The last day of school.

Last day of school 2009. But I didn't go school, way too bored. Nevertheless, this is another milestone in my life, bravo!

So many things we did in this year of 2009, and yet it felt so short, left to be memories of sweetness.

I bid 4SA farewell, and prepare to enter 5SB. I shall do better, mark my words 2010, I will succeed, I will achieve my target!

And so, I will go forth with dignity and pride.

Rest is for the greater journey.

Just left with 2 days before the start of the year-end holidays. This is probably the 2nd last time I get to enjoy the holidays, my time as a lower student is over, higher education is calling me.

They say, rest is for the greater distance. I know far too well that 2010 is going to knock me off my feet before I can say happy new year.

Jia Xun found a job for the holiday, good for him, hoping to see your new phone! I'll be pretty busy with travelling. I don't mean to brag, but me and my family is going to China for a tour, and in a mean time, visit our distant relatives, and visit our origin.

In addition, after the trip, I'll probably go to my primary school class gathering. Recently manage to reconnect with my friends back in Subang. Lucky for me, they do remember me, much to my delight. Looking forward to meeting them.

And so, to the form 5, good luck with SPM. For the form 3s, the scary world of upper form awaits you, muahahaha. The rest? All I can say? Time will become faster as you grow older.

25th Anniversary Studio Ghibli Concert DVD

I found it! I found it!!! YES!!! I actually found this Magnificent illusive DVD. The 25th Anniversary Studio Ghibli Concert DVD, the one we saw on youtube. The whole event consist of Joe Hisaishi, the composer and arranger for the music of that night’s concert, who himself is present to conduct and perform the piano solos, a 200 piece orchestra, fully equipped and well amplified by perfect amplification device, and a 800 strong choir group, ensuring the purest voice can be heard without need of amplification. I was a lucky man to stumble across the DVD on sale in Ipoh Parade’s Popular Bookstore outlet just yesterday. I am so in love with it! It even comes with a free CD recording. Now I can listen to it in my iPod XD, yay! If you’d like one to keep for yourself, I think most Popular Bookstores should have it, and it only cost RM29.90, worth the price if you ask me, not to mention it comes with a free CD.

For where lies trials.

We were shocked by that news... Of the possibilities... Why? It was that time of the year again, where we gather and celebrate, cheer and shout the joys of the year. It was the time for bonding, where music is everything. We humble agents of this magnificent power came together and with our pure souls express this very nature of emotions.

GONE! Why?! I ask... I refuse to believe it. It has always been what I looked forward to every year since 2007... It was such a thing to look forward to, the time where I can smile, laugh, cry and get carried away to the clouds of joy. Such a wonder, it is...

Such is that I want so much of it, I fear of my own selfishness. I will not stand any of this! I want what of?

Pure Joy of course! I want this magnificent art form to be able to pass through generations. I want the young ones to feel as I do feel it, to understand the joy of what music can bring, and the greater joy of being able to make music...

But all I can do, all we can do, is to just wait, for even the most divine of arts is stained by the realities of the world. Alas!

If tis' the fate that will befall upon us.

Alas... ALAS!!! I can't say enough of it... So far, there is no word in my vocabulary to describe how I feel now. I feel, sad, disappointed, hopeless, and yet, there still last a small glimmer of joy and hope. It's complicated, twas' what happened.

It was depressing... Felt so helpless... How can brothers turn to enemies this way? Years of friendship torn by a single rotten apple... I feel... I just want to make music!!! Why everything has politics involved nowadays?

Peaceful events of, the nature of melodies, the artistic colours of music, where a group of people formed together unite and play... One wonders whether such beauty still exist now...

Alas... For now, all I can say... Is disappointment...

Defination of Epic.

In this blog update, I will share with you all the few "Epics" in music, that is my personal preferance that is. Please do watch before judging or jumping into conclusion.

In the movie soundtrack genre: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Joe Hisaishi.


In the modern classical genre: The Firebird Suite, Finale by Igor Stravinsky.


In the Classical Genre: Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner.


In the jazz genre: Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin.
Part 1

Part 2


In the drum and bugle corps genre: Cavaliers 2002: Frameworks


In solo instrument genre: Toccata and Fugue in D minor by J.S. Bach (Sorry, couldn't find a decent live version)


In broadway musical genre: Memory by Andrew Lloyd Webber.


If I find anymore epics, I will continue. Hope you enjoy.

This is... As I feared, BORING!

AHHH!!!...

I hate this feeling... Feel like doing something, then don't do it...

Boredom, it kills everything...

Even band time seems a bit laid back...

And school life can't get anymore emptier... At least we are still going on with Chemistry, something that is hard to get XD...

Holidays? Hopefully will be better...

Time comes knocking at the door.

"Hey! Are you there?"

That time of the year again. Time lapse becomes more apparent. I hear that phrase every so often... Can't this torment end? School days, we were yearning for holidays. Now? Holidays, I'm yearning for some homework!

Time, such an enigma, so mysterious, it can never be understood, probably one of God's most impressive creation in terms of existence. We can think and believe it is constant. But ever thought of constant eternity? Hard to imagine that there will be no end to time.

Before long, I'll be celebrating Christmas and the next thing you know, I'm in the school hall sitting the SPM examination. It's scary, really...

Time, such wonder, so often misunderstood... Just magnificent of such existence, I'll wait for eternity to prevail...

Analysis on the concert percussion ensemble.

A re-post of an old blog entry 1 year ago, link.

Nan Hwa Marching Band has reach the stage of “Passing Out” season and is now changing to Nan Hwa Symphonic Wind Band…. So Woodwinds has increased, Brass toned down, and who can Ignore? The Percussion has brought out, like always, the Many characters that can’t be found during the marching season….

First,

Snare Drums:

Pearl Championship Carbonply Series High-Tension Snares

Change to this:


Pearl Symphonic Snare

Big Change ya? No more hard hitting action… literally..

Snares are the icing on the cake during concerts, they give that satisfying rhythm beat. Often times the snare parts are Complex and Demanding, especially the Contemporary pieces. Usually in the Background, they sometimes can be quite aggressive in certain songs, which demands the player to be super fast in playing. There you have it, the snares.

Bass Drum:


Pearl Carbonply Championship Series Bass Drum

Change to this:

Ludwig Suspended Concert Bass Drum

No more Rim shoots ya? hehe

The bass drum is heartbeat, not only to the percussion, but to the whole band. When they play, they play with confidence, the bass player is always ready for that hard hitting climax, or maybe to deliver that soft muffled hit, it’s all in a days work for them. The bass drum is flexible in it’s own right, able to create different effects through out the song, soft and mysterious, piano, or maybe loud and climatic, forte? they can do it all.

Keyboard Percussion:


Yamaha Marching Bells


Yamaha Marching Xylophone

Change to this:

Adams Marimba

Adams Vibraphone

No more back aches, haha…

Keyboard percussion playing is executed with much required accuracy, and demands much dexterity. From slow, ambient sounds, to fierce striking passages, the keyboards are slow yet fast. Their running notes are faster than Olympic sprinters, so accuracy is key to successful playing. The players usually accompany their fast paced actions with flowing body movements, sometimes even jumping once in a while, which can be entertaining for the audience.

The Timpani:

Adams Timpani

If the Bass Drum is the heartbeat of the band, The Timpani may very well be the Backbone. The Timpani’s sustaining sound enables it to be create a resonance effect in the band, making it a very Important Instrument in almost any modern concert band performance. The percussive nature of the Timpani, along with it’s tunable range, gives it a strong bass sound no other instrument can produce, making it unique. The players are usually swift with hands, because playing four drums at the same time can be a challenge. The Timpani, whether soft soothing beats, or loud rolling crescendos, is always ready to bring the band to a whole new level of playing.

The Cymbals:

Marching Cymbal

Change to this:

Concert Cymbal

No More hanging those cymbals for 1 minute, haha..

On the field, Inside the band room, anywhere you go, when there’s a Cymbal, you can bet that there are going to be bright flashing lights. A part from playing those loud crashes, the Cymbalist will open up the Cymbal pairs to project the sound towards the Audience, ensuring the the crash be heard for climatic ends. The Cymbals, are oftentimes, well…. loud. But that doesn’t mean they don’t play soft, some songs require the sizzle effect from the cymbal. Most of the times, the Cymbals are used to make that final climatic crash where the band cannot go any louder, or to bring the music to a dead stop with a final crash.

Auxiliary Percussion:

All the etc of the percussion

The Auxiliary percussion, as it name suggest, are the supporting instruments. You can do away with them, seriously….. But expect extremely dull performance. The Auxiliaries are actually very important because they add the Colours to the music. Like a cherry on a cake, the put a finishing touch into the music. Without them, they won’t be any feeling in the music, no matter how good the other players are.

So to conclude, the percussion section is a very important aspect in the Concert Band, especially in Modern Contemporary music.

The Percussion Ensemble, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Timpano! Tympani! IT's TIMPANI!

Yeah man. Freedom, no studies, computer, card games and fun all day. And to top it up, concert band season is in the air again.

And at long last, I finally get to say hello to Ms. Timpani again today. Ahhh... Nearly a year since I touched the Timpani mallets. What grand feeling.

And how could I forget, the keyboards? I'm coming Chimes!

Not to mention all the kalachang Auxiliary percussion XD. We got the cymbals, suspended cymbals, triangles, maracas, tambourine, shakers, cabasas, claves, castanets, finger cymbals, bongos, congas, gongs, tom toms, etc etc...

I love concert season :D

And so it goes.

AHHHHH~ FREAK OUT!!! Yeah man, finally, a gruelling 15 days finally pass and gone. YEAH!

So many things to do now, just to start with now, this Thursday's presentation and so on... Band and travelling are the few main things to occupy my coming holiday.

And this will officially be the end of form 4 for me... Form 5 is just around the corner. But before I get apocalyptic, let us rejoice for now and forget our worries. As for the 2009 SPM candidates, Good Luck!

End credits for my study year 2009:
To the teachers:
1) Malay: Strict teacher of nightmares. I give you my thanks because nevertheless, you pushed us all in the Malay subject with much determination, I salute you.
2) Chinese: For Pn. Yu, although I only listen to a handful of your lessons, I still appreciate your efforts. For the new teacher (whose name I forget), I just say thank-you good enough -_-
3) English: Psychological master of torment. I say no thank-you because being the reverse psychologist, you will interpret it as 'thank-you'
4) Sejarah: I only paid attention for the first week. But I can tell that you are a great teacher to the willing student. My gratitude to you.
5) Maths: Mr Chow, we all will miss you, the best teacher a student can ask for. As for the rest, just a plain thank-you. But Pn. Lisa, I must say, for a fledgling new teacher, you have the aura of well experience teacher, good luck in your career!
6) Add. Maths: Mr. Ngoh, all I can say is... err, Thanks... As for Ms. Lim, well, good luck in your career...
7) Physics: Mr. Siah, I respect your long years of experience as a teacher, and so I say thank you for the many good sleeps in class.
8) Chemistry: Ms. Chek, still new into your career, I say too a big thank-you, I'll try my best in Chemistry in the future.
9) Biology: Mr. Pang, also thank-you.

As for the rest, also I must say thank you, just that I'm lazy to list out all.
2010 SPM here we COME!!!

Anti-climax.

Yes, I finally reach the anti-climax of the exam (for me that is, might be different for others). Why? Because all my weak subjects are over! YAY!!! Now left with the subjects that I'm comfortable with, that is English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and General Maths. Don't say I'm showing off. I'm just being honest.

I'm much more relieve than before, and my usual mood is coming back, suddenly feel so full of life and hope XD.

And among all moods to come back to me, one of them is the band mood.

Although I won't be going anywhere near band before the exams are over, I already got a few things to write.

But maybe I'll just save it for next time instead. For now, I want to go full force with my remaining subjects.

So yup, ultimate relieve period is coming. Good luck for the remainder of the exams, and to the SPM candidates, it's our turn next year.

Rejecting my ethnic roots?

Tomorrow, I'll be sitting through the Chinese paper2 exams... Putting an end to nearly half of my burden...

But for now, apart from greatly worrying what will befall upon me tomorrow, I can't help but to rethink the many comments from my friends and families for failing to master my "mother tongue".

"You are a BANANA!!!"
"You as a Chinese, don't know how to speak or read Chinese, very shameful you know"
"China is becoming the dominant force in the near future, master Chinese and you'll flourish"
"Chinese is going to be very important next time"

This are a few examples of what is thrown at me by some relatives. I appreciate their concern, and truly understand that it's the unavoidable future, but I get very offended when they go too far...

"Next time English is going to be useless, Chinese is needed to survive because of China"
"You are going to lose out to all job interviews next time when they see you fail your Chinese"

I mean, come on, yes, I accepted the fact that China is booming, but, IT'S NOT THE ONLY FREAKIN' LANGUAGE LEFT!!! That is what I always shout to myself in my heart...

I know my capabilities. And I can be pretty sure I can't take it. Chinese is a highly challenging language, and apart from simple speech and writing, literature is everything else in Chinese. And for that matter, I've been losing out ever since form 1.

I am not rejecting my ethnic roots, I am proud to be a Chinese, and I am comfortable with my linguistic proficiency in Chinese. Although weak, but still I can communicate (Although with some difficulty) with my other friends who are much more proficient in the language.

But I am not here to shy away from the fact that my Chinese is below average, I know that I AM. But what can we do? There is always that weak link in every culture. I just happen to be one of them.

And for those who always push me to be better, I really know that you all are just trying to help me be better. But I really can't... I'm just not that language lover type, I'm a guy, and somehow, girls are more interested in this area of studies. I admit that I myself don't really fancy English studies as well, and other language for that matter.

I must say, that even though China is now a powerhouse in the economic scenario, I strongly believe that English will not leave so soon, and that is what I really hope for, if not, I won't have much to hope for anymore. I'm so sorry, my ancestors... T_T.

A sigh a regret.

What is that promise I made to myself the start of this year? Have I failed myself?

I told myself: Study hard, aim for the better of your studies. You have slither your way past too many risky bets on your results. 3 years of play is enough. Study... Study...

I stand now, at the brink of the year. End of 2009 is coming. I've broken too many promises. I failed to achieve too many targets this year. I do not want to fail another.

I want my will to study...

Study...

Study......

End of the World isn't far.

What does this image remind you of? Recycle... Did you recycle? Yes. What for? Because of?

Yes, this few days, I've been studying too much Biology chapter 9. Each sentence I read, I get more depressed by the facts and figures. In addition, after viewing Liying's blog, I was further motivated to write this post.

We can say all we like, and do all we must to stop torturing the Earth right? But bear in mind, the day the Earth will burn shall come soon. In this condition, the damage done to our Earth is nearly irreversible.

Those smart-asses of a government will NEVER, I say NEVER do a proper planning on future developments, Malaysia that is...

Recently, there is a report on the polar ice caps of the world, where Scientist have made a prediction that they will fully melt away and disappear from our Earth in as short as 20 YEARS!!!

This the condition of the ozone layer. It never got better since 1981. And I don't see any reason why it won't continue. The major contributor to the breaking down of the Ozone layer is due to CFC. Although nowadays, most air-conditioners and refrigerators do not use the gas anymore, many can products do. How does CFC break down the ozone layer?

Ozone gasses are actually a formation of a 3 oxygen molecule structure. The normal oxygen in the air is a 2 molecular structure, O2. By the chemical reactions as shown above, the O3 is broken down into O2 and a ClO molecules. Thus, the thinning of the ozone layer occurs.

Apart from that, we are microwaving ourselves with our super smart industries, who are emitting greenhouse gasses into the air. I am pretty sure many of you are familiar about the greenhouse effect. So far, we are unable to reduce the emission of it. Instead, greenhouse gasses are increasing steadily over, causing major climate changes. The most obvious change is the melting of the polar ice caps. In turn, the melted ice releases Methane gas, another greenhouse gas. The extra water that was resulted by the meltdown causes flash floods to occur in the lower landed countries. By 20 years time, if the Scientist's predictions are true, Malaysia may not exist anymore.
Lastly, here's the thought provoker: It is interesting to note many activists uses the message of "Save the Earth" as a way to spread the awareness. True, it is really serious, and we need to educate the public about it. BUT, I would like to put emphasis on the fact, that the Earth doesn't need saving. The Earth went through many punishments, surviving catastrophic meteor collision, surviving the freeze over of the Ice Age, surviving the many earth quakes and natural disasters to befall on it... What can we learn? The Earth still survived. All this occurrence is 10 fold of what we are doing now. So what am I trying to prove? This: after all this punishments the Earth went through, it is the things that live on it that suffer the most. Yes, I mean that we are not killing the Earth, but we are killing our species. Evolution will always be the key to live on Earth. It is only the species that cannot stand change and move on to evolve that will lose out in the evolutionary race. Being the pampered and sensitive lot we are, how long can we survive? That is the question.