there too. Ok, it's not huge. It has a small body but a huge leg span! I hate insects like this! You know those daddy long legs? They look like a ball of thread floating around. Yuck.

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Ok, maybe a stylus would be useful. I've been keying for the past hour on MSN and my fingers are starting to ache, especially my index finger and thumb. Darn.

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I'm on my way home in a train. There's a girl eating fishballs in the train! Come to think of, it's the first time I actually witnessing anyone eating on the train.

I don't think I would do the same! I'm too poor to pay the $500 fine, and besides, I'd find it very awkward to eat on the train. Everyone would be staring at me!
fjozn at 8:48 PM