pictures before tonight

These are the photos of the final rehearsals done at the hall.
The real show is tonight.
Whoa we are so tired with the practices, can't wait for the concert to start.


Facing the conductor.



Behind the instrument.
Pro model Bach trombone with very large bore.



From the side of the stage.
Can you spot the baritone saxophone player?



Huge case.
The large white sticker says:
Penang Symphony; Concert Tour in China.




Setting up.
The brass player left the hall because it's freakin' freezin' cold.
Spot the French horns?






Rotary tuba.
Taken during breaktime.



The stage.
With new cool stripey lights.

scary world

This whole week as I pass the newstand before going up to the cyber cafe on the first floor, I could see all the devastating headlines.

House being burnt. Five were killed.
Huge truck ramming into car. Whole family died.
Road bully. One poor old woman died.

It's so depressing, I forgot to think that I am lucky to be what I am now.

things that i see

a glass of soda.
after meatballs at ikea.



a 12,000 ringgit worth of pro trumpet.
while idling during the orchestra rehearsal.




adorable tiny monster.
after taken it's vege meal.




hot peaceful wind.
afternoon, after my quiet sunday lunch alone at home.

television singing competition nowadays

At last, the really so popular Akademi Fantasia closed it’s session for 2007 recently. I watched the final competition with dear dear Z at the comfort of my house.

I always got the availability to watch ASTRO at different times a day. That led me to watch a few of the AF weekly competition concerts; as they aim for the end product during the finals.

Overall, I see that this year’s batch has the singing quality which is significantly lower than that of the last few batches. I am totally not a fan of Mawi, but he’s singing is so solid and accurate compared to this year’s batch.

Perhaps the organizers have their own strategy in mind. Perhaps this year they aimed to transform these participators from zero to well-known singers. But I really question the end product, because with just one year full of so many things to learn, they end up still being vocally challenged. How can it be possible for someone with no music background; can focus on their improvement of singing in the vocal training sessions, when they have to catch up with English classes, dance classes, acting classes and what not?


It’s a wonder why these competitors always sing their songs out of pitch. They can even sing a microtone lower than the exact key; not only at just one or two lines, but for the whole verse, or even the whole song.

And some can go out of the correct tempo, and get lost even.

As for those who can sing in correct pitch and correct timing, they fail to project their vocals; they can’t have their voice at least as the same level as the volume of the whole music being played.

I can see that one singer is so cute and adorable, but I am disappointed to see that he just cannot project his voice at all.

And there were also other singers’ attempts to project, but they end up shouting.

I think that GangStarz is producing so much stronger and better singers than AF. Even singers that got in the bottom three in the ratings could produce solid harmony and can sing as a good ensemble.

These are the type of singers that really know how to use their diaphragm and deliver their vocals to the audience.

But then again, it could probably just be the organizers’ different strategies. I could see that ASTRO still managed to win the interest of thousands of audience.

Only that I am not really sure that the target is on the youngsters. With all the emotional sentiments and the type of humor being injected in the program, it’s more inclined towards an entertainment catered for the aunties who work in the government sector.

It’s like having them a chance to say, “I have worked five days for the country, and I deserve my pay and I can afford to watch AF and afford to send SMS votes”. Most likely they are parents, so if they like to watch AF, they would definitely allow their children to watch the program.

So with the chain effect, besides getting money from concerts and SMS votes, it shows that AF is “an essential entertainment needed”, and will never lose its popularity.

AF is seen as a business product. The target clients were reached, and the profit kept coming in. Hence the goal has been achieved.

For sensitive and musically trained ears like us, maybe we should be more understanding and forgive all the huge flaws of AF. Just relax on the couch, lower our expectations and enjoy or bitch about the show. We can also put our interest in other shows, like GangStarz.

nothing much, just about the orchestra

Yesterday I went for rehearsal for the university orchestra. Just like any other previous concerts, this one is a concert to celebrate the birthday of the royalties who are the chancellors of the university.

After so much drama and challenges faced by the orchestra, a lot of things changed, at least for this latest concert rehearsals. So much of improvement, that I am so eager to jot them down here.

The rehearsal studio was unusually full of musicians, and even the benches for visitors were used for the brass players. The whole center floor was full of thirty strong string players. The synthesizer was not needed to support the strings. The electric guitar and jazz set toned down a lot to give balance to the whole orchestra.

Just next to the string section were the oboe and the saxophone, and they are also good players.

As for the brass section;

There were five strong trumpeters and it was only me who hadn’t performed in any solo trumpet recitals. The rest, are all trumpet majors. Gosh, you can just tell without even talking to them, by just listening on how they warm up their instruments. Short, clear notes being played in various scales. I was actually nervous!

There were four strong French horn players, and also three strong trombone players. And yes, most of them are doing major in their instruments.

How I was delighted to receive a paper folder with my name written on it, just like what the other players got on that first day. Inside were all the music notes neatly folded, prettily designed invitation cards, a formal offer letter, and we were also given a musician pass lanyard each. It felt like an event goody bag which I would actually keep and make full use of it! It’s just so unusually well organized.

And then the rehearsal started.

Although the song arrangements are mostly the previous ones that I played, but with a strong orchestra team like this, it felt different. It sounded like an Istana Budaya pop orchestra performance.

I am so being encouraged to perform well in this concert.
Come and watch, it’s on the 1st June.
Let’s just hope the sound system won’t destruct the balance in the real performance!

what's this?

The sketch.

Jin tian shi hen re.
This day is very hot.

Wo zou qu hui-lian-wang* dian, wo chu-han.
I walk go internet shop, I sweat.

Zhege shi wo de huar.
This is I punya drawing.

Wo hua yong jisuanji. Wo hua yige hua.
I draw use computer. I draw a flower.

*hui-lian-wang = "use-connect-web"

The final product...

stripey creatures

I spent the evening indoors when it rained, and I managed to draw this..

Pretty angel fishes.

purple and blue.

Haha, since there's nothing better to blog about, I post this drawing of mine.

aqua life

Yeah, this angel fish is ugly. Ugly angel. Can?




Star fishes.




Chinesey fishes.

the blog has been posted

Recently on a Friday night, I and my mates planned to go and have fun at a club in KL.

There were only a few of my friends who came, but we did enjoy ourselves.

I decided to dance at multiple places.
At the dance floor.
At the drink bar.
At the spiral staircase.
At the top floor.
At the top corridors with iron railings, where I could feel like a dancing bird in a cage.
Yeah, I am a dance whore.

We had supper at a stall after going out of the club,
And I discovered that one new friend whom I barely knew could make even more lame jokes than me.

For instance, he commented:

Wah, the songs played in the club so ‘beruang-beruang’ (translation of ‘bears’ instead of ‘best’).

And he had this habit to repeat everyone’s sentences into very illogical passive form.

Blonde-Me:: They call nasi lemak as coconut rice in English.

Awesome-Friend:: The ‘coconut’ has been ‘riced’.

Blonde-Me:: It’s really a happening club.

Awesome-Friend:: The ‘club’ has been ‘happening-ed’.

Blonde-Me:: (pointing to his jokes) Muahahah.. I like that.

Awesome-Friend:: The ‘that’ has been ‘liked’.

At this point I was so speechlessly entertained; I actually clapped my hands gleefully.

(The hands has been clapped.)

Other friends; they just rolled their eyes.

(The eyes has been rolled.)

All in all, that was a great weekend night, we definitely had fun.

(The hang out has been fun-ed.)

Sorry! Can’t help it.

something beautiful mom sent to me

To realize
The value of a sister:
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
who has given birth to
A premature baby.

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one hour:
Ask the lovers who are waiting to Meet.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident...

To realize
The value of one millisecond:
Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend:
Lose one.

orchids

It's funny that although I have got plentiful time within my hands,
It feels like I do not have enough time.
I have got so many ideas and plans to realize, I am excited, and I think a lot.
Perhaps the fact that I have got plentiful of time, I take steps at a very slow pace.
I should start put everything into a neat schedule so that all things can be done properly.

This is a picture I draw using a graphic software editor recently..

old watch

This is my Seiko watch,

with a new face.

I collected it

from the Seiko Service Center,

Yesterday.

I have lots of stuff to blog,

I will post them soon.

See you guys later...

more cute cute stuff

Butterflies that look like flowers.



Tomato or apple?



My teacher taught me to draw this.

funny funny

I discovered this old post that I posted on friendster. Kinda funny. Hope it will cheer up your day.

1.Change my eye color, what color would they
be?: -color pencil

2.Have any hair color in the world, which color? -
coloring book

3.Instantly be fluent in one language, whic
language would it be? -body language

4.Instantly be able to play an instrument,which
instrument and why? -texas instrument

5.Get any job in the world and be good at it too,
which job would it be? -b... opsss.. cencored

6.Live anywhere in the world, where would it be? -
mawi world? tidaaaaaaaaakkk

7.Join any band, which band would it be? -rubber
band. if you join them together you can play,
inside outside inside out.

8.Have any superpower, what would it be and
why? -kasut power tak best la. i nak super nike.

9.Relive one of my favorite memories, which one
would it be? -80 gig memory

10.Magically alter any aspect of my appearance
without any pain whatsoever, what would you do? -
to be exactly like leon lai. hik

11.Eliminate one bug from the planet, which one
and why? -captain planet. eh? u were talking about
the bug not the planet ek? ops wrong number
pulak.

12.Bring any TV shows that went off the air back,
which ones would I bring back? - hari ini dalam
sejarah. :P

13.Be the president, what changes would i make to
my country? - make everything pink and glittery.
imagine pink streets with glittery traffic lights.

14.Could become an animal, which animal would
you be? -three little teddies

15.Eliminate one season, which one and why? -
wuchester sauce seasoning because it tastes
horrible

16.Improve one of my five senses, which one would
I improve? - nonsense.

17.instantly become famous, what would I want to
be famous for? -famous amos la of course. haiyor
that one also u dunno.

18.Change my name; what would I change it to? –
changing room.

19.Paint my room, what colors would it be? -err..
paintshop pro?

20.Be an instant millionaire, what would I do with
the money? - i keep in the bank. yeah,
boringggg...

21.Meet any famous person, who would I meet? -
mahatma ghandi, boley?

22.Master one school subject, which subject would
I choose and why? - mastermind.

23.Visit any planet, no matter how far -planet
bollywood

24.Spend an unlimited amount of money in any
one store, which store would it be? -store room

25.Go back to one of my younger ages, what age
would you be again and why? - new age.

26.Get one piercing and/or tattoo without any pain, what
would I get? -on my left kidney.

reformat, reboot.

After a few weeks of my PC being idle after the disastrous virus attack, I have decided to format the whole hard disk. I had to erase a whole two years of historical records in my life, inside that disk. It was devastating.

I lost:

:: a huge collection of photos- my holiday in Phuket and Singapore; all the orchestra concerts that I played in; my friend's graduation day; all the fun stuff I did with my friends and my dear dear Z; etc etc.

:: all my mp3 tracks of Mika Nakashima, Ken Hirai and orchestral songs.

::all the 'fun stuff'. Ops.

Anyway. After freshly installed graphic softwares in my PC, I can now create and draw some designs, for the fun of art:


A prototype of a wind orchestra workshop.
The trumpet; I draw myself you know!
Ugly hor.



A design using the photo of my friend's feather duster.
I could have drawn one but I still dunno how to lar.


A design of an orchestra's business card.
I like my design of the logo.