pop quiz

Oops... this is not a quiz. It's just a set of questions which YSX would like me to do, so here it goes:

Name 3 schools you went to? Yamaha Music School, Tao Nan School, RI

Name 3 things in your wallet? student pass, photocopying card, money

Name 3 things you always wear? shirt, pants, glasses

Name 3 things you normally do when you are stressed? stay calm, think rationally, or if Samuel Kwek is the cause then up goes the middle finger (serious)

Name 3 favourite songs right now? Points of Authority (Linkin Park), Rough Landing Holly (Yellowcard), Photograph (Nickelback)

Name 3 places you go on a daily basis? bedroom, bathroom, school (5 days a week)

Name 3 favorite fruits? orange, mango, grapes

Name 3 things you are addicted to? listening to music, playing the violin, computer games

Name 3 career choices: scientist, doctor, musician (unlikely)

Name 3 goals in 2006: score >3.7 for gpa, improve my standard of english, -3rd goal is confidential-

Name 3 plans for tomorrow: complete school work, contribute to existing projects, exercise

3 names you go by? Ruiheng, Ruiheng (by pronouncing 'heng' in the english way which is incorrect), Ong-strakh (started by David Ng because I called him David Oistrakh)

Three things that scare you? cockroaches, blood, crazy people

Three everyday essentials? food, drinks, sleep

Three things you are wearing right now? shirt, pants, glasses (i repeat!)

Three of your favourite bands or musical artists? 3 Doors Down, Green Day, David Oistrakh (legendary Russian violinist)

Three things you want in a relationship? still undecided at this point in time

Two Truths and a Lie (in no particular order)? I am normal, eccentric and human

Three Physical Things about the Opposite Sex that Appeal to You? -confidential-

Three Places You Want to go on Vacation? Antarctica, Maldives, Africa (safari trip)

Three things you want to do before you die? live a healthy lifestyle, excel in life, be happy

Three people I would like to see take this quiz? Li Zheng, Samuel Kwek, CBW

MEP concert

22 July 2006 (Sat), 7.45 pm, Victoria Concert Hall. The matinee concert seemed like a full-dressed rehearsal. The audience consisted mainly of primary school students and only half of the seats were filled up. On the other hand, the evening concert turned out to be a grand event. Almost all the seats were occupied and the audience was more receptive. A guest-of-honour from MOE was also present during the evening concert and the soloists and chamber players had a chance to meet her during the intermission.

Our quintet played well and even our teacher said she was breathless after our performance during the evening concert, which was a pleasant surprise for us. I guess both concerts, especially the evening one, were started off on a good note since our piece was the very first item (we played the first and last movements of 'Simple Symphony' by Britten). Nevertheless, the other performers also did an excellent job.

It was a memorable experience for everyone; and probably my first and last MEP concert too.

tight schedule

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I woke up at 2 in the morning to watch the World Cup finals in which Italy defeated France 5-3 on penalty shoot-outs to emerge as champions.

Two RE groups including mine were scheduled to meet Prof Kelly Tang, our external mentor, at NTU in the morning. He is an inspiration for me. Apart from able to do on-the-spot improvisations of pop music on the piano, he even gave me assistance when I needed to settle an urgent matter which was completely unrelated to the workshop.

I left NTU at 1:45. Already the class CIP had started and was scheduled to end at 4. By the time I reached Toa Payoh MRT station it was already 3:10. I called my teacher to ask for directions and guess what, she told me that the debriefing session had already begun, so it was too late for me.

I was exhausted by the time I reached home. Shortly thereafter I had to attend a talk held at Suntec City at 7:30 by a Chinese professor who had won a Nobel Prize for Physics. To me the talk was meaningless and I left during the Q&A session; I was only there to fulfill a requirement for my school work. I reached home late thanks to this crap.

It would have been one of my worst days ever if not for the workshop with Prof Kelly Tang.

time to move on

Myriad turned out to be a success, an outcome contrary to what I had expected. I believe it was merely our aptitude which saved the day. I hate to say this, but right now we are ensemble with many problems, not sparing the EXCO as well, and if we do not anything to rectify these problems we are only doing ourselves more harm.

By now, it should be obvious that in order to have productive rehearsals, we must concentrate during rehearsals and work on technical problems pertaining to the individual at home. It is time to address other pressing issues.

What disturbs me most is the lack of compassion displayed by the EXCO when managing the ensemble. While being over-concerned about the ensemble's progress and Mr. Sze's high expectations, they neglect the welfare of its members. For example, when I approached Shawn, the quarter master, to loan a school viola, he said that there was only one left, but did not know where it was. Surprisingly, he did not pursue the matter at all. Later I found out who was holding on to the viola, but from another source. If it was Mr. Sze who approached Shawn, it would be a different story. Apparently the EXCO obeys every single order issued by those who have authority over them, but does not bother about the rest.

When the EXCO makes out that Mr. Sze wants extended rehearsals, they support him and explain to us that it is absolutely necessary. Once during the June holidays, a morning rehearsal was extended last-minute until 5 pm. Fortunately for us, it ended at 3.30 pm. Remus told us that we should be grateful for the early dismissal. Comments which merely add salt to the wound are certainly uncalled for; get that in your head Remus. We know that transport is never a problem for you since you are chauffeured everywhere you go, but do bear in mind that most of us take public transport, which is affordable and environmentally friendly, but often at the expense of convenience and comfort.

Apparently, one of the EXCO members recently decided that anyone who forgets to bring their scores will have to pay $10 for every page. This is a ridiculous penalty and I hope it does not get approved by the teachers-in-charge.

Of course there are exceptions. The EXCO convinced the teachers-in-charge to approve a 4D/3N camp during the June holidays, one day longer than our usual camps. Also, the librarian has spent a lot of time preparing our scores. Remember that we should take good care of our scores. In the unlikely event of missing pages, we should always replace them as quickly as possible before attending rehearsal, so as to avoid the ludicrous penalty.

Remember when we made our SYF debut in 2003? We received the gold award, which was highest award at that time. Two years later in the next SYF, we won the coveted Gold with Honors award. Our progress has been astounding considering that we are a relatively young ensemble.

Nevertheless, we must take the courage to recognize our flaws and most importantly, do our best to rectify them. Only then can we maximize our potential to achieve greater heights. As for the EXCO, I hope that as you continue to care for the ensemble's progress, you will also be compassionate enough to care for the welfare of its members too.