D-day - 6

I find myself unable to think about anything else but SYF these few days. Not only about the day itself, but also the leading up to it. Meals after band are great fun. Good time to find out if any dirt is being dished onto yourself. So hello to my new blog readers! If you really remembered the link.

Eh, i can sense all the worrying and insecurities in the juniors now. Remember this, it doesn't matter what the results are showing now. Why be so superstitious and create such conspiracy theories for yourself? Isn't the drama of SYF enough already?
It is no coincidence or superstition that helped AHband improve to its current state now. It is yourself. So just play your best and let fate take care of the rest.

Silently, i contemplate what Janice once said.
The music is lost in the competition.
How true sometimes. But i think the competition is always about the competition with yourself, to see how well you can do. Its about the build up. To me, seeing the whole band smile and laugh together has already satisfied the worth of SYF. But none of this will really get processed by the juniors at this time yet i know.

Do i look like a 25 year old? Ok, time to smile more. Think the more worrying thing is being seen as an army regular. Siao la, can imagine being laughed at by the Gryphon specs already.

Cheers.

D day-7

Start of SYf is in about 9 hours time. Can imagine the school bands playing tomorrow flipping in their beds unable to sleep, if not busy chatting each other in a fruitless attempt to coax each other to sleep. Truthfully, i cannot even remember what happened the night before my own SYF. I've no idea why but feel like I'm very excited about it also. Ah damn, sucks to get yourself too emotionally involved in something. But then again, it does give the highs and lows in life. Aren't we such suckers for punishment.

Hey people, wanna hear your thoughts too! If not blog's kinda useless right...

Cheers people.

Mask

It is not enough to just care about something. You must know how to show it also. Or rather, how not to show it the wrong way.

So would you put up a mask to face a group and its demands if others seem to mock your intentions?
Or would you be strong enough to face up to the criticisms of the general public and carry on with your belief? What complicates the equation even more is if you cannot even decide who are the people that you care about their opinions.

So which choice, all ideal conditions aside, would you make?



Think I'm getting too emotionally involved with the current AHBand. However, i must remind myself that it is not, in fact, my band and not step over the line. Ironically, a year ago i thought it would have been the last year that i would put in so much effort. I think the main turning point really is having great pals to head down the band together. And actually knowing current band members more. Something sorely missing from last year.

Cheers.

Band exchange

Exchange for AHBand today with crescent girls, fairfield methodist, bartley and balestier hill. I think AHband did much better than they usually did and though to me, we sounded (in terms of band sound at least) the worst off of Mrs. Chua'a bands, we could have potentially been much worse off. However, given that the bands present are not known to be very outstanding, i still feel it is not an accurate preview to the standard expected this year.

So AHBandits, you've gotta pull up your socks eh!
Truth be told, no one can sound as unprepared as the 2003 SYF. Looking back, we had less direction, drive and a clue on wth is going on. I think we probably practiced the least too! even hearing the recording of SYF 03, i realised our sound back then wasn't fantastic. Maybe that's why i've always been trying to put in the effort for other batches so they won't ever make the same mistake and hafta feel the same hurt we did.

The amazing thing abt AHBand really is the bond you feel. No matter how far you go and how much you change, i think many alumni can safely still say they miss AHBand days. Because, no matter the sadness, the politics or sian-ness of going through pieces again and again, its the bond with others that really pulls us tgt and seperates us from other bands. Maybe that's also our downfall as we end up alot less professional, but what the heck man!
Also, I think i would have been going down AHBand a lot less if the people there now do not add good memories to my already very fulfilling AHBand memories.

Cheers.

Taste of own medicine

I swear humans have this perverse mindset that only through hardship will we really improve or come to appreciate how inadequate we are. Not that we do not take note if people tell us nicely, but somehow, sometimes it takes a whole lot more than just a gentle reminder for us to get some ideals in our head.

A case in point would be the recruits i used to take. Having a firm resolution not to kena makan by these 'test market' worms, i took up the appointment of a pretty bitter platoon sergeant whose belief was to push the recruits hard to force an improvement out of them. Eventually, i ended up pretty darn unpopular throughout the whole course. But somehow, when it all comes down to the last day and their appraisals are consolidated and read, its the tough times (and difficult sergeants) they claim to remember and learn most from, though i admit that a minority few still had pretty strong resentment against us.

Fast-forwarding to the present, I've just got the exact treatment from my dad over driving rather poorly. Naturally, i wasn't too pleased. However, after sometime, i found it ironic that now i was in the recruit's shoes and and my dad was like the platoon sergeant. Yet another lesson that going through army has taught me. Secretly, i was glad. But also, damn worried, cause I've been told by too many people that I've been bringing my platoon sergeant side out too much to face everyday people even now in my civilian life. Maybe that's why some juniors in AHBand may be uncomfortable or dislike me. But it's probably just a normal reaction to an 'oldie'. Haha..

So next time someone's strict and maybe overbearing and giving scathing remarks, don't be so quick to pass judgement. He/she may be just enjoying screwing with you, OR more likely, he/she cares a lot but does not know how to express it properly and has chosen a more traditional way of expressing it. We can't always expect everyone to have a sweet tongue. That's what makes praise from these sources all the more valuable.
That being said, no harm learning how to sweet talk a bit eh? ;)

Cheers.

WTH,1-4?!

Watched half of the unfortunate 1-4 defeat of Manchester United under Liverpool just now. Worse if you have a Chelsea supporting brother, a Liverpool supporting brother and his girlfriend at home watching the same match.

Anyway, i think i finally figured out why i have been admiring Ryan Giggs as a player since my primary schooldays. He plays the midfielder and helps build up most of the plays. He's unselfish and yet steps up to finish the job when it is required for him to do so. He's humble and down to earth. Doing his best, yet not demanding the limelight on himself. And most importantly, he's loyal to Man Utd having played there for more than a decade. Unlike some other whining Man Utd star.

Looking back, these are values i treasure and try to achieve in my daily actions. No guarantee on how successful i am in up keeping them though. Haha..

So who's your idol and why do you admire them so?
(Sounds like the teaching as a profession advert. "What is your passion? Children!")

Emotional pain is just a threshold we have to break through to experience happiness.

Criticisms by others is really judgement on themselves, not you.

-as quoted from some advertisement on TVmobile-

I must remember to take more notice on what the advertisement was trying to raise awareness about.

How common it is now that we are too caught up in our own world of Mp3s, PSP;s, DS lite, Handphones and what not, while travelling. It is easy for us to miss the sights and sounds of everyday life. Kind of makes you feel like we're all living in our own bubble. (Like in a certain handphone or Mp3 commercial)
Perhaps this enhances the feeling of individualism present in so many minds today.

We look but do not see, hear but do not understand.

Virgin post

Quote (not wholly accurate):
"Some people have only one cycle in life while others have many cycles. Different cycles you'll need different friends and then you'll find that you'll not be as close to your current friends. Humans are selfish by nature."

Agreed, but i believe some relationships are timeless through the 'cycles'. Just more rare and often overlooked till we have time to sit back look in retrospect.

It's amazing the things you get to hear from random people, in this case, a father of an ex-recruit from my last batch of recruits that i took for only about a month. Went back for their POP and that seems enough for one mother to think we are 'garang' and interested in signing on.

He went on saying we all need a change in scenery sometimes and seemed to imply that that's why people divorce. Because they find that they reached another cycle in life and the person they thought suited at the earlier point of time is not suitable anymore. What's more amazing is how casually he said it in front of his wife!
In his words, "People get together when they do not understand each other, but separate when they finally do."

I do agree with one part of his talk though.
All guys in Singapore identify through NS, regardless of age.
No matter how you try to argue it, when you get a group of guys together, chances are, the common lingo will pop up and the customary, 'my life was harder than yours', verbal competition will commence. More than anything, NS serves as a nation building project, and it looks to be successful too.
I can almost hear people taunting me to 'sign on' again. I guess it's just normal for soldiers to exercise the only right they have, to rant and complain!

Cheers.